by Zoe Chant
She rubbed her forehead one more time, got out of the car, grabbed her bag, and schlepped it inside. God, she was tired.
She forgot about sleep deprivation for a second when she got inside, though, because she was surrounded by warm colors, overstuffed chairs, and beautiful potted plants. “Well, hello!” said the woman behind the desk at the front. She had gray hair braided back from her face, and her eyes were crinkling as she smiled. “You must be Kristin. You look tired, was it a long drive?”
“Oh, it wasn’t too bad. I’m just tired because work’s been really crazy, and—” She stopped herself. She wasn’t complaining about work this weekend. Adorable bed and breakfast! she reminded herself. “But I’m here now,” she finished instead. “What a beautiful place you have! I love all of the plants.”
“Oh, thank you, dear,” said the woman. “That’s mostly Ed’s job, he likes a little gardening. I’m Naomi, and let me be the first to welcome you to Forest Mills. We’re so happy to have you.”
“I’m so happy to be here,” said Kristin, and she was. She wanted to drop her bag, curl up in one of those comfy-looking chairs in the waiting area, and just drop off to sleep.
Instead, she made herself walk up to the desk, sign the registry where Naomi pointed, take her room key, and repeat, “Half an hour,” when Naomi told her she’d missed breakfast but she must join them for lunch in half an hour.
That was for the best, she thought after she found her room, because the bed looked so inviting, with a deep blue comforter and big, fluffy pillows. She’d pulled an all-nighter on Wednesday, and had been up late packing the night before, and then she’d gotten an early start to maximize her vacation time. She was so tired. Maybe a little nap…
Only the thought of turning her phone on again for an alarm stopped her from lying down. Instead, she unpacked her bag, admiring the heavy wooden dresser. The dresser she had at home was from IKEA, cheap white pasteboard. She looked at the gorgeous dark wood and wondered how much this one had cost, and if she could get one.
Probably not. Her job worked her hard, but it didn’t pay very much. And she was on salary, so no overtime for her extra hours.
Maybe someone local had made the dresser. Or all of the furniture; it was all made of the same beautiful dark wood. She ran a hand over the cool grained surface of the dresser one more time, then pushed the drawer closed and went to set up her toiletries in the bathroom. No use wanting something she couldn’t have.
Lunch was incredibly nice—there were only two other guests in the B&B, and they’d chosen to have lunch out, so it was just Kristin, Naomi, and Ed, who turned out to be a very tall, wiry man with the same crinkly-eyed smile as Naomi. “Our last-minute vacationer!” he said when she shook his hand.
“Best last-minute decision ever,” Kristin said, heartfelt, and determinedly changed the subject before she could start explaining why, saying, “This lunch looks delicious.” It really did. Laid out on the sturdy dining room table were steaming biscuits, thick ham, cheese, salad with what looked like a jar of homemade dressing, and fresh strawberries. She made an executive decision not to count calories this weekend.
“Thank you, dear,” said Naomi. “Anything to drink other than water? Tea, coffee, juice?”
“Coffee,” Kristin said gratefully.
“Coming right up.” Naomi disappeared into the kitchen.
“Never understood what she sees in that stuff,” Ed said. “Here, sit down, sit down. Take a biscuit while they’re hot.”
Kristin sat in the chair he pulled out and took a biscuit as directed. “I wish I could drink less of it,” she said honestly. “I like it, but I hate depending on it. Sometimes you have to, though.”
Ed took his own seat. “I think a lot of people think they have to,” he said.
Naomi came out of the kitchen before Kristin could reply that she really did have to, if she wanted to keep her job. The mug Naomi handed her was deep blue glazed pottery, heavy and beautiful. She took a sip. “Thank you so much, Naomi, this is delicious.”
Naomi waved a hand. “Good coffee’s important. Eat your food! You’ve been on the road all morning, I bet you need a meal in you.”
Kristin did not actually need many meals like this in her, she thought, but it wasn’t like she was trying to attract any men right now, so did it really matter if her hips didn’t shrink any this weekend? She cut open a biscuit and put some ham and cheese on it, and took a bite.
“Oh,” she said. The savory biscuit melted in her mouth, and the ham was smoky and delicious. “Naomi, these are so good. Do you suppose I could get the biscuit recipe?”
“Of course,” said Naomi. “They’re cheddar and chive. Do you cook, dear?”
“Sometimes, when I have time,” said Kristin, and applied herself to her lunch rather than saying any more about that.
***
She ended up sitting at the table with Naomi and Ed for an hour and a half, listening to stories about Forest Mills and funny guests the B&B had had. “Have you lived here all your life?” she asked them.
“All my life,” Naomi confirmed. “Well, except for a year or so back in the sixties when I lived on a VW bus. That was before Ed and I got married.” She winked, and Kristin couldn’t help a surprised laugh.
“And I don’t begrudge your wild oats,” Ed said, “—because I sowed plenty of my own, of course. I didn’t come here until I was almost thirty, but when I met Naomi, I knew I’d never leave.” He smiled at her, and Kristin blinked a couple of times.
That was what she wanted. Building a beautiful life with someone, with a beautiful home and a garden like this. Not a tiny apartment she could barely afford, and that she was never in anyway.
She hadn’t even bothered to ask someone to water her little rooftop garden before she left; it was almost dead after the last few weeks of no rain. She kept getting home from work at ten PM and falling into bed without remembering to go up and take care of it.
But to move to a beautiful home she needed money, and if she wanted money, she had to work. And she wanted to make her beautiful home with someone, and she definitely wasn’t getting anywhere on that front yet. She pushed her guilt about Tim aside and said, “So, what do you recommend I do this weekend, then? Since you’ve lived here for so long, you must know everything about the town.”
“Oh, you must come to the fair tonight,” said Naomi. “There’ll be food and music and games, and a bonfire after it gets dark. And there’s all sorts of local crafts and produce for sale. It starts at five.”
Kristin glanced at her watch—only a little over three hours away! “I’ve kept you guys way too long,” she said, pushing back her chair. “You must have work to do.”
“No, no, our pleasure,” said Naomi. “But you must want to enjoy your vacation! Come to the east end of town at five, just off Main Street, and we’ll find you to say hello.”
Kristin assured them she would, and then helped clear her dishes and was shooed away. She stepped outside and breathed in deeply. It smelled heavenly out here, all green and growing. The B&B was just on the outskirts of town, and its backyard—with a beautiful garden, Kristin itched to go look around in it—blended right into the woods out back.
She decided to go for a walk that way, rather than explore the town. She had all weekend to do that, and the trees just looked so nice and peaceful. And there was a clear trail leading away from the garden—probably Naomi and Ed liked to go for walks or collect wild berries out there. She started off.
***
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