Angela out of bed before work—even though it was a “slow” Saturday in the florist’s center at the resort, she still had meetings. After the last meeting she stopped in to check on progress on the day’s arrangements for the luncheon, restaurant, lobby and upstairs suites. When Jonquil returned home after ten, she went upstairs to Rosemary’s old room and knocked.
“Go away; it’s still early.” Angela’s voice was scratchy and muffled.
Jonquil pushed the door open and walked in. She wasn’t surprised to find Angela under a pile of blankets, her head buried beneath a pillow. “You need to clean up downstairs, party girl.”
“Go away, I was up until three.”
“Yeah, I remember. It was noisy.” Jonquil almost went up and sent everyone home half a dozen times, but didn’t want to embarrass Angela.
“Sorry, I didn’t realize we were being loud.” Angela pulled the pillow off her head, stuffing it under so she could see Jonquil, then squinted at the clock. “It’s barely after ten.”
“Yes, but you need to get the house back in order before Delphi comes in from work in a couple of hours or she’ll blow her top. Get up and I’ll make you a cappuccino.”
Angela groaned. “You’re not going to give up, are you?”
“Nope. If you’re not down in three minutes, I’ll come after you with a pitcher of ice water.” Jonquil forced a glare before going out on the landing, shutting the door behind her. She hated being the bad guy. There was no help for it, though. Angela was her “guest,” so for Delphi’s sake, it was Jonquil’s job to make sure Angela toed the line. In their house, anyway.
She went back down the open stairwell to the kitchen and cleared a space to make Angela’s morning beverage. By the time Angela came down the stairs, Jonquil was stirring the espresso into the milk.
“That is one awesome machine. How did you get it?” Angela asked. “It’s like out of a restaurant or something.”
“Dad picked it up when he set this place up. We all decided it was to keep Rosemary from blowing up in the morning. She really needs her morning caffeine before she can be happy. Then again, she’s not the only one like that.” She set the mug on the counter. “Pull up a stool—that may be the only clear surface in the room.”
Angela winced a little. “I’m sorry. I guess I didn’t realize what a mess everyone made. Next time I won’t invite so many people.”
Jonquil grabbed another stool and sat on it across the counter from Angela. “We need to have a chat about that. Take a few swallows first, though, so that caffeine can start doing its job.”
Angela did, then took on a defiant expression. “Are you going to treat me like a naughty teenager because I had a party? Seriously, nothing got broken or stained or anything. They were all adults, allowed to drink. It’s not like it was a rave.”
“You’re right. It could have been worse, but we need to have a chat anyway. First: this is not your house. This is my house and Delphi’s house. You are a guest. A guest shows good manners by not inviting over three dozen friends to have a party. Especially since you never discussed it with us first. If you want to have a couple of friends over, you’re welcome to. If it’s going to be more than three, you need to speak with Delphi or myself before issuing invitations.”
Her chin turned stubborn. “You want me to ask permission?”
Jonquil felt like the meanest meanie ever, but she held her ground. “Yes, if you’re going to have a bunch of people over, I expect you to ask permission. This is what a good guest would do. Honestly, unless we’re having a family gathering, I wouldn’t have more than a few people over without checking in with Delphi anyway. It’s called good manners. We’re roommates, we have to be considerate of each other.”
“You think I have bad manners and I’m inconsiderate? I’m sorry I’m such a burden to you. I’ll go move into the