Nancy Drew: 1. The Old Clock at Lilac Inn

Running Lilac Inn

Nancy got up bright and early to take a quick shower. She donned her nicest suit. It was a soft yellow, almost cream-colored, skirt and jacket with lace trim. Nancy wore a pair of cream pumps and a cream and blue floral-print blouse. She patted it with a wistful huff. It used to be her mother's, along with the pearl jewelry that Nancy put on. She put her hair up in a fancy hairdo, and finished the touch with some makeup. When she was satisfied with the finished result, she descended the stairs to join her father and Hannah at breakfast. Carson let out a shaky gasp when his daughter entered the room.

He rose to greet her with a tight, loving hug. "Oh, you look, you look so much like your mother."

"Why are you wearing this?" queried Hannah, seemingly ready at a moment's notice to take action, if needed.

Nancy smiled wistfully. "I, well, since I'm going to be helping Emily, I, I wanted Mom with me, in some way."

Carson beamed. "I think you look fantastic, and I think your mother would be proud of you."

Nancy beamed as she gave him a big hug. "Thanks Dad."

"Well, now, let's get those tummies full for a day's work," suggested Hannah, patting at the table.

"You're right," said Carson as he led his daughter to the table. They sat down, said grace, and quickly ate their breakfast. Half an hour later, Nancy was picking up Helen and driving towards Lilac Inn. The two barely spoke more than a few words about what to expect at the inn, both anxious and hoping that the day would go well. They arrived at the inn a few minutes before seven. They took a look at each other, gave each other reassuring looks, and walked towards the door. The door was opened by Jane Willoughby, who promptly gave each girl a hug.

"Thank you, thank you so much for doing this for me. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it," said Jane as she wiped a tear from her eye. "Wow, you two look so professional! And such cheery colors."

"Thank you. We wanted to cheer up the place a bit. It doesn't do well that a lovely place such as Lilac Inn should be anything but cheery," said Nancy as the two enter the building.

"Yes, well, considering what happened recently . . ."

Nancy placed a hand on Jane's shoulder and smiled reassuringly. "I know, I understand. All too well. Why don't you show us the ropes?"

"OK. Oh, and I'm going to take Emily with me, she desperately needs to get out of her room."

Nancy nodded. "Good idea."

"So, um, what do we need to do?" asked Helen. Jane showed them around, showing them how to open, where the menus were, what to say when a customer arrived, how to coordinate the servers, what to do in case of an emergency, where to find all the information that they needed in case they forgot, and finally, how to close it.

"Wow," said Helen, looking a little dazed from the info dump. "That's a lot to remember."

Jane smiled apologetically. "Yes, I know. I mean, if you want, you can change your mind."

Nancy shook her head firmly. "No, we can handle it. I'll handle the hostess duties if Helen wants, and she can help the servers."

"Are you sure?" said Helen. "I think I just need to do it before I can get the hang of it."

"Well then, maybe you'll have gotten the hang of it by the time I need a break," said Nancy with a grin.

Helen grinned back. "I certainly hope so. No good letting you work yourself to death."