Christmas at Royal Woods Spa

The Invitation

Lynn Sr. hung up his chef hat and apron as closing time approached. He'd lock up for the night before heading back home to his wife and kids. He began flipping off the kitchen lights as Kotaro and Grant walked in.

"Are we ready to close up for tonight?" Lynn Sr. asked.

"Almost. There's still one straggler in one of the booths."

"You guys can go ahead, I'll take care of him."

"Thanks. Have a nice night," they said as they walked out the back door. Lynn left one of the lights in the kitchen on before walking out of the kitchen and into the dining room. The walls were adorned with red, white and green streamers with wreaths spread about in intervals. The last customer was sitting by the door, wearing a light green suit with blue tie. Lynn waited until he was finished eating before moving in.

"You done with your meal?"

"Yes I am."

Lynn took the plate. "I'll be back." He put the plate on the counter connecting to the kitchen window before coming back. He placed the receipt on the table and the man handed him his credit card. He swiped it through the machine and handed it back to the customer.

"Before I left Mr. Loud, I wanted to talk to you."

"Why? Was there something wrong with the food?"

"No, no, quite the contrary. I've been to your restaurant a few times and noticed how you've run a tight ship."

"Thank you for saying so."

"I wanted to offer you a business opportunity of sorts."

"I'm listening."

"I'm the manager of Royal Wood's Spa. There's a temporary job opportunity as caretaker over the coming Christmas Break."

"What sort of job are we talking about?"

"Nothing much. You're pretty much waiting around in case anything needs to be repaired during the break. Whole place is your's while you're on the job."

That got Lynn's attention. "You don't say. Any chance I could bring my family along with me?"

"Of course. We got enough food to last a month. We also leave the heater for the inside pool."

"Well, I have to think about it."

"Alright then. If you want the job, come over to the resort tomorrow." He stood up from the booth and layed a twenty dollar bill on the table as a tip. "Have a good evening." He walked out of the restaurant.

Lynn placed the bill in the pocket of his slacks before walking back into the kitchen. He brought the dishes over to the sink and began to rinse them off. As he scrubbed it down he thought of this unique opportunity that had seemingly landed right in his lap. A scenic resort tucked away in the woods, all to themselves! The kids could be free to do almost whatever they wanted without fear of repercussions and he and Rita would be able to spend much more time together.

He placed the plate in the dishwasher and turned it on. He took his winter coat off the hook by the door and switched off the lights. He stepped out the back door and onto the snow powdered street.

It was about eight o'clock when he reached Franklin Avenue. He turned down the walkway to the house passing mounds of snow covering bicycles, jump ropes and other toys that littered the lawn. He stepped up onto the porch, pulled out his keys, unlocked the door and stepped into the house.

"Hey Dad," Luna greeted. She was on the couch strumming the tune of Jingle Bells on her guitar.

"Hi Lunes. How was your day?"