“Holy Mother Mary. You startled me,” she said. I laughed.
“How was everything this weekend?” I asked.
“Good. The guests in The Heyer room booked a Christmas getaway as they were leaving, saying they were definitely coming back with their friends.”
“And we only have one checking in today?”
“They’re already here. I gave them the keys, and they left their bags before heading out for the day. I think they have a daughter at the Academy,” Tami said.
“Okay. What’s left to do up here?”
“Nothing. This was the last of it. You’re off the hook until breakfast prep.”
“Thank you so much for watching the place this weekend. I hate to ask, but I have one more favor. Jada’s throwing a huge party next Sunday to celebrate Dawson winning theConquistar de la Atlánticacup.”
“He won already?” She frowned. “I saw him on the news this morning, but I thought he just left.”
I laughed. “He did, but Jada is sure they’ll win.”
Tami smiled. “Well, nothing like your friends being supportive. You need Saul and me to watch the place that night?”
“Only if you don’t mind.”
“I told you, we promised Mandy and Leena we’d help out whenever you needed us. We’ve got it.”
“Thank you so much. For everything.”
“Leena and Mandy have been there for us through every up and down our family has had. This isn’t just a part-time retirement gig for Saul and me. We love it. We love them.”
It wasn’t until she talked about Mandy and Leena that I realized I hadn’t heard from them the entire time I’d been in New York. I wondered if Tami had told them I’d been gone. I wondered how Ava and the baby were doing and promised myself I would call them later that evening.
“Well, thank you anyway. And if you’re sure there isn’t anything else I can do, I’ll go out to the lab for a while. I’ll take the buzzer with me so the guests can reach me if they need anything. You and Saul go home and see the grandbabies.”
She nodded, and I headed out the door.
When I got to the lab, my heart lifted. I took out all the tubes and dishes, checking their seals, even though there was no reason for them to have been broken. It was a habit built into me by every professor I’d had.
Just looking at the first dish I placed under the microscope had my body jiggling with excitement. The bacteria growth was almost null. So insignificant that it was hardly a blip. I went through the rest of them, and my excitement just continued to build.
I spent an hour making notes, taking what I’d worked on in the city the morning before and adding it to my file. I had some ideas on what to add to the base structure that might enhance it even more.
I may be useless in Dawson and Jada’s world, but I could still make a difference with this.
I cleaned up, hung my lab coat, and headed back into the B&B for breakfast prep. I’d just taken out the bag of potatoes when my phone rang with Jersey and Nell’s faces lighting it up.
“Hi!” I greeted.
“I can’t believe you! You didn’t even tell me you went to New York with Dawson. I had to see it on the news.”
“What? I was on the news?”
“Hugging Dawson on his yacht. Truck and I got up early just to watch the coverage.”
“Jada and I went with him. She has a thing for Dawson’s partner,” I said, deflecting my own feelings.
“Vi.” The one word was a gentle prod.
“Jers,” I said back.