CHAPTER FIVE #2
“Barely,” I murmured, going to the coffee carafe on the console table along the far wall and pouring myself a cup.
Just like the interior of the house—with its shabby-chic, beachy décor—the bowls, mugs, and plates, were all beach-grass-themed stoneware—white and with a spray of tawny seagrass on the sides.
I glanced at Raina and grunted to ask if she wanted one too.
She nodded, because her mouth was already full of pastry.
I snorted in amusement and poured her a steaming mug of java too. I always took mine black, but I had no idea how Elsa took hers.
There was only one other couple—probably old enough to be my parents—left in the dining room, and they appeared to be just finishing up.
Even though there were plenty of empty seats, I took the vacant one next to Raina. “I wasn’t sure what you took in your coffee,” I said, smirking when a big glob of red jelly fell out of her pastry and onto her plate as she took an unladylike bite.
“Just cream or milk, if they have it.”
Nodding, and taking her mug back to the shabby-chic painted console table, I added a splash of cream before bringing it back to her.
Her plate was now loaded with bacon, cheese, avocado, and a fried egg on an English muffin.
I had to admit, that looked pretty fucking perfect for my starving, hungover ass.
So I went to work fixing myself the same thing.
“It’s really pretty in here,” Raina said, sipping her coffee. “I like all the blue and green stained glass in the windows. And the art is lovely too.”
Chewing my first bite of my amazing sandwich, I scanned the dining room, which seamlessly bled into a sitting room.
There were French doors open that indicated the two rooms could easily be separated if needed.
The space was nicely decorated, if not a little cluttered.
Even the vintage furniture—like the overstuffed chair in the corner by the woodstove—with velvet upholstery, was in either tans or blues.
Everything else was in shades of white, blue, beige, tan, or butter-yellow—like the throw pillows.
Lenora was clearly leaning into the beach house theme, as all the art—which appeared to be original acrylic on canvas—was ocean or beach inspired.
Speaking of our host, the petite woman with white hair and no patience for Raina’s and my feud came to stand across from us at the table. “Will you two be needing to book another night?”
Raina instantly shook her head. “No, no,” she said, shoving food into her cheek. “I don’t think so.”
Lenora’s eyes and the tilt of her head said she didn’t think Raina should be making the decision so hastily.
Without saying anything, I stood up and went to the window to peer outside. The trees around the house danced like nobody was watching. They wouldn’t be making repairs to the terminal today, and I’d be very surprised if the harbormasters on San Camanez or Wayman allowed boats to go out.
I turned back to face Raina and Lenora. “I don’t think boats are going to be going out in this today.”
Raina’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
Lenora was nodding. “Harbormaster Ivan has already said it’s too dangerous for any boats to leave the marina from Wayman. He declared it this morning. And I haven’t heard anything about the terminal on San Camanez being repaired.”
Surging to her feet, Raina joined me at the window. “This is nothing. What do you mean no boats are allowed to leave the marina? I have to get home. I have to get back to my son. I can’t stay here another night. This isn’t right.”
Lenora’s attempt at an expression of sympathy was humorous.
It mirrored what I felt inside. We all chose to live on islands.
For the most part, it was great. Except during the stormy season when sailings got canceled and harbormasters declared marinas closed.
Yeah, it was inconvenient, but it wasn’t like they did it just to piss people off. It was to keep people safe.
“Yes, we’d like to stay another night, please, Lenora,” I said, leaving Raina at the window and taking my seat again.
I’d finished my sandwich and since there was still a bunch of fixings on the platter in front of me, and I was nowhere near full, I decided to make two more sandwiches.
“If you have a second room available, that would be great though.”
Lenora’s pale-blue eyes turned sad behind her purple-rimmed cat eye glasses. “All we have is the honeymoon suite, which you’re in right now. Everything else is booked, I’m afraid.”
Raina made a noise of irritation as she stomped her way back to sit beside me. “I’m going to go see if I can find another place to stay then. Or maybe somebody I can bribe to take me back to San Camanez on their boat.” She said that last bit under her breath.
“I would appreciate another night, Lenora,” I said, ignoring the pounding in my head. “Please just bill me for the second night.”
Lenora nodded and scurried off back into the kitchen.
“You’re not going to find anybody willing to risk their life to ferry you over to San Camanez,” I said, spotting the jam behind the bowl of fruit and grabbing it.
Yes, I’d already made myself two savory sandwiches, but the croissant with chocolate drizzle called my name.
I slathered on the raspberry jam and took a bite, humming in delight.
“We’ll see about that,” Raina said, taking a rather savage bite of her sandwich. She shook her head and turned to me. “Do you have a tapeworm or something?”
Chewing, I ignored her and took a sip of my coffee, letting the vanilla notes of the medium roast mix with the chocolate and raspberry in my mouth. “You’re a very cranky person in the morning,” I noted.
“And you’re just as annoying in the morning as you are the rest of the day.”
Lenora came back into the dining room with a fresh pot of coffee, and I pivoted in my seat to face her. “Lenora, my love?”
Instantly, the little woman with curly, white hair blushed as she paused, waiting for my question.
“Would I be able to do some laundry today? I only packed enough clothes for the one night I spent in Seattle. And yesterday’s clothes are pretty damp. I’m happy to pay.”
“We have a laundry service here,” she said with a sweet smile. “I’ll bring a basket up to your room. Just place whatever you’d like washed into the hamper outside your door, then I’ll have it all washed and ready for you by supper.”
“You’re a peach, Lenora.” I winked at her, which just made her blush even deeper before she shuffled back into the kitchen.
“Do you just flirt with everyone? With any thing ?” Raina asked, sipping her coffee. “If it’s warm, and gullible, you’ll try to get into its pants. Be it a woman, a duck, or a radiator?”
“What duck wears pants?” I asked. “Not Daisy. Not Donald. Not even Daffy. And I would never fuck a radiator, not even one that filled out a pair of Lululemon tights nicely.” I finished my croissant, then picked up my second sandwich and tore into it, growling as I did so and keeping eye contact with the antagonistic woman to my right.
“God, I hope there’s somewhere else on the island with a vacancy,” she murmured, finishing her sandwich and standing up to take her plate to the dish tub on the shelf beneath the center console table.
“You and me both,” I said, unable to resist watching her walk away as she headed upstairs, tripping on the transition between the sitting room and hallway and nearly eating it, but saving herself at the last minute.
I smothered my chuckle in my sandwich, but she must have heard me, because she spun around as she held onto the wall and righted herself, a murderous glare in her eyes.
Hopefully, some fool on the island took pity on her and gave her a cot, or a manger, or something to sleep in. Because she sure as hell wouldn’t be bunking with me again tonight.
I took my time finishing my breakfast. My headache was more or less gone, now that I had some caffeine and food in my system, and while I still didn’t feel like I could run a marathon, I was no longer knocking on death’s door either.
I figured that if I took my time getting back to the room, Raina would be all packed up and ready to check out by the time I did.
Not quite.
The laundry basket sat in front of the door, so I brought it into the room with me, only to find Raina on the phone.
She wore an exasperated look—and she was still in her pajamas.
“What do you mean?” she asked the person on the other end.
“Yes, I know what ‘no vacancy’ means, but … no, I am aware of that. Yes … I’m just asking if the family who is renting two rooms would consider just renting one so I could have the other. I’m happy to pay more … hello? Hello?”
I snorted as I stalked to my duffel bag and dug out my dirty clothes, loading them into the hamper. I went to the bathroom next and the stuff from last night’s deluge on the ferry hadn’t even begun to dry where I’d hung it up in the shower. That went into the hamper too.
“Hello, yes, my name is Raina Aaronson. I am one of the owners of Westhaven Winery on San Camanez, and I’m wondering if you have any vacancy? I’m happy to sweeten the deal with a year’s supply of wine. A case a month? Two cases a month? No? You don’t have anything? Not even a couch in the lobby?”
Back in the bedroom, I located the dark-gray sweatpants I packed as just-in-case pants, and carted those into the bathroom, where I quickly changed.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have any extra socks, which was not like me at all.
Normally, I had extra socks packed; I had extra everything packed.
Joining her back in the room, she seemed more frustrated and defeated than ever.
“No luck, Elsa?” I asked, plopping my duffel bag on the bed to give it another thorough look-through. There had to be socks in there.
Raina cast me another homicidal glare.