Page 8 of The Hunt

Outsiders? What an odd way to describe visitors to this the B&B. Kaliah shrugged. Maybe it was slip of the tongue. She supposed they didn’t get that many customers considering she didn’t notice any signs along the way when Otis brought them in to town. In fact, he’d taken them down what appeared to be a dirt road to get into town.

Kaliah didn’t have long to contemplate the weirdness of Trudy’s words before the proprietress returned with a tray of steaming biscuits surrounded by an assortment of jams and butter.

“Mmm, this smells amazing.” Once again, Kaliah’s stomach growled.

Trudy chuckled. “Help yourself, dear. I just made a fresh batch of my jams along with some apple and honey butter.”

“Oh my gosh! This looks so good.”

“Have as many as you’d like. I’ll be out shortly with the rest of the food.”

Kaliah waited until Trudy disappeared into the kitchen before grabbing one of the flaky concoctions. They were still warm to the touch and the savory scent made her mouth water. She sampled a bite and she nearly melted in her seat. It was heaven on her tongue. It was buttery with a hint of sweetness and one of the best things she’d ever tasted.

She polished it off in three bites and took another one off the plate, this time cutting it open and spreading apple butteron one side and a dark blue jam that appeared to be made from blueberries on the other. She then placed them together like a sandwich.

Her eyes rolled to the back of her head when she tasted her concoction. By the time Trudy returned with a cart full of food, Kaliah was on her third biscuit.

Trudy laughed. “I see you’re enjoying the biscuits.”

Kaliah grinned between chews. “I was hungry. I haven’t eaten since yesterday morning.”

“Oh, my, that sounds awful. Have you and your friends been stranded that long?”

She lowered her lids, ashamed to admit they’d left her in the car while they ate lunch. “No, we actually left from New York early in the morning.”

“Oh, wow, New York? How exciting.”

“It’s really not as exciting as it sounds. We’re from a small town in upstate New York. It’s not the glamorous New York you see on television.”

“Maybe not, but I’d love to hear about it.” Trudy began to load the table with more food than Kaliah or five other people could eat. There was a plate of pancakes, French toast, sausages, bacon, scrambled eggs, toast, and assorted fruits.”

“This is all looks so good, Trudy, thank you so much. Please tell me you’ll help me eat some of this.”

“I’ve already had some coffee and oatmeal. I may have something later but I’ll sit with you while you eat and you can tell me a little bit about yourself.” Once Trudy finished laying out all the food, she wheeled the cart to the corner and then took a seat across the table from Kaliah.”

“You cooked all this food for us? Are there any other guests here?”

“Just the four of you. I suppose I got a little carried away because I don’t get many guests at the B&B.”

“Oh really? How do you stay in business if you don’t have a steady flow of customers?”

Trudy placed her elbows on the table and clasped her hands together. “Oh, you needn’t worry about me, dear. The town takes care of me. But enough about me, I’m not that interesting, I’d like to hear about you. What brings you and your friends to this area?”

A sadness that she’d temporarily pushed away after dealing with all the drama the previous day came back full force. She lowered her fork and bowed her head.

“There’s nothing really interesting about my life.”

“A pretty little thing like you? I find that hard to believe. I bet you get into all types of adventures.”

Kaliah, shook her head. “That’s very kind of you to say, but no. I basically go to work to a very boring job, I come home, watch some television, go to bed and then start over again. I like to read and crochet for fun.”

“There’s nothing wrong with a peaceful life. Things are pretty quiet around here at Serenity Falls. How about spending time with your family and friends?”

“Honestly, I’m not super close to my family. I’m the typical middle child and my siblings are excellent at everything they do. At least that’s what my parents constantly tell me. I’ve been accused of being boring which is why I’m an afterthought to them most of the time. As for my friends…well, we were supposed to go to Green Springs for the annual Halloween festival because it’s a huge deal but I learned that they only asked me to come along because someone else dropped out.” She shrugged to give off a nonchalance she didn’t quite feel.

However, to her chagrin, a tear spilled from the corner of her eyes which she hastily wiped away. “Maybe it’s for the best that the car is out of commission because I don’t have to spend the week pretending I don’t hear their sly remarks about me oract as if it doesn’t bother me when I’m excluded.” Kaliah didn’t know why she was telling this stranger her life story as if she was on a psychologist’s couch but there was something comforting about this woman.

Trudy stood and walked around the table to take the seat next to her. She patted Kaliah on the shoulder. “Don’t waste your tears on those who don’t deserve them. Besides, I have a feeling that your life is about to change.”

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