"Are you sure you'll be okay serving the guests on your own after breakfast preparation?" Autumn Ray asked, turning to Jasmine, her assistant chef and helper at Harbor View bed and breakfast.
“I’ll be just fine, Jasmine answered soothingly, rushing across the kitchen to get the butter from the refrigerator, and then scooping out perfectly round spheres with a tiny ice cream scoop.
Mail delivery added to the morning chaos. On Magnolia Bay, the mail delivery was signaled by the clopping hooves of the two horses that ensured that the post and parcels reached their destination on the scenic, car-free island.
Hearing the sound, Autumn headed out of the kitchen to get the sheaf of letters and flyers that slithered through the mailbox as she reached it.
Glancing down as she returned to the kitchen, Autumn noticed the topmost flyer, which was top of her mind as well.
“Reminder: The Magnolia Bay Fall Equinox Masked Ball is This Weekend!” it announced.
“Look here,” Autumn said.
The aroma of baking bread filled the kitchen as, heads together – Autumn’s bright strawberry blonde hair contrasting with Jasmine’s dark curly locks – the two women stared down at the printed page.
“Makes it all seem real,” Jasmine said.
Autumn nodded. “Last year’s ball was wonderful. People really went to town with their masks.” A lot of glitter had been involved. She still occasionally spied some stray fragments of glitter, twinkling on the reception desk, and in her car’s trunk.
But last year, she’d just been a guest. This year was going to be way more complicated. Picking up the flyer, Autumn walked through the kitchen to set it on the dining room table.
“Let’s leave it there,” she decided. “All the guests will be in and out over the next couple of days, and this will give them a chance to see it, and to buy tickets, if they want to.”
“Oops!” Turning back too quickly, she almost tripped over her adopted golden retriever, Max, who was lying in the patch of sun that the big bay window offered at this time of the year. With an offended glance at her, Max got up, moved two inches to the left, and lay down again with a sigh.
Autumn stared at her dog with a mixture of affection and exasperation.
“I’m going to take you for a walk just now,” she threatened, his tail thumping as he heard the word. “So don’t get too comfortable in that sunbeam.”
Just now being the blanket term for when all the breakfast preparation was done. There was still so much to do. Having a full six room bed and breakfast meant ten to twelve guests in the sun filled dining room of the elderly stone house that used to be Autumn’s family vacation home. Inevitably, they would all arrive at the same time.
Jasmine turned to the oven, wiping her hands on her apron and then grabbing the oven gloves. As she opened it, the sweet, rich fragrance of the bed and breakfast’s famous blueberry muffins billowed out.
Mouthwatering!
Jasmine took out the tray and set the muffins next to the loaves of cooling bread.
A big jug of coffee had brewed and was ready to serve, and a jug of freshly squeezed orange juice was set on the sideboard together with the croissants, a tray of sliced fresh fruit, and some smoked salmon roses that Jasmine had crafted, which were served with capers and lemon slices.
“Those salmon roses are so pretty,” Autumn said admiringly, adding a few heaped tablespoons of cream cheese to a bowl.
“I think I’ve perfected making them,” Jasmine grinned. “Follow me for more sushi chef tips.”
“This morning, I’ll be following you for more egg recipes,” Autumn quipped. Jasmine had the lightest touch with egg preparation, and watching her prepare the poached, fried or scrambled eggs to order was one of the highlights for most of her guests. According to the online reviews, anyway.
Jasmine’s dream was to be a Michelin-starred chef one day, and Autumn could see her achieving it. For now, though, she was lucky to have the best chef on the island doing her breakfast and snack catering.
“It’s all under control,” Jasmine decided with a satisfied nod, looking at the spread. “I’ll wait here and take the breakfast orders. You’d better walk to town now, or you’ll be late.”
“I had better leave,” Autumn acknowledged.
“Come on, Max,” she called, grabbing his leash as she checked the time on the wall clock. Ten to eight. That meant she’d be just in time if she hustled.
The padding of footsteps from the wooden floors on the house's second floor told her that the guests were up and about and ready to head downstairs at any moment. If she didn't leave now, she'd end up getting into conversation with them, and then, she'd be unforgivably late for this important meeting.
She clipped the leash to Max’s collar, and they headed out, into the quiet morning. When Autumn was on one of the mainland towns surrounding Lake Michigan, she always noticed the noise. Here, the only sign of the morning rush hour was a few frantic footsteps passing by, as people walked to work – or jogged, if they were very late.
The lack of car traffic was what made the island environment so unique, and it was the relaxed quiet of the surroundings that was bringing record numbers of tourists in. More each year. It was wonderful to be part of the busy, festive atmosphere on the island, which Autumn had always thought of as quiet and boring when she was a youngster dragged here on vacation by her parents. Now she knew it was far from boring, though, and in fact, past events had made life a little too interesting for a while.
After the shock murder of a local business owner in the summer, that had caused visitor numbers to dip sharply for a while, it was a huge relief to see that they had not just bounded back, but were exceeding previous records.
Now, as she headed out of the Harbor View gates, the road was occupied by a group of locals out jogging, a horse transportation buggy, and a few tourists who looked like they were trying to capture every glorious moment of their vacation. The trees were so beautiful now that they were starting to turn gold. One particularly fine American elm was drawing a crowd of admirers.
Autumn loved this season – the cool yet bright, gray-hued light, the magnificent colors, the wind that rustled the leaves, and the gradual winding down to a quieter winter, even though there was no sign of the lull as yet. But, as she headed past the tree, set in its neatly mowed sidewalk grass, her thoughts veered all the way from the beauty of fall, to… well, the chiseled, good natured beauty of the man whose veterinary practice she was now approaching.
Dr. Ben Hartley was the new veterinarian. He’d moved his business to the island, wanting a change from big city life. Not that he was any less busy here in Magnolia Bay, Autumn acknowledged. His charm, good looks, and the care he gave his patients and their owners, had resulted in his practice being flooded with business after the retirement of his grumpy predecessor.
Even residents who hadn’t had pets before, had adopted a dog, or a cat, or even a hamster, so that they could interact with the handsome, personable vet.
It gave her a flare of anxiety. With so much attention from the town’s residents, Autumn had to admit, she didn’t quite know where she stood with Dr. Hartley – or Ben, as he’d asked her to call him. They’d gotten close recently, but was this a real romance? Or was he just being very friendly to her?
They had been on a couple of outings – but were they actual dates?
She’d never thought that she’d have this feeling of uncertainty and excitement and vulnerability, churning around in her stomach again, after having been contentedly single following the breakup of her previous relationship. But here she was, in the throes.
And there he was! Heading up the hill to the town hall, she’d arrived at the practice just as Ben approached from the other direction.
“Well, good morning!” he called out, his face breaking into a warm smile as he saw her. “Autumn. I called you yesterday, but you were busy.”
“I tried to return your call, but you were busy,” she said.
“It has been a whirlwind these last few days,” he agreed.
His shirt, a blue golf shirt with the veterinary practice’s logo on, fitted his muscular shoulders perfectly, Autumn couldn’t help noticing the strength in his arms as he reached out a hand to give Max an affectionate scratch on his ruff before rummaging in his bag for the keys to the practice offices.
“Things are staying busy a lot longer into the season than I expected,” Autumn said. “Usually, by the end of September, things are starting to calm down. The guesthouse has been fully booked, week after week. I can’t complain, though.”
“I never dreamed I’d be taking over such a busy practice, either,” Ben admitted. Autumn had to stop herself from reminding him that the last owner had only been left with a few clients, and even they were fearful of his brusque manner.
Autumn had desperately wanted to ask him about this weekend, and if he was going to go to the ball. But it wasn’t going to happen, because she couldn’t spare any more time chatting, and already, an excited yapping told Autumn that the first of his morning patients was approaching. It was a brisk looking woman in her early forties, Mrs. Sanderson, who was the devoted owner of two corgis.
The corgis were straining at the leash competitively, as if each one wanted to be the first to get to the vet. Never mind that – in a burst of speed, it looked as if Mrs. Sanderson herself was going to outpace them both.
“I’d better leave you to start your day,” Autumn said hastily, nodding a greeting to Mrs. Sanderson as she turned away, heading with Max to the small town hall a few buildings further on
This was where the committee meeting for the equinox masked ball was taking place.
And, as of last week, thanks to one of the committee members having to leave the island, Autumn had volunteered to join the team. This was her first meeting.
Stepping in at the last minute as an organizer, she felt her responsibilities weighing down on her. The pressure was on to make this event the most successful, and smooth running, yet.
It was only after she'd agreed that she'd found out who the other committee members were.
She’d almost backed out, but her sense of duty had stopped her from doing that.
Now, as she stepped through the door, she sensed the feeling of resentment radiating from the other woman in the room.
"Good morning, Mrs. Hayman!" Autumn gave the disapproving grand dame, who was already sitting at the far side of the table, her very best smile.
It was not returned, and Autumn knew immediately that there was trouble ahead.