Page 12 of Halstead House

“Who drew this?” I asked.

“I did.” Eliza’s attention had moved on to more rifling, this time in her desk drawer.

I felt immediately silly for asking the question. Of course, it was her. “It’s lovely,” I said.

Eliza’s head popped up. “Thank you, dear. I should hope it is. I have my degree in interior design.”

“I know some people in Providence who would kill to have you working with them.”

“There are enough killers on Lavender Island, I assure you,” Eliza replied in a lightly amused tone.

I looked back up and blushed slightly. “I’m sorry. Of course you have work enough here. I just...”

Eliza cut me off with a wave. “It’s nothing, dear. I consider it a compliment, so thank you. Moving along. After the charity luncheon comes the wedding. I’m currently fifty–fifty on if the bride will end up being terrible or not. Her mother seems sane, which is always a good start. You never know, though. As a wedding draws closer, the sanity tends to come in shorter supply.” She pushed a second paper my way. “I had a meeting with the bride a couple of months ago and this is her idea for decor. What do you think?”

I looked over the second sheet and was taken aback to find that the wedding colors were a bright fuchsia pink and a rust orange. I glanced back up to Eliza, who had a poker face on.

“I’m surprised by the colors. They seem a little...” I searched for an appropriate word.

“Gaudy and ill-matching are the words you’re looking for,” Eliza stated. “This is why I’m waiting for the bride to lose her mind. These are not sensible colors, yet she insists they’ll go beautifully together.” Eliza snatched the paper back and jotted something down before handing it to me once more. “Regardless, it’ll be your job to gather the necessary decor.”

“When is the wedding?”

“Two weeks.”

I swallowed a big lump. That was soon. “That’s not much time.”

“That’s true. But never fear, we’re down to the details at this point. I’ve been doing it all on my own, but I’m so happy to have you to help wrap up the little things. Food and catering staff are ready to go. Marshall has hired outside staff and knows the required layout. Ana is fantastic at her job. We’ll be just fine.” Eliza smiled warmly, which helped me relax.

“Great.”

Eliza leaned back into a more relaxed position and asked, “How’s your room?”

“My room?”

“Yes, dear. The place you slept last night. Was it to your liking?”

My lips curved up. Eliza’s thoughts seemed to flit like a hummingbird. “It’s a charming room.”

“I hoped you’d like it. It was my room when I was a girl.”

Without thinking, I allowed a full smile to bloom across my face. “Really?”

Eliza’s face softened. “Yes. I loved the view from that window. It seemed like the whole world was at my feet. As a visitor I thought you would enjoy seeing the island from up there.”

“I do. I looked out for quite a while last night. It was so kind of you to give me a room upstairs. I would have been more than happy in the basement with the other staff.”

“Except you’re not merely staff, are you?” Eliza let out a breath and hopped to her feet. “As if I’m going to take a chance on having Aunt Mary haunt me from her grave. I’m happy you like the room. Now, let’s give you the private tour of this place. First stop, the linen closet near your bathroom. I think you’ll be pleased with the assortment of chocolates I keep in the bin labeled ‘Clothespins’. My darling nephew still hasn’t caught on.”

Eliza swooped around her desk and out the door while I hurried to follow, a smile on my lips.

CHAPTER 5

The first Monday after my arrival was a breezy, sun-kissed morning and, as happened every Monday, Halstead House was closed and paychecks were given out. Not direct-deposited paychecks every two weeks, but weekly checks, handwritten by Eliza. Everyone had an entire day off to do whatever they wanted or needed to do. Number one on my list was finding some new clothes.

Even though I’d scrimped up enough to be presentable, I was obsessing over the need to bring my wardrobe up to par. I could send for all the stylish pieces in my condo, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I’d worked too hard over the past five days in trying to relax a bit, join in the chitchat, and present a new side of myself. Old clothes that my mother had shopped for and approved weren’t welcome to the new party. I needed to figure out what my actual style was. Also, all the travel shows I’ve ever watched say to immerse yourself in the local scenes, which I’d assume would include clothes shopping, in order to get a better feel for wherever you find yourself. Lavender Island was a place I wanted to fully experience.

Okay, in the interest of total honesty, number two on my list was to find a dry cleaner. Despite Eliza’s easy attitude, and my own metamorphosis, I could not let the dove gray superpower suit go. I fully planned to wear it on the day of the charity luncheon, which was to be my first working event. It had only been five days, after all. I couldn’t be expected to give up all my old ways that fast.

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