Chapter 7 #2
Even with Shrouded Lake off the beaten path, she couldn’t understand why this place wasn’t at least half booked months in advance.
The interior, the outer grounds, the view of the mountains and skyline, this place was a hidden treasure she was grateful for being directed to because the place in Pigeon Forge wasn’t even a close second based on the website.
When Ms. Lina reentered the room, she carried a pair of porcelain cups and saucers on an etched sterling silver tray.
“I’ve had high tea in England and attended a tea ceremony in Japan,” Lauren said as Ms. Lina set out an array of pretty cakes and short breads. “This feels like what I imagined a tea party would feel as a child. Gentle, cozy, luxurious, yet playful.”
Ms. Lina poured thoughtfully.
“Our family was originally from Argentina. My and Santiago’s father’s parents migrated to the Americas over a century ago.
Many years later Mateo, Santiago’s grandfather married Chenoa, the descendant of the Freeman line.
Contrary to popular belief, people from many origins have lived freely in these mountains for centuries.
At different periods of time, they even lived compatibly as a strong community.
One day I’ll tell you about how it all changed, but that’s a tale for another day.
Tonight is for releasing some of your hurt so you can sleep peacefully. At least for tonight.”
Lauren wondered if the older woman had heard her struggling through dark nightmares last night.
“This tea is made specifically from herbs found only here in Shrouded Lake. Saige made it as an aid to help me with my nerves.”
Lauren remembered the satchel Saige had given her at the shop. She’d told Lauren to keep it with her; she’d forgotten all about it until now.
“You seem so grounded, so…at ease. What are you anxious about Ms. Lina?” Lauren asked as she took a sip of the tea.
It was not a gentle tea. Lauren coughed. Way too bold to be dispensed from flowery cups.
Once her coughing subsided, she felt a warming effect. She took another sip and then another. It was actually very soothing after the initial shock of bitterness.
“This house is my home, but it is also my business. To continue having a home, my business needs to improve… You may want to slow down, mija. This is a medicinal, you only need a little.”
This was the mellowest Lauren had felt in months.
“Was this the situation Ms. Audrey said she wanted to address with you over the phone last night?”
Lauren finished the cup and placed it on the saucer, waiting for Ms. Lina to finish hers before pouring herself another cup.
“Tell me about your numbers?”
“My numbers?” Ms. Lina frowned.
“Yes, I want to know all about the little numbers that add or subtract to your ability to continue running your business and keep your home. Within the next two days gather all your paperwork. Business plan, taxes, and bank statements for the last seven years, accounting ledgers, retirement and stock portfolios. I want to see every profit and every expense, then we’ll determine how many customers and over what period of time you need to break even, and how many you’ll need for a healthy profit that will allow you to live your best life, because breaking even is not the business model we want to aspire to. ”
Ms. Lina smiled. “Your flame burns very bright when you talk about business, but that’s not what we’re here to talk about, is it?”
“I kind of prefer it,” Lauren muttered, finishing her second cup.
“Because of what came before?”
Lauren waved her hand as if it would erase everything that came before this moment. She got distracted by the motion of her hand. She had such graceful hands. How had she never noticed it?
“My goodness, the tea has already found you. I think it’s time we get you back to your room.”
“I like it here with you Ms. Lina. You have a calm nature. Very caring. A mother is supposed to be caring—” She found herself drifting to the side.
Ms. Lina rushed over to prop her up, but she wasn’t strong enough to manage Lauren’s body. So instead, she sat on the couch, and steered Lauren’s head into her lap.
“You’re who I fantasized my mother would be when I was a child.”
Ms. Lina laughed. “I would’ve been a horrible mother.”
Lauren shook her head, attempted to rise, and Ms. Lina pushed her head back down, a little ungently, probably miscalculating the amount of force needed given Lauren’s size.
Readjusting her head, Lauren closed her eyes and felt like she was in a spinning vortex of darkness. Though her eyelids felt heavy, she popped them back open and patted Ms. Lina’s thigh encouragingly.
“You’re not judgmental, you’re not unnecessarily mean and bitter, and most important…most important, you didn’t break my heart and use the pieces to try and mend the heartlessness of another.”
Lauren wanted to hold onto her outrage, wanted to be energized by it, but the tea swept up every emotion not aligned with peace and drug them out to the unreachable parts of her awareness. She closed her eyes and sighed. She was free and in a place where reality couldn’t touch her.
A few hours later, Lauren rolled over and groaned.
Something slimy coated the back of her hand and the side of her face.
She opened her eyes and quickly shut them; the morning light was blinding.
She took a few moments and let her eyes adjust as she wiped the saliva from the side of her face, wiping her hand in disgust on her pajama bottoms.
The smell of food had her scrambling to get off the bed and to the toilet, only for her to land on her ass and realize she wasn’t in her bed at all but on the side of Ms. Lina’s too-small-for-her size loveseat.
She sat on the floor tangled in a cream-colored blanket trying to piece together the events of the night, but after the second cup of tea, everything was a blur.
“You’re awake!” Ms. Lina called out joyfully as she entered the room. Lauren pressed the meaty part of her palms into her temples.
“You’re very popular for a newcomer,” she said, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. “I’ve had to turn away three visitors, all wanting a chance to speak with the infamous Ms. Lauren Green.”
“Did you drug me?” Lauren asked incredulously, as she unsteadily rose to her knees.
“Drugs? In my home? Never, mija. The tea, it is purely herbal. It fills in the spaces, provides only what the body needs and yours apparently needed healing sleep. How do you feel?”
Lauren did an internal check and despite the initial disorientation of waking, she felt…clearer. Rested.
Despite that, Lauren side-eyed Ms. Lina as she lifted herself up onto the couch. Correction, not Ms. Lina, just Lina now. Anybody who had the gumption to throw her a drugged-out tea party was no longer extended the honorific.
“I see you, old woman,” Lauren said warily. “You’re definitely related to that bastard.”
Lina laughed. More like a cackled. Yeah, Lauren thought, definitely giving bruja, definitely giving witch now that the nurturing veneer had fallen. The older woman was too diabolical to ever be seen as motherly again.
“And just FYI,” Lauren said, picking up the blanket from the floor and folding it. “Good mothering women don’t drug their unsuspecting children.”
“Of course they do. And if they don’t, they should. Now, suck it up and say thank you, Tia Lina, you are the best host in the world and do exactly what is needed to take care of your guests.”
Lauren snorted.
“Then you will leave me a glowing review on Yelp as you are so committed to helping me grow my business.”
“Cutthroat, opportunistic, and a fabulous cook. I begrudgingly admire you despite your moral ambiguity. I’ll even have to accept your unfortunate connection to the sheriff.”
“You are the epitome of graciousness. Now, are you hungry? You’ve missed breakfast but I’ve just finished lunch. It’ll be light because dinner will not be. We’re expecting guests.”
“Paying guests?” Lauren asked, perking up.
“Oh no, just a few locals. It’s my turn to host our monthly Women of the Shroud meeting. You’re welcome to attend.”
“Join a bunch of witches? Oh, I think not. Where do I put this?” she asked, indicating the folded blanket.
Lina laughed. “Just leave it on the couch, I’ll put it away later.”
Following Lina into the kitchen, she washed her hands and sat at the island as Lina filled the bottom of the plate with shredded cabbage, followed by rice, then not one but two ladles of black beans. She smashed tortilla chips on top and followed it up with guacamole and pico de gallo.
“I’m going to need you to reevaluate your definition of a light lunch,” she said as
she reached for the plate. It was a simple meal, yet bursting with so much flavor.
“Homemade?”
Lina nodded.
“So freaking good.” She frowned as a thought occurred to her. “I hope you’re charging a premium price for your meals.”
Lina shook her head. “I have to eat, Lauren. And Santi and Audrey, they also come for meals often. If I have a guest, I freely share what’s prepared as an extension of my hospitality.”
“That’s admirable, but I think the hell not.
Not for the piddly amount you charge. I know I gave you a long list of things to prepare, but start with this one; go back and breakdown the cost of meals with your last residents, including the price of the food, the amount of time it takes to prepare the meals, and how much you would reasonably pay yourself as a cook. ”
Lina looked uncertain.
“I promise, when you see the numbers, you’ll either increase your nightly rate or meals will have to be an extra fee. Actually, I’m leaning toward the later. Meals can be a separate source of income. Your dining room sits what, ten people?”
“Twelve.”
“So up to twelve people can come and dine here for breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner when you don’t have rooms booked.”
“I can only charge what people in the area can afford, which isn’t a lot. No one is going to pay premium when they can barely afford groceries.”
That was true, but Lauren knew if she could work with the city controller around the revitalization plan, the whole town would benefit.
“Bump that, we’ll get people here at a rate that makes sense, trust me.”
Lina rested her palm against the side of Lauren’s face. “You are a good woman, Lauren, and though I do not regret giving you my special tea.” She smiled sadly. “I regret whatever happened that caused you to need it.”
The familiar threat of tears rose up, but they didn’t overwhelm her. Her emotions were still tender but no longer like some wounded thing ripping her apart from the inside to end its suffering.
The tea had given her more than a good night’s rest. It had made a space for something other than pain.
Gave her a safe space within herself that she could shelter in when shame and betrayal came knocking.
She was grateful for that but there was no way she was letting Lina off the hook for drugging an innocent, vulnerable, unsuspecting woman.
Her inner jade scoffed at the characterization.
Well, I could’ve been.
“Claws off, old woman,” she said, pretending to bite at Lina’s hand.
Lina laughed and pulled away, walking over to the stove. “I’m grateful for your help, mija. And I trust you. I dare say the way you speak of building Shrouded Lake, you may be here a while.”
Just long enough to get my lick back, she thought. “What time is it anyway?”
“Nearly one in the afternoon.”
“You have lost the plot. I haven’t slept over eight hours straight in my life.”
“Well mark this day in your calendar.”
“What? Where’s my phone?”
“Upstairs in your room? But see that little contraption there, it’s called a wall clock, and it is just as accurate.”
Smart ass.
Usually by this time of day, Lauren would’ve checked the market, worked out, driven the gauntlet that was Oakland to San Francisco traffic, had at least five meetings, spoken to Derrick—
She blanched, reached for the cup of coffee Lina sat in front of her.
Stay in the here and now, she told herself. Give yourself permission to let that shit go.
“You said I had visitors?”
“Saige and Audrey came by, then the mayor came in looking for an apology from the woman who’d ‘accosted’ his ‘dear mother.’ Santi came to make sure you’d gotten out of town okay.
Imagine his surprise when I told him you were still sleeping.
And you may want to get dressed soon, the mayor said he’d return after lunch. ”
“Is that right? Expecting an apology?”
“He will.”
“Well then, let me go get ready to provide him the sincerest apology of my life.”
Halfway up the stairs, Lina called out, “Saige and Audrey will be here for the meeting tonight, should I tell them we’ll have a temporary plus one?”
“Only if part of the agenda includes you and Saige having your business plans and expenses ready.”
“Bueno, we’ll see you this evening.”