To be a Wildflower

Chapter 11

At the Ritz, Elizabeth made certain her breakfast was sent to her room after her first trial at the rooftop lounge which had been dismal for her later at the thought of witnessing half naked bodies baking before her while she had her breakfast. However, the BnB was a family inn house, hence a plush breakfast was laid out for all the guests in the dining room, only there were no "guests" except for Elizabeth's lonely self. She felt terribly awkward at having a thick Alabamian breakfast of biscuits and gravy, muffins, pancakes and the unmissable grits, which Elizabeth eyed in interest, all to herself at the vast dining table. When Vivian came into the dining room with a jug of orange juice Elizabeth stopped her.

"Vivian, this is all beautiful, but I can't scrape it off by myself," she said helplessly, "so um why don't you and the girls join me?"

Vivian looked at Elizabeth disbelievingly and flushed.

"Oh, the girls had theirs and I'm good, it's against the inn policy anyways, but thank you for the offer." She said and poured the juice into a crystal glass.

"But this is your inn isn't it?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes, but Nolan-

"Vivian I'm asking you to join me over for breakfast, not handover the keys to the BnB."

Vivian hesitated for a while and threw up her hands defeated.

"Oh, what the hell," she laughed and sat next to Elizabeth, grabbing a plate.

"Now that's what I'm talking about," Elizabeth smiled and helped some pancakes onto Vivian's plate.

"Also, was that really a policy of Nolan's?"

"Of course not, he'd love to sit down for a big breakfast," she rolled her eyes, "I made the policy of not interfering the guests while they dined. I just didn't want to look like a hypocrite supposing he walked in."

Elizabeth laughed impressed.

"But you decided to join me," Elizabeth stated, "what made you take the risk?"

"I don't know, there's something airy about you, and there aren't any guests so it's a perfect day to break my own rules I suppose?" She shrugged.

Elizabeth smiled in response glad that she did not have to have another breakfast all by herself.

"Okay, but hey if you want to get closer to your guests and truly live up to your 'pact' of finding ones worth keeping, mixing up the girls and the rest of the family with the guests should be a start."

"I'm just afraid I might drive away the guests," Vivian said quietly, and Elizabeth erupted into laughter, but Vivian happened to look serious.

"Vivian, I'm usually the crazy overthinking paranoid one, but trust me when I say you need to take a breather and give this place a chance to open up," Elizabeth said meaningfully, "and your girls and the family could never chase anyone away. I've seen the way they bubble up life, how could they?" Elizabeth said meaning every word and automatically riveted her eyes back to her pancakes while Vivian continued to be impressed by this strange guest of hers who also happened to be the first in forever to ask her for breakfast and praise her family. She did not seem the usual city snob to her.

"I mean have you seen how golden these pancakes are. Last time I flipped a pancake things got dark..." Elizabeth continued in a mock horrified face, which made Vivian crack up.

"Oh, I'm never going to encounter a breakfast this loud again," said Vivian laughing

"Alright what's goin' on here?" drawled a man who appeared by the dining room entrance with a soft grin, doe eyes and a neat military cut hair.