by Jan Coffey
Beyond the carriage house, there were two small, somewhat dilapidated cottages by the edge of the water. Ian wondered if either of them might be available. Straight down from the Inn, a small sand beach extended to a large boathouse with a removable dock. A swimming float was anchored not far from the dock. A young man, perhaps a college kid, was working on a sign near some small boats and canoes. Ian wondered if that was Dan Davies.
With the plate of cookies still in one hand, Ian started down the steps hoping to make an ally out of the kid and get him to show him the rest of the grounds.
Ian’s attention was drawn to the bottom step. Three medium-sized boxes were stacked on top of each other, ready to be brought in. They all had the same markings. The top one was open. He looked in. There were dozens of white candles stacked neatly inside.
~~~~
“I guess there’s a first time for everything,” Kelly said good-naturedly as she scanned the large ledger book Janice had pushed in front of her face. They were sitting in the little office behind the reception area. She had no sooner tucked Jade in her bed then the intercom had buzzed her from downstairs. “Think how much better this is than last summer. You remember how we were struggling to fill the rooms? This is a good problem, Janice.”
“You clearly don’t realize the enormity of the situation.” Without getting up from her chair, the old woman reached out with her cane and pushed the office door closed. “I’m telling you that we’re not going to have an easy time sending him anywhere. The man is as stubborn as a mule. He would not listen to reason. Also, he eats like a horse. He took the entire plate of cookies I keep on the reservation desk.”
“A fresh supply is coming. When I came down, I saw Wilson taking two more sheets of cookies out of the oven.” Kelly took out a clean piece of paper and wrote down the numbers of the rooms before looking down at the registration book again. She couldn’t blame Dan for making a mistake. The system was all Janice’s, and no one else seemed to be able to understand it. On this particular page, the scribbling was barely legible, and with all the added notations and scratch outs and sticky notes, it was a miracle that Janice herself could make any sense of it.
She looked at Dan’s note. Two reservations. Perhaps they could do something with them. The first was for a single guest, Ian Campbell—a San Diego address and no preferences as far as the room or private bathroom or anything else. The other was for a couple, made under the name of Victor Desposito. From Philadelphia. Their request specified a private bath, preferably with a claw-foot tub. A queen or king size, no feather quilts or pillows. Non-smoking room. Lake view. She shook her head as she read through the half dozen other requirements that included a list of food allergies and ended with “no use of blue-dyed sheets.”
“I think dealing with Mr. Campbell should be a piece of cake compared to what we’ve got coming with the Desposito couple.”
“Maybe the boy smartened up and registered that couple for the right date,” Janice said, still exasperated. “I swear, Kelly, we don’t need that smart aleck. He makes one mistake after another.”
“You know why he’s here. Besides, Bill is getting too old to do all the heavy work.”
“We’ve always gotten along fine before. That’s all I’m saying.”
“Right.” Kelly looked down at the notes again. “Let’s see…Desposito.”
Dan had taken the reservations back-to-back. And he’d written today’s date on the top corner of the block.
“No, my guess is they’re coming this afternoon.” She flipped the page back to Janice’s notes. “Don’t worry. We can work it out. There is always room five.”
“Aquarius is only half-painted. It’s a mess, Kelly.”
“A minor detail. We can clean it up and, so long as we apologize profusely and put the right person in there, it’ll be a go. There’s also the extra room on the third floor.”
“We haven’t rented that out since you and Jade moved in up there. That’s your floor. And you always said you wouldn’t have any privacy if we put someone in there.”
“Well, at a hundred twenty dollars a night, plus whatever the person spends on drinks, it’s worth it to me right now.”
“Kelly, that room is way too small. The eaves are so low. There is barely any furniture in there. It has no bathroom.”
“There is a bed and a dresser. We can spruce it up in no time. And the guest can use the bathroom on the second floor.” Kelly watched Janice struggling to make the adjustments in her head.
In her efforts to get over Greg’s accident—which had come so soon after her father’s death and just before her mother passed away—Kelly had tried to spend as much time as she could with her daughter. In doing that, however, she had let Janice and Bill take on the lion’s share of work in running the Inn. More and more, she realized that they were not up to handling even small complications like this.
“Okay, Janice, let’s not worry about what’s wrong with those two rooms. Tell me who else we have arriving today.”
Janice grudgingly pulled the book onto her lap. Kelly wasn’t about to be critical, but she was glad that Mr. Campbell had not let them move him to a different inn at their expense. That would have been a ridiculously unnecessary expenditure. Janice and Bill might have been involved with running Tranquility Inn forever, but during this past year Kelly had come to realize there was a direct connection between the lack of concern the couple had about the business and the inn’s income.
Kelly was trying to make a success of it, but the business was difficult. She’d stayed open during the mud season for the first time ever this spring, but it was a rare occasion to have even fifty-percent occupancy during the weekends for those two months. And though trails around the seven-acre lake were perfect, she realized that they hadn’t been doing enough to bring in the cross-country skiing types in the winter. The bottom line was that the bills were mounting, and this overbooking was a gift. Kelly knew she had to squeeze the guests into the rooms they had, even if it meant inconveniencing herself and Jade with a guest on the top floor.
Janice adjusted the pink glasses on her nose and looked at her notes. “Incidentally, I never charged the first night’s stay against Mr. Campbell’s credit card, since I didn’t even know he was coming. So technically…”
“Give it up, Janice. I’ll warn him about not stealing your plate of cookies again,” she said brightly, and then decided to take the lead. “How many parties of guests are arriving tonight?”
“Four. That’s not counting the Deposit…or Depo…or whoever this other couple’s name is.”
“Desposito,” Kelly corrected. “Who do you have staying in number one?”
“The Sagittarius Room. That would be…” She checked the book. “Burke. Ken Burke. You remember him, and his girlfriend. She goes by the name Ash and models in all those racy lingerie catalogues. They were here over the Columbus Day weekend last fall. He called to make the reservation and insisted on the same room.”
There was no way anyone would forget Ash. Tall, brunette, and very beautiful, she was hard to miss. Kelly also remembered Ken Burke. The photographer. There was something oddly familiar about him. She couldn’t place it. She wondered if they’d run into each other in New York during her days of working for the newspaper or at one of the events other photographers showed up to cover.
Sagittarius. Kelly wrote down the names on her tab of paper. She picked up an index card she always kept on a corner of her desk. It was a cross-listing of the numbers of the rooms with the Zodiac signs Janice always insisted on using in referring to the rooms. Just another case of the old habits never dying. The Maitlands had been associated with Tranquility Inn for at least twenty years. When Frank and Rose Wilton, Kelly’s parents, bought it nine years ago, the couple had stayed on to help after the sale.
The decision had been a good one for everyone at the time. And even now, despite their occasional disagreements, Kelly treasured Janice and Bill and everything they’d done for her. They were v
ery special people. She gave a nod of encouragement to her old friend to continue.
“I have a pair of newlyweds by the name of Marisa and Dave Meadows staying in the Pisces Room. This is their first time with us.”
“That’s room two—the smaller bedroom with double bed.”
“And the claw-foot tub.” Janice moved her fingers down the list. “I have the Sterns and their two sons returning, as well. They’ll be in the Libra Suite.”
“I don’t think I remember the Sterns.”
“A very nice family. They used to come and stay with us every year when your parents were still alive and their sons were young. Those two boys must be strapping teenagers now.”
Kelly was certain that Mr. Campbell must be getting impatient. “And room four?”
“Taurus. The antique dealer who comes in twice a year. Shawn Hobart.”
“He has to use the bathroom down the hall. Twin bed.”
“Yes.”
“He is kind of short. Isn’t he?” Kelly tapped the pen against the table.
“Don’t even think of moving him. He’s a creature of habit and a steady customer. And he’s very particular about that room. I think he likes the price. That’s why he always comes back here. It’s far more important to keep someone like him happy than these one-time guests. Also, you have one week reservations for all of these guests, and the way I read it, both of these new people are only staying for the weekend. I really think we should just find them another inn.”
There was no point in arguing with Janice. The older woman had decided where the customers she’d booked were staying. Ian Campbell and the Despositos could obviously go bunk in with Dan in the crappy little cottage by the lake.
“I’d like you to get Rita to spruce up both of those rooms—Room five…uh, Aquarius, and the one on the third floor. Maybe she could get Bill to help her hang some of the pictures back up in Aquarius. And leave the windows open,” Kelly suggested. “I’ll talk to Mr. Campbell and explain that the only thing we can do for him would be the room on the third floor. I hope he’s not too tall.”
“Six feet…maybe six three. I really don’t think he’ll be comfortable.”
“Well, that’s the best we’ll be able to do for him. And please let me know when Mr. and Mrs. Desposito arrive. We can discount their room big time and offer them a complimentary lunch or something.” She rose to her feet. “Oh, and please don’t forget to tell Wilson in the kitchen about the extra guests, too.”
“He won’t be happy,” Janice grumbled.
“Wilson is never happy, so this shouldn’t make any difference.” She opened the office door. Kelly didn’t know exactly when everyone at the inn had become so cranky. There was too much gloom and doom. Maybe Tranquility Inn and most of the people who worked here had been around too long.
Well, summer was almost here. Kelly pasted a smile on her lips and stepped out just as Rita was coming back from the kitchen.
“Oh, good timing! We’ve had a mix-up and there are going to be a couple of extra guests. Janice will tell you what needs to be done.”
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Rita complained, huffing off before Kelly had a chance to offer any help.
Kelly didn’t let the sourness ruin her mood. She went out through the porch onto the deck, where she’d been told Mr. Campbell had headed. Taking care of a new guest would actually be quite pleasant right now.
Chapter 2
Ian walked down the slight embankment across an area of uncut grass toward the lake. The ground was soft beneath his feet, the grass wet and slick. As he neared the water’s edge, he looked out into the distance, surprised by the curtain of white fog that was descended over the view.
He glanced up. The sky was still clear above the inn, the sun shining high in the sky.
“Storm coming?” he asked as he drew near the boathouse.
The college-aged kid didn’t look up right away. He was wearing a navy T-shirt with the arms cut off and a well-worn pair of jeans. He had two hoops in each ear and a Celtic knot tattooed on one muscled bicep. His hair appeared short, though Ian couldn’t be sure with the baseball hat worn backward. The young man glanced up, scrutinizing him.
“Nope,” he said. “Gets this way every afternoon.”
“You must be Dan.”
The young man nodded. “And you are?”
“Ian Campbell. You took my reservation.”
He stood up and stretched his back. They were about the same height. “It’s a miracle. I did something right.”
“Actually, right now they’re scrambling to find me a room that they supposedly don’t have. The old lady behind the desk told me she wasn’t expecting me for another two weeks.”
Dan cursed under his breath and shook his head. “You’d have to be a frigging Einstein to figure out that reservation system of hers. I was damn lucky that Kelly moved me away from it after the first day behind that desk.” He motioned with his head toward the plate in Ian’s hand. “So was that a peace offering for not finding you a room?”
“No, they’ll find me a room,” Ian said, stretching the plate toward Dan. “I took these hostage to make sure they do.” He took it immediately back though when the younger man helped himself to three of the cookies.
“So what brings you to Siberia?” Dan asked, stuffing the cookies into his mouth and bending over the sign he was attaching to a post.
“You must get an occasional tourist up here,” Ian answered. “You a native?”
“Half a dozen moose and a guy who carves animals with a chain saw are about the only natives I know. Traveling with the wife and kids?”
Ian sat on the hull of an overturned sailboat. “Yeah, I have them locked in the trunk of my car.”
“It must be damn crowded in there.” Dan motioned with his head toward Ian’s rental car, visible in the parking area next to the inn.
“They don’t complain much.” He bit on another cookie. “Janice told me you’re pretty new at the job. So, do you live in town?”
“Nope. Right there.” Dan pointed at one of the two ramshackle cottages beyond the boathouse. “But I’m not giving up my room, if that’s what you’re getting at. I know I took the reservation, but I forget how long you said you’re staying.”
Ian looked out at the lake. The fog was spreading across the water toward the inn. “The place is much more attractive than I thought it’d be. I might just stay a couple of weeks.”
“Don’t you have a job?”
“I’ve got good vacation benefits.”
“There’s not much going on around here. Unless you like country music and ice cream…or watching a guy with a chainsaw carve animals.”
“Maybe I’ll take up fishing.” Ian heard the squeak of a window opening behind him. He glanced over his shoulder. The same woman he’d seen pass through the lobby pushed open a window on the third floor. “Do the rest of the people who work at the inn live here, too?”
“You mean here on the inn property?”
“Yeah.”
Dan gave him a long appraising look. “You ask an awful lot of questions for a guest. What are you doing, casing the joint for Al Qaida?”
“With someone like Janice in there to ferret out our sleeper cell? Not a chance.” Ian gave a fake shudder. “She already warned me about her husband, too. Sounds pretty tough.”
“Bill’s not so bad. Just a quiet old guy. Likes his music. And not the kind of music you’d expect. We got talking about different groups one day, and he told me he once met one of the Beatles. But Janice arrived then and he shut right up. Still haven’t been able to find out which one.”
“Fascinating.”
“Yeah, isn’t it? Life here in Siberia is just a thrill a minute.” Dan picked up a hammer and pounded on the sign. “Have to get back to work. The boss just came out on the deck. I think she’s looking for you.”
“Thanks.” Ian pushed to his feet and fixed his gaze on the slender young woman standing on the top step. A white, short s
leeve collared shirt tucked into a pair of khakis. Flat sandals. Curly brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. He started toward her, and her features came into focus. No makeup. Only large green eyes dominating a pale face…and a thin scar on her forehead.
~~~~
Kelly didn’t know why, but her stomach twisted as the stranger neared. She did, however, understand Janice’s hesitation in wanting to find him a room.
Broad shoulders, narrow waist enclosed in a black polo shirt and khakis. Tall and imposing, he moved with the smooth power of an athlete. She couldn’t imagine him being the kind of man who spent too much time behind a desk. Nor could she imagine him fitting comfortably into the tiny bed in the third-floor room she’d intended to rent to him.
As he drew closer, she noticed a touch of gray staining his temples. His wavy dark hair curled over the collar of his shirt. He was overdue for a haircut. She looked up into his face and saw a look of hardness there. A broken nose above thinly drawn lips and a square jaw. The dark eyes were challenging, and Kelly felt the intensity of the gaze from the second he’d turned and noticed her.
Kelly fought her inclination to go back inside and face him with the safety of a reception desk between them. She pushed away from the railing and straightened up. “Mr. Campbell?”
“And I suspect you must be Ms. Stone.”
She was relieved when he stopped at the bottom step. They were eye level. “Everyone calls me Kelly.”
He extended a hand and took hers in his firm grasp. “Strange, the young man down there referred to you as the boss.”
She felt like a diver who’d run short on air, and she didn’t enjoy the feeling. She took back her hand. “First of all, I have to apologize for the confusion. Janice and I spoke about it. We’re readying a room for you on the third floor. I’m afraid that the accommodations might not be of the same caliber as the rest of the rooms here at Tranquility Inn, but—”
