ChapterTwenty-Four
“Where do these go?” Nikki held up the stack of towels she’d just removed from the basket she’d brought upstairs to one of the guest rooms she was helping to prep for the arrival of new guests.
“They go on the second shelf to your left,” Kaylin responded, pointing at the custom built-in closet that took up at least half of the back wall in the room.
Complying, Nikki carefully organized the towels on the shelves before moving to put a pair of bathrobes on the shelf below it.
“Should I change the curtains?” she turned to ask the woman now, smoothing out the wrinkles from the cotton sheets she’d spread over the queen-sized pillowtop mattress and fluffing the feathered pillows.
“Oh no, Dorothy changed those only a day ago. What you can do, though, is open the windows and let in some of that fresh air,” Kaylyn advised.
Nikki walked across the multicolored woolen carpet covering most of the floor not housing a piece of furniture. Pushing aside the light beige curtains, she threw open the French windows with a welcomed sigh as the cool breeze burst into the room, bringing with it the slight saltiness of the sea.
“Thank you for agreeing to help me get these rooms ready, Nikki. With Dorothy being sick and all, I appreciate the help,” Kaylyn spoke with a smile of gratitude.
“I’m happy I could help. How is Dorothy by the way?” Nikki asked.
“She sounded a lot better than she did yesterday, but I told her not to come in until she is a hundred percent better,” Kaylyn replied.
“That’s wise,” Nikki agreed, returning to the basket to organize the rest of the linen in their respective places.
When she was finished, she stepped back to look at her handiwork before turning to take a better look at the room. She liked the light flowery patterns on the walls and the light furnishings, accentuated by the row of cushion in the little nook at the far corner that gave the room a more endearing and homey feel to it. Overall, she approved of the decor that was duplicated in most of the rooms.
“You know, when Trish bought this place, it was a little more than just a condemned building. It had a sturdy framework, but inside was a total disaster. You can say she had to start from scratch to get this place to where it is now,” Kaylyn informed her, her voice taking on a tone of respect and admiration as she talked about Trish.
Nikki approached the woman, her head bobbing slowly to indicate her interest in the rest of the story.
Kaylyn didn’t need any more invitation than that. “She had to take out all of the carpets and get the floor surfaced with hardwood. A majority of the kitchen came from IKEA. The upstairs was just one big space, but when Trish finished, it ended up being three bedrooms in addition to the three on the ground floor.”
“She did a really good job,” Nikki marveled, looking around the room again.
Kaylyn turned to look at Nikki, her eyes softening as she continued to speak. “Your sister sacrificed so much to make this place what it is because she wanted you to be proud of her and what she was able to accomplish. She wanted you to know and for you to see that she had taken charge of her life.”
Nikki’s eyes widened in surprise at the news. “I didn’t know she felt that way…that I wasn’t proud of her…she never said anything,” she responded softly, her voice filled with sadness and remorse.
Kaylyn reached out to rest a warm, comforting hand against her arm as she gave her a knowing smile. “She tried to reach out to you on a number of occasions but each time she would get cold feet. She’s never stopped loving and respecting you, Nikki. She was…she is proud that you are her sister, and your opinion matters to her a great deal,” the woman finished, her words echoing in Nikki’s ears with the potency of their impact.
She gave the woman a smile of gratitude. “Thanks for letting me know.”
Kaylyn returned her smile before letting her hand drop from her arm and getting the toiletries they’d brought up to place in the bathrooms. The two worked like that for the next half hour, freshening the unoccupied rooms as they continued with small talk.
Nikki left Kaylyn upstairs to go man the receptionist’s desk when Amy came barreling through the door. A smile that ran from ear to ear brightened her face as her eyes shone with delight.
“Someone’s happy,” Nikki surmised with a smile of her own as she stared back at her niece.
Amy held up a manila envelope in response.
“Is that what I think it is?” Nikki asked, her excitement level going up.
Amy’s head nodded vigorously. “I got into culinary school,” she beamed, waving the letter proudly.
“Oh my! That’s great. I knew you could do it,” Nikki replied, reaching for her niece and bringing her in for a tight hug. “Where?” she asked when they separated.
“Here, The Camano Island School of Culinary Arts,” Amy answered.
“Even better,” Nikki responded joyfully.
“Classes start in the fall so I have a little time to get my tools together,” Amy informed her.
