Bed & Breakfast

Ch. 5 An Old Acquaintance

*** Andie's POV ***

I didn't stay for dessert. I couldn't. What Lou told me was too much to handle while pretending nothing changed with this new information. So many thoughts and emotions were running through my head.

Protectiveness.

Fear.

Anger.

Regret.

Anxiety.

It was all jumbled. I found myself pulling out a bottle of tequila that was my grandfather's. I never touched the stuff, especially the hard stuff, yet here I was downing two shots to try to numb my spiraling thoughts.

On top of revealing the immense danger they were in, he also shared that they needed more time and that she'd be asking me if they could extend their stay. Part of me wanted to send them packing. I didn't ask for drama to invade my quiet emergence from winter hibernation. I didn't need the money that badly.

But the other part of me knew I'd be heaping on more hurt and stress. Lou said the kids didn't know they would never return to their home as they knew it. Paula hadn't told them yet, fearful that their animosity toward Wilson and her would just explode to irreparable extremes. At least here, for right now, they were comfortably ignorant.

After my tequila shots I tried to go to bed, my mind a bit quieter than before. But I ended up doing something I hadn't in a really long time. I knelt next to my bed and talked to my grandmother's spirit. Before too long, I stirred awake, having fallen asleep, half laying on the bed. I crawled up and fell into a fitful sleep.

My mood was not improved the next morning and I dreaded heading to the big house for breakfast. I didn't know what to say if Paula asked about staying. I wanted to think I'd make the right response when the time came, but at this moment I couldn't say what that would be.

I opened the back door a crack and was met with silence.  No one appeared to be up. Maybe I could sneak in, throw together a quick breakfast casserole, and sneak out. I quickly set to work. I was just pushing the glass dish into the oven when a pair of bare man feet appeared to my left. I trailed up his bare legs and was both shocked and embarrassed by the very apparent morning wood he was sporting in his hunter green boxers.

I shot upright and jumped back from the stove, turning immediately to the sink. "Uh morning."

Lou grunted a response, obviously fixated on the coffee which was still brewing. I stayed planted in front of the sink until I heard him rummaging around. I ventured a glance over my shoulder. "Can I help you find something?"

"You only have these dainty cups?" He gestured to the tea cups that I used for coffee and tea service. They were my grandmother's and were perfectly mismatched.

"Yep." He grumbled something undecipherable. I decided to poke the bear. "You are not a morning person, are you?"

"Somebody might have been feeling guilty about his actions yesterday and decided drowning them in booze would help." Paula chirped as she came into the room with Wilson on her hip.

"Maybe if Wilson hadn't kept the household up half the night with his crying..." Lou growled.

"Preach." Riley agreed, shuffling into the kitchen also looking worse for wear.