The Workaholic Down the Hall

by Katharine Sadler

  “Carrie,” I said. “How are you?”

  “I'm great. Are you here for Sunday Brunch?”

  My heart sank. I'd forgotten about Nora's Sunday brunches. I hadn't paid much attention to the day or the time, in all honesty. I'd just wanted to get out of Atlanta. To move on. “I'm here to stay for a while, if that's alright.”

  “Of course, it's alright,” Nora said, stepping up behind Carrie. Cody was right behind her. Nora's short, brown bob shone and her brown eyes sparked with energy. She was in a crisp button-down shirt and high-waisted jeans. She wore very little make-up, the age lines on her face adding to her beauty, rather than detracting, showing a life well-lived and making her beauty more approachable. It looked like Cody hadn't shaved in a couple of days, but his smile was warm. He was in jeans and what appeared to be an old, worn-out t-shirt, like he'd just been working and was about to get back to work. “Come on inside,” Nora said. “Cody will get your bags.”

  I stepped inside and Carrie's gaze dropped to my belly, obvious in my maternity jeans and t-shirt. “Eight months,” I said. “It's Noah's, but he doesn't know about it.”

  “Why not?” Cody asked, his tone sharp.

  “That's enough questions,” Nora said. “Cody, you go get the bags and Aubrey, honey, you come on with me. You must be starving.”

  “I'm always starving,” I said, though my stomach roiled. I hadn't been expecting an audience. I followed Nora to the dining room. The house was spacious, with high ceilings and large rooms. The furniture was a mix between modern and antique and was as rustic and charming as the exterior. The dining room was enormous and held a table large enough to seat twenty people. May was sitting next to a little girl and cleaning up a puddle of syrup from the table cloth. On the other side of May was a little boy and next to him, a teenage girl. Both younger children had their hair neatly combed, the little girl's hair was in two neat braids, and they both had the biggest eyes. The teenager was the only one of the three with light hair, a strawberry blond that fell to her shoulders in waves. She had a wide mouth and bright, blue eyes. She also had on way more make-up than I'd ever considered necessary for brunch, but she was wearing a cardigan that was almost the twin of the one Carrie was wearing. They all looked up at me when I walked in with Nora. May stood up. She was still in fuzzy pajamas, her hair a messy halo around her head, her eyes sleepy, looking far younger than her twenty-four years. “Aubrey?” Her gaze dropped to my belly.

  I opened my moth to speak, but Nora beat me to it. “Aubrey is eight months pregnant with Noah's baby. He doesn't know about it, and we'd like to keep it that way for a little longer.”

  “Okay,” May said. Worry was clear in her clouded brown eyes, but there was also happiness and excitement. “Congratulations. I've always wanted to have a niece or a…”

  “Niece,” I confirmed.

  The teenage girl cleared her throat and mock-glared at May, who smiled. “I was about to say, I've always wanted a niece or a nephew, and now I can't believe I'm about to have four of them. Maybe this one won't steal my clothes.”

  “You said I could borrow whatever I wanted,” the teenager said.

  “One time, Kayla. Not three times a day. I've had to do laundry twice this week just to have enough to wear.”

  “What about me, Aunt May?” the little girl said.

  May looked down at the little girl fondly. “You are also my niece and I love you, Jenny. I love you so much. Won't it be fun to have a new baby around?”

  Jenny grimaced. “Babies cry all the time.”

  Nora laughed. “Aubrey, these are Cody and Carrie's three kids, Jenny, Simon, and Kayla.”

  I said hello and didn't ask any questions. When I'd met Carrie, eight months ago, she hadn't said anything about kids and she was way too young to have a teenager, but I knew better than to ask in front of the kids.

  Nora sat and gestured for me to sit next to her. Cody and Carrie returned and took their seats at the table. “I wasn't sure where you're putting Aubrey,” Cody said. “So, I put her bags in the front hall for now.”

  “That's perfect,” Nora said.

  After dinner, I helped Nora clean up, but couldn't stop yawning. It was only two in the afternoon and I was ready for bed. Nora dried her hands and placed one on my shoulder. “You're exhausted, sweetheart. I'll show you to your room and you can get a nap.”

  “Thank you, Nora.” I turned to face the older woman. “I know this can't be easy for you, and I just so appreciate you wanting to help me and to be a part of my baby's life.”

  Her eyes were a bit glassy. “I'm so happy to have you here, dear. And I'm thrilled to meet your daughter. No matter what Noah does or says, that won't change.”

  My own eyes stung and I hugged her, feeling emotional and so very grateful.

  Nora released me and wiped her eyes. “Come on, sweetheart. You need your rest.”

  She led me to the back of the house to a small bedroom with an attached bath. “This is the best I can do for you for now,” she said. “We'll find you something more permanent soon.”

  “This is perfect.”

  She left and I dropped into bed without changing my clothes or taking out my contacts. I felt more at peace than I had in a very long time.

  ***

  I slept through the afternoon and the night and woke up the next morning with mossy teeth and my contacts sticking to my eyeballs. I stretched, hopped out of bed, and stretched again. I felt great, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and I was surrounded by people who'd love my daughter. This was going to work out, everything would be okay. Even if Noah forever hated my guts, my daughter wouldn't be alone. And if I kept telling myself that over and over again, eventually it would come true.

  I showered, unstuck my contacts from my eyeballs, dressed and went downstairs. I followed the scent of warm food and found Nora in the kitchen, her brown head bent over the stove. She was dressed in dark-wash jeans and a button-down blouse and she was muttering to herself.

  Like the rest of the house, the kitchen was a mix between old and new, with state of the art appliances and counter tops, but with an antique brass hood and the moldings and woodwork details of an older house.

  “Good morning, Nora. Where do you want me to start working today?”

  Nora startled and looked back at me over her shoulder. “There's no rush, dear. Have a seat and I'll fix you something to eat.”

  “I usually just have tea in the morning.”

  Nora spun all the way around and glared, eyebrows high. “You can't get by on nothing but tea when you're creating a human being. I've already fed the four guests we have here this week, and I'm trying a new recipe. You can be my guinea pig.”

  My stomach rumbled with unhappiness. “How about you put me to work and I'll try it in an hour when I have more of an appetite?”

  Nora studied me for several long seconds. “I guess you could start in the office. I'm afraid I'm not the most organized person. And I really know so little about this social media Cody says I should use to find new customers. Would that be something that might interest you?”

  Organization was my happy place. I hadn't had much call to work with social media in my previous jobs, but I was certainly more tech-savvy than Nora, I assumed. I was pretty sure I could at least get her started. “That sounds wonderful. Just point me in the right direction.”

  “It's through that door right there,” she said, pointing to a door just off the kitchen. “It used to be the mudroom.”

  I stood and headed that way. Normally, I'd have tea before I did anything else, but having to switch to herbal tea and give up caffeine had made it less of a daily priority. I opened the door Nora had pointed out, flipped the switch to illuminate the small space and slapped a hand to my mouth to cover my loud gasp. Without turning, I slowly pulled the door closed behind me and dropped my hand. “Holy shit,” I murmured.

  The room was small, not much larger than a walk-in closet, and every inch of it was covered with books and
papers and computer equipment. I found a desk chair next to what appeared to be a small desk and I picked up the books and papers there so I could sit. There were three books about running a bed and breakfast, one about operating a computer, and a legal pad with handwritten notes about guests. I sighed. This was so much worse than I'd expected. The computer wasn't even hooked up and parts of it were still in boxes. I looked around at the overwhelming mess of a room and a tingle of excitement started in the pit of my belly and rolled through me until I could the smile curled my lips. It had been a long time since I'd had a challenge of such epic proportions.

  I cleared one corner of the room to make space on the floor, and started constructing piles. One was for information about guests, another was for utilities and bills, a third was for miscellaneous expenses, a fourth was for income earned, some of which were checks Nora had yet to deposit, and a fifth was for instructional books. I got lost in my own tiny world, organizing and arranging, and was so deep in my thoughts that I startled when a knock sounded at the door.

  Nora stepped inside, a filled plate in her hand. Her eyes widened and she frowned. “Aubrey, you've moved everything around. How will I find anything?”

  I bit my lip. Hard. “I promise everything will be easier to find when I'm done. Is that your new creation?”

  She looked down at the plate like she'd forgotten she was holding it. “Actually, I did a little Google search. There was too much sodium, too much meat, and a soft cheese in my creation, none of which is good for a pregnant woman.”

  “I'm sure it would have been fine. You can't believe everything you read on the Internet.”

  She pursed her lips. “You may be willing to take risks with my grandbaby, Aubrey, but I am not. I made you an egg white omelet with mushrooms, tomatoes, and peppers.”

  It was difficult not to take offense at Nora's suggestion that I wasn't concerned for the wellbeing of my baby, but I pulled in a deep breath and let her words roll away. When I'd first found out I was pregnant, I'd gone a bit crazy worrying about all the ways I might have hurt the baby before I'd known I was pregnant. It was kind of nice that she cared so much, it wasn't a sign that she thought I was an idiot or a negligent mother. That's what I told myself, and I tried my best to believe it. I took the plate, suddenly starving, and was amazed at how good it tasted. I was one of those rare people who didn't love breakfast foods, but Nora might just change my mind. “This is…Delicious.”

  Nora fluttered her hands nervously. “It's really terrible for digestion to eat standing up.” She grabbed my elbow and pulled the plate from my hand. “Come sit in the kitchen.”

  I followed her out to the kitchen and sat. I tried to think of the best way to bring up my next question as I ate. I pushed away my empty plate. “I noticed a lot of how-to books in there,” I said, keeping my tone light.

  Her cheeks pinked. “You know my dream was always to have horses, maybe board horses and give lessons. When I realized Cody could use my help here with the bed and breakfast, I figured it couldn't be that hard. The family's been in the hotel business for almost three decades. I worked in hotels for years, but I never dealt with the day-to-day stuff of running the place. Even when we built the Reynolds Resorts line, I didn't have a hand in the organizational aspects. I was allowed to dream up ideas and help with decorating.”

  I nodded. I didn't bother to tell her that Noah had struggled for years to clean up those more mundane aspects of the company because his father had also been more interested in big ideas than in what he called, 'the boring stuff.' “But you still plan to have horses here?”

  She nodded. “Unless Cody kicks me out, first. We've had several guests since we opened, but not enough to keep the place running.”

  “I think a name might be a good start. We can't advertise by calling it the bed and breakfast.”

  Her flush deepened. “I'm sure you're right. I've been trying to come up with something. It needs to fit in with the name of the winery, but…”

  Clearly, she'd been struggling more than she let on, more than she wanted to admit. I wasn't happy to see her upset, but I was glad I could be of actual use there, that I was needed. “We'll figure it out,” I said. “I don't know anything about running a bed and breakfast either, but we're two smart women and I know we can figure it out together.”

  She let out a heavy sigh. “Thank you, Aubrey. I'm so very glad you're here.” She placed her hand over mine and my earlier annoyance with her faded. “Cody's been so busy renovating the barn, making wine, and getting everything ready so he can plant vines in the spring. I haven't wanted to bother him or let on how lost I am, but having you here is making me feel better already.”

  ***

  “Honey.” Nora stuck her head into the office. “Would you mind keeping an eye on the front? I need to run into town to get groceries.”

  “Sure.” I turned away from the computer, where'd I'd been crafting an automatic email newsletter for prior guests, and met Nora's gaze. “Are you expecting anyone?”

  “Not today, but you never know. Your social media campaign has been bringing in the customers like you wouldn't believe.” She waved. “See you soon.”

  I'd been staying at the bed and breakfast, now known as Nora's Inn, for four days and I'd made enough progress to be pretty darn proud of myself. I'd cleaned and organized the office, done some reading about running a b & b, and researched social media campaigns. Even so, Nora was easily impressed. When she said we'd been bringing in customers like you wouldn't believe, she meant we'd brought in two more guests than last weekend, which brought us to a total of six guests in a house that could currently hold eighteen.

  Nora was driving me crazy. She was literally monitoring everything I ate, even going so far as to physically remove a cinnamon bun from my hand on its way to my mouth yesterday. She also insisted I rest regularly and, when I say regularly, I mean she'd allow me to work for an hour and then 'suggest' I go back to my room and lay down for an hour. I reminded myself about five hundred times a day that she was acting this way because she cared about me and that she'd be a doting and loving grandmother to my daughter and, even if she drove us both crazy, family was everything.

  I'd also been maintaining my sanity by hiding my laptop and phone in my room and continuing to work when I was 'resting.' Every once in a while, I hid out in the barn Cody had renovated and watched him work on his wines. He bought grapes from another vineyard, but used his own presses and barrels to turn the grapes into wine. I understood about half of what he told me, and I couldn't taste the wine he'd made, but I figured I needed to know as much as possible about the wine we'd be selling at the Inn and about the working vineyard. Plus, it was a good excuse to get away from Nora's watchful eyes.

  Something rattled in the kitchen, so I stood to make sure it wasn't a guest who needed something.

  May was standing at the kitchen counter and pouring herself a bowl of cereal.

  “Cereal for lunch again?” I asked.

  She grinned. “It's quick and it's easy and, most importantly, it's free.”

  “Don't you work at a restaurant?” I'd gotten to know May a bit better over the past few days. Noah had always talked about her like she was a silly kid who lacked ambition and direction, but I'd found her to be kind and hard-working. Sure, she lacked direction, but she was only twenty-three.

  She nodded, her mouth full of cereal, but didn't offer further explanation. I figured she didn't get to take home leftovers from her job at the local diner. “You should grab a couple of cinnamon buns while Mom's out,” she said when she'd finished chewing. “I promise not to tell.” The other thing keeping me sane had been May, she'd been smuggling me good food and helping me to laugh about Nora's constant mothering and worrying.

  “Good idea.” I grabbed a plate from the cabinet and a couple of cinnamon buns from a casserole dish Nora kept stocked with the sweet treats. If she ever decided running a bed and breakfast wasn't for her, she could open a bakery with decided success.

>   “I'm glad to run into you, actually,” I said. “I was hoping you could take some pictures of the house and the property here for ads and promotional brochures. Unfortunately, we can't pay—”

  “I'll do it,” she said. “It'll be good for my portfolio. How soon do you need them?”

  “The sooner the better. We just need something for advertising now. Later, we can get better pictures in the snow and with spring flowers to replace them and add to our website.”

  She nodded, her gaze going distant like she was already considering the possibilities.

  There was a knock at the back door, so I walked through the office/mud room and opened the door to find a man who looked to be about my age, in khaki pants and a button-down shirt, the sleeves rolled up to reveal impressive forearms. He wasn't a bad-looking guy with brown hair, clipped short, a strong jaw, and brown eyes. He gave me a warm, friendly smile. “Hi, I'm George Gregory. Nora asked me to come by to help her out with…” His grin widened into a sheepish, aw shucks kind of a smile. “Is she around?”

  “She's out right now,” I said. “But come on in. She should be back soon.”

  George followed me into the kitchen. I turned to offer him a seat at the small table by the window only to find he'd frozen in the doorway, his eyes on May, his mouth slightly open. I looked over at May, but she was shoveling cereal into her mouth, seemingly oblivious to the man in our kitchen. “May,” I said. She looked up and smiled while she chewed. “This is George Gregory. George, this is Nora's daughter, May.”

  “Hi,” George said. His eyes widened and he cleared his throat. “It's nice…Good to meet you.” His cheeks pinked, which was a funny thing to see on a guy as big and brawny as George.

  May turned back to her cereal. “We've already met, Gene.”

  George frowned. “It's George.”

  May kept chewing like she hadn't heard him, seemingly fascinated by her cereal. May was one of the friendliest, most outgoing people I knew, but something about George had clearly rubbed her wrong.