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Sure, she had been humiliated and she had lost the man she loved, but Raina was made of sterner stuff, or so she told herself. She was dressed formally in her work clothes, a chic little ensemble from when she’d had money in the past. It was a youthful skirt suit in a cream-colored silk with which she wore a purple ruffled blouse and a long gold necklace that bounced with every step she took.
She tried to exude the confidence she did not feel. The confidence she used to have when she was the manager of the Del Mar. She tried to channel that energy now.
She had an appointment with the elderly owners of the bed and breakfast she’d liked best—circled and starred multiple times in the paper. It was at the edge of town, about thirty minutes away. She had liked the cozy, homey picture of the B&B, the Cliff West Inn. It had eight rooms and several common rooms like the dining area, the TV room and a huge kitchen.
Raina pulled up to the brown bricked property thirty minutes later. A blue flowered sign with the name of the B&B hung cheerfully above the entrance. Several stone steps led up to the swinging door, and on the side a wrought iron railing that had been exquisitely detailed by hand.
She knocked lightly, heard a voice call out, “Come in!” and pushed open the door. She was met by the delicious smells of bacon and fresh bread. Her stomach groaned in reply. She hadn’t eaten anything the previous night and had left the house without having any breakfast.
A wide hallway had been converted into a reception area, but at the moment, there was no one manning it. Muted voices could be heard from further inside and she assumed that guests were having their breakfasts. She stood uncertain for a few moments, and then heard footsteps coming her way. An older woman greeted her with a smile on her face.
“Hi, I’m Martha. You must be Raina?” she said with a motherly smile.
Raina liked her immediately, and smiled in return. She stuck out her hand and wished that she hadn’t dressed so formally. Martha herself had on an apron over a simple dress and her hair was held back in a loose ponytail.
“That’s right, I’m Raina McMillan,” Raina said matching Martha’s grin.
“Welcome to Cliff West Inn. Would you like a cup of coffee?” she said.
“That would be lovely,” Raina said, eager to see the dining room.
The room was square in shape, a light brown carpet covered the floor and the tables were decorated with pink and white table clothes. There were about ten tables, arranged with a differing number of seats. At the moment, three quarters of the tables were occupied, which pleased Raina. Martha hurried to what Raina assumed must be the kitchen and returned moments later bearing two cups of coffee.
I haven’t had any coffee myself, so this is a welcome break,” she said, sitting down opposite Raina.
“It gets very busy in the mornings?” Raina said.
“It’s crazy right now, and I hope I’m not putting you off, but if I can do it, so can you.”
Raina smiled. “How many employees do you have?” Raina said.
“Well, let’s see …” The woman started to count off the people on her fingers. “There’s Maggie who is the cook and a Godsend, then there is Rita who is the receptionist part-time, and Abigail who takes care of the cleaning with my help. Do you have any background in this type of work?” Martha asked.
“Well, yes, I’ve been working in a hotel as the manager, but I started as a housekeeper,” Raina explained.
Martha’s eyes widened. “So you’re not afraid of hard work. I’m impressed. When I bought this place, my only experience had been baking cookies. You’ll do well if you do decide to take it on.”
“Why are you selling, if I may ask?”
“Oh, I’m getting on in years and I want to enjoy the rest of my life. My children are all grown now with lives of their own and I figure that it’s my time to travel and see the world. But this little B&B has been good to me—and she’ll be good to her new caretakers too, I’m certain.”
Raina nodded, sharing a small smile with her. She and Martha sat and chatted like people who had known each other for years and years, and they soon lost track of time.
Martha offered Raina a tour of the property, which Raina gladly accepted. The downstairs held the dining room, kitchen, and a washroom. The guest bedrooms were on the second floor, as well as another common room, which had a wall mounted TV and a few comfortable sofas.
“And I live on the third floor,” Martha explained, leading Raina towards the stairs. “There’s an efficiency apartment accessed through the stairs behind the receptionist’s desk. It’s a bit of an inconvenience, but also secure if you have kids. I always liked being right on the property to keep an eye of things.”
The third floor was a tiny three-bedroom apartment. The kitchen was equally small and looked unused.
“As you can imagine, I’m rarely in here, even when my kids are around,” Martha quipped. “There’s always so much to do on the main floors of the B&B, it never felt cramped.”
The bedrooms were more spacious than they had first appeared from the landing, and in Raina’s mind, she started seeing the three kids and herself living here happily.
The girls could share one of the bedrooms and she and Jeremiah would take the other two.
Then she remembered her own house. She loved it and didn’t want to move. It was near the kids’ school and so close to the Del Mar … and then with a jolt she remembered then that she was no longer an employee of Del Mar hotel.
The management had been cruel enough to deny her a severance package, saying they had fired her for “cause.” She seethed inwardly at the unfairness of it.
