Chapter 5
After getting a quick tour of the house, Helen was left on her own.
Kacey had three clients to show houses to, and Rebecca headed off to work at the bank.
They had given her a cellphone for the B&B.
She was shown how to answer the phone and take reservations.
If she needed anything, she could also call either of them throughout the day.
They were sorry they couldn’t stay longer, but Helen understood and was eager to start working.
She was quite impressed that the two young women had such successful careers and were taking on a second business as bed and breakfast owners. It made her regret not being more independent when she was younger.
Shaking off her depressive thoughts, Helen grabbed a clipboard that she’d found in the binder that Rebecca had left for her.
Currently they had three guests booked. Jackie, Kacey’s cousin, Mr. and Mrs. Hill, and Mrs. Lewis. Tonight, they would be adding a fourth guest, Ms. Wells.
All the guests had left for the day after a quick breakfast of donuts and coffee. Helen would have cooked but there hadn’t been enough time to prepare, and Rebecca had already made breakfast reservations for the guests in town for anyone not wanting donuts.
Helen walked into the laundry room and glanced around.
There were two washers and dryers. It was smart of the owners to get two since laundry would be a daily chore.
There were white cabinets above the washers which had laundry detergent and cleaning supplies.
Vacuum cleaner, broom, and duster were pushed up against a wall.
She opened a closet and found bed linens, pillowcases, towels, and refills for shampoo, conditioner, and soap.
Helen glanced down at the clipboard and looked at the requests of the guests.
Jackie had requested a light cleaning of her room which was composed of new towels, her bed made, and refills of the tea service in her room.
Helen found a fabric house cleaning caddy with straps and grabbed enough supplies for that room along with a duster.
Mr. and Mrs. Hill had requested new towels. They were an older couple who were on their anniversary trip. Helen grabbed enough towels and placed them in her house cleaning caddy.
Mrs. Lewis had requested privacy and only towels placed in front of her door.
According to Kacey, Mrs. Lewis was a private person who had been a walk-in booking. She was quiet and had kept to herself.
Helen grabbed some more towels and added them to the supply in her house cleaning caddy. She tugged a few garbage bags off a roll and added them to her supply.
She put the clipboard in her house cleaning caddy and headed upstairs. Helen reached for the doorknob and then stopped.
Instead, she knocked. “Housekeeping.”
Of course no one answered, but she needed to get in the practice of saying it. She pulled the keys out of her pocket of the red apron that Rebecca had given her and opened the door. This was Jackie’s room, and Helen shook her head at the state of the room.
Clothes were strewn on the floor and fast-food wrappers cluttered the small antique desk.
She set the house cleaning caddy down, put on some rubber gloves, and headed into the bathroom.
Helen made quick work of picking up the dirty towels and wiped down the countertop. She topped off the shampoo, conditioner, and body wash dispensers in the shower.
She put the dirty towels outside the room and placed fresh towels neatly on the counter.
Helen tided up the room and removed the old trash bag before placing a new one in the garbage can.
She knew Jackie didn’t request a full room clean, but Helen couldn’t let the room be as it was.
She quickly picked up the clothes on the floor and neatly folded them before placing them on the bed.
Once the room was clean, she grabbed her supplies and headed to the next room.
The Hills’s room was much tidier. After she replenished the towels and wiped down the surfaces, she went to Mrs. Lewis’s room to leave fresh towels, as she requested, at her door.
Helen put all the dirty towels into the house cleaning caddy and headed downstairs. As she reached the last step, the phone rang.
She set her caddy on the floor and hurried to the kitchen to answer the call.
“Laurel Cove Bed and Breakfast. How may I help you?”
There was a bit of hesitancy before the caller spoke. “Yes, this is Anne Wells. I have a reservation for tonight. My flight arrived early, and I was hoping I could check in early.”
Helen blinked and glanced up the stairs. She had not had a chance to go to the fourth room. She wasn’t sure what kind of condition the room would be in.
She glanced at the time on her phone. Ten thirty. Check in was after three.
“Check in is after three …” she said carefully.
“I understand, but I really don’t want to drag my luggage all across town in an Uber until three,” the woman pleaded.
Helen frowned as she spotted a car coming up the driveway. “How far away are you?”
She watched as a woman got out of an Uber with the phone pressed to her ear.
“I’m actually just pulling up.” She ended the call.
Helen’s heart sped up. There was no way she could turn her away now.
The woman walked up to the door and knocked.
Helen’s heart jumped in her throat.
She quickly stuck the caddy stuffed with dirty towels in a nearby closet. She glanced down, realizing she was still wearing the apron, and quickly tugged it off before throwing it into the closet as well.
Taking a deep breath, she walked to the front and opened the door.
The woman’s eyes lit up when she saw Helen.
She was in her mid-thirties with short jet black hair and bright blue eyes.
She smiled. “I’m sorry that I’m so early.
Like I said, my flight got in earlier than planned.
” She waved her hand at the porch. “This really is a very charming bed and breakfast. I love the autumn décor.”
Helen smiled. “Welcome to Laurel Cove B&B. My name is Helen.”
The woman stuck out her hand. “I’m Anne Wells.”
Helen shook her hand. “You are a bit early, Ms. Wells. I think we can store your bags while I get the room ready for you. Would you like some help with your bags?” She glanced over the woman’s shoulder at the two large bags.
“That would be lovely.” She grabbed one bag while Helen grabbed the other. They stepped into the foyer of the house.
“If you will just follow me into the office, I can get your check-in information.” Helen walked down the hallway to the room designated as the office.
There was a bookshelf and large desk. There was also a small fireplace that didn’t work.
Kacey had said repairing it was on her list of things to do.
“If you’ll just have a seat.” Helen nodded to a chair on the other side of the desk while she sat at the computer. “May I have your driver’s license—or picture ID—and credit card, please?”
Ms. Wells reached into her purse and pulled out her wallet. She slid over two plastic cards to Helen.
Helen had only been introduced once to the computer system that morning. She had planned on familiarizing herself with the system after cleaning the rooms.
She quickly opened the reservations tabs on the computer and confirmed her as a guest and her credit card information. The system was surprisingly user friendly.
Thank God for small favors.
Helen smiled and glanced up. “Ms. Wells …”
“Please call me Anne.”
Helen nodded. “Anne, I have you all booked in. You are in room four but, like I said, it’s not ready.” She plucked the key out of the drawer of the desk and handed it to her.
Anne nodded. “That’s okay. Can you recommend a place for lunch in town? I told my Uber driver to wait until I get my bags inside.”
Helen grimaced. “I’m new to town as well.
I’m afraid I am not familiar with the town yet.
But I did have a wonderful dinner last night at a restaurant on Main Street.
It’s next to the antique shop. The name of the restaurant was Main Street Grill and Bar.
But you could ask your Uber driver for recommendations as well.
They are always well informed of the best places to eat. ”
Anne nodded and stood. “Thank you so much. Again, I’m sorry for the early arrival time.”
Helen stood and smiled. “Not a problem. I hope you will enjoy your stay.”
Anne tucked her key in her purse and gave a little wave before disappearing out the door.
Helen breathed out a sigh of relief that it had gone so well.
Standing, she headed to the closet, grabbed her caddy, and headed upstairs to get the room ready.