Look Always Forward (Bellingwood Book 11) (5 page)

"That's not what I mean. He didn't do anything wrong, but why is he working? He was just in an accident and it seems wrong. And then, he took care of a couple of the guests, too."

"The horrors," Jeff said dramatically. "Should we send Ken to arrest him?"

Polly took a deep breath and scowled at him. Then she pursed her lips.

"Well?" Jeff asked. "I don't know what you want me to do. I could tell him that he's to sit in his room all day, but that seems like a rotten thing to say to the man."

"No." Polly swatted at him. "You're awful. I left thinking that maybe you should talk to him about a job. He seemed to fit right in out there, but now I'm back to thinking that he is just too weird. He talks funny, he does strange things. Jeff, he carries his belongings in plastic, five-gallon pails and he has a long walking stick."

He laughed at her again. "I don't know what he has in the pails, but when I met him at the inn yesterday, he had his things in two duffel bags and a large suitcase. At least that's what Bert hauled out of his car and into the room. And five-gallon pails aren't that odd. Everybody has them."

"Whatever." Polly dropped her voice. "He hacked into the computer and left notes about what he helped the guests with."

"He probably watched me do it when I checked him in." Jeff shook his head at her. "You worry about the weirdest things. But were you serious about me talking to him about a job? Do you think he'd be a good manager?

"I don't know," she said. "When I say it out loud, it sounds odd. He just showed up in town and I know nothing about him."

"Except he has a walking stick."

"Yeah. That." She grimaced. "Forget I said anything. We should know someone better if we're going to hire them."

"It wouldn't be that hard to teach him how to use the system. If he stays, we could move him into the apartment. If it works out, great. If he up and leaves, we wouldn't be any worse off than we are now," Jeff said. "And it's not like we haven't set a precedent."

"Eliseo isn't a precedent. He's special," Polly said. "All of the animals said so." Then she remembered Obiwan's reaction to the man. "Crap," she said.

"What?"

"Obiwan liked Grey. In fact, it was kind of odd how much Obiwan liked him."

The dog looked up when she said his name.

"You're too nice to people," Polly said to the dog.

"He's really not, you know," Jeff said. "But he does know the difference between a good person and a bad person. He's proven that over and over. What do you want me to do?"

"I don't know," she said as she shrugged. "I just don't know. It felt kind of right. And I still think the man is as odd as they come."

"But you trust him, don't you."

Polly looked up at Jeff. "He's infatuated with Sylvie. He tried to ask her out the first time he met her."

He laughed out loud. "What did she say?"

"She said no. Definitively. And he felt terrible. But still, he asked."

"That could certainly mess with the status quo." Jeff bent over and stroked Obiwan's head. "I like the idea. I'll finish up with these folks and then head over and talk to Mr. Greyson. Maybe we'll have all of our employee issues dealt with in one day."

"It would take a lot of pressure off. So you feel good about this?"

"Camille will hire more part timers down the road, but she can start with this group." He turned to head back inside. "Any more bombs you want to drop on me today?"

He held the door as she and Obiwan walked back inside. "No, but the day isn't over yet. Thanks for listening and not thinking I'm insane."

Camille Specht had her employees washing down tables and chairs while she polished the top of the counter. She looked up and smiled at Polly, put down her cloth, and crossed the room.

"I'd like to get to know you better," she said. "I'm staying at the inn until I find a place to live. Would you have time for lunch in the next couple of days?"

Polly grabbed Jeff's arm and said, "Why isn't she staying at Sycamore House? She could be closer to Sylvie and much closer to this place."

"I don't know. It was just my go-to."

Polly said, "I'd love to have lunch with you. And let's do it whenever you have time. My schedule isn't as tight as yours. And please, you should stay at Sycamore House. We have four wonderful rooms available until you find a place to settle."

Camille glanced at Jeff, the question in her eyes.

"It sounds good to me," he said. "It looks like you just became part of the family."

CHAPTER FIVE

"Now be honest," Sal said. "What did you think of her?" They were at the Sycamore House kitchen table, drinking coffee.

"Think of who?"

"Camille. The manager we hired."

"She seems nice," Polly said. "Jeff moved her into Sycamore House this morning."

"Thank you!" Sal exclaimed. "Mark's house isn't big enough for a long-term guest and I didn't want her to have to stay at the hotel." She stopped and gave a sheepish grin to Polly. "Not that it isn't fabulous."

Polly laughed. "I get it. The rooms aren't big enough."

"Well, the rooms here are a lot bigger and so much..." Sal stopped again. "I'll just shut up now. Thank you for doing that. Can you believe we're about ready to open?"

"I certainly can't," Sylvie interrupted, dropping into a chair next to Polly. She flicked powdered sugar dust off her apron. "I haven't decided what I want to put in there for the opening yet."

Polly and Sal watched Sylvie work. They had offered to help, but Sylvie just rolled her eyes and pointed to the table.

"You need to quit worrying about it. People will like whatever you offer. And it isn't like there's going to be a big rush anyway," Sal said. "We aren't really telling anyone that it's even open."

"They'll find out soon enough," Sylvie retorted. "And you don't think they're not going to want to test me, to see what I've done?"

Sal laughed. "I kind of hoped it was going to be about coffee and tea. People in Bellingwood already know how good you are. Aren't you selling bread at the General Store already?"

"You're right. I know. I worry too much," Sylvie said.

"It's what makes you good at what you do," Polly offered.

She looked out the window to the back yard. Andrew and Rebecca were chasing the dogs in and out of the tree line and tossing Frisbees for them to catch. Exhausting all of them was a great idea, but she knew it wouldn't last long. Kayla had Hawkeye's leash and was trying to keep up with him as he chased the older dogs. When he got exhausted, he would flop down in the grass and she'd drop beside him. The rest period never lasted as long as Kayla wanted. Something would catch the puppy's attention and he'd give a tug on the leash and she'd be up and running again.

Polly and Rebecca had gone to a garage sale one Saturday before Rebecca's art lesson and found an old croquet set. Rebecca had never heard of the game and it had been years since Polly had played. They found instructions online, set the wickets up and it had become quite an attraction for the kids. Several of Jason's friends had also been over to play. Who would have thought that old game would draw kids together again?

Eliseo talked about putting a volleyball net up in the yard, but until the garden came out, Polly wouldn't let him. She could only imagine the destruction feet and wild volleyballs would inflict on his vegetables.

"Hey Jeff," Sal said. "How're things? Should I be up at the coffee shop?"

Polly turned. He had a silly grin on his face. "What's that look?" she asked.

"It's the look of a man who is content," he said.

Sylvie jumped out of her chair and ran to the oven just before the timer's bell rang. "A new hot date?" she asked.

He scowled at her. "No. I think I'm destined to be alone for the rest of my life." He sat down in Sylvie's seat. "No, I hired a manager for the inn."

"You hired him?" Polly asked.

"For a month. That worked out so well with Eliseo, I thought we'd try it again. One month and we all agree that he's a good fit, he stays. Otherwise, he'll move on and we'll start looking again."

Sylvie put two trays of pastries into a rolling rack. "Hired who?" she asked.

"Go ahead. Tell them," Jeff said to Polly. "It was your idea."

"That guy you met yesterday," Polly said. "The one who had been in the wreck out front."

"Victorian guy?" Sylvie asked.

Polly laughed. "I suppose he does act a little like that. But yes. Alistair Greyson." Polly looked over at Sylvie. "Are you going to be okay with him working for us?"

"Why do you ask?" Sylvie just rolled her eyes.

"He was smitten with you and made no bones about it."

"As long as he isn't a stalker, we'll be fine," Sylvie said. She blushed again. "It
was
flattering, but he threw me. I know what I looked like and there he was telling me how beautiful I was."

Sal looked back and forth between the two of them. "He told you that you were beautiful?" She realized what she had sounded like and quickly said, "No. I mean. You are beautiful, but this was the first time he met you and he said that?"

Sylvie laughed. "I know what you mean. I was a complete mess. It was embarrassing. But we'll be fine. I hope it works out."

"You just hired a guy who showed up in town?" Sal asked. "Just like that?"

"Maybe." Polly felt herself blushing. "But when I went out there yesterday, he was pulling weeds and cleaning up the parking lot. And he even figured out how to get into the system to help some of the guests." She looked up and around the room. "It seemed like a good idea at the time. How bad could things get?"

Sal wasn't having it. "He could be a thief or a murderer or anything. What if you've set your guests up to be killed or have their rooms broken into?"

"We'll run a standard background check, right Jeff?"

He nodded. "Of course. Stephanie's working on it right now. Just like we do for anyone that gets hired..." He glanced at Polly. "Anyone that gets hired now that I'm in charge. Polly would just trust people."

She swatted his arm. "I'd rather trust them than not. But that's why I have you. And hey, I trusted you."

"Yes you did," he agreed. "Smartest move you've ever made."

Polly patted his arm where she'd swatted him. "It really was. And I appreciate you every day. Especially when you hire people to do work I don't want to do. Is he moving into the apartment?"

"As we speak," Jeff said.

They had furnished the apartment at Sycamore Inn with furniture and appliances from Polly's father's house. It was still pretty sparse, but someone could easily move in on a moment's notice. She was also thankful that it emptied out much of the garage. There were still stacks of boxes left, but maybe when it got cold this winter, she'd make time to sort through them.

"When are you training him on the system?" she asked.

"He's coming over this afternoon to work with Stephanie, but he's pretty smart. He had it figured out before I even asked him. He's not afraid of computers or hard work."

"He said that limp is from an old injury," Polly said. "Did he tell you what that was from? Will it affect his work? It would be nice if Eliseo didn't have to ride the mower over there every week."

Jeff shook his head. "We didn't get that far, but he assured me that he was quite capable of doing whatever needed to be done."

Polly sat back in her chair. "It would be great if we finally found someone who would stay for a while."

Stephanie came into the kitchen with her coffee mug. "Here you are. I thought I'd lost everybody."

"Come over and join us," Polly said. "You can watch the kids playing." She chuckled. "Just look at those little red faces. They're having a blast. Maybe they'll head over to the pool this afternoon. Do you mind, Stephanie?"

The young girl nodded. "I have Kayla's swimsuit in my bag. She never knows when Andrew and Rebecca will want to go."

"I'm terrible at setting up schedules and making plans during the summer," Polly said. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay." Stephanie sat down on the other side of Polly and hesitantly touched her arm. "Speaking of schedules, I need to ask a question."

Polly turned to face her. "Sure, what's up?"

"Kayla and Rebecca want to go clothes shopping this Saturday. Since we've been going to Goodwill so much, Kayla has seen clothes there that she wants. It's such a good deal. Would you mind if I took Rebecca Saturday morning? Or would you rather take her to one of the bigger stores?"

"That would be great," Polly said. "If the girls can find fun things to wear for school, I'd much rather she spent her money that way." She leaned in to speak quietly. "I know they've been saving money from babysitting and working this summer. Is that what Kayla is using?"

"No. I won't let her. This one's on me."

"Well, you tell me how much you plan to spend on Kayla and I'll send the same amount with Rebecca. Will that work?"

Stephanie gave her a grateful smile. "Thank you for letting me do this. We might run to Target after we're done with the thrift stores. I want to get Kayla new underthings too."

"Rebecca would probably love to do that with you two. Just let me know how much I should send, okay?"

The girl took a deep breath and let it out. "I was worried it wouldn't be good enough, but Rebecca said she used to shop at Goodwill with her mom. And I know you can afford..." She paused, looked at Sal, and blushed. "Nothing. Just thank you."

Polly smiled at her. "No problem. The world's an interesting place, isn't it? You never know who you're going to be hanging out with. But I appreciate you taking the girls shopping. They'll have a great time."

She stood up. "I'm going to round up some young-uns before they get too overheated. The dogs have flopped onto the grass a couple of times.  I suspect everybody is ready for something cool to drink.

"Anybody who is up town this afternoon should stop by the coffee shop," Jeff said. "Either that or give me an order." He looked at Stephanie and she smiled back at him. "We'll be making free drinks while the kids learn the ropes."

"Helena Black will appreciate being called a kid," Polly said.

Sylvie's head snapped up. "Helena Black? She's working at the coffee shop?" Then she dramatically clutched her chest and said, "Shoot me now."

"What's wrong?" Polly asked. She glanced at Jeff, who was watching with wide eyes.

"Nothing's wrong," Sylvie said, rolling her eyes. "She's just ... busy. And chatty. And interested in everything you're doing, but she never pays any attention, so her interest is always new." She pursed her lips and looked up at Jeff. "But don't worry, she won't last long."

"That's mean. Don't say things like that to me," he replied. Then he said conspiratorially, "But what do you mean by that?"

"She comes on strong for about a month or two and then gets bored. By the time she finally quits, everyone is praying for her to be gone."

"But her references said she was a great worker."

"She is. She'll work hard and she'll do a great job. But she's worked nearly everywhere in town as well as Boone, Stratford, and Webster City. She worked with me at the grocery store... for a couple of months." Sylvie realized that everyone else was in shock. "Don't worry," she said. "Helena is great with customers. They all like her. It's the rest of the employees that will want her to be gone."

Polly poked Jeff, "Maybe this one is your first mistake."

"Hey!" he said.

"Look. Mine was the guy who was high whenever he deigned to show up. You get to have at least one."

He gave her a little push. "Yours was a doozie."

"You're right there." Polly opened the door to the back yard and stepped out, then yelled. "Hey, who wants lemonade? Come in and head upstairs."

"I want lemonade," Sal said when Polly came back inside.

"Then come upstairs," Polly retorted.

"No, that's okay," Sal replied. "I've wasted enough time this morning. I'm going up to the coffee shop and order a crazy drink off the coffee menu and see if I can trip Camille up. She's amazing."

~~~

Jason and one of his friends, Kent Ivers, had agreed to go to the pool with the three kids that afternoon. Polly knew that Rebecca and Andrew could swim. Rebecca had taken lessons this summer and Andrew had been swimming since he was a kid, but Kayla was still a question mark. Rebecca promised to teach Kayla how to float and hold her breath, but Polly was much more comfortable knowing the two older boys would be there.

Polly had gone the first couple of times, but discovered that it embarrassed Rebecca, so after hovering in the background once or twice, she gave up and let them have fun on their own. They were just across the highway, the pool employed lifeguards, and Jason was in charge. After he'd dropped Joey Delancy a few months ago, his self-confidence had grown. He hadn't become arrogant, but that encounter had served to make him realize that he had important contributions to make in protecting others.