“My most favorite part of the house,” Darcy said over her shoulder.
She followed Darcy up the second set of stairs. She couldn’t wait to see the sunlight glinting through the window—if the sun even showed while she was here.
Three of the guest rooms were unoccupied, so they peeked into them on their way to her room. Layla would place three-foot feather trees in the rooms and a wreath on each door. She’d ordered the greenery and ribbon wholesale but scoured the local shops for ornaments and other handmades. Darcy had taken her to an adorable shop east of town called Buds ’N Blooms. The owner was happy to order the miniature trees Layla needed for the bedrooms.
Darcy opened the door to the Shoreline Room, Layla’s room. She’d been right to imagine the room’s decor when Darcy mentioned its name. It had the serene color palette of the water’s edge: pale blues, sandy beige, and a hint of yellow in the throw pillows on the bed and side chair. Though the room reminded Layla of summers spent at the beach, Darcy had added a winter touch. A Father Christmas sculpture of boiled wool sat on the Queen Anne side table near the window. Sequined snowflakes decorated the bed shams. It was such an inviting room; she almost asked Darcy why she needed her help.
A few minutes later they were downstairs again. Darcy stopped in front of an antique lectern that served as the check-in desk. Behind her, a white board was affixed to the wall with “Welcome to Blueberry Point Lodge” written artfully at the top. Each room was listed with the names of that night’s guests assigned to them.
Darcy snapped her fingers. “Oh, and we have dinner at six if I haven’t said so already.”
Layla shook her head. “No need to fix anything special on my account. I brought a cooler with some things.”
“My mistake. I should have mentioned that meals are taken care of. Since we have a few rooms booked for the next few nights, it’s easier to serve everyone. So unless you don’t want to join our guests in the dining room, meals are always on the schedule. We could bring it to your room if you’d rather.”
That sounded ideal, but she didn’t want to be rude. Layla should welcome their hospitality.
She shrugged. “I can eat with everyone else.”
“I’m so glad. I think they’ll really love to talk with you,” said Darcy.
She studied the guests’ names.
Rose Room: Martha And George Ferris.
Granite Room: Janet Suntermann.
Her name was next to the Shoreline Room.
Tamarack Room: Jeff Gill
Loon Cottage: Brett Johnsson
Layla stared at the last name, saying it to herself. It was too similar, yet it wasn’t the same. She shook her head, dismissing the scary thought. Wouldn’t that be…interesting.
“Is something wrong?”
Layla started. “Huh?”
“You shook your head.”
“Oh! No, nothing at all. I was thinking of…what I should tackle next.”
Darcy’s eyes popped. ”I’m anxious to seethatcome to life.” She nodded to the behemoth of a tree in the living room. It was twelve feet at least. “Last year I had to keep running back to the store to buy more ornaments to fill it.”
Layla laughed. “We won’t have that problem this year.” She’d use what Darcy had as well as giant faux poinsettia blooms in gold and silver to fill it out. Wrapping it with a wide plaid taffeta ribbon in the same colors would help too. Darcy cupped her face in amazement when she’d seen the portfolio’s mock-up. “But I’ll need someone to help me get the ladder over there,” Layla added.
Darcy picked up her phone. “I’ll see if Sean’s available. He’s somewhere in the house.”
Her gaze settled on the bulletin board again while Darcy called. Thatname.
Darcy set her phone down. “He’ll be down in a few minutes.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, how did you hear about me? I like to send thank-yous to people who recommend me.”
Darcy clasped her hands and smiled. “The guy who’s decorating the exterior recommended you. When I booked him, I asked if he knew any rock stars like him, only someone who did interiors instead of exteriors.”
Rock stars—ha! She liked that. But a little bloom of dread blossomed in her mind. “Who is it?”
