by Cindy Bell
“Good to know,” Suzie grinned. After they shared a cup of coffee and some breakfast they both cleaned up the kitchen to ensure that it was spotless. It was not an area for the guests but it was still good to make sure it was in tip-top shape. The lunch foods were already prepped for their early guests. Now, it was just a matter of waiting for the first to arrive. They didn't have to wait long before they heard a car pulling up the front driveway.
“Here we go!” Mary squealed happily. “Our very first guest!”
“Other than Ben of course,” Suzie grinned. They walked towards the front door. Outside a car had just parked. It was dusty and old. Nothing fancy. But the man who stepped out of the car was a bit surprising. Suzie noticed right away that he was dressed in an old fashioned way. He had a three piece tan suit with a scruff of a tie at his neck. His glasses were thin rimmed and set low on his nose. His blonde hair was wavy and a little mussed. He was on the shorter side with a slightly round belly. He looked right past Suzie and Mary and instead squinted up at the old house.
“Exquisite,” he muttered as he began walking towards the porch. He grabbed the railing and shook it slightly. “Well, this isn't original,” he frowned and fixed a glare on Suzie and Mary.
“The original was a safety hazard,” Suzie volunteered. “You must be Martin Cote. Welcome to Dune House.”
“I am, I am,” he said. He seemed very distracted as his gaze passed over the roof before returning to them.
“Let me get your bags,” Suzie offered as she stepped down from the porch.
“No, don't do that,” he said sharply and hurried past her. He opened the trunk of the car and began sorting through the contents. Suzie and Mary exchanged an anxious look. Suzie frowned. Martin was their first official guest and it didn't seem as if they were getting off to a good start. Martin began lifting equipment out of the trunk. It looked like expensive stuff.
“If you could just show me to my room,” he grunted. He insisted on carrying all of the equipment himself. Mary watched him nervously as he maneuvered the steps and made it to the porch.
“Of course, it's just down the hall,” she said as she opened the door to the house for him. He had specifically requested a room on the ground floor. Suzie closed the trunk gently. She was a little surprised to see what he was bringing with him, but she knew that dealing with unusual guests was going to be one of the trials of running a B & B. At least he had only booked the room for two nights. She followed Mary back into the house. Mary passed a grimace over her shoulder at Suzie and Suzie raised her eyebrows in response. They had always been able to communicate without having to use words.
“Everything is here for you,” Mary explained as she showed Martin the room. He was busy carefully setting his equipment down on the bed. Suzie spotted a small overnight bag, everything else was cameras, strange electronic readers of some sort, and something that looked like a handheld metal detector.
“There is a small bathroom in this room,” Mary opened the door so that he could see. “But if you would prefer, your key also opens the shared bathroom which has a large shower and bathtub that you can use.”
“This will be fine,” Martin said dismissively. “I'm a bit tired from traveling. So, if you wouldn't mind?”
Suzie nodded. “Of course. We can take care of your registration at dinner tonight. If you'd like I can bring your lunch to the room.”
“No, it's fine, I just ate,” he said and walked towards them in an effort to essentially push them out the door. Once Mary and Suzie were in the hall he closed the door firmly. Suzie heard the lock engage.
“Wow,” she mouthed to Mary who was standing dumbfounded in the hall. She had practiced a long speech to give to every new guest and he had only heard the beginning of it.
Suzie and Mary walked down the hall and back to the kitchen. Once they were sure no one was in earshot, they spoke in hushed voices.
“Don't you think he's a little odd?” Mary asked.
“A little?” Suzie giggled. “I'm sure he'll be friendlier after he has a rest.”
“Maybe so,” Mary nodded. “I guess we will have to become accustomed to different personalities.”
“Morning,” Ben said sleepily as he walked down the stairs. He was dressed for the day, but looked like he should have been back in bed.
“Are you feeling okay?” Mary asked with concern. She reached up to feel his forehead.
“I'm fine, Mom,” he smiled ruefully and pushed her hand gently away. “I just stayed up a little too late.”
“Talking to all those girlfriends,” Mary chastised.
“I don't have a girlfriend, Mom,” Ben laughed. “I have girls that are friends.”
“Hmm, if you take them out to dinner, they're more than friends,” Mary argued. “Aren't I right, Suzie?” she asked. Suzie raised her hands into the air and laughed.
“I'm not getting into the middle of this one!”
“Chicken,” Mary accused in a friendly tone.
“Anything you two need help with?” Ben offered.
“Actually, if you wouldn't mind taking a walk around the grounds to make sure that everything looks nice that would be very helpful,” Suzie said.
“I can do that,” Ben announced. He kissed his mother's cheek and then walked out through the side sliding door that led onto the wraparound porch.
“They are girlfriends,” Mary insisted in a whisper.
“Times are different now, Mary,” Suzie pointed out. “They call it playing the field I think.”
“Hmph,” Mary narrowed her eyes. “Sounds like the good life to me. Who is ever going to want to commit if they can play the field instead?”
Suzie raised an eyebrow. It was a good point. “I'm sure Ben will find someone he wants to be more exclusive with eventually,” Suzie suggested.
“Not too soon,” Mary added.
“Definitely not too soon,” Suzie grinned. As she opened her mouth to say something else, they heard a squealing of brakes in the parking lot.
“Must be our next guest,” Mary said and smiled grimly. “This should be interesting.”
“Hopefully not as interesting as Martin,” Suzie pointed out in a whisper.
Suzie was walking towards the door when it was suddenly flung open. The woman on the other side paused in the doorway. Her face was almost completely hidden by huge, dark sunglasses. They seemed to be a fashionable pair, and the B & B was by the sea, but it made it nearly impossible to make eye contact.
“Hello, and welcome to Dune House,” Suzie said warmly.
“Thank you,” the woman replied coolly. She had a thin scarf tied around her dark, straight hair. She looked to be in her thirties, though the dark glasses made it hard to tell for sure. “At least it was easy to find,” she said as she scrunched up her nose a little. “This is quite a quaint little town.”
The way she said quaint made it definitely not a compliment. Mary stepped up behind Suzie as the woman stepped inside.
“Garber is small, but it has a lot to offer,” Mary said happily.
“I hope that's the case,” the woman said. “My name is Alice Montreal, I have a reservation.”
“Yes of course, Ms. Montreal,” Suzie said. “Please allow me to take your bag. Your room is all ready for you.”
“Hmm,” she nodded a little and then lowered her sunglasses. “So, there is no pool?”
“Well, we thought that might be a little redundant,” Mary laughed as she gestured to the large windows that looked out over the wide, open sea.
“I suppose,” she shrugged a little and handed over a white, leather overnight bag. When Suzie took it she was surprised by the weight of it. It was such a small bag, it must have had plenty packed into it to make it heavy. Mary chatted to her about special spots in Garber to visit, and meal times at the B & B. Suzie didn't know if the woman was listening as she had pushed her sunglasses back up along her nose.
When they stepped into Alice's room, the woman laughed. “Very funny,” she sa
id. She looked over the perfectly made bed, the assortment of books and magazines beside the bed, and the robe hanging on the closet door.
“I'm sorry?” Suzie asked. “What's funny?”
“This can't be my room,” Alice said as she turned towards Suzie. “It's so tiny.”
“Cozy,” Mary piped up.
“Tiny,” Alice argued. “Is there even a bathroom in here?” she asked.
“Right here,” Suzie said smoothly. She was doing her best to hide the annoyance in her voice. She opened the door to the small bathroom.
“But there's only a tiny shower,” Alice complained. “This is nothing like the room that I saw on the website.”
“Well, we do have an assortment of rooms,” Mary said hesitantly.
“But you made a reservation for the single studio room,” Suzie pointed out. “That's what this is. There's room enough for a table and chairs, an easy chair, the bed. Plus you have a view of the water,” Suzie explained.
“The room I saw was huge,” Alice insisted, she was irritated.
“But that is not the room you paid for,” Suzie explained in a soft tone.
“That's false advertising!” Alice huffed. “I can't believe this. I knew I shouldn't have taken a chance on a rinky dink place like this…”
“Now, wait just a moment,” Mary said quickly when she saw anger rising in Suzie's expression. “It's our opening weekend, and we're not booked solid. I understand there's been some confusion. Perhaps we could upgrade you to one of the larger rooms?”
Suzie did her best not to wince. She could already see that Mary was going to be much better at customer service than she was. But the woman was rubbing her up the wrong way. The last thing she wanted was to give her the larger room.
“I'm not paying a penny more,” Alice said firmly. “This is supposed to be a weekend getaway and I'm already feeling very stressed.”
Mary met Suzie's eyes questioningly. Suzie could tell that Mary wanted to agree to upgrade the room without charging more. She trusted Mary's judgment.
“Fine, we can arrange something,” Suzie said calmly. “I'll review the website and make sure that the pricing and room selection is clearer,” she added, though she knew it was perfectly clear. “Perhaps you'd like to wait on the porch with a nice glass of home brewed tea while we get the room prepared for you?”
“Just water will be fine,” Alice said with a sniff. She plucked her bag from the bed where Suzie had placed it. Then she turned and strutted out of the room.
“I'm sorry, Suzie, I hope you don’t think that I was too interfering,” Mary said quickly.
“You handled it much better than I ever could have,” Suzie replied with a shake of her head. “I don't know how you can keep your cool.”
“I've been a referee for a long time,” she laughed softly. “Which room should I move her to?”
“Put her in the Venice suite,” Suzie suggested. “Maybe that will appease her.”
The Venice suite was decorated to remind guests of the city of Venice, Italy. It had luxurious tapestries as well as paintings of the city and even a functioning water feature.
“Are you sure?” Mary asked with surprise. “That's one of our most expensive rooms, it even has the garden tub in the bathroom.”
“It's opening weekend,” Suzie replied. “I think we can afford to spoil the guests a little. Besides, the last thing we want is bad word of mouth.”
“Okay,” Mary nodded and headed off to prepare the room. As Suzie walked back towards the kitchen she heard the front door open and close. She wasn't expecting the next guest for another hour, but she knew schedules could run early or late. With a smile she walked into the lobby area. Paul was waiting to greet her with a bouquet of fresh, local flowers.
“Happy opening day,” he smiled over the top of the flowers.
“Thank you,” Suzie beamed. She looked away from him shyly as she took the flowers. They were a lovely gesture, and Suzie gave them a light sniff. “They're beautiful.”
“How is it going so far?” he asked curiously as he followed her into the kitchen. She found a vase and placed the flowers in some water.
“It's going,” Suzie replied with a wry smile. “Let's just say, I'm glad Mary is good with customer service.”
“And you're not?” he asked teasingly. “I would never believe that!”
“I try,” she said with a dramatic sigh.
“Well, don't worry, you'll get used to it soon enough,” Paul said. “If not, I can always take you out for an escape on the boat.”
“I'll hold you to that,” Suzie smiled as she rested her elbows on the kitchen counter. Paul leaned close. Her breath caught in her throat as she realized he was going in for a kiss. She returned a light peck.
“Wow-wee is he included in the room rate?” Alice asked as she wandered into the kitchen. There was a sign that clearly stated staff only, but she ignored it.
“Sorry ma'am,” Paul said with a friendly smile. “I'm taken.”
“Shame, you were about the only luxury I've spotted in this place so far,” Alice sighed.
Paul glanced at Suzie and tried not to grin. Suzie was doing her best to hide the fact that she was fuming.
“Can I get you anything? A bottle of water? Some tea?” she offered, trying to think of what Mary would do.
“A room would be nice,” Alice said haughtily. Suzie could tell that Alice was going to be one difficult guest. Maybe it was best that she got used to it, as Suzie was sure this would be the first of many hard to please guests.
“I'm sure it's just about ready,” Suzie offered and felt Paul's hand curve over hers with a calming touch.
“Your room is ready, Alice,” Mary said from the doorway of the kitchen.
“It's about time,” Alice muttered. Mary rolled her eyes behind Alice's back as she walked down the hall. Once they were gone Suzie turned back to Paul.
“So, am I a liar?” he asked as he looked into her eyes.
“Huh?” Suzie asked as she stared back with some confusion.
“Did I lie, when I said I was taken?” he asked and still held her gaze. Suzie was startled by the question. She had just become comfortable with the idea of kissing him and now he was asking if they were exclusive. She had no idea how to answer that. She thought of Ben playing the field and wondered if that might be what she wanted. Committing to one man was a huge step.
“Well, I…”
“Suzie,” Jason said from the entrance of the kitchen. “Sorry if I'm interrupting.”
Suzie hid a sigh of relief. “Jason, good to see you,” she said. Paul managed not to glare at him.
“Hello Jason, how are things?” he asked in a mild tone.
“Pretty good,” Jason said warmly. “Just wanted to check on the opening.”
“It's going well, we already had two guests check in,” Suzie said proudly.
“Good,” Jason nodded as he swept his gaze over the kitchen. “Hard to believe this place is going to be so full of life again.”
Jason had grown up in Dune House, though his relationship with his father had not been great. That was one of the reasons his father had left the house to Suzie instead of to his son. But the bulk of his wealth, of which the amount was a well-kept secret but was rumored to be quite considerable, was left to Jason.
“Well, you were a big part of making that happen, Jason,” Suzie reminded him with a smile. Her cousin was much younger than her, and very handsome in his uniform. He was well liked in Garber and had played a big role in calming some of the locals when they were upset over Dune House being converted back into a B & B. Not everyone was a fan of more tourists in the area. With his thick, red hair and brilliant smile, Suzie could easily see why he was so well received by people. She was just glad that Alice wasn't around to ask if he was a perk.
“I couldn't be happier to see it alive again,” Jason admitted. “If you need anything, I'm just a phone call away, all right?”
“Actually, I'd love for you
to meet Mary's son, Ben,” Suzie said. “He's a little younger than you but he's a good kid.”
“I'm not a kid, Suzie,” Ben pointed out as he stepped in through the sliding door.
“You're both kids, like puppies,” Paul muttered with his usual gruff personality.
“Watch it, Paul,” Jason said with a short laugh.
“Jason, this is Ben,” Suzie said as Ben walked towards them. “Ben, this is my cousin, Jason.”
“Nice to meet you,” Ben said and shook Jason's hand. His eyebrows raised. “Didn't know that Suzie had law enforcement in the family.”
“Now you do,” Suzie said and grinned. “So, you better behave.”
“Who, me?” Ben said with an innocent smile.
“How long are you in town for, Ben?” Jason asked.
“Just a couple more days,” Ben replied.
“Well, if you're not busy tomorrow night, I'll take you around town and show you the place. With your mother living here now I'm sure you'll visit more,” he added.
“That would be great,” Ben smiled eagerly.
“Oh boy, good thing I'm shipping out for a couple of nights, with these two prowling around town,” Paul grimaced.
Jason rolled his eyes and Ben smirked.
“I need to get back to my patrol, but, Ben I'll stop by tomorrow after my shift, okay?” he nodded at Ben.
“Sounds good,” Ben agreed.
“Everything looked good outside, Suzie,” Ben said after Jason left.
“Good,” Suzie nodded.
“When do your next guests arrive?” Paul asked.
“Not until this evening, so there's a little time between,” Suzie replied.
“That's good, it keeps the chaos to a minimum,” Paul chuckled.
“Speaking of chaos, are you ready for your trip tonight? Have you checked the weather patterns?” she asked with some concern. She always worried when Paul was out on the water. He was certainly experienced, but experience didn't mean much against a fierce storm.
“Everything is clear, should be a perfect weekend for your guests to spend on the beach,” he pointed out.
“I hope they enjoy it,” Suzie said with a hint of pride.
“I'll see you two later,” Ben said as he grabbed an apple from the bowl of fruit. “I'm going to catch up on some homework.”