“Morning,” Raina said, stifling a yawn.
“Good morning! Did you enjoy your first night upstairs?” Martha said, without stopping what she was doing. Raina immediately saw why the B&B was a popular spot. The place settings she was laying out were exquisite, and every detail of the table—from the flowers, to the fold of the napkins, to the small pitchers of orange juice—was carefully thought out.
“I did, thanks, and so did the kids, judging from the way they are still snoring this morning,” Raina said with a grin.
“What time do they get up for school?”
“I set the alarm for seven. School starts at 8,” Raina said, taking a fresh table cloth and following Martha’s movements. “I’ll pop in a little later to check if they are getting ready.”
“Ah, the conveniences of working from home! You’ll love it, I’m telling you!” Martha said. “By the way, remind me to introduce you to Susan from next door. She’s a babysitter and wonderful with kids. You never know when you might need her.”
“Thanks,” Raina murmured, seriously doubting whether she would need the services of a babysitter. She was never dating again. Never. Not after the way things ended with Christopher. Clearly she was jinxed.
Martha’s tone changed to a business-like one. “Now, the early bird guests should be arriving for their morning coffee in about twenty minutes, so as soon as we are done here, we’ll bring in the coffee and tea and place them right there where they can serve themselves.”
“All right,” Raina said with a confidence she didn’t feel.
Still, having Martha with her lessened her anxiety. It would have been terrible to be on her own on the first day. By the time the first guest came down, an elderly couple, dressed smartly for their day ahead, everything was already set.
“Good morning Mr. and Mrs. DeLay, did you have a good night?” Martha said smoothly, the perfect hostess.
“Yes we did, apart from an insect by the window that seemed to buzz all night,” the man said in a grumbling tone.
“Oh stop Harold, it was only a tiny noise and it did not go on all night. It was lovely Martha, thanks for asking and forgive my husband. He’s not a morning person.”
“Not a problem. And I can send someone up to check about that buzzing bother!” Her voice was cheerful and friendly as she smoothed things over with the patrons. “The usual table?” Martha said.
Watching with admiration, Raina swiftly moved away and left the dining room in Martha’s capable hands. Upstairs, she was pleasantly surprised to find the children already at the table having the breakfast she had set out before leaving.
“Ready for your big day?” Raina said cheerfully, masking the tightness in her chest.
“Yes, Aunty!” they chorused. She scrutinized their faces and was happy to find no signs of sadness. Crystal seemed to have perked up overnight. She nodded at her aunt, and gave her a small smile.
“How did it go for you Aunty? Are there many people waiting to be given breakfast?” Chantal asked in her normal low solemn voice.
“It’s going great; I imagine that when I return, the dining room will be full.”
“You can go back now, we are fine. We’ll just finish up breakfast and then come downstairs,” Chantal added.
“And I’ll do the dishes,” Crystal volunteered.
“We all want to show you how grown up we are so you can let us work downstairs during the weekend, isn’t that so, Crystal?” Jeremiah said, looking earnest.
“Shut up Jeremiah! You weren’t supposed to tell Aunty! We wanted her to notice herself,” Crystal replied, clearly irritated.
“I already noticed it myself.” Raina smiled at their enthusiasm, her heart growing larger by the moment. “I tell you what, if you can keep this up for the whole week, I’ll give you cleaning duties in the dining room,” Raina said, muffling her laughter with her hand.
Crystal made a face. “Not for me. I thought maybe I could tell the other workers what to do??”
Raina shook her head and let out a laugh, her brown eyes shining with amusement. “Not so fast, beautiful. You’ve got to start at the bottom, and work your way up.”
“Fiiiinnnnee,” Crystal said with a huff.
“You have twenty more minutes before the bus comes. I’ll meet you at reception at half past seven, alright?” Raina said, before returning downstairs once more.
The dining room was a third full and the guests were putting steaming slices of bacon and eggs onto their plates as they made their way through the buffet line. It was an organized way of doing things and Raina rea
lized that it also saved on the added cost of hiring a waiter. Martha hovered by the buffet table, talking to guests as they served breakfast.