Claudia hardly thought she was in the rat race. She stayed in her apartment all day, by herself, making stuff up. When she was super-engaged in what she was writing, she ordered meals from her drawer full of take-out menus and did nothing but write. Now, she wandered around the apartment, freaking herself out, and coming up with various scenarios about how she would live a life without writing. Granted, she had her savings, but how long would her nest egg hold out? She hadn’t worried about money since her lean college years. Velma was right, she needed to get away, chill, and everything would work itself out.
Her GPS led her right up the driveway to the B&B. She parked her car, took a deep breath, straightened her shoulders, and got out. By the time she had walked to the trunk of her rental car, twin blond, blue-eyed, girls were at her side. They were identical, except that one had messy hair that hadn’t been combed since who knows when, and the other had perfectly groomed locks. They had matching grape juice mustaches.
“Are you Claudia?” the girl with the messy hair inquired.
Her twin smacked her in the arm. “You’re supposed to call her Ms. Montgomery unless she says we can call her Claudia.”
“Can we call you Claudia or are you one of those ladies who doesn’t like children?” the messy-haired twin asked. Her sister attempted to swat at her again. She jumped out of reach with practiced agility and stuck out her tongue.
“You can call me Claudia and, yes, I like kids.” She shrugged her shoulders and said, “I’m not around them a lot, but I’m sure you can give me some pointers.”
“We can do that,” the messy-haired twin said. She pointed at her sister. “Her name’s Charlotte.”
“I prefer Charlie.”
“And I’m Punk.”
“Did you say Punk?” Claudia asked.
“Her real name is Patricia, but she doesn’t act like a Patricia, so we call her Punk.” Charlie looked over at her sister. “Which fits her perfectly.”
Punk puffed out her chest, evidently proud of her nickname. Claudia wondered if she would feel the same way when she was in college. Looking at her, Claudia thought she would. Kids like Punk embraced their sense of self and didn’t question their basic natures. She was a Punk and glad of it.
“It’s our job to get your luggage. We’re the official bellgirls,” Charlie said. “And we don’t accept tips.”
“I don’t see why,” Punk said, pouting. “Working for free is called slavery.”
“Kate says we get room and board and ice cream. That’s our compensation.”
“Is Kate your mom?” Claudia asked, as each of the twins took a duffle bag. Surprisingly, they didn’t struggle under the weight.
“Kate is our aunt,” Punk said. “Our mother’s in jail.”
Claudia did her best not to look appalled at this information.
“TMI,” Charlie hissed out the side of her mouth. “Everybody doesn’t need to know everything about us. Remember?”
“She’s going to find out anyway. The whole town knows our mother is a murderer,” Punk said.
Charlie flattened her lips and glared at her sister.
Claudia tried not to respond to this revelation. She shut the trunk and locked the car. “All right then, let’s go see my room.”
“Don’t you want to know who she murdered?” Punk asked.
“Maybe we shouldn’t talk about this,” Claudia said, increasing her pace. The twins skipped behind her.
They walked up the stairs that entered the back of the house. Punk ran ahead, throwing the door open. It banged against the inside wall.
Claudia heard a woman’s voice from inside the house say, “Whoa there, slow it down. What have I told you about the door?”
Charlie looked up at Claudia sweetly and said, “You’ll have to excuse Punk. Kate says she’s feral and there’s no use trying to tame her.”
Claudia laughed. Obviously, the twins were very intelligent. And trying to appear much older than they were. At least Charlie was.
“How old are you?” Claudia asked.
“I’m ten. I’m two minutes older than Punk,” Charlie said. “I try to be a good big sister,” she sighed dramatically as if she were holding the weight of the entire world on her bony shoulders. She added, “But it’s a trial.”
Charlie politely opened the screen door and gestured for Claudia to enter first. Claudia stepped into a mudroom. Boots, rain slickers, fishing poles, nets, and umbrellas littered the small room. Charlie danced ahead of Claudia, leading the way to the kitchen.
“I beat you up here!” Punk called from the second-story landing.
Unable to be outdone by her sister, Charlie raced up the stairs with Claudia’s bag. “You cheated!”
“Did not!”
A woman stepped forward and smiled at Claudia. “I see you’ve met the twins. Usually, I get out there first. We don’t want to scare off our guests.” She offered her hand, saying, “I’m Kate.”
Claudia shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Claudia.” She gestured toward the stairs and said, “Those two are adorable.”
“Adorable isn’t the word people usually say,” Kate said. “Originally, the B&B didn’t include children, but we do our best to keep them out of the way if the guest isn’t kid-friendly. My mom, Maggie, ran the place with my Dad. But you know life loves to throw a curveball and there you are.” She shrugged. “Here I am.”
“I’m kid-friendly. I’m kind of awkward with them. I don’t have any nieces or nephews to practice on, but I’m a quick learner,” Claudia said.
“Yeah, well don’t let them lead you astray. Punk is really good at that. Charlie does her best to temper her. As you can see, she’s not all that successful.” Kate turned and put a kettle on the stove. “I’m making tea. Would you like some? We usually have what Charlie calls high tea, like the Brits do, around this time. Are you up for it?”
“Sounds lovely,” Claudia said. “A perfect pick-me-up.”
“Then take a seat, relax, and we’ll have high tea. Believe me, it’s an experience.”
Claudia chuckled and sat at the kitchen table. She was feeling better already. This place was perfect. And maybe Velma was right. It was just what she needed.
It was nice house. A typical northeastern coast beach house. It had cedar shingle siding, worn with time, and white trim. Glass doors in the living room opened onto a large deck that overlooked the beach and ocean. The living room, kitchen, and dining room were all one large open space. The furniture was sturdy leather and the tables and lamps also looked indestructible.
It was fairly streamlined in the knick-knack department and Claudia liked that. She kept her own apartment knick-knack free. It not only helped with the dusting, but ideally she needed a clear, uncluttered workspace. Clutter and chaos were not conducive to her creative process.
Shoes thudding against the hardwood floors sounded like a stampede as the twins flew back down the stairs.
“Tea time!” Charlie exclaimed.
“It’s almost done. Go sit at the table and behave yourself,” Kate said.
Punk threw herself into a chair, almost knocking the table over in the process. Charlie sat down like an imitation of British royalty. “Mind your manners,” Charlie said, looking straight at her sister. Punk stuck out her tongue. Kate gave her a stern, warning look. Punk shrugged her shoulders in the ‘whatever’ motion kids around the world are fond of.
Claudia watched Kate as she got the tea things ready. She was very pretty in a natural way. She had messy, short, sun-bleached hair. Blond hair obviously ran in the family. She had blue eyes that were as deep and turbulent as the ocean she lived beside. She was tall and lean. She wore a tank top and khaki cargo shorts which displayed well-toned arms and legs. She either exercised or got a workout just keeping up with the twins. Any way she looked at it, Kate Ferguson was hot.
And gay.
Velma had made sure to tell Claudia that. She thought it would make Claudia feel more comfortable to know that she wouldn�
��t be the only lesbian in a sea of straight people.
Kate probably has a wife or a girlfriend, Claudia reminded herself. She could look all she wanted, but no touchy-touchy.
Claudia inwardly sighed. It was a fact of life that the good ones were always taken. Especially this late in the dating game. Most lesbians had found their life partners by now. Not Claudia, though. Ms. Right eluded her. Claudia had pretty much given up on ever finding her. After all, she reasoned, lots of people lived alone and were fine with it. Claudia was learning to be one of those people. Being an introvert made it less hard. And she’d given up going on blind dates set up by well-meaning friends. If Ms. Right came along, wonderful; if she didn’t, that was the just the way the cookie crumbled.
It didn’t help that Claudia was not a stunner. She had shoulder-length mousy brown hair, brown eyes, a thin nose with a slight crook in it from a softball accident, and an unremarkable mouth. She wasn’t the gorgeous writer her dates hoped she was. She didn’t have an author photo on her book covers for a reason. Que sera sera as Doris Day would say.
The back door squeaked open. Here comes the girlfriend, Claudia thought. Instead, she turned to see a woman in her early seventies with braided gray hair and faded blue eyes. The woman smiled warmly at Claudia.
“You must be Claudia. I’m Maggie. Velma told me all about you. I feel like I know you already. Did you have any trouble finding us?” Maggie asked. She set down the grocery bag she was carrying. “You girls go get the rest,” she wagged a finger at the twins.
“Did you get us treats?” Punk asked.
“Only one way to find out,” Maggie said, winking at Kate.
The twins raced out the back door, slamming it behind them. “I see you’ve met the twin tornadoes,” Maggie said.
“They’re adorable,” Claudia said.
“Well, that’s a relief,” Maggie said, unpacking the grocery bag.
“I wish I had that much energy. The things I’d get done!” Claudia said.
“Mom, you go sit. I’ve got this,” Kate said, gently pushing her mother toward the kitchen table. “You can fill Claudia in on everything. I haven’t had a chance.”
“All right then,” Maggie said. She opened a kitchen drawer and pulled out a map. She sat down and slid the map across the table to Claudia. “This’ll give you the lay of the land. It’s a small town, but it has just about everything we need. The best part is that most of the businesses here are family-owned. It’s our own little slice of heaven.”
Claudia traced the downtown streets with her index finger, noting the businesses. Maggie was right. There was a café, a grocer, a hardware store, a bar, a library, and other essential businesses—gas station, post office, and a dentist. Plus, cutesy little stores meant for tourists, including a book store.
“Looks like you’re self-contained all right,” Claudia said. She liked this retreat already and she had been here all of twenty minutes.
“Some stuff we do have to go to the big city for, but it’s got to be something really special to get me into that circus. The longer I’m here, the less I can tolerate the bustle of big city life,” Kate said, setting the tea tray down in the center of the table. “Mom, I’m assuming you got cookies to go with the tea?”
“Petit fours, to be exact,” Maggie said. She chuckled. “I just like the sound of them. Makes me feel fancy. We have to impress our guest. Do you like your room?” Maggie asked, pouring the tea.
“Actually, I haven’t seen it yet. The girls took my bags upstairs for me,” Claudia said.
“I think you’ll find it comfortable, but anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask. If I can’t take care of it, Kate can,” Maggie said.
“I’m your go-to girl,” Kate said, aiming her dazzling smile at Claudia.
Claudia smiled back. “Good to know.”
Kate offered her the cream and sugar.
The twins burst in the back door, each carrying a grocery bag. They each had a cookie shoved into their mouths. When Charlie had finished chewing, she said, “We found the cookies, Gran.”
“I can see that,” Maggie said. “I hope you saved some for the rest of us.”
“We didn’t touch your fancy ones,” Punk said. “I practiced great self-restraint.”
“I told her she’d get in big trouble. I had to threaten to destroy her shell collection to keep her in line,” Charlie said.
Punk stuck her tongue out at her sister.
Claudia laughed. They were extremely entertaining.
The girls unpacked the groceries quickly and rushed to sit at the table. Obviously, everything with them was a race.
Punk won this race and sat in the chair next to Claudia. Charlie stuck out her bottom lip in a pout and sat across the table.
Punk asked, “Do you like cookies or are you one of those ladies who counts calories and hates gluten?”
“Punk!” her grandmother admonished.
“It’s a legitimate question,” Punk said.
“I love sweets, probably more than I should, but life is short,” Claudia said. She sipped her tea. It had a hint of some spice, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. “This is delicious. What kind of tea is it?”
“Orange pekoe,” Kate answered.
Charlie piped up, “Did you know that orange pekoe tea doesn’t have anything orange about it?”
“No, I didn’t know that,” Claudia said.
“Orange was the name of a Dutch royal house. The tea was named after them,” Charlie said.
Kate smiled apologetically at Claudia. “The girls are troves of useless information. If you ever need to know something, just ask them.”
“How about dogs and cats? Do you like them?” Punk continued her inquiries.
“I love animals. I don’t have any right now. I lost my little dog a while back and I’m still too sad to find another,” Claudia said. “His name was Leo because he looked like a little lion. He was my best friend for fifteen years.”
Punk gently patted her hand. “We have a pet cemetery out back. I can show you later. It’s real pretty and quiet. You can go out there and think about Leo anytime you want.”
“Thank you,” Claudia said. “I might just do that.”
“Will you have your tea and treats and stop grilling our guest?” Kate said. There was no bite to the admonishment.
Charlie grinned and shoved an entire sugar cookie into her mouth.
“Don’t do that,” Kate scolded. “You’ll choke.”
“I know the Heimlich, I can save her,” Punk said, then rubbed her hands together like an evil scientist. “The question is: will I save her?”
“You’re terrible,” Charlie said, spewing cookie crumbles. “I’d save you.”
“Just so you could rub it in my face,” Punk retorted.
“Off you two go... It’s grown-up time,” Maggie said.
They gulped their tea, snagged another cookie, ran out the sliding glass door to the deck, and then down to the beach.
“Wow,” Claudia said, shaking her head and laughing. “I’m exhausted just watching them.”
“You and me both. They’re a handful, but I love them dearly,” Kate said.
“She does. You’re a good daughter,” Maggie said, smiling warmly at her daughter.
“I try.”
Claudia was hit with a sudden wave of sadness. She missed her own mother and all the times they had sat at the kitchen table, having coffee, and talking of everyday things. What she wouldn’t give to have one more afternoon with her mother. She wished she’d paid closer attention to the times she did have. But, of course, she’d never considered that she would only have a finite number of afternoons with her mother.
“You okay?” Kate asked, snapping Claudia back to the present.
“Yes, a bit tired, that’s all.”
“Why don’t you go have a lie down? Dinner’s at five-thirty, so you’ve got plenty of time,” Maggie said.
“I think I will,” Claudia said.
“I
’ll take you up and get you settled,” Kate said.
She led Claudia up the stairs to the second story, which had three bedrooms.
“We used to have two open bedrooms until the twins arrived. Maggie’s is that one and the twins have this one. And this one is yours,” Kate said, opening the door to a rather spacious bedroom with windows overlooking the beach.
“Where do you sleep?” Claudia asked.
“I have the best room in the house,” Kate said. “The entire attic is mine.”
“Are you being serious?”
“Yes, actually I am. It really is nice, all finished up and cozy. It used to be my dad’s office and man cave.”
“Is your father…”
“He passed two years ago. Lymphoma.”
“I’m so sorry,” Claudia said softly.
“It took him fast, but that turned out to be a blessing. I still miss him every day. How about you? Are you close with your parents?”
Claudia stared out the window, willing herself not to cry. It had been a year now and she still wasn’t over it. She probably never would be. “I lost them both to the flu, believe it or not. They’d gone on a cruise to Barbados when they got sick. They died on the ship. They were buried at sea.”
“Whoa,” Kate said. “I’m so sorry. That must have been a huge shock.”
“It was. Needless to say, I get a flu shot every year,” Claudia said, smiling wryly. Through the window she could see the twins frolicking on the beach, playing tag with the ocean waves. She tried to remember the days when she’d been so carefree. It seemed so long ago. Too long ago.
“Well… I’ll leave you to your nap,” Kate said. She turned to leave, then stopped. “I hope you like it here, Claudia.”
“I already do.”
Kate smiled.
It was a dazzling smile, Claudia thought. Full of unspoken promises.
End of Chapter One
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