Something's Gotta Give

Chapter 1

Penny struggled up the back steps with the last load of groceries, glad that the afternoon thunderstorm, which was common during a Savannah summer, had finally stopped. Sometimes, if she was lucky, she could time it just right and miss them entirely since, having lived in the area her whole life, she knew the signs.

Looking at the clock over the kitchen desk, she realized that she had just enough time to do one more check of the house before Dr. Evers's guests arrived. She quickly finished putting up the groceries and then made her way from the well-appointed kitchen, which was by far her favorite room in the house, to the hall. The house was a beautiful old home built during the 19th century and had been in the Evers family for generations.

The heart pine floors and the dark paneled walls had all been well cared for over the years and had developed a natural glow to them that couldn't be replicated. Walking up the hall, she peeked into the half bath on her left and made sure that everything was as it should be, then she moved to the small dayroom just in front of the bathroom. This room was her second favorite in the house, and she took special care of it when she cleaned.

Dr. Evers had yet to take a wife, but she felt confident that this would be the ideal room for her when he did. It had large windows that overlooked the side porch, and the plaster walls were painted a cool white. A rug and pillows broke up the sheer white curtains and sizeable white sofa and chairs in grey and light blues shades. It was a calming room, and Penny felt peace whenever she walked into it.

Noting that everything was as it should be, she went across the hall, which consisted of a large room that ran the length of the house minus the kitchen. Half of the ample space was a living room with floor-to-ceiling windows that opened onto the porches that wrapped around the house. There was a superb marble fireplace with a large mirror over it which held the attention of anyone who entered the room for the first time. The back half of the room was a large dining room with a matching fireplace. These two rooms could be separated if desired by two large pocket doors that were almost always kept open.

The furniture was all antiques, and the curtains, rugs, and pillows were all in rich deep hues of blue, red, green, and gold. It was a vibrant-looking room, and it had always made Penny feel overwhelmed. She turned on a few lamps knowing that they would be needed and she might not be able to turn them on once she started dinner.

Opening the window just off the dining room, Penny stepped out onto the porch to ensure that the table she had set for dinner hadn't come to any harm during the quick thunderstorm. She quickly wiped off one of the chairs, but it looked as it should otherwise. Walking back into the house, she started towards the staircase, which was in front of the dayroom and was the first thing people saw upon entering the house.

Climbing the stairs, she ended up on the second-floor landing, which had five rooms off of it. There were two large, lavishly furnished rooms to either side of the hall, each with ensuite, relatively small but functional bathrooms. Taking her time to poke her head in each room, she chose the room she would put Dr. Evers's guests in, turned down the covers, and turned on a light before moving to the room on the back left, which was Dr. Evers's. She did the same in his room then walked to the room next to his but with the door centered at the end of the hall. It was the old trunk room, but Dr. Evers had turned it into a study.

She cleaned away the coffee tray that she had left for him that morning and turned on a light before leaving to go back to the kitchen. There was a third floor of rooms, but they were much smaller, and they all shared a bathroom. She turned them out once a week, but it was only at the holidays when the Evers family came to visit that she paid them much attention.

Walking down the stairs, she entered the kitchen and looked around, ensuring all was as it should be. This was her domain, this was her home, the whole house was like a warm friend, but to her, the kitchen was where its heart was.