41. Mia
41
MIA
Opening day at the bed and breakfast feels like a dream come true. The soft morning light filters through the windows as I bustle around, making sure everything is perfect. Fresh flowers adorn the tables, and the smell of freshly brewed coffee mingles with the scent of warm pastries in the air.
My guests will start arriving around noon. I have given all my first few guests early check-in as a bonus. And despite what I told Theo, I’m thrilled that all my rooms are booked up, except for the back bedroom I reserved for myself.
My cousin is staying in one of the rooms with her husband, but other than that, everyone staying is a friend of a friend. I don’t know them personally, and I can’t help the spur I feel to make everything perfect.
Even though I won’t normally be offering lunch or dinner, I make a small spread for guests to enjoy as they arrive– chips and dip, muffins, and a cheese and meat tray.
I hear a car pull into the driveway, and my stomach turns over. This is it. This is the moment.
I run my hands over my sundress, pushing it down. I want to look like the perfect hostess. I hear a thumping on the front porch, then the distinctive sound of suitcase wheels rolling. Even though people will be able to come and go as they please through the front door, I decide to open it myself to welcome them inside.
I swing the door open, and my smile grows only wider when I see my cousin with a suitcase that’s almost bigger than she is.
“Breanna! You’re here!” I’m glad my first guest is someone I’m familiar with.
Breanna lets go of her suitcase and wraps her arms around me. When she stands back, she’s also grinning. “Am I allowed to hug you? Sorry. I wasn’t paying attention to the rules of interacting with my hostess.”
“Oh, stop it. Yes, you can hug me, just not around the other guests. I don’t need them thinking that free hugs are part of the amenities.”
Breanna laughs and continues to fight with her suitcase. Her husband slams the trunk closed and approaches the house with another two.
“Breanna, you’re not staying that long.”
“Maybe not to you , but I need to make sure I have all the perfect outfits.”
Breanna huffs and puffs as she gets the suitcase through the door. I help her up the stairs with it so she doesn’t bang up the walls.
“Here’s the room I’ve picked for you two,” I tell her, rolling her suitcase inside.
Breanna stands just inside the doorway, her eyes scanning all the features before she nods approvingly. “It’s beautiful. Thank you. I love the room you’ve picked.”
“It gets the afternoon sunshine so you can sleep in in the morning. Is that weird? Should I ask guests when they book if they prefer morning or afternoon sunshine? I mean, it’s something that I would care about when booking.”
Breanna smiles and pushes the curtains open a little wider. “It’s a good question. One I’ve never been asked before. But I wouldn’t mind it if someone cared enough to ask. It would feel like an extra touch, a super caring hostess.”
“That’s what I’m going for.”
Breanna’s husband finally makes it up the stairs and finds us. He rolls the suitcases toward the closet then plops onto the bed. “I don’t know what you packed, but it weighs as much as a baby elephant.”
Breanna giggles then goes over to kiss her husband. “Thank you for carrying my baby elephant.”
“Well, I’m going to leave you two to enjoy yourselves. Here’s the key to your room and your key card to the resort next door. You can go over and enjoy bowling, the movie theater, or any of their other amenities. The movie schedule is on the table by the front door, and I’ve got a few snacks out if you feel hungry.”
Breanna squeals. “Wow! Mia, you’re like a full-grown adult hosting this whole place. I’m so proud of you!”
“Please don’t scream that too loudly. I don’t need anyone else who comes to think of me less professionally.”
Breanna covers her mouth, but I can still see the smile peeking out on either side. I head back downstairs and continue greeting guests throughout the afternoon.
Guests are charmed by the cozy rooms, the homemade food–though I did use a pre-made mix for the muffins–and the welcoming atmosphere. My heart swells with pride every time I overhear a compliment or see someone enjoying their stay. It's more than I ever hoped for, and I can’t help but feel a bit emotional about it.
One guest comes in after spending the afternoon on the back porch reading. She’s older, maybe in her seventies, and she smiles at me. “I hope you don’t mind if I take pictures of everything. My grandkids told me they want to see what I’m doing this weekend, and I promised I’d take pictures of the place.”
“Sure, go ahead. If they want to come stay, I’d love to have them, too.”
“It’s really gorgeous, and I’m sure they would love all that bowling and movies more than I would. I just like the quiet atmosphere you’ve got here.”
Theo arrives in the afternoon, a bouquet of flowers in hand. He looks around, taking in the busy atmosphere, and gives me a smile that makes my heart skip a beat. "How are things going?”
I take the bouquet of flowers and immediately start mentally rearranging all the decorations I have to think about where I can add it in. “Good. Everyone seems happy. Most of the guests have gone out for dinner. I think just one is here at the moment.”
“And have they given you any feedback?”
“They love it. They all love it.” I can’t stop the smile from spreading across my face. I want to dance excitedly, but I have to remember that I’m not alone in my house anymore. A guest could come downstairs at any moment.
“I’m proud of you. I’m glad things are going well for your opening. Are you ready for breakfast tomorrow?”
“I think so. I’m going to have to get up at four, though, so everything is ready on time. And I have to be quiet because the last thing I want is a guest hearing me making breakfast and complaining about too much early morning noise.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it. Once they taste your omelets, they’ll be in love.”
"Thank you," I say, feeling a rush of warmth. "I can’t believe this moment is finally here."
We head out to the back porch. The fire-pit still doesn’t have the glass around it, but I’ve found that I like it better like this. It allows me to feel the warmth of the fire more. Theo tells me about his own success. "The resort is buzzing," he says, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "The entertainment areas are a hit. Guests from your bed and breakfast came over, too. I recognized them because they looked a little lost.”
“Who was it?”
“A woman about your age and a man who looked like he was being dragged along. When they left, though, they both looked like they had enjoyed themselves.”
"That’s exactly what I hoped for. I’m so glad it’s working out."
“What about your guests? Any problems? Snags? Everything has been running so smoothly for me, that I’m almost waiting for a problem to happen.”
Theo pulls me into his arms, and I glance toward the door, but no one is coming out. I can snuggle with him for now. “No, no problems. I did have one guest all upset that she didn’t get the ocean view she wanted, but all the ocean view rooms have been booked, and she didn’t specify on her reservation.”
“So, what did you do?”
“I gave her twenty dollars in gambling chips. Now, I might end up making even more money.”
We both laugh, and I bury my face in Theo’s shoulder. “Do you want to take a walk on the beach?” Theo asks. “If you have time.”
I glance toward the door again. “It feels strange to leave my guests here, but I’m not expected to entertain them. I’m a hostess but not twenty-four hours a day.”
“I think that means you should come with me.” Theo tugs at my hand.
I finally give in and walk with him down to the beach. We go around my house and to the public beach access across the street.
“Let’s walk in the water,” I suggest, kicking off my sandals near the entrance to the beach. “It’s hot today.”
I do an awkward dance across the hot sand, then dip my feet into the water up to my ankles. Theo laughs at me.
“Once you’ve lived here a few years ago, you’ll get desensitized to the hot sand.”
“So, you just like burning the bottoms of your feet?”
“No, I just got used to it. Now, the bottoms of my feet are like leather.”
I make a retching noise, and we both laugh. We start walking along, hand in hand. My mind is still racing with details about the resort. I’m thinking of my guests and back through the conversations I’ve had with them. Everything has been perfect.
"I’ve been thinking about the future, about what’s next for us," Theo says, breaking the comfortable silence.
I look up at him, curious. "What do you mean?"
He takes a deep breath, his expression thoughtful. "We’ve both achieved so much with our businesses. They’re off to a great start, and I think they’ll only become more and more successful. But I don’t want to stop here. I want to keep growing, keep building something amazing. And I want you to be a part of that."
I feel a rush of warmth at his words. "I want that too, Theo. I want us to keep creating, to keep making our dreams a reality. I’ve actually been thinking about hiring some staff. I think I could do everything myself, but I just don’t know if I would feel exhausted. And I don’t want to be less than my best for the guests. If I have to get up early for breakfast and clean and be there to greet them when they arrive, I’m going to feel worn out pretty soon.”
“That’s a good idea. If you can have breakfast cooked by someone, and the cleaning done too, then you can just be the happy face who answers questions and makes everyone feel welcome.”
I smile at the idea of being able to sleep in until eight every morning while a chef prepares breakfast. “I haven’t even thought about what that interview process would look like. It feels intimidating.”
“I’ll help you, out if you want. I actually might have a recommendation. My chef’s brother works in the same business, and if he’s anything like the chef I have, he might be a good choice.”
“Thanks. Yeah, I’ll take his information.”
Theo nods, a smile playing on his lips. "But what I was thinking is that we could start planning some events—things that would bring our guests together and create even more memories. Maybe we could host beach parties, cooking classes, or guided tours. We could even collaborate on some special packages that include stays at both the bed and breakfast and the resort."
The idea excites me, and I can’t help but smile. "That sounds wonderful. I love the idea of creating more experiences for our guests. And it would be a great way to bring our businesses even closer together. I think a cooking class would be super fun."
We spend the rest of the evening brainstorming ideas. And as I talk with Theo, I feel more and more excited about the possibilities.
My bed and breakfast is turning out exactly like I dreamed it. I can’t wait to tell my friends about it.