Chapter 4
Helen pulled into the driveway of Laurel Cove Bed and Breakfast, parked, and turned off the car.
She was thirty minutes early. She had hardly slept last night, and ended up taking a shower at five a.m. She had to wait until six for the small motel to serve coffee.
By the time she got into her car she’d consumed three cups.
To say she was a little jittery was an understatement.
Helen hiked her purse on her shoulder and slowly walked up to the front porch. She wrapped her scarf tighter against her neck to ward off the cold breeze coming off the lake.
The house was painted a charming green color and had a red tin roof. The porch was large and inviting with wicker furniture and lots of soft pillows for enjoying an early morning coffee.
The steps leading up to the porch were decorated in orange pumpkins and bright red mums.
The entrance around the door was beautifully decorated in the same color scheme. An autumn wreath hung on the door with decorative ribbon tying the ensemble together.
She glanced over at the lake. It looked smooth as glass.
It looked exactly like the ad.
Helen took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
The door flung open. A young woman in a robe looked startled to see her standing there.
“Did you get locked out? I told the owner she needs to make sure the key works correctly.” The young woman looked put out.
Helen shook her head and held out her hand. “No, I’m Helen Dunn. I’m the new caretaker.”
The girl arched her brow at her outstretched hand. “I’m not the owner. I’m a guest.”
A pretty woman with long brown hair and dressed in a black suit appeared holding a tray of donuts. “Thanks for getting the door, Jackie. I’ll take it from here.”
Jackie shrugged, snagged a donut, and headed back upstairs.
“Sorry about that. I’m Kacey Rhodes. I’m the owner. Well co-owner.” She balanced the tray in one hand and stuck out her other hand.
“I’m Helen. Your new employee.” She shook her hand and then reached for the tray. “Here, let me help.”
Kacey smiled. “Thanks.” She glanced at the grandfather clock. “Wow, Helen. You are early.”
Helen grimaced. “Sorry about that. I am an early riser.”
Kacey headed into the dining room. “I’m glad to hear that.” She gave her a grateful smile. “You can just put those there on the buffet. Our last caretaker was … what did she call it? Oh, yes, time blind. She said she had time blindness.”
Helen set the tray down beside the coffee maker on the antique buffet. There was a small refrigerator on the floor with small bottles of water. There were five small tables with chairs in the dining room. The guests could look out over the lake while eating breakfast.
“What’s time blindness?” Helen frowned.
“It means she didn’t get up before eight,” Kacey deadpanned. “You can’t run a B&B when you sleep in.”
Helen chortled. “I guess that’s why she didn’t work out.”
Kacey shook her head. “Among other things.” She nodded toward the stairs. “Jackie, the delightful girl you just met, caught her in her room going through her things.”
Helen went wide eyed. “Wow. That’s bad. I’m surprised Jackie didn’t check out.”
Kacey laughed. “Jackie is my cousin. She’s getting a discount while she is staying. She’s not going anywhere for a while. Come on, let’s go into the kitchen. Rebecca should be here any minute. She’s the other owner of Laurel Cove Bed and Breakfast.”
Helen followed Kacey into the kitchen, her footsteps clicking softly on the pine wood floors.
“This is beautiful. I love the countertops.” Helen ran her hand across the black and gold quartz.
“Thank you. I know everyone is doing white kitchens, but I’ve always loved dark moody kitchens. Besides, white kitchens wouldn’t be very functional in a B&B.” She pointed to the large gas stove and double oven. “When I designed the kitchen, I was hoping to be able to offer more than breakfasts.”
Helen held her gaze. “Offering dinners would be helpful during the off-season when the tourism has dwindled.” She glanced at Kacey’s outfit. “You said you designed the kitchen. Are you an interior designer?”
Kacey’s eyes sparkled. “I am a realtor. That’s how I found this deal on the house.”
Helen smiled. “That’s exciting. I’ve always found myself looking at homes on my computer. I love reimaging different rooms or how I would decorate it differently.”
Kacey nodded. “That’s one of the reasons I went into real estate. I love seeing potential in a space.”
The back door opened, and a beautiful woman with dark blonde hair walked in.
“Good morning. Sorry I’m late.” The woman carried a box of donuts. “I picked these up on the way.”
Kacey rolled her eyes. “We’ll add them to the others.” She turned to Helen. “This is Helen Dunn. Our new caretaker and the woman who is going to save us all.”
Helen snorted. “I doubt that. I can’t even save myself.”
Kacey and the other woman looked at her.
“That was a joke.” Helen changed the direction of the conversation.
The other woman grinned and set the box down before holding out her hand.
“Hi, Helen. I’m Rebecca. Nice to meet you.
” She waved her hand for her to take a seat at the small kitchen table, and they all sat.
Rebecca cocked her head. “I have to say, I’m pleased that you arrived a bit early.
I don’t know how much Kacey told you about our previous caretaker, but we desperately need help. ”
Helen smiled and clasped her hands in her lap. “Kacey filled me in. I will do my best to make this bed and breakfast a welcoming place. If you just give me a list of things that need to be done, I can get started right away.”
Kacey poured them all a cup of coffee and set them before each of them before she took her seat. “We would like to ask you some questions first.”
Helen took a sip of her coffee and nodded. “Of course.”
Kacey set her coffee down. “On your application it says you are from Arkansas. Do you have any plans in the future for moving back there? If you do, we will need at least a six-weeks’ notice.”
Helen shook her head. “Oh, I don’t think you have to worry about me leaving. I am looking for a fresh start.”
Rebecca glanced at her hand. “You are single?”
Helen took another sip. “Divorced.”
Rebecca’s face dropped. “Oh, I’m sorry. I know first-hand how hard divorce is.”
Helen frowned. “You seem very young to be divorced.”
Kacey shrugged at her friend. “Her ex-husband was having an affair with her sister, and they married.”
Helen felt her eyes grow big. “I’m … so sorry.”
Rebecca snorted. “Believe me, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. He was not the man I thought he was.”
Those words rang true to Helen.
Helen leaned forward. “Do you still talk to your sister?”
Rebecca shook her head. “Oh no. I’ve blocked her on everything. She’s the type that thinks the whole world revolves around her. I found a lot of peace after cutting her out of my life.”
Helen sat up a little straighter. “You did? But wasn’t it hard? I mean, thinking you know someone and then everything you knew about them was a lie?”
Rebecca studied her for a bit and then smiled. “Yes. But it was during the pain I found myself growing into a different person. A more confident person.”
Helen smiled. “Yes, well you are so young. You have your whole life ahead of you.” Unlike me.
Rebecca studied her for a second. “Helen, I know we just met, and I don’t know you. But I’d like to say something.”
Helen nodded. “Of course.”
Rebecca studied her. “I don’t know what your husband put you through,” —Helen glanced down, embarrassed by her own situation in life— “but I can tell you this. Your life is going to be better without him. Just keep reminding yourself of that. And then one day there is going to be this feeling, like a weight has been lifted and the fog has cleared. That’s the day you’ll start living the life you were always meant to live. ”
Kacey smiled. “Rebecca is right.”
Helen felt her spirits lift. “Thank you for that. I hope you are right. In the meantime, I promise that my personal life won’t affect my work.” She glanced at the box of donuts.” I was wondering what the breakfast menu usually consists of.”
Kacey lost her smile. “We wanted a full breakfast. But, as we said, our last caretaker didn’t get up on time, let alone cook.”
Helen arched her brow. “How long did she work here?”
Rebecca shook her head. “She lasted two weeks. She promised she would do better but never improved.” She reached into her large bag and pulled out a binder. “Do you like to cook, Helen?”
She smiled. “Yes, I love cooking. I also do a lot of baking during the holidays, including homemade cookies as gifts for the neighbors.”
Rebecca shoved the binder across the table to her.
“That’s great. As you can tell, we have renovated most of the house.
There is one bedroom that still needs some work.
Nothing too big—just painting—and some retiling of the bathroom floor.
We wanted to have all five bedrooms ready before we opened but we needed to start pulling in money for the mortgage, so we currently rent out four. “
Kacey glanced at her phone. “I’ll talk to Malcolm today to see if he can get to the tile this week. With Christmas approaching I want to have all rooms available before then. I would love a full house on Christmas.”
Helen studied the binder. “I noticed how pretty the porch is. Do you plan to decorate it for Christmas as well?”
Rebecca nodded. ‘The day after Thanksgiving I’ll have Carolina come decorate. It may take her longer since Bernice is on vacation.”
Helen cocked her head. “Is Carolina a professional decorator?”
Rebecca shook her head and took a sip of coffee. “Oh no. Carolina works for Bernice at the nursery. She helps decorate people’s front doors and porches for the holidays. We put an order in for lights, poinsettias, and cedar garland.”
Helen smiled. “It would look lovely to have a Christmas tree at the end of the porch, with all its lights and colorful balls.”
Kacey nodded. “That’s a great idea. I was going to see if Carolina would decorate the inside of the house as well, but I know she must be slammed with customers this time of year. I need to write that in my schedule. I would love to have it done early.”
Helen paused. “I can do that in my spare time, if you would like.”
Kacey smiled. “If you can just get this bed and breakfast running like an engine, that would be enough for me. Besides, there is a lot to do beyond preparing breakfast. Checking in and checking out guests, handling reservations, etc. There is also laundry, cleaning, and getting the rooms flipped in time for the next guest. I’ve written them all down here. ” She tapped the binder.
Helen nodded. “I like to keep busy. I think this is the perfect job for me.”
Rebecca smiled. “I think so too. I have a good feeling about this, Helen.” She stood and put her coffee cup in the sink. “Let me give you a full tour and then we will get out of your way.”
Helen followed Rebecca around the large house. She took in the character and charm and hoped she would, in some small way, add her own personal touch to the home.
After the tour, Rebecca showed her to the room she would be staying in on the lower floor of the house.
A slight wave of sadness washed over her at the small room. Helen quickly shook her feelings away and headed out to her car to bring her meager belongings in.
This was her home now, and she needed to start leaving the past where it belonged and focus on a new beginning.