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And immediately I gasped as I took in the oversized canopy bed and soft lace curtains. The entire room was something out of a time capsule, transporting us straight to the early days of our nation and showing how the one percent lived in ornate luxury. Blue flowered vines danced along the wallpaper, and the honey oak hardwood floors appeared to be original. Best of all, a stone fireplace sat opposite the bed with a gorgeous antique love seat positioned comfortably before it.

“Nice, huh?” Billy grunted as he tossed my suitcase onto the bed.

“I love it,” I confessed as I turned in a circle to take it all in.

“Thanks for your help,” Charles said, shaking our guide’s hand and probably slipping some money into it for a sly tip.

“Dinner’s at eight p.m. sharp. It’s included in the cost of your package, if you want to join us.”

This caught my attention.“What’s on the menu?”

“No menu. This isn’t a restaurant.” He narrowed his eyes at me, leaving no doubt the hospitality industry was not Billy’s first choice for a career. “We all eat the same, so if you’re gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free, or meat-free, you’re free to go grab your grub elsewhere. If you’re not too fussy, then you’ll love Madame Blue’s cooking.”

I blinked back my surprise at the way he delivered this invitation.“Madame Blue? Is that…?”

“Yup, you already met her downstairs. She’s a much better cook than she is greeter. That’s why she keeps me around.”

Right, because Billy here was the paragon of hospitality.

“Okay, thanks again.” Charles moved toward the door.

Thankfully, the other man took the hint and followed.“The name’s Bill. If you need anything, just give a holler.”

I smiled and waved goodbye right before Bill took his leave and thumped the door closed behind him.

Charles turned toward me with a bemused expression.“So things are a little different than we expected,” he prompted with a sigh. “I figured we should at least take it for now, so we have a private place to discuss our options. I’d be happy to go somewhere else, if you’d rather.”

“Honestly, it’s fine. You wanted to spend most of our time in the room anyway, right?” I sank down onto the bed and patted the mattress beside me. “Now get over here, Mr. Longfellow.”

3

After a bit of time to ourselves, Charles and I decided to take a look around the garden. We headed outside hand in hand, swinging our arms between us as we strolled up to a pair of stone cupid statues that stood amid a bed of bright yellow roses.

“I should do more with our yard back home,” I said, stooping down to breathe in the sweet fragrance, startled when a fat bee buzzed out from between the petals. I jolted back, hoping I hadn’t already upset the creature.

“Oof, careful. I’m allergic to bees!” Charles cried, taking a giant step back and waving his arms about.

“Really? How did I not know that?” I cocked my head to the side as I studied him.

“Because we don’t have any gardens back home. Probably best to keep it that way too.”

“Better bees than shellfish, I guess. Octo-Cat would never forgive you if we had to stop getting his favorite lobster rolls from Little Dog Diner.” I smiled thinking of my crabby tabby back home. Darn it, I missed him already. “Do you want to go back inside?”

Charles shook his head.“I’m not deathly allergic. Well, not unless I get stung by a whole hive. My wife wants to enjoy the gardens, so let’s enjoy the gardens. I’ll just take some Benadryl when we go back inside, and worst case, I have an EpiPen tucked into the front pocket of my duffle.”

“An EpiPen?” I frowned as I looked up at him. “That sounds pretty serious.”

“Just a precaution. You know me, always prepared like some kind of overgrown Boy Scout.” Charles caught my look of horror and backtracked quickly. “I’m fine. I promise. Look, there are those hydrangeas you saw coming in.” He pointed and took off toward the puffy pink flower balls.

I shook my head and followed. Why was he only confiding this allergy in me now?

Mom had spent most of her time describing the beautiful landscaping when she told us about this place. At least that hadn’t changed, even if the larger establishment had.

Grassy paths guided us through the generous display of collected plant life. We saw so much diversity in size, color, and type, I seemed to find a new favorite every time the winding path led us to a new bed of blooms.

As we approached the red brick wall that flanked the property, I had a thought that caused me to pull out my phone and do a quick web search. I paused to read through the information on the screen while Charles continued to wander ahead.

A few minutes later, I glanced up ready to share my findings, but my husband was nowhere to be seen.“Charles?” I called, craning my neck to search the area.

“Over here,” he called softly, popping up from the ground and waving his hand.