After coffee, Lisa and Margreet stayed in the kitchen for a while to catch up. Sjaak and Huib also took the time to talk about the past days.

Annerieke enjoyed their chats while she put some organizational points for next Monday on paper.

Lisa looked up, saw what she was doing. "Could you put the construction worker who was put in charge by Simon yesterday, put in charge here on Monday, too? If you give him a key to the front door..."

"That seems like a good idea, a delightfully simple solution. Then we have the new guests coming on Saturday. I can make a big pan of soup in advance, add sandwiches. And make a cake for the evening, add whipped cream on the evening itself," Annerieke considered.

Huib interrupted her: "Come on mom, the guests who come on Saturday will probably also like those delicious pizzas, you know, the ones I had last time."

Annerieke laughed, "Even better, all the excitement of the past few days, and all the unusual stuff, has cost me quite a lot of energy. Now if you order those pizzas in advance and pick them up right when you get back. Couldn't they arrange that for you in that supermarket?"

Huib nodded. "Sure they could! I'll just calculate how many pizzas we'll need on Monday night and order them straight from that supermarket," Huib decided, which earned him a grateful look from his mother.

Huib started counting, "Next week all rooms occupied, that's ten already. Six people from the family. And that's it really, no more security guards, the builders will have gone home by then... Say mom, don't the builders have a vacation the next two weeks?"

"No, only from Christmas, Tuesday that is, and then they go back to work immediately after New Year's Day, if I understood correctly. I'll ask Simon again."

She keyed in his number and waited a moment. He didn't answer, but soon called back. "Sorry, dear, I just had my hands full when you called. Is everything all right?"

"Yes, I just wanted to ask which days the builders were off again. Starting Tuesday, right?"

"Yes, from Christmas, Tuesday. But I was just talking to the team from Huib's house about it, and we decided it would be more convenient to give them Monday off already. They had no objection to that. And I assume the other team won't mind either."

Annerieke burst out laughing, "So then I really don't have to arrange anything special for Monday. Huib orders pizzas for the evening, hoping we can pick them up at the end of the afternoon. So then I only have to let the guests know that we won't be there during the day."

"Sweet girl, sometimes life is simpler than we think!"

"Apparently... Glad you thought along, Simon, that really makes a difference! Love you!"

"Love you too!"

Annerieke put her cell phone in her pocket and laughed, "Comical, I heard those construction workers yelling in the background when he said 'Love you too!' Anyway Huib, so it gets even simpler. Simon is going to give them an extra day off on Monday."

Huib grinned, "Pretty convenient!" He walked to the hallway to give the supermarket a call. A moment later he returned to the kitchen to report cheerfully, "That girl from the pizza bakery over there was all surprised. Suddenly she remembered that I had bought so many pizzas the other day. I told her that we run a guesthouse, that we are absent all day and that you can't cook. Then I made her drool over a pile of compliments about the last time I had gotten pizzas there, and asked her if it would be possible to make eight different pizzas, and arrange for two of each kind. She certainly would, and she would try extra hard! I wonder what she'll make of it!"

"Wonderful!" enjoyed Annerieke. "It's just going to be all right! I'll call Janny in a minute, and tell her that we're only coming for coffee or tea afterwards. Coffee, who fancies an extra mug of coffee?"

Margreet stood up: "Just stay put, I'll take care of it. Who wants coffee? All of us?"

Annerieke plopped down on a chair and stretched: "Nice Margreet!"

A moment later, the coffee maker was bubbling happily.

To chapter 212. Preparations for the new guests

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