Fellowship & Fairydust

Nancy got up bright and early to take a quick shower. She donned her nicest suit. It was a soft yellow, almost cream-colored, skirt and jacket with lace trim. Nancy wore a pair of cream pumps and a cream and blue floral-print blouse. She patted it with a wistful huff. It used to be her mother’s, along with the pearl jewelry that Nancy put on. She put her hair up in a fancy hairdo, and finished the touch with some makeup. When she was satisfied with the finished result, she descended the stairs to join her father and Hannah at breakfast. Carson let out a shaky gasp when his daughter entered the room. 

He rose to greet her with a tight, loving hug. “Oh, you look … you look so much like your mother.” 

“Why are you wearing this?” queried Hannah, seemingly ready at a moment’s notice to take action, if needed. 

Nancy smiled wistfully. “I, well, since I’m going to be helping Emily, I, I wanted Mom with me, in some way.” 

Carson beamed. “I think you look fantastic, and I think your mother would be proud of you.” 

Nancy beamed as she gave him a big hug. “Thanks Dad.” 

“Well, now, let’s get those stomachs full for a day’s work,” suggested Hannah, patting at the  table. 

“You’re right,” said Carson as he led his daughter to the table. They sat down, said grace, and quickly ate their breakfast. Half an hour later, Nancy was picking up Helen and driving towards Lilac Inn. The two barely spoke more than a few words about what to expect at the inn, both anxious and hoping that the day would go well. They arrived at the inn a few minutes before seven. They gave each other reassuring looks before getting out of the car with huffs of determination and walked towards the door. The door was opened by Jane Willoughby, who promptly gave each girl a hug. 

“Thank you, thank you so much for doing this  for me. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it,” said Jane as she wiped a tear from her eye. “Wow, you two look so professional! And such cheery colors.” 

“Thank you. We wanted to cheer up the place a bit. It doesn’t do well that a lovely place such as Lilac Inn should be anything but cheery,” said Nancy as the two enter the building. 

“Yes, well, considering what happened recently . . .” 

Nancy placed a hand on Jane’s shoulder and smiled reassuringly. “I know, I understand. All too well. Why don’t you show us the ropes?” 

“OK. Oh, and I’m going to take Emily with me, she desperately needs to get out of her room.” 

Nancy nodded. “Good idea.” 

“So, um, what do we need to do?” asked Helen. Jane showed them around, showing them how to open, where the menus were, what to say when a customer arrived, how to coordinate the servers, what to do in case of an emergency, where to find all the information that they needed in case they forgot, and finally, how to close it. 

“Wow,” said Helen, looking a little dazed from the info dump. “That’s a lot to remember.” 

Jane smiled apologetically. “Yes, I know. I mean, if you want, you can change your mind.”

Nancy shook her head firmly. “No, we can handle it. I’ll handle the hostess duties if Helen wants, and she can help the servers.” 

“Are you sure?” said Helen. “I think I just need to do it before I can get the hang of it.” 

“Well then, maybe you’ll have gotten the hang of it by the time I need a break,” said Nancy with a grin. 

Helen grinned back. “I certainly hope so. No good letting you work yourself to death.” 

“Again, if anything happens, you have any questions, or you find out that it is too much for you, call me at once,” Jane told them firmly.

Helen and Nancy nodded as they chorused, “We will!” 

“Thank you.” Jane let out a huff. “Now time to pry Emily from her room.” 

“Good luck,” chorused the girls as Jane went up the stairs. 

A few minutes later, as Nancy and Helen were getting Lilac Inn ready to open, Jane and Emily came down the stairs. Emily was wearing a black sundress with a purple, green, and black floral-patterned shawl that she was gripping tightly. Her eyes were red. 

“Emily?” Helen rushed forward and wrapped her arms around her. “Are you going to be alright?” 

Emily sniffled, but she gave a brave smile. “I think so, I certainly hope so.” 

“Well, take this time to reminisce about your mother, all the good times,” said Nancy as she came forward to hug Emily. She turned and hugged Jane. “I’m sure the both of you will feel better for it.” 

“Oh, I certainly hope so,” said Jane as she returned the hug warmly. As she stepped back from the hug, she wiped a tear from her eye. “It certainly will help me connect with Emily better.” She smiled as she rubbed Emily’s arm reassuringly.  

Emily shot her a nervous smile. “You’re right. I haven’t been a very good hostess.” 

“Oh, but darling, who can blame you? Your mother dies, and in comes a woman from your mother’s past whom you’ve never met, plus caring for the inn and your mother’s explicit wish that you finish high school? It’s a lot for a girl your age to handle.” Jane patted her shoulder. “Besides, what’s done is done. We can only move forward from here.” 

Nancy smiled at them. “Jane’s right, you know.” 

Jane turned to Nancy. “Based on your experience, Nancy, is there any advice you could give us?”

Helen was about to answer when Nancy spoke. “Well, um, it won’t be easy. Take it one step at a time. And, and no matter what anyone else says, no, no the grief won’t ever go away, fully. One day, you see something, or hear something that will remind you so, so much of your mom that you will have no choice but to break down and cry. Best thing to do is let it all out. Alone, even, if you have to, or want to. But, it’s usually best to have someone you know, someone who cares about you, just holding you. Nothing needs to be said, you just need to get the tears out.” Nancy wiped a few tears from her eyes. “Well, that, that’s all I can think of.” 

Emily sniffled as she hugged Nancy. “Thank you, it’s more than I had hoped.” 

Nancy returned the hug with a tight squeeze. “You’re welcome. Now, you two shouldn’t waste any more time. Lilac Inn is going to open in a few minutes. Don’t need you two hanging around, watching us like mother hens.” 

Emily chuckled. “I guess not.” 

Jane laughed. “You’re right Nancy. Let’s get going and let these two prove just how capable they are at running an inn.” 

“Have a good trip,” said Helen, sending them off with a wave.

“Thank you! Hope the customers are cooperative today!” said Jane as the two were walking out the door. 

“Good luck!” said Emily with a wave before they exited the building. 

“Thanks!” called out Nancy and Helen. 

Helen turned to Nancy. “She hopes the customers are cooperative today?” 

Nancy chuckled nervously. “Maybe she only thinks that because there’s a lot on her mind.” 

Helen scoffed. “Yeah, sure. Just watch, we’ll get the most uncooperative customers in all of River Heights.” 

“Now don’t jinx it, Helen,” warned Nancy with a grin, “we have to open first!” The two quickly set about getting the Inn set up before opening it up for business.  

The breakfast and brunch crowds were pretty cheerful, especially once they had their coffee. But they were a pretty easy crowd to please. Many knew about Nancy at least, thanks to many knowing of her father’s work, or have at least consulted him in the past. As soon as they found out why Nancy and Helen were there, many offered to help in any way they could, most of those ended up in larger tips than usual. At least, according to Mary Mason. She sought them out during a slow period between brunch and lunch. 

“I haven’t seen this much money before!” whispered Mary as Nancy closed out another customer. 

“Really?” whispered Helen. 

Mary nodded. “Maybe we should have mentioned how bad we were doing earlier, but none of us wanted to seem like we were begging.” 

Nancy nodded. “That’s understandable. However, I don’t think this good luck will last very long.” 

Mary blinked. “What makes you say that?” 

Helen glanced at the front door and gasped. “Oh no.” 

Mary blinked as two families walked in. She brightened at the sight of the first family. It was of a man in his forties with greying brown hair and his lovely, brunette daughter. The second family was a couple also in their forties with greying hair and their black-haired daughter. 

The two daughters blinked as they said in unison, “Nancy Drew?” 

Nancy managed to give a smile. “Hello Mr. Topham, Isabella, Deirdre, Mr. and Mrs. Shannon, to Lilac Inn.”

Deirdre burst out laughing. “Nancy Drew, what happened to your father that made you stoop so low to be working here?” 

“Nancy and I are covering for Mrs. Willoughby and Emily so they can have a break,” said Helen firmly. “Would you like to be seated, or would you like to leave?” 

Mr. Topham’s face seemed to harden. 

Isabella humphed. “Father and I have been coming here for quite a while now. Hello Mary.” 

“Hello Mr. Topham, Isabella. Why don’t you follow me and I’ll get you seated.” 

Mr. Topham’s face seemed to relax a bit. “Why hello Mary, thank you ever so much.” Mary led the Tophams into the dining area. 

“Nancy, won’t you be a dear and get us seated too?” said Mrs. Shannon, her voice becoming sickly sweet as she flashed a smile that told Nancy she was enjoying this. Mr. Shannon seemed to gloat at the prospect. 

Nancy could only smile back, though she kept herself from gritting her teeth as she did so. “Of course Mrs. Shannon, this way.” With the smile plastered on her face, she led the Shannons to a table. As they sat down, Nancy handed them the menus. 

“Oh Dylan, whatever should I get?” 

“Whatever you want, Molly, I don’t quite know what I want yet.” Mr. Shannon turned to Deirdre. “Have you made a decision yet, my little princess?” 

Deirdre giggled. “Oh no, daddy, I have no idea yet.” 

“Well, when you’re ready with your order,” began Nancy. 

“Oh, I’ll have the Lilac Blossom Special!” 

Nancy opened her notebook to start writing down the order. 

“Oh no dear, you shouldn’t have that. It won’t do your figure any good.” 

Deirdre giggled. “You’re right, mother. Well, I am at a loss again.” 

“Well,” Nancy began again, only this time to be interrupted by Mr. Shannon. 

“Well what on earth is up with these names? Rose of Sharon Omelete, Sweet Alyssum Pancakes, what kind of nonsense is this? I didn’t come to a garden!” 

Nancy clenched her fist, but managed to keep her cool. “Well, Mr. Shannon, if you have a problem with the way Mrs. Crandall put together her menu, then you’ve come to the wrong place. Now, if you don’t mind, I must be getting back to my post. I am not a waitress. But I’m sure one will be available when you’re ready to place your order. Good to see you. Good day.” With that, Nancy walked away. She thought she heard something of an applause, but she didn’t turn to look, she just knew that if she didn’t make it back to the front desk, she was going to lose it. Years of being tormented by Deirdre over the fact that Mrs. Shannon was still alive and not Mrs. Drew had wounded her deeply, and everytime she and Deirdre ran into each other, those wounds seemed to get reopened. She had made it to the front desk and gripped the ledge hard, trying to calm herself down away from hysterics, or at least crying. Helen watched her with concern. Nancy placed her head on the desk and took in several breaths while Helen rubbed her back. 

“Why did they have to come today?” she mumbled. 

Helen hugged her tightly. “Don’t worry, in a few minutes, they’ll have gone. You’ll just have to wait. I don’t like seeing them here any more than you do.” 

Nancy sighed as she lifted her head from the desk and nodded. “You’re right, and we are doing this for Emily and Jane.” She paused as she glanced at the photo of Gloria Crandall sitting on the desk. “I just hope she doesn’t have to deal with Deirdre’s cruelty like I had to.” 

Helen patted her shoulder. “We’ll do our best to shield her from it.” 

Nancy nodded and turned her attention to keeping the inn running smoothly. The Shannons finally did leave, and when they did, the atmosphere seemed to get better. Mostly though, Mary seemed cold to them for a while, until the Tophams returned for dinner. Nancy and Helen had a chance to get to know them better, and found out that they weren’t as bad as they had thought, though Nancy did think they were a bit odd. The Shannons had only roped them into being their friends since just about everyone else wasn’t going to go with their outright distaste for the Drews. Emily and Jane returned from their day out and joined the Tophams’ table, Nancy noticing with elation that the two looked much better. She also couldn’t help but notice Jane and Mr. Topham flirting with each other. Nancy smiled wistfully, maybe Jane would marry Mr. Topham and they could adopt Emily. It would be a fairly good scenario. Isabella seemed to like Jane and Emily rather well. 

Soon, it was time to close. Everyone except Nancy, Helen, and Mary left Lilac Inn. Jane and Emily insisted that they felt well enough to help close things down and refused to take no for an answer. They were elated when they saw how much money they made that day. Eventually, Mary told them the whole story of what transpired between Nancy and the Shannons. 

“They said what?” blurted Jane, her eyes nearly bulging with horror and rage. “Why would they say such things?” 

“Because they always take a jab at whatever my father and I do, or who we’re friends with. Mr. Shannon hasn’t liked my father since he lost a case to him and, well, obviously that dislike has spread to his wife and their daughter,” explained Nancy with a sigh. “I’m so sorry about it.”

Jane took her hands in hers. “Dear Nancy, you did the best you could with an obviously troublesome family. I could never blame you.” 

“But I do hope it doesn’t change anything for us,” said Mary. 

Jane shot her a look. “I highly doubt it will. If more than half the town stands with the Drews when it comes to the feud, it could in fact bode well for us.” She turned back to Nancy with a gleam in her eye. “You never know if they try to say something mean about Lilac Inn, and people will come try it out and see if it’s really as wonderful as the Drews are.” 

Nancy smiled warmly. “Why thank you Jane, that means a lot.” 

“Not at all, you’ve proven yourself to be absolutely wonderful.” 

Emily covered her yawning mouth. “Oh, I’m sorry.” 

“Goodness child, no need to be. It’s late, and you’ve had a long day. Nancy dear, could you take Emily to her room for me please? I need to lock up this money, and I need Helen and Mary to finish mopping,” said Jane. 

Nancy smiled. “Of course! Come on Emily, let’s get you to your room before you pass out.” 

Emily smiled and chuckled softly as she let Nancy lead her up the stairs, trying to hide her own yawns. With Nancy’s help, she got ready for bed. 

“Nancy, do you still like mysteries?” 

Nancy chuckled softly. “Of course!” She gasped as Emily grabbed her shoulders. “Emily!” 

“Sh, please! I don’t know who else I can turn to but you, Nancy. Will you please help me?” said Emily in a very low voice.

“W-well, of course. What is it Emily?” 

“I have a mystery that needs to be solved, and I don’t trust Jane Willoughby!”

 

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