tendrils hanging down her back. She was dressed as if she’d just stepped out of the past. When she approached us, I could detect a cloud of bacon, eggs and the sweet scent of waffles. It was obvious she liked to cook…and eat. Her body looked like a little squatting cherub, but her face resembled a cute little elf: big blue eyes, pudgy wide cheeks and pointy chin.
My eyes did a quick up and down over her yellow floor length gown, cinched in at the waist by a brown leather corset, strangling her thick waistline. Overall she seemed meticulously put together. Until my eyes dropped to her feet. Peeping out from beneath her ruffled hemline she wore bright orange flip-flops with plastic daisy appliqués on them. I grimaced when I saw her fat dirty toes with blue— blue chipped nail polish. God, who was I back then, Joan Rivers in the making?
“ Welcome—welcome. I am Lady Tara, your hostess with the mostest.” She flashed us a little impish grin and her face crinkled like an old leather purse when she spoke.
“ Thank you,” my mother replied. “We are the Eden family.”
“ Of course you are...you are Brandy,”—she turned to me—“and you must be, Brianna.”
“ Brielle,” I corrected her politely, biting my tongue. My mom eyed me, probably holding her breath worried that I may flip out on her any second. Going through puberty wasn’t easy. My moods swung like an out of control pendulum back then.
“ That’s what I said, Brielle. Such a pretty young lady. Your father asked me to give you one of my best rooms—fit for a princess.” Her eyes scanned me up and down. “He was right, you do resemble Sleeping Beauty.” Her voice bubbled over with excitement.
I wish…you could put me to sleep for the next seven days. I thought inwardly.
“Thank you,” I said reluctantly.
“ Let me show you two around.” Lady Tara bustled around behind us, motioning that we go ahead of her.
Mom opened the screen door and glanced over her shoulder toward Dad. He was trying to keep Brett from chasing after a stray dog while struggling to get our luggage from the trunk.
Good luck, Dad. I thought.
The cute valet boy did not seem to be providing any help to my father. He just stood there staring at me as if I was from another planet; maybe I looked as if I was. After being in the car for two days, I felt scaly and in need of a bath. So far, he was the only real one of interest around here that caught my attention.
“Mitchell, do you need any help from us?” My mother called to him. He glanced up at her and waved us on inside.
“ They’ll be fine.” Lady Tara the innkeeper laughed heartily. “Men have the brawns, and we got the brains, the beauty and everything else to boot. So, I think they can handle the suitcases.”
I thought her comment was kind of feministic; especially since she was supposed to have stepped out of the past. At least that was the character she was dressed like. As for her beauty, in my humble opinion, well let me just say, it was not on the surface. I questioned where it might be. Perhaps, it was lying dormant on the inside.
In the reflection of the window, I could see by the grimace on my mother’s face that we shared the same opinion about Tara. She was over the top and bossy. My mother and I thought alike about things such as this. Of course, she would never admit it; she was too nice for that. I, on the other hand, didn’t care what anyone thought about me back then, and as a result my filter had sprung a leak. It was time to bite my tongue again. As much as I knew I should filter my spoken thoughts, it was nearly impossible to hold back my words.
Hey lady, if my mother wants to help my dad, let her. I silently reamed her out.
Tara scurried us through the parlor area, which looked pleasant enough.
“ Would you care for some lemonade and cookies?” Tara asked.
“ No thanks,” my mother and I said in tandem.
“ They’re homemade; I made them myself...they’re a very special
My eyes did a quick up and down over her yellow floor length gown, cinched in at the waist by a brown leather corset, strangling her thick waistline. Overall she seemed meticulously put together. Until my eyes dropped to her feet. Peeping out from beneath her ruffled hemline she wore bright orange flip-flops with plastic daisy appliqués on them. I grimaced when I saw her fat dirty toes with blue— blue chipped nail polish. God, who was I back then, Joan Rivers in the making?
“ Welcome—welcome. I am Lady Tara, your hostess with the mostest.” She flashed us a little impish grin and her face crinkled like an old leather purse when she spoke.
“ Thank you,” my mother replied. “We are the Eden family.”
“ Of course you are...you are Brandy,”—she turned to me—“and you must be, Brianna.”
“ Brielle,” I corrected her politely, biting my tongue. My mom eyed me, probably holding her breath worried that I may flip out on her any second. Going through puberty wasn’t easy. My moods swung like an out of control pendulum back then.
“ That’s what I said, Brielle. Such a pretty young lady. Your father asked me to give you one of my best rooms—fit for a princess.” Her eyes scanned me up and down. “He was right, you do resemble Sleeping Beauty.” Her voice bubbled over with excitement.
I wish…you could put me to sleep for the next seven days. I thought inwardly.
“Thank you,” I said reluctantly.
“ Let me show you two around.” Lady Tara bustled around behind us, motioning that we go ahead of her.
Mom opened the screen door and glanced over her shoulder toward Dad. He was trying to keep Brett from chasing after a stray dog while struggling to get our luggage from the trunk.
Good luck, Dad. I thought.
The cute valet boy did not seem to be providing any help to my father. He just stood there staring at me as if I was from another planet; maybe I looked as if I was. After being in the car for two days, I felt scaly and in need of a bath. So far, he was the only real one of interest around here that caught my attention.
“Mitchell, do you need any help from us?” My mother called to him. He glanced up at her and waved us on inside.
“ They’ll be fine.” Lady Tara the innkeeper laughed heartily. “Men have the brawns, and we got the brains, the beauty and everything else to boot. So, I think they can handle the suitcases.”
I thought her comment was kind of feministic; especially since she was supposed to have stepped out of the past. At least that was the character she was dressed like. As for her beauty, in my humble opinion, well let me just say, it was not on the surface. I questioned where it might be. Perhaps, it was lying dormant on the inside.
In the reflection of the window, I could see by the grimace on my mother’s face that we shared the same opinion about Tara. She was over the top and bossy. My mother and I thought alike about things such as this. Of course, she would never admit it; she was too nice for that. I, on the other hand, didn’t care what anyone thought about me back then, and as a result my filter had sprung a leak. It was time to bite my tongue again. As much as I knew I should filter my spoken thoughts, it was nearly impossible to hold back my words.
Hey lady, if my mother wants to help my dad, let her. I silently reamed her out.
Tara scurried us through the parlor area, which looked pleasant enough.
“ Would you care for some lemonade and cookies?” Tara asked.
“ No thanks,” my mother and I said in tandem.
“ They’re homemade; I made them myself...they’re a very special
Similar Books
