Bed & Breakfast Bedlam - Abby L Vandiver Page 0,8

looked at me apologetically. “Brie gets carried away sometimes. I’m sure she’s got it all confused.”

“Yes,” I said and smiled.

There was a collective exhale in the room.

“Noooo.” Brie’s eyes got even bigger. “I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure I’m right about this.”

Technically Brie was right. My mother had wrote a book about what she discovered. Two books to be exact, and the first one, the only one Brie could have read was written as fiction. But that’s another story.

Fortunately no one was paying any attention to her. Except the little old lady. Miss Vivee. I saw a smile creep across her face right before she turned and walked back down the hallway with her dog, Cat.

“Rooms are thirty-nine dollars a night and we serve breakfast and dessert here,” Renmar’s words got my attention. “For your other meals, you can either go into the kitchen,” she pointed in the direction with a tilt of her head, “and grab yourself something or go to Jellybean Café up in the town square.”

“Yes,” I said. “I think I saw it coming in.”

“Viola Rose will take good care of you,” Renmar said. “She thinks that her husband, Gus is almost a good a cook as I am.”

That elicited an uproar of laughter. I felt myself smiling just because everyone around me was so happy.

“You want some dessert?” Brie asked. She didn’t say anything else about my mother, but I could tell she wasn’t through with me.

“Sure,” I said. Not letting her suspicions (rather the truth) about my mother affect how this town and crowd had made me feel.

“Well, come on then,” Renmar said and ushered me into the dining room. “Brie, get her some pie. A great big piece of pie.” She looked at me. “Do you drink coffee?”

“Yes.”

“And a cup of coffee, too,” she yelled after Brie.

Brie came back with a slice of blueberry pie, a fork and napkin, and a hot cup of black coffee. She sat it all in front of me and smiled in anticipation.

“Enjoy.” Renmar said then turn around and shooed everyone away. “Let her enjoy her pie.”

I smiled and as I cut into it with my fork. Steam rose through the crisscrossed layers of the flaky crust and the rich, royal blue of the berries over-stuffed inside oozed out.

I lifted the fork up to my mouth and let my lips wrap around the big chunk that I’d cut off. I slid it into my mouth and savored the explosion of sweet, gooey, goodness as my tongue turned it over.

Oh. My. Goodness. What could be better than this?

Chapter Seven

Friday Morning

I got up early the next morning. My mother had got me an in, so I thought it best that I go over to the island and check it out. I had to make good on all my lies and put the Track Rock Gap debacle behind me.

As I came down the steps a waft of freshly baked bread beckoned me to the kitchen. I peeked into the dining area and saw people eating and talking at the many tables and Brie acting as server, smiling and chatting at every table she passed.

There’s that one couple from last night, I noted. Heads together, so in love. The guy Renmar eyed when I said I was going to Stallings Island. I didn’t recognize any of the other people. But everyone seemed to know one another. Meals around here seemed more like a small get together of friends and family.

Wait. I stopped to get a better look at the couple from last night. I did recognize the man from the night before, he was still puffing on an e-cigarette. But that wasn’t the same woman. I was sure of it. He was with another woman. Oh my, I giggled. Cheating in public like that. He’s gonna get himself shot.

I wandered into the huge chef’s kitchen. Wall to wall bright white cabinets, aluminum appliances – a six burner gas stove with a built-in griddle, and a bottom-freezer, side-by-side refrigerator met me. A rust and black checkerboard cork floor, a large farmhouse sink, with a shiny silver backsplash behind it and a moss, beige and rust colored rug that sat below it, complimented the green moss colored walls. Renmar stood on the other side of an oversized island with a butcher block top.

“What’s your story, morning glory?” Renmar said glancing up at me. She was up to her elbows in flour.

“Pardon me?”

“You’re up early. Whatch’ya up to?”

“Oh. Yeah,” I said and smiled. “I’m an