Madelyn "Lyn" Creeke and her grandmother were the last of their family. At least, that's what Lyn's grandmother always led her to believe.
Lyn had never heard of or seen pictures of Georgina Creeke, a great aunt that had been living a few hours awa...
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Unfortunately, that meant I had to peel my cheek off of the cold hardwood the next morning. Rising up, I gave my sore back a stretch, and I wiped the sleep from my eyes. After a few minutes of realigning my spine and getting proper blood flow back into my numb legs, I looked over at the clock on the wall. It was nine in the morning. We served breakfast at eight.
I jumped to my feet, which still felt a bit like walking on pins and needles, and threw open the door. At least I still had my clothes on from yesterday. Of course I had to hope no one noticed they were in fact the same clothes...
However, before I went bolting down the hall, I noticed a tray of food sitting on the opposite wall, where it sat safely out of reach should I come storming out in a panic. Stepping over to it, I saw a note lying next to a plate of toast, jelly, scrambled eggs, and bacon.
Have breakfast in bed today. I'll take care of the guests this morning. You just rest.
—Jordan
For a moment, I thought of casting Jordan's gift aside and proving myself capable of tackling the day, but I figured I'd played the fool long enough and it was time to listen to reason. I picked up my tray and sent a sideways glance down the hall, looking past the door to where Jordan would be attending to our guests. I then went in, sat down at my desk and enjoyed the now cool cup of coffee. The sweet and savory scents wafted up from the delightful breakfast and warmed my soul.
Once I had my food and took a shower, I went out my door, ready to face the challenges ahead. And by challenges, I meant cleaning rooms and preparing the ornament decoration table. So long as I kept my hands busy, I could push the rest away. It was a method I knew was no longer as effective as I thought it to be, but it's what I needed. I knew I couldn't keep compartmentalizing my emotions, but I also needed to get a job done.
Jordan didn't protest when I found him tidying up one of the rooms. He simply asked if I was okay and then handed me fresh sheets to put over the mattress. We proceeded through the rooms in silence, but unlike the days before, I felt a concerned whisper hanging in the air instead of repressed resentment. It was something in the curve of his brow as he handed me a broom or a washcloth. It was something in the way he looked at me when he thought I didn't see him. It was something in the touch of his hands whenever he brushed past me.
We were so efficient in our silent progress that we managed to gain ourselves a few hours of freedom before we'd have to set up the ornament table activity. I could have taken a really long lunch to work out how I was going to fix the disaster I created, but I was still full from my late breakfast and I wasn't particularly ready to face that beast so early in the day. That left me with a few options to keep my hands busy and the inner demons silent. But then I was reminded that I wasn't standing there alone.
"Hey," said Jordan, pulling me from my thoughts, "I'm going to grab a quick bite for lunch, but if you want to join me..."
"I'm not hungry," I muttered, my eyes looking between him and the floor. "I woke up pretty late and I had a very wonderful breakfast not too long ago." A fragile smile touched my lips, and I saw another layer of ice melt away from his face.
