Christmas at Mulberry Inn

Mulberry Inn is my version of an amazing sex dream, which sadly says a lot about where I am in life these days.

Oversized comfy couch. Oh yes.

Cinnamon rolls on the breakfast table. Talk to me.

The smell of fresh brewed coffee. Don't. Ever. Stop.

Wait, is that bacon? Good lord.

Sigh.

"Welcome to Mulberry Inn, would you like some coffee while we check you in?"

I'm jolted out of my fantasy and look down to find a pair of green eyes peering at me from a pint-sized young girl, who looks uncharacteristically prim and professional for someone about ten years old. She takes my suitcase and handles it with the expertise of a scrappy hotel porter.

"I'd love coffee. What's the amazing smell?"

"Our Calavera's country breakfast buffet in the kitchen. You're welcome to join us," she says with a big smile while she pours coffee from an oversized thermos into a bright red mug with snowflakes on it.

Not one splash, I note, dutifully impressed by this young girl who has more poise than a lot of adults I meet. I can't help but compare her to the kids in my 5th grade class and the holiday party we had just a week ago that ended with Tommy Boyle jamming a sugar cookie in his nose for cheap laughs. The class howled with laughter as he snorted red and green crumbs all over himself. I sat at my desk and wondered when my life had gone from adult and sexy to, well...the opposite of that.

"Can you please sign our guest book so when my daddy gets here, he can check you in?" She hands me my coffee and opens the guest book and points to the blank space for guest number one of the day.

"Your daddy works here?" I ask and scribble Saffron Swift, then stare at my signature. I had worn the name like a badge of honor for twelve years, and oddly, I'm not her anymore.

"Yes, he's the general manager," she says proudly. Her eyes light up when a man in a fitted suit makes his way over to us.

"Good morning, I see you've met Penny," says Mr. Tall, Dark and Unbelievably Handsome.

"Are you Daddy?"

"I'm her daddy." He gives me a disarming smile that lights up his whole face. "But to you, I am Archer James, general manager of Mulberry Inn."

"I will still call him Daddy," Penny chirps from the sidelines, and I'm charmed by this daddy and daughter duo who look like they could be in a Land's End catalog.

"She's all signed in, Daddy." She points to my name in the guest book. "I'm going to go check on Taylor and Red, is that okay?"

"Go ahead, I got it from here."

Penny nods and takes off toward the back door finally looking like a carefree kid instead of a polished businesswoman.

"You've arrived just in time for our traditional town Christmas party tomorrow, Ms..." he says taking a peek at the guest book. "Saffron Swift." He tilts his head at me. "Are you by any chance also known as Saffron Chatterjee or as Taylor calls you '"the only person in the world who can say no to me.'"

"That would be me," I titter girlishly.

"Taylor will be thrilled that you're here. She's been counting down the days, but had you down for the 29th?"

Archer looks at the appointment book as if he'd made a mistake, but in fact, the mistake is mine.

"I'm early. A week early in fact." I debate if I should confess to Archer how I left in the middle of the night eight hours ago after having a panic attack prompted by an impromptu cyberstalking on Facebook. I grabbed my suitcase and threw in my normal vacation clothes, you know, bikini, Hawaiian wrap dress, and two different pairs of sandals, which now makes no sense as I stand here on a cold mountaintop.