Читать книгу Christmas In Icicle Falls - Sheila Roberts - Страница 12

Chapter Five

The important thing to remember this time of year when things get a little awkward is that we’re all different.

—Muriel Sterling, A Guide to Happy Holidays

Come six o’clock Olivia and Brooke were in the kitchen, ready to go, Olivia in her dirndl and Brooke in a maternity-friendly version of the classic German garb. No Meadow.

The two women got busy filling bread baskets with Olivia’s eggnog muffins, setting fruit on trays and putting out hot water and coffee. Still no sign of Meadow. Olivia put her breakfast casserole in the oven to bake and started cooking sausages.

It was now six twenty. Meadow had obviously overslept. She was probably rushing around the apartment right now, throwing on clothes and brushing her teeth.

Or not. By ten after seven the first guests were accumulating in the dining room but there was still no sign of Meadow.

Fortunately, Olivia’s midweek crowd was sparse, so the extra help wasn’t needed. Still, it irked her that she’d given Meadow a chance to be involved and, after her enthusiasm of the day before, the girl hadn’t bothered to show up. Meanwhile, here was Brooke, eight months pregnant but happily pitching in, keeping the cold-cereal dispenser and the pitchers of juice filled and chatting with the guests.

By eight James, too, was on deck, clearing tables. “No sign of Meadow?” he asked Olivia as he headed for the sink.

“No.” So much for her wanting to be a part of things.

“Maybe she overslept.”

At that moment Brandon came into the kitchen.

“Where’s Meadow?” Olivia greeted him.

“She doesn’t feel good. She said to tell you she’s sorry. She’ll be down as soon as she can.”

Sick. How convenient, Olivia thought but said nothing.

“Nothing serious, I hope,” James said.

“I don’t think so,” Brandon said. “You got any of your casserole left, Mom?”

“I do,” she said and pulled a second pan from the oven.

“I always loved this one,” Brandon said as she cut him a large piece. “Thanks, Mom,” he added and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

The smile that had been dodging her all morning made its appearance. She so loved her boy, and just a simple compliment from him was enough to fill her with happiness. It kept her in a good mood clear through the rest of the breakfast hour.

It was edging toward ten and the last guests were strolling out of the dining room when Meadow made her appearance, wearing fashionably torn jeans and a long-sleeved black top. She hurried over to where Olivia sat at a corner table, ready to take a coffee break.

“Sorry I’m late. Did Brandon tell you I was sick?”

She didn’t look sick now. “He did,” Olivia said and took a sip of her coffee. “Are you feeling better?”

“Yeah. I’m ready to help.”

Now that the guests were all done eating... But there was still plenty to do. “Why don’t you spell Brooke and help James with the cleanup?”

“I can do that,” Meadow said with a nod.

Olivia watched as she scooped up several plates from a nearby table and moved off to the kitchen. Okay, she was willing to pitch in. Maybe she really hadn’t been feeling well. Maybe she had a little low-grade...something.

Olivia ate one of the muffins she’d served herself and continued to observe her new daughter-in-law as she bustled in and out of the kitchen, clearing away dirty dishes and silverware, empty pitchers and serving bowls. Perhaps Olivia had misjudged her, thinking she was a slacker. She wasn’t slacking now.

Brooke came to the table with a glass of milk and a muffin and joined Olivia. “This is my second muffin. I need to stop.”

“Well, you are eating for two,” Olivia said.

“More like eating for three. I’m getting as big as a house.”

“You’ll take it off after the baby comes,” Olivia assured her. Not that she had managed to do that but oh, well. She’d been carrying those extra pounds for years and they had made themselves happily at home. Lucky for her, James thought her figure was just fine the way it was.

“You’re not going to have many left for tomorrow,” Brooke said. “Sorry.”

“That’s okay. They’re best when they’re fresh.” Which was why she’d helped herself to three.

“That’s what I told Meadow,” Brooke said with a smile. “She’s eating one now.”

Yes, a very short-lived sickness.

“She says it’s helping settle her stomach.”

Whatever. Olivia didn’t say anything, just smiled and took another sip of her coffee.

Soon Meadow joined them, sitting down next to Olivia and facing her. “Okay, the kitchen’s all clean.”

“That was fast,” Olivia said.

“James had most of it done already,” Meadow admitted. “What else can I do?”

“Well...”

“I don’t want to just sit around and eat muffins and get fat.”

Two muffins still sat on Olivia’s plate. She frowned.

“So, tell me what to do.”

“We need to put out silverware and napkins for breakfast tomorrow,” Olivia said.

“Okay.” Meadow jumped up.

“And replace any stained tablecloths.”

“I can do that.”

“I’ll help you,” Brooke said and got up.

“No.” Meadow waved her back down. “You’ve been working all morning. I can do it.”

Meadow was certainly on her best behavior now. Olivia let her go at it, knowing James was still around and could answer any questions she had.

“I guess I’ll run back to the apartment and throw in a load of laundry,” Brooke said to Olivia.

Olivia, too, got up and returned her cup and her uneaten muffins to the kitchen. “See you later,” Meadow called as she walked by, bearing a bundle of dirty tablecloths.

Brandon was manning the front desk when Olivia got there. “How’d Meadow do?” he greeted her.

“Fine.” Of course, he wanted to hear more than that. He wanted to hear approval. “She’s working hard.”

He beamed and that made Olivia feel good.

“I can take over here now,” she said.

“Thanks. I need to get out and help Eric shovel the walkways.”

Yes, it was nice to have her boy back home. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and left, and she settled in behind the front desk, feeling happy with her life and the world in general. She had just finished checking out a young family when Meadow joined her.

“Dining room’s all ready for tomorrow,” she reported.

“Good. Thank you.”

“Stuff sure starts early around here,” Meadow said and leaned on the desk.

“That’s how it is in the hospitality business,” Olivia said.

Meadow wrinkled her nose. “Who the hell wants to eat at seven in the morning when they’re on vacation?”

“A lot of people like to eat early.”

“I don’t see why. Nothing much opens up around this town until ten. We should wait until eight to serve breakfast.”

In some ways that sounded perfectly logical, but Olivia had been running her lodge for many years and she knew that people expected to be able to eat early if they had plans to get on the road. Or if they were just plain hungry.

“I guess,” Meadow said dubiously after Olivia had explained. “Running a motel is kind of a pain in the butt, isn’t it?”

“This is a lodge,” Olivia corrected her.

Meadow was not impressed. “Lodge, motel, what’s the difference?”

“Ambiance. This is more of a resort, a specialty kind of place with a garden and grounds around it.”

“Oh.” Meadow thought on that a moment, then shrugged. “It’s still kind of a pain in the butt. I mean, look how hard you guys all work.”

“Well, yes, we do. But we’re working at something worthwhile. We’re providing people with a nice place to stay, helping them make memories. We’re offering more than rooms here, Meadow. We’re offing hospitality.”

“Hmm. Never thought of it that way. Kind of cool.”

Yes, it was.

“Pretty cool that Brandon will own all this someday,” she added.

Spoken like a true gold digger. The feeling of warmth that had started in Olivia’s chest cooled.

“So, what do you want me to do now?”

Go away? “Oh, I can’t think of anything.”

“There must be something. It’s a big place. Brandon says you guys all take turns working the front desk. I can do that.”

Thank you, Brandon. About the last thing Olivia wanted was her daughter-in-law showing off her lack of social graces at the front desk. “That’s kind of you to offer, but you don’t need to.”

“Hey, I’m family, right? Gotta pitch in. Anyway, I think it will be fun to help people check in and out.”

“Meadow, I’m not sure that particular job would be a fit for you.”

Meadow’s sunny expression clouded over. “Why? It can’t be that hard. And I’m not stupid,” she added. “I did two quarters at Seattle Community College.”

“It’s not a matter of intelligence,” Olivia said. “It’s a matter of fit.”

Olivia could hardly say she thought Meadow was uncouth. She was about to finesse the truth with a little speech about how different temperaments were suited for different jobs, but Meadow dashed in a literal direction before she could get the words out.

“Fit for what? Oh, clothes?”

Olivia grabbed on the flimsy excuse. “You do need a dirndl.”

“Like what you’ve got on.” Meadow made a face.

“This is a German-themed town. Business owners dress the part,” Olivia said firmly. And if a certain ripped-jeans wearer didn’t want to do that, it wasn’t Olivia’s fault.

Meadow ditched the frown and shrugged. “Okay, then. I’m up for it. How about we go get one today?”

Olivia tried a new tack. “Are you sure you want to do this? Manning the booth requires a certain amount of...” couth “...patience and diplomacy.”

“Sure,” Meadow said. Brandon chose that moment to come inside and she called, “Hey, babe. I’m gonna learn how to work the front desk.”

“You’ll be great,” he called back.

Olivia sincerely doubted it. Here was proof positive that love was blind.

She’d give the girl a chance, though. Everyone deserved a chance. But if Meadow got lippy with a customer, she’d be back to bussing tables.

The lodge wasn’t that busy and check-in wasn’t until three. Das Dorf, which carried all manner of German items, including dirndls, was open on Tuesdays. Irmgard Schultz, the owner, would be more than happy to help Olivia outfit Meadow.

“All right,” Olivia said. “How about we go after lunch?”

And with that it was settled, so at one in the afternoon Olivia and Meadow walked into the German shop that sat right in the middle of Center Street, the main drag, where some of the town’s most popular shops could be found.

“I haven’t been in here yet,” Meadow said as they entered the shop. “Whoa, look at these.” They were barely in the store when she stopped in front of a display case filled with Hummel figurines. “Look at that cute one with the umbrella—wow.” This was quickly followed by wide eyes and a muttered “Shit.”

“What?” Olivia asked.

“Those things are expensive,” Meadow whispered, pointing to the price tag at the figurine’s feet.

“Hummels are. You have expensive tastes.”

“I guess. Who knew I had such good taste? Well, except that I picked Brandon. He’s got a lot of class.”

Something you either had or you didn’t, and Meadow didn’t. She had, however, shown good taste in marrying Brandon. There was no denying that.

Irmgard came toward them now. She was in her late sixties, with a round face and an equally round figure to match. Her light brown hair was ratted into a style left over from the early ’60s and she wore a green dirndl.

“Olivia, it’s been ages,” she said. “And who is this with you?”

“This is my new daughter-in-law, Meadow.”

“Ah, I heard Brandon got married. Such a lovely girl,” she said, looking Meadow up and down. “But much too skinny. Don’t worry, though. Your mother-in-law can make strudel almost as good as mine. She’ll get some meat on your bones in no time.”

Meadow’s brows shot up. “Uh, thanks. I think.”

“We need a dirndl for Meadow. She’s going to be helping out at the lodge,” Olivia explained.

“Of course she is. Families stick together.”

A not-so-subtle message from the universe?

“Well, they should, anyway,” Irmgard continued. “My daughter—” here Irmgard gave a sorry shake of the head “—she married a man from Texas. Texas, can you imagine? It’s so hot down there. And they all speak with an accent,” she added in her clipped Germanized English. “Now it’s only me here. Olivia, you don’t know how lucky you are to have both your boys with you. And now a new daughter-in-law. Oh, how I wish my Alfred would get married and move up here.”

Be careful what you wish for.

“And now that you’re working at the lodge, you’re truly part of the family,” Irmgard said to Meadow. “So, let’s see what we can find you. I think something in blue. Don’t you, Olivia? Blondes always look pretty in blue.”

“Yes, blue,” Olivia agreed.

“What size are you? I’m guessing a six?”

Meadow nodded and trailed Irmgard over to a rack of dresses. A few moments later she had an armful and Irmgard had sent her to a changing room.

“What a lovely girl,” she said to Olivia.

“She’s very pretty,” Olivia agreed.

“And so sweet—and wanting to help out with the family business. Ah, you are so lucky.”

She’s right, Olivia reminded herself. Both her boys were back home. She had one daughter-in-law who was perfect and another who...wanted to be here. That counted for a lot. So what if that daughter-in-law wasn’t exactly her cup of cocoa? Meadow loved Brandon and wanted to be part of things. Surely that balanced out laziness, crudeness and a lack of tact.

The little dressing room curtain parted and out stepped Meadow in the blue dirndl, a very odd match with her overdyed hair and the butterfly tat that soared up over the neckline.

“Oh, doesn’t she look pretty?” gushed Irmgard.

“I look stupid,” Meadow muttered, pulling at one of the puffy sleeves.

This was not the time to agree with her daughter-in-law. “You’ve got the perfect figure for that dress,” Olivia said. It was true. Meadow was slim and pretty in her own flamboyant way. “But maybe you’d like a different color.”

Meadow looked like she’d just eaten a rotten nut. “I don’t think that’ll make any difference.”

“We can find other things for you to do at the lodge if you don’t want to wear it,” Olivia offered. She could tell Brandon she’d tried. Meadow didn’t want to wear the dress.

“No, no,” Meadow said quickly. “I’ll get it.”

Olivia had to admire her for her willingness to step outside her comfort zone just to be part of the family operation. Give her a chance. She might surprise you. “All right. It really does look beautiful.”

A few moments later Meadow was back in her clothing comfort zone and Olivia was pulling out her credit card to purchase the dirndl. “Actually, we’d better get two so you have one to wear when that one’s getting washed.”

“Okay,” Meadow said. “But I’m paying.”

“Oh, no. This is my treat.”

“I really don’t mind. Anyway, I’ve got some money left from my mom’s—um, that my mom gave me.”

Interesting. What had she been about to say? Her mom’s what?

“What a good daughter-in-law,” said Irmgard.

“Let me buy these for you,” Olivia said to Meadow. As if buying a couple of dresses would make up for her unmotherly attitude.

“No, I’ve got it,” Meadow insisted and handed over three large bills. “I’ll take the red one, too.”

Mission accomplished, the two women drove back to the lodge. “Thanks for taking me,” Meadow said.

“Not much thanks needed since you wound up paying for the dresses yourself.” Olivia really should have insisted on paying for them.

“It’s okay,” Meadow said. “I didn’t mind. And now when we get back, I can work the front desk,” she added cheerfully.

“This will be a good day to start,” Olivia said. Check-in time was right around the corner and they had some guests arriving that afternoon. It being early in the week, there wouldn’t be so many that Meadow would get overwhelmed as she learned the ropes.

If Meadow could master some social graces, it would be good to have an extra pair of hands. Now that December had arrived, the lodge was going to be full on weekends clear into the New Year.

So would every B and B and motel in town. This was peak tourist season thanks, in part, to a yearly town tradition that had quickly become a tourist attraction. Now, every weekend during the month of December Icicle Falls hosted a tree-lighting ceremony and people came from all over the country to join the locals to watch the big tree in the center of town and all the surrounding buildings come alive with colored lights. The ceremony preceding the big moment was usually brief, but people loved it since it included caroling and a visit from Santa, who had plenty of grown-up helper elves on hand to pass out mini candy canes to all the children. The partying started well before the ceremony began, with vendors selling everything from roasted nuts to hot chocolate, local artisans displaying their works and, of course, a German oompah band playing. Skaters enjoyed the little ice rink in the town-center park, while shoppers swarmed the specialty shops and restaurants. It was a mob scene, with the streets and sidewalks packed, but that didn’t stop people from coming in droves. And the residents of Icicle Falls welcomed it because it kept their local economy humming.

It didn’t take Meadow long to change into her new dress and when she reported for duty at the desk, she was smiling. “Brandon thinks I look hot in this,” she announced, clearly feeling much more confident in the outfit than she had in the store.

“Well, that’s...good,” Olivia said. For such a slender little thing Meadow certainly had cleavage and, yes, the low-cut neckline showed it to advantage.

“So, what do I have to do?” Meadow asked.

“Make sure you swipe the guests’ credit cards when they come in. We don’t charge them until checkout but we keep the card information. We have our guests fill out this little form with contact information and their driver’s licenses. Each couple or family checking in gets two room-key cards. Oh, and we always tell them the hours breakfast is served.”

“I can handle that.”

“And, of course, we greet everyone with a smile. If a guest has a complaint, we’re always sympathetic. We never get upset.”

Meadow frowned. “I know what you’re thinking about. It’s not like I spilled gravy on that man on purpose. Sheesh. He was a shit.”

“I know. Sometimes people can be unreasonable. But we’re in a service industry. Serve is what we do. Our job here is to keep our guests happy. So, if anyone ever comes to the desk with a complaint you feel you can’t handle, don’t get upset with them—just come find me. Okay?”

Meadow nodded. “Fine with me. I don’t like dealing with shits.”

Hopefully, no shits would cross Meadow’s path when she was on duty. Olivia vowed right then to limit her time at the desk as much as possible.

Their first guests arrived right at three o’clock, the official check-in time. They were a middle-aged couple, the woman bundled in a faux-fur coat, leggings and boots, her silver hair stylishly cut. Her husband, swarthy and handsome, wore a parka and jeans.

“Fortelli,” he said, stepping up to the desk. “We’re booked for the week.”

Meadow smiled at him. “Nice to have you, Mr. Fortelli.”

Mrs. Fortelli, who was standing right next to him, frowned.

“And Mrs. Fortelli, too,” Olivia added.

“Oh. Yeah. Of course,” Meadow said and gave the missus a smile, as well. The missus almost returned it.

“So,” Meadow said briskly, shoving a form at him, “give us your car license number and all that good stuff. And we’ll need your credit card. But don’t worry. We won’t charge you until you leave.” The man handed over his credit card. “Fortelli, that’s a cool name. It’s, like, Italian, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is,” he said.

“Have you been to Italy?” she asked, and Olivia felt rather pleased with Meadow’s attempt at pleasant small talk.

“Several times,” said Mr. Fortelli.

“I’ve always wanted to go to Italy,” Meadow said. “Somebody told me Italian men pinch you,” she added with a grin.

Mr. Fortelli handed back the completed form. “Italian men do appreciate beautiful women,” he said. Now there wasn’t even a hint of a smile on Mrs. Fortelli’s face.

“Oh, yeah? Then I definitely need to go. Make my guy jealous.” Meadow dealt efficiently with the credit card, then handed it back. She leaned on the desk, giving Mr. Fortelli a close-up view of Butterfly Mountain. “So what’s the best city to go to in Italy? Where would you tell me to go?”

“To a guidebook,” the missus said, her voice frosty.

They were wandering far from standard check-in procedure at this point. “How about getting the Fortellis’ key cards, Meadow?”

“Oh, yeah.” Meadow straightened up but Mr. Fortelli remained fixated on her boobs.

“So, are you folks are up here from Seattle?” Olivia asked, hoping to distract him.

“We are,” the husband said, making himself the official spokesperson for the Fortelli family.

“Is it your first time here in Icicle Falls?” Olivia asked his wife.

“Yes, it is,” the woman said, frowning at Meadow.

“I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. We have some wonderful shops and restaurants. And Currier’s Tree Farm offers sleigh rides.”

“They do? I’m so making Brandon take me on one,” put in Meadow. “I bet you’d like a sleigh ride, huh, Mr. Fortelli.”