Chapter Nineteen A Secret
Lucy.
By breakfast the inn had returned to its usual rhythm which meant organized chaos.
Guests were able to go to town for the day on an excursion to shop local which left us with time to do much needed tasks before the upcoming dance.
I made a list at the front desk of everything that needed doing, everything that was in progress, and everything that had been completed.
To my surprise, two boxes of antique ornaments had materialized by the desk which made me smile.
Mom swept through holding a bolt of tulle she had found somewhere. “We will need greenery for the banister and tiny lights for the window frames. If we put some lights in the tulle it will look so pretty. Also, is there such a thing as a gold ribbon that looks expensive but isn’t?”
“There is but it will probably tangle,” I cautioned. Cheap ribbons often were the bain of my existence since I had three younger sisters.
“Perfect,” she said, missing the warning. “Put it on your list.”
Jane slid a tray of warm brownies onto the counter and gave me a look that meant I shouldn’t tease our mother. I sighed and stuffed a brownie in my mouth before I could say anything uncharitable. I added gold ribbon to my ever growing list of things to order today.
“How is the menu coming?” I mumbled past the brownie.
“I have narrowed it down and am trying to cross reference ingredients so it won’t cost so much. I need to get my order in by five this afternoon so it gets delivered on time,” Jane mentioned.
Braxton wandered in and grabbed a brownie. He looked unfairly happy for a man who had shoveled the walk twice before eight. “These are amazing.”
Jane gave him a shy smile.
“We need a place to put the coats,” Dad observed as he approached.
He took out his reading glasses and looked at his to-do list. “A reception table for tickets. I think there is a folding one in the basement. Then the platform for the band if we go with live music. If we do speakers, I still want a riser so the wires don’t take anyone out. ”
“No live music. It’s too much short notice and a stage will take too much time to build. Do we have any speakers? I’ll have to look online for some,” I fretted as I wrote things down.
“I can get the speakers. We can do blue tooth so they don’t have any wires except to plug into the power outlets. Put it on my list of things to do and text it to me,” Braxton offered.
“Good. We can double the reception table for the gift table later in the night. I was hoping to create a photo corner for our guests,” I mentioned.
“Kitty can do it. She has artistic talent,” Jane suggested.
“What about servers and waiters for the evening?” Braxton wondered.
“We don’t have servers,” Jane replied.
“We are the servers. We are also the decorators and the dishwashers and the floor moppers. It costs too much to hire out,” I observed.
“Even with the revenue from the tickets?” Braxton asked.
“We need that revenue to go to other projects at the inn, like funding repairs of the swimming pool when it comes time to open it,” I reasoned.
“With over a hundred people coming, do you think that it’s realistic to have less than ten people serving, catering, dealing with anything that goes wrong, taking tickets, and more?” Braxton looked unconvinced. “I really think there is no choice but to hire extra help.”
“That’s all taken care of. I have a friend who is coming with staff who need experience and will do it all at a super discounted price as part of their education so there’s no need to worry about it.
I also have our dance branding finished,” Lydia announced as she came into the room, placing her phone on the counter like a trophy for all of us to look at.
The graphic did, in fact, have snowflakes.
It also had our name spelled correctly and a festive font.
She beamed. “We have a hundred and twelve confirmed and a waitlist.”
I swallowed the noise that tried to leave my mouth. “We need a coat system. And a door person. How are we going to solve parking? The lot is only so big.”
“Kitty and I can tag coats with colored stickers. It will be adorable,” Lydia gushed.
“It needs to be functional,” I cautioned.
“It will be both since I can make stickers that have numbers on them and guests can have a corresponding ticket,” she told me, picking up her phone to start on the project.
“What about a bus?” Braxton wondered.
“A bus?” I questioned.
“We could have a shuttle bringing people back and forth from town. If the town okays it, people could park after hours at the town hall and library. That will give you some extra space,” Braxton pointed out.
“Braxton, you’re a genius,” I responded.
It was Braxton’s turn to blush and shrug. “Just an idea.”
“One that could work,” I gratefully replied, jotting it down on my list.
Dex appeared then with a toolbox hooked to his hand. “William, do you have time to look at the north window with me? The seal is failing and I want to make sure I repair it correctly.”
William nodded. “Let me get my hat and I’m yours.”
“Wear your gloves,” Helen advised, pushing them toward him.
I glanced at Dex but he was already following Dad down the hall. Braxton was put into service by Mom who was directing him how to hang tulle and lights along the bannister.
The decorating was coming along quite nicely, I thought, looking around. There was garland, red and gold ribbons, and festive lights everywhere. It was going to be beautiful when it was done.
“I’ve got Mistletoe!” Kitty announced as she came in the front door with rosy cheeks from the cold.
“We also have a Christmas tree to try to wrestle inside. We borrowed a trailer to hitch to the van so we need to return that today. Do you know where the guys are? Maybe they can muscle it in,” Meri said as she trailed Kitty.
“I wanted a bigger tree but Meri vetoed it,” Kitty pouted, leaning against the desk.
“I wanted one that would fit,” Meri stated logically.
“Did you say you needed some help?” Braxton asked.
“Please,” Meri replied.
“Where is Dex? He could help too,” Kitty mentioned, looking around. For some reason, Meri elbowed Kitty in the ribs.
I frowned. “He went to putty a window with Dad.”
“I’ll get him,” Meri volunteered, going down the hallway.
“How do you know what window?” I wondered.
Kitty shrugged. “She’ll figure it out.”
I shook my head.
By midmorning I had my coat on and was headed toward the little parlor in search of the extra surge bars I had seen in there, when Mom appeared out of nowhere, which is a skill she was very adept at.
“Lucy, dear, can you help me in the kitchen first?” she asked sweetly.
“ I will be five minutes,” I replied, my hand already on the doorknob.
“Now,” she said as she hooked her arm in mine. “I need your eyes.”
She pulled me into the kitchen and pointed at a long list of ingredients. “Do we have enough powdered sugar? And does this look like nine dozen or twelve dozen if we double? I know Jane said it was enough but I’m thinking she might be wrong”
“It looks like you both are trying to feed a village,” I observed.
“Exactly,” she said, and put a pencil in my hand.
I checked quantities, consolidated two lists into one, and listened to Mom and Jane debate the merit of traditional cookies versus more modern cookies. When I finished, I slipped away to continue to get those surge bars for the extension cords.
“Lu-cy." Kitty sang my name like a warning from the top of the stairs. She bounced down with a wreath in both hands. “Quick question. Two bows or one?”
“One,” I said without thinking.
“But one looks lonely. Come hand the wreath with me on the front door and we can decide,” she pleaded.
“I need to just grab something,” I told her.
“Please,” she said, eyes wide.
“Fine,” I caved into her demand, following her to the front door to help hand the wreath. We arranged the bow and a few sprigs of cedar. She took a picture, declared it perfect.
I made it to the parlor door after the wreath situation. The knob turned, but the door was locked. I jiggled the knob. It wouldn’t open.
I turned and found Dex down the hall with a level in his hand and sawdust on his sleeve. He looked like a man who had an answer and wasn't going to tell me.
“We’re stabilizing a joist,” he said calmly.
“A joist?” I repeated, skeptical.
“It’s sagging. We are going to prop it up in the basement. I noticed it when I was cleaning out the room yesterday,” Dex replied.
“Do you know where the extra surge protector bars went?” I asked.
“Jane has them,” Dex answered. “I would prefer it if you don’t go into the room. Too many people in a small space isn't safe."
“How many is too many?” I wondered.
“One,” he said all too seriously. “If her name is Lucy.”
“That’s rich. This is my house,” I retorted.
“You will like it more when the floor is level. You can see it later,” he said, almost smiling.
“What am I supposed to do until later?” I asked with a touch of frustration.
Today had simply been weird. I felt like everyone knew something I didn’t.
Meri elbowing Kitty, everyone trying to make sure I didn’t go into the parlor, and now it was locked.
Also, I had the sneaking suspicion that Dex wasn’t entirely being truthful.
“Everything else. Your list is longer than mine,” Dex dryly replied.
“That’s something I can rectify,” I muttered.
Dex smiled, and I felt a fluttering sensation under my ribs. He really was handsome when he smiled.
“Fine. I’m going,” I said, and walked away before I did something I might regret, like strangle him for being the most confusing man on earth.
Besides, I had a plan. I knew where the spare key to the parlor was. Going to the front desk, I pulled open the top drawer and grabbed the set of spare keys. Once I had a moment, I would find out exactly what was going on.
From that point on, the house converted to a farce in three acts where I was always two steps away from the door and never closer.
Mom asked me to taste-test the hot chocolate mix against the other hot chocolate mix to determine which one felt more like childhood.
Jane needed a second set of hands to grease sheet pans.
Meri wanted my opinion on whether the check-in table should be next to the door or perpendicular to it.
Lydia staged a mock coat check with Kitty and took forty photos from different angles to decide which looked “most like people would have fun responsibly.
" Every time I headed toward the back hall, someone appeared in my path.
I am not paranoid by nature, but even I can do the math.
Around noon Dad returned from the hardware store with lengths of trim and a look that meant he had haggled successfully.
Dex took the wood without comment and disappeared.
The thump of hammering started a minute later, steady and certain.
At first I wondered if they were the coat racks for the room behind the front desk but I remembered that the coat racks were being built in the workshop, not the parlor. I am not a fool.
“Mom, are you keeping something from me?” I asked, cornering her by the spice cabinet as she grabbed some nutmeg for Jane.
“Always,” she said cheerfully. “It is how I stay young.”
“I’m serious,” I said, following her around the kitchen.
“So am I. Also, smell this vanilla extract. Don’t you think it's very fragrant?” She shoved the bottle under my nose.
“Very,” I said without enthusiasm, gently pushing her hand out of my face. “What is going on in the parlor?”
She inspected the vanilla as though it held the answers to the universe. “I believe they are repairing a window.”
“You believe,” I echoed.
“I am choosing not to know. It’s easier at my age,” she explained, not meeting my eyes.
I stared at her. She smiled and handed me a jar of cloves. “Here. Smell this and tell me if it is fresh.”
“You are all impossible,” I muttered. I turned a speculative look at Jane.
“Don’t look at me. I have been in the kitchen all day,” Jane responded, holding up a hand to ward off any further questions. “Now help me by dipping these dough balls in sprinkles.”
I helped in the kitchen for a couple of hours before checking in on Kitty and Meri who were decorating the tree in the front foyer.
The large tree didn’t leave much space for the ticket table but hopefully people would move to the reception room fairly quickly.
I grabbed the vacuum cleaner, determined to get all the pine needles off the carpet.
Dex showed Dad where to place the speakers, and went back to his not-secret at a speed that made me suspicious and impressed at once. Braxton and Dad carried lumber past the front desk like two men in a competition where the prize was bragging rights and a bruise.
“What are they building?” I wondered.
Kitty quickly left and Meri blocked my path so I couldn’t follow my weaker sister to try to ferret out the secret. “Kitty isn’t feeling well. You can help me finish decorating.”
I knew by the glint of steel in Meri’s eyes, she wasn’t going to take no for an answer.