Time for New Beginnings Read online

  “I didn’t buy smoked salmon or grapefruit juice. I can offer you orange juice and salami if that’s all right.”

  Mathilde pursed her lips and pouted. “Make sure it’s available from now on.”

  Bettina went down to the kitchen and put an egg in the egg boiler. She’d seen chamomile tea in one of the cupboards, so she knew there was some. How frustrating to be interrupted by this nonsense. The guest rooms would never be finished if she continued like this.

  She placed it all on a flowery serving tray. She wasn’t planning on serving the guests breakfast in bed, that was for sure. They’d have to make it down to the dining room and eat the first meal of the day there.

  ***

  They spent several days painting the bedrooms. Through the hardware store, she’d gotten in touch with a local man, who was helping with the painting. Anneli painted her own bedroom but then went to stay with a friend in Oslo. There wasn’t much to do in Solvik when she didn’t know anyone, and the house was pretty chaotic at the moment. Bettina decided to open the guesthouse on September the fifteenth. Everything needed to be ready by then.

  When Sunday came, her arms and shoulders were aching from the painting. She needed a break, and going to the knitting café the woman at the bakery had invited her to would be a welcome distraction. She heated leftovers of the fish soup from the day before and served it to Mathilde before leaving. She’d turned into a real waitress, running back and forth between the paintbrush and her aunt, who always needed something. Her frustration grew every time she opened the door to the Tower but she kept thinking that Mathilde would get up soon. Regrettably, she still seemed rather depressed and unenterprising after the loss of her husband and refused to see a doctor when Bettina suggested it. There was nothing she could do except hope that her head would clear up soon. She wasn’t sure how serious Mathilde’s back pain was. Perhaps she just had a problem finding motivation. In the end, it didn’t matter what the cause was – the result was that she remained in bed.

  The café was full of chattering people. She didn’t know where to go when she heard a voice say, “Hello, Bettina, over here.”

  She recognized Sara and found a vacant chair next to her.

  “I’m glad you came. This is my friend Emmelin, who runs a travel agency in Solvik. And this is Lillian, who works at my bakery.”

  They greeted each other.

  “There’s Magda. She’s Emmelin’s neighbor, and is like a grandma to all of us.”

  An older waitress came around with a platter of pancakes, ice cream, and blackberries. Sara introduced them.

  “How nice. I’ve been wondering how you’ve been doing over there. I almost went over to ask. You’re my new neighbor.” Vera laughed, her round belly bouncing, before she became serious again. “It’s a pity about the old gentleman who lived there. Were you related to him?”

  Bettina smiled at the outgoing woman. “He was my uncle. Aunt Mathilde still lives in the house, but she’s sick and stays in bed.”

  “So you’re going to run the guesthouse?”

  Sara had whispered that Vera was curious and liked to keep both herself and the residents of Solvik updated.

  She nodded. “I’m a physiotherapist and have moved here with my daughter. I’ve no clue how to run a guesthouse, but I guess I’ll learn.”

  The older woman gave her an encouraging smile. “I’m sure you will. Let us know if we can help with anything. My sister Harriet and I have two cousins up north in Trondheim, who are waiting for you to open. Harriet is our chef at the café.” She walked over to fetch the teapot.

  Meanwhile, Sara had pulled out knitting needles and a ball of blue yarn. “I’ll show you how to do it. You can start with a scarf, that’s easy.”

  The hours went by quickly, and Bettina enjoyed the company of her new friends. It turned out that Sara was getting married the next weekend, so there was lots of wedding talk. They had a good time and laughed, and before she knew it, the night was over. Sara had offered to come over one evening to help set up a website for the guesthouse, and she was grateful. In the meantime, she’d take pictures of the house and the guest rooms, and write the text for the site.

  4

  Anneli’s first day of school had been exciting for both of them. She’d biked and was in a fine mood when she got back.

  “How did it go?” Bettina was eager to hear all about it.

  “Really well. We got a cool teacher, and several of the girls play handball. I sit next to Jane, who doesn’t live far from us.”

  Bettina was relieved that it had gone well. “Nothing is far from here. That’s one of the advantages of living in a small town.”

  “Jane was wondering if she could come over one day.”

  “Of course she can. By the way, the beds and the rest of the furniture will be delivered tomorrow. I can’t wait. I’ve made a pot of chili. Let’s eat right away. Do you mind going up to Mathilde with a plate?”

  Anneli wrinkled her nose the way Mathilde did. “Do I have to? She hasn’t chimed the ship’s bell yet.”

  “I’m afraid you have to. I’ve been running up to her with breakfast, lunch, and numerous cups of chamomile tea all day. I don’t know how I’m going to handle this when the guests start to arrive.”

  Anneli smiled and filled a plate before heading to the Tower. “Maybe we can get her to pay for everything we do for her? A guest with all-inclusive and additional benefits of all kinds. What would that cost? We’re gonna get rich, Mom.”

  They ate dinner together and cleaned up before Bettina went out to the garden. She sat on the garden bench. Oh, how she missed Preben. He was on a week-long seminar on Norefjell with people from work and had left last weekend. They’d been talking on the phone every night since she moved, but it wasn’t the same as having him here. She was expecting him to come on Saturday morning. By then, all the furniture would be in place, and they could spend two days together.

  She found her drawing pad and pencils and started sketching the garden and the mansion. She’d make invitations for an open house. She planned on giving them to Vera at the café, and Ricco at the Italian restaurant. And Sara at the bakery, as well as the grocery store. It would be enough to familiarize people in town with the guesthouse. She’d ask at the café and Lombardi’s if she could have some menus to leave in the guest rooms, and if they’d be interested in delivering food for guests wanting to order from their rooms. Some would prefer pizza, pasta, and other simple meals delivered when they were too tired to eat out.

  She finished the sketches and was content. She loved drawing. That and painting had been her hobbies since she was young. She watched the sea and mulled over the changes her life had taken. Who would have thought she would end up here? It was incomprehensible that she was co-owner of this spectacular guesthouse, while her brother hadn’t inherited anything. Lauritz was several years older than her, and they didn’t stay in touch. He didn’t even come home for Christmas, and she hadn’t seen him in several years. Apparently, he’d never been interested in getting married and having children. As long as he had construction work, and enough beer, he was fine. It was a shame they weren’t closer since she didn’t have other siblings.

  She got up and looked around the lush garden. She realized she was looking forward to getting married, and to Preben moving in. It would be grand to share all of this with the man she loved.

  ***

  It was too much hustle and bustle for Mathilde when the furniture was delivered the next day. The ship’s bell chimed continuously, and Bettina frantically ran back and forth between her aunt and the two guys who wanted to know where to place everything. She felt hot and rattled from all the interruptions.

  “What’s that frightful racket?” Mathilde sat bolt upright in bed and looked like she was about to get up and solve the noisy situation herself. If only she would.

  “I told you the beds and furniture are being delivered, since you didn’t have time to buy it.” Bettina was annoyed by the constant interr
uptions, and the guys were waiting for her. Anneli was in school and couldn’t help instruct them either.

  “There’s a limit to what I can tolerate. How am I supposed to rest in this commotion?”

  Bettina pretended not to hear. Mathilde did nothing but rest. “I’m not coming up again. I have to finish this.” Indignantly, she closed the door behind her. What a nightmare. If she’d known that her aunt would have behaved like this, she would have reconsidered a hundred times before agreeing to move.

  ***

  Mathilde sneaked out of bed and over to the window. She was upset about being talked to in such a rude way. It was offensive. They should take her mourning into consideration and acknowledge her need for peace at this difficult time. Herman wasn’t even cold yet. And now the whole house was about to be turned upside down. She didn’t like it one bit. What she did like, however, was the view from her window. Handsome, broad-shouldered guys, using their muscles for all it was worth. They were much younger than her, but it didn’t matter. Watching didn’t hurt anyone. She could get used to this. She wondered if they had much work left to do.

  ***

  Two hours later, everything was in its place. Bettina walked around and nodded, pleased with herself. The paintings she had been working on for the guest rooms were partly finished. She wanted them to dominate the rooms, so she’d picked large canvases. It would be simple, but elegant. The Windflower was painted in white and pale green; the same went for the Lily of the valley room. She’d finished a painting of a forest floor with windflowers, which she put up on the wall above the bed. The painting of a vase full of lilies of the valley was placed over the bed in the other room.

  She went to get the painting for the light-blue Harebell room. The motif she’d picked was a flowerbed filled with harebells. The Lavender room was pale purple, but the painting wasn’t finished. She was working on the last details on a basket. The Hepatica room was a clear sky blue, and she pictured a grove full of hepatica as the motif. The last guest room was Daisy. It was pale pink, and she was going to put up a painting of lots of daisies.

  She used all her spare time on the paintings and had never been the kind to evaluate every brushstroke. She was quick with the brush, making it a rough expression. Still, it was easy to recognize the flowers. Now she just had to finish the last paintings, and the rooms would be ready.

  ***

  The first thing she did the next day was pick up the heavy, exclusive curtains she’d chosen for the guest rooms. Afterward, she drove to an interior design store she’d seen on one of the side streets in town. There she found lanterns to put on the windowsills of the living room. Since the guesthouse was situated by the water, it felt natural to decorate it with maritime details. They would go perfectly with the white walls and the beige sofas. She bought a tray to place on the coffee table, and several pillar candles. Maybe she could find some starfish and shells on the beach, to go on the tray.

  When she went to pay, she noticed a lantern with a candle inside that would be perfect on the living room floor, and some smaller ones for the porch. She was satisfied when she paid. Now the house would feel more like hers.

  She placed the purchases in the car and headed to the furniture store. She’d always dreamt of a porch swing with a canopy if she could ever afford to buy a house. Patio furniture was on sale now, so it was the ideal time to shop. She found a white porch swing made of wood, with a dark blue canopy and thick, blue and white striped cushions. A seating arrangement of two chairs and a matching table would make for a nice spot in the garden. The porch of the mansion had a roof. She wanted to put a rocking chair there, to enjoy the sea view when she had a moment to spare. There were several to pick from here.

  She paid for the furniture and left it behind. Preben could help her carry it tomorrow. That way, she wouldn’t have to wait for the store to deliver it. She’d just have to remember to bring her father’s car trailer.

  ***

  They were sitting at the breakfast table the next morning when they heard a loud roar in the driveway.

  “Guess who’s coming,” Anneli said and poured juice into her glass.

  “Let’s hope he doesn’t cause my aunt to have another heart attack.” Bettina went into the hall to meet her fiancé.

  “Finally, you’re here.” She embraced him and melted into a long kiss.

  “Sorry,” he said and looked at her before giving her another kiss. “I didn’t mean for you to do everything on your own. I was planning to help, but it’s been so crazy busy at work. And that long, boring seminar. But I’m here now.”

  She could tell he felt bad for not having been there to help her. She’d expected more interest for all the new things she was trying to wrap her head around but knew he would have been here if he could.

  “It’s all good. I’ve been doing fine, but you get to help me pick up the last pieces of furniture. Have you had breakfast?”

  He nodded. “But I wouldn’t turn down a cup of coffee.”

  She put on another pot of coffee. The plan was to buy a fancy coffee maker that could make different types of hot beverages. One that could be used to make tea as well. She had to make it easy for the guests, and offer alternatives. She must remember to look for a machine like that.

  “Hi, Anneli. How’s the new school?” He hugged her.

  She smiled. “I like it. Handball practice starts next week. I can’t wait.”

  “Good for you. How do you like living here?” He looked from one to the other.

  “Aunt is a nightmare, but otherwise it’s great,” Anneli said. “We can go swimming across the road.”

  “What has Mrs. Fredriksen done now?”

  Anneli told him about Mathilde’s fondness of the ship’s bell, and Preben laughed out loud.

  “She’s quite a character. How long is she planning to stay in bed?”

  Bettina looked at him. “If only we knew.”

  Just then, they heard a very loud noise that sounded throughout the whole house.

  “Gosh, that was something…” He got up. “Perhaps I should come with you.”

  They went up to her aunt’s apartment. She’d already had her breakfast served, so there was no way of knowing what she required now. Stuffy air met them when they opened the door. She probably never aired the room. The view of the sea was magnificent from here. Bettina thought it would have been nice to get some fresh air through those large windows.

  “What was the dreadful hullabaloo that almost deafened me?” Mathilde looked exasperated.

  “That must have been me, Mrs. Fredriksen. I’m so sorry. It was probably my motorbike you heard.”

  “Motorbike? Can’t you afford a car?” She looked at Preben, confused. “How are you going to maintain Bettina, then?”

  Bettina didn’t know what to say, and wanted to laugh at her. Naturally, she couldn’t do that. If only Mathilde knew that Preben’s Ducati was worth a small fortune, and was way more expensive than most cars.

  “Don’t worry, Mrs. Fredriksen. I do have a car. The wages in the IT industry aren’t half bad.” He blushed but managed to stay serious.

  “Very well. Make sure to use the car when you visit Bettina. We can’t live with all that noise in the countryside.”

  “I’ll remember that,” he promised.

  They left Mathilde, finished their breakfast, and drove off to the furniture store. When they’d loaded the patio furniture onto the car trailer, Bettina noticed a pair of comfortable wicker chairs and a small table that would be perfect on the porch.

  With their heavy load, they went back to the mansion to find a place for everything. They put the wicker chairs, the table, and the rocking chair on the porch. The seating arrangement and the porch swing they placed on the lawn between the house and the garage.

  Then they sank down onto the sofa, and he put his arm around her. She’d missed him. They sat in a comfortable silence, without saying a word.

  “Can you believe that I’m opening in a few weeks? It’s goin
g to be so exciting.”

  He smiled. “I can tell that you like it here. The next few weeks will be quiet for me. I might come out after work some days. As you said, it’s not far from Oslo. It just feels like a separate world out here.”

  She kissed him. “We have to get started on the wedding plans. How about a stroll along the boardwalk? We can eat dinner at the café on our way home. Anneli is at Jane’s, her new friend.”

  “Brilliant, let’s go.”

  ***

  In the coming days, she finished the paintings and hung them in the guest rooms. She took the last few photos she’d missed and uploaded them to the website. Since she was planning an open house, she had to talk to her aunt. Without her approval, it would be challenging.

  Reluctantly, she went up to Mathilde with a glass of sherry. She’d noticed that it improved her aunt’s mood considerably. She was getting fairly tired of serving her. Mathilde seemed old, but she wasn’t, so there was no reason for her to be lying in bed like this. She was only sixty-three and in her best years. Of course, she was down after her husband passed away, but the plan had been to run the guesthouse together. How could she give up on everything? It had mainly been Uncle Herman’s dream, and not hers, but she had designed the magnificent garden. Where there’s a will, there’s a way…

  “Aunt Mathilde, I’d like to discuss the opening of the guesthouse with you,” she started. “I’m planning an open house on Sunday in a week’s time. It’s important that people in town get to see what we have to offer.”

  Mathilde looked baffled, as if the thought of opening had never crossed her mind. “Do what you think is best. I’m not coming down to mingle. But it’s about time we get some income. So I’ll try to bear the racket while it lasts. I’ll keep my earplugs at hand.” She rummaged in the bedside table drawer to find them, so she could keep them close. “It’s going to be horribly noisy, but I understand it’s the best way to do it.”