The Christmas Bus by Melody Carlson Read Free Book Online

it.” Of course, they were probably right.
    Edith considered asking Myrtle whether or not she had any special dietary needs but then decided the best course might be to start brewing coffee first. Besides, Charles would be down before long, and he would be pleased to see that the coffee was already made. After a few minutes, she carried a tray with a cup of steaming coffee, along with cream and sugar, to the dining room. But no one was there.
    “Myrtle?” she called out, thinking perhaps the guest had wandered into the living room or maybe the sunroom, but no one answered. So she set the tray on the table and returned to the kitchen to begin cutting up some fruit for a small fruit plate. Surely fresh fruit would be a safe choice to start with. She also set out a couple of pitchers of fruit juice. Then she neatly arranged a small plate of sliced cranberry nut bread along with the pumpkin bread she had baked only yesterday. She made toast, got out some jelly, and finally set out a selection of yogurts and cereals to choose from—her usual fare when they had only one or two guests in the house. Of course, guests were welcome to order eggs and other cooked items if they liked, and Edith was always more than happy to turn on the stove, but this lighter fare usually suited most guests just fine.
    Still there was no sign of Myrtle. And even when Edith did a quick search of the first-floor rooms, she never found her. Perhaps Myrtle had gone back to her room for something. She waited a bit, but eventually it was only her and Charles, sitting down to breakfast just the two of them. A rather grand breakfast too, since they were accustomed to eating much lighter when no guests were about, often simply oatmeal and juice.
    “Did you see Myrtle this morning?” she asked as she took a slice of pumpkin bread and broke it in half.
    “No, I expect she’d be sleeping in. She mentioned that she was worn out from her trip yesterday.”
    So Edith explained how Myrtle had been up before six and had claimed to be ravenous. She waved at the nicely arranged table. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gone to such trouble.”
    “She’s a funny old bird, isn’t she?”
    Edith nodded, then lowered her voice. “I have a feeling she’s going to test my patience a bit. Did you really say that she planned to be here for two whole weeks?”
    He smiled. “It’ll be better when the other guests arrive. Besides, I suspect that poor old Myrtle just needs to be loved.”
    “Well, perhaps you can take care of that end of things,” she suggested. “And I’ll take care of the practical things.”
    He set down his empty coffee cup. “Oh, you can’t fool me, Edith. I know you have just as much love to give as I do.”
    “Well, it didn’t feel like that this morning when she was standing in my kitchen and reminding me that this was a bed and breakfast .”
    He laughed. “This should be an interesting Christmas for everyone.”
    “Did you invite Myrtle to church when you talked to her yesterday?”
    “As a matter of fact, I did.”
    “And?”
    “It sounded as if she plans to come.” He wiped his mouth with the napkin. “Speaking of church, I promised Hal Berry that I’d have a short meeting with the ushers this morning. Seems they have some new idea to make things go more smoothly.”
    “I thought things usually went pretty smoothly.” She refilled her cup with tea.
    He winked at her. “Well, you know Hal. He’s always got some new trick up his sleeve. Remember when he wanted to put the offering plates on sticks so the ushers would have complete control of them at all times?”
    She laughed. “Yes, as if there’s anyone in our congregation with sticky fingers.”
    “Well, old Hal isn’t quite as trusting as you are, my dear.” He bent down and pecked her on the cheek. “See you later.”
    Edith was just clearing the dining room table when Myrtle made an appearance. She had on a gray woolen coat with an ancient-looking purse slung over