Desdemona Humphries leads a rather unspectacular life. She's a great daughter, grand-daughter, and aunt. She helps her brother coach little league and helps her sister bake for the school bake sales, in between running a bed and breakfast with her f...
"So, they'll be arriving the week before Thanksgiving and will leave the Saturday after."
Desi nodded as Gran looked over a list of things that had been requested. It wasn't too bad, considering how big the group was, and nothing too over-the-top. Earl Gray tea, which they already had, Hobnobs, which Desi would have to look for, and cheesecake. Those were a few of the things they wanted, plus some everyday items that she was sure they'd find with no problem.
"Do we know what day they are arriving? Will they need transportation from the airport, or are they getting a car? Did we get a final head count?"
Gran grinned as she looked over her list. "Let's see here. They'll be arriving on the twelfth and leaving on the twenty-sixth. They have their own transportation, so that's taken care of. I have a total of ten people, three couples, so that means three double rooms and four singles."
Desi nodded, chewing on her bottom lip in thought for a moment before answering her. "Ok, so we have the two rooms on the main floor, those are both doubles. Rooms three and four are both doubles, then five and six are singles. Can we put two of the singles in the same room?"
Gran scratched her head for a moment before nodding. "We should be able to. If not, we'll figure something out."
Desi nodded, grinning at her. "You know what? Nevermind, we'll put one up in my room. It wouldn't be the first time I've slept on the hideaway bed in the family room."
Gran reached across the table and squeezed her hand. "You're a good sport, Desi. I would say I'd share my room with you, but we both know I snore like a chainsaw. You wouldn't get any rest at all that way. There's always the barn, but we haven't gotten around to putting heat out there yet."
Desi shook her head as she stood up. "The family room will be fine. I'll just put my things in your room to change and whatnot." She grabbed her keys off the counter. "Ok, I need to head into town for some supplies. We only have a week before they'll be here." Something occurred to her and she turned back to her grandmother with a frown on her face. "They asked for Hobnobs. Is one of them British?"
She watched Gran look everywhere but at her before shrugging. "I don't know, the man didn't say. Does it matter?"
Desi shrugged back. "No, not really. I was just curious." She grinned at her grandmother. "You keep calling the person "the man". Did he not give you a name?"
Gran rolled her eyes at her as she started shuffling the papers in front of her. "Of course he did, but you know how bad I am at remembering names. It's here somewhere in this mess." She looked up at Desi, who gave her a confused look at the sudden sadness on her face. "You love this old house, don't you, Desi?"
Desi shrugged. "Well, it's our home, so I pretty much have to, don't I?" She leaned over and kissed her on the top of the head. "You know what I love more though?" She shook her head and Desi smiled. "My family. I love all of you more than anything."
Gran nodded, sniffing a little. "I know you do, lovely, and we all love you too, but I think maybe you think we're safe. That nothing ever changes here. That won't always be the case, Desi."
Desi nodded as she grabbed her hoodie just in case she might need it later. "I know, Gran. Nothing really stays the same, but until something changes, this is right where I'll be."
She waved as she walked out the back door, letting it swing shut behind her. She couldn't help but wonder what had Gran in such a mood, but she quickly chalked it up to worry about her dad. He was her only child after all. It must be hard to handle him having such medical problems, and at her age as well. At over ninety, Gran seemed spry and young at heart, but she really wasn't. She had her own medical concerns as well, and Desi was sure her dad's heart attack had added unwanted stress. As she pulled out of the driveway, she made a vow to do more for Gran around the house too. She probably just needed a rest.
Hester heard the phone ring as she put the baby down for her nap and ran to answer it before it woke her back up. These afternoon naps that the girls took while the older two were in school were really the only break she got throughout the day. She checked the caller ID and saw that it was Gran calling. She answered with a frown.
"Hey, Gran. Everything ok?"
"No, everything is not ok. I think your sister is starting to suspect something."
She sighed as she grinned at her grandmother's apparent frustration. "Look, Scott and I both told you to be honest and tell her beforehand, but no, you and dad decided a surprise attack was in order."
"Well, we can't tell her now! She'll run for the hills, literally! You know that girl will fight us tooth and nail over this. I just need you to help distract her until they finally get here. I can't have her looking at the paperwork."
"You had better hide it then. What has her so curious? She doesn't usually ask too many questions about potential guests. She just leaves that in your hands."
She heard Gran sigh on the other end. "Oh, one of the requests was Hobnobs, you know, the cookie? She wanted to know if one of the guests was British. I almost passed out right there, I tell you. My old heart isn't built for espionage."
Hester chuckled at the old woman as she heard a car pull into the driveway. She looked out the window and saw Desi getting out of her Jeep. "Well, guess who just pulled up to my house? Ok, Gran, I'll do what I can. Talk to you later."
She laid her phone down just as Des walked in the front door. "Hey, Hes. I wanted to see if you wanted to go shopping with me?"
Hes nodded as Desi walked over to pour herself a cup of coffee. Her big sis ran on caffeine and very little sleep. "I can as soon as the girls wake up from their naps. We can drop them off to Emily and then see if she'll watch the others when they get home from school."
Desi nodded as she quickly downed her coffee, walking over to get more. "That works." She paused, biting her lip, and Hester knew right then that something was bothering her. "So, I think there's something up with this booking that we have coming up. Gran seems really weird about it. Do you think there isn't one? That she made it up? I don't know, maybe her mind is finally going."
Hester snickered at her as Desi rolled her eyes at her. "No, there really is a booking. I was there when the guy called about something the other day. They seem really excited."
Desi nodded. "Ok. You didn't happen to catch the guy's name, did you? Gran couldn't remember it."
Hester tapped her bottom lip with her finger, pretending to think about it for a moment. "You know... it's something like... Bob? Bill? Boyd?" She shrugged. "I don't know, I can't remember. Does it matter?"
"I guess not. It's just weird like I said. I know one thing. I'll be glad when Thanksgiving is over this year."
Hester hide her grin behind her own cup of coffee. "It's sure going to be interesting, I can say that."
