lightning in my heels

Marcel Salcedo. 38. New owner and head chef of Avery Bed & Breakfast.

[nessa-o-connor]

tiptoe through the tulips

[marcelosalcedo-blog]

whitley-marchbanks:

“Oh, great!” she smiled, hiding her momentary surprise. It wasn’t that he didn’t look like he could be the owner, it was just the adjustment of expectations in her mind, and the switching of gears that gave her any pause. She hadn’t been expecting the owner to be at the front desk, but she actually found it rather nice that he was. 

“I was hoping to get your permission to use your property as inspiration for some of my pieces. I’m an artist,” she said, smiling in a way that was both bashful and proud. Whitley still got a thrill out of saying that she was an artist, but at the same time was embarrassed by it. Did people even really consider that to be a real profession? She herself wondered that, though the money that came in from the sale of her paintings certainly went a long way to convincing her. 

It was clear right away from Marcel’s expression that the woman had peaked his intrigue. This wasn’t exactly a request he received every day, and frankly it was one he found a bit flattering. Sure, the Bed & Breakfast had been a town staple long before he’d become its owner, and yet in such a short period of time he had grown to take a great deal of pride in it.

“Absolutely!” he told her, smiling brightly. “In fact, I’d consider it an honor that you’d find inspiration for your art in my establishment.” Given he had no real talent for it himself, art was a medium that he had always been fascinated by. He was overcome with curiosity about the woman’s profession, but he soon remembered himself; making an effort to start things off on the right foot with her. “I’m Marcelo Salcedo, at your service. But please, feel free to call me Marcel if you like.”

[nessa-o-connor]

tiptoe through the tulips

[marcelosalcedo-blog]

whitley-marchbanks:

“Yes actually,” Whitley said, tucking a strand of brown hair behind her ear. She clutched her sketchbook to her chest. Usually she didn’t show it to just anyone, but she thought that if the owner seemed unconvinced that letting her sketch the property was a good idea, she could just show them her work and hopefully win them over. 

Whitley hitched her bag up higher on her shoulder, feeling its comforting weight against her hip and leg. There was no real reason to be nervous, was there? She was just asking for permission to walk around the property, seeking inspiration. Still, faced with the handsome and cheery young man, she was reminded how much she had kept to herself over the past few years.

“I’m looking for the owner?” 

“Well, I have good news for you, ma’am,” Marcel replied, his smile widening just slightly. “You found him.” So saying, he held out his hands in a broad gesture towards himself.

He had to admit that he was intrigued by this woman already. She was carrying what appeared to be a sketchbook, holding it to her chest so tightly that one could tell that it was as important to her as a newborn child. Marcel had never been that good at art himself, and so it was a medium that greatly fascinated him.

“Tell me, what can I do for you?”

[nessa-o-connor]

tiptoe through the tulips

@marcelosalcedo

Whitley wanted to get back into the swing of things in town. She had spent far too long in mourning and jumping at shadows–literally. It was time to rejoin the land of the living. If she didn’t, she’d never learn anything more about her husband’s death. And she certainly wasn’t doing herself any good staying holed up in her apartment for the most part. 

As a challenge to herself, and to ensure she actually did get out and about, Whitley had decided to try to paint or sketch different parts of town. Having to go and look for interesting and inspiring places would certainly keep her outside. And hopefully walking around and working during the day would help her develop a healthier and more natural sleep schedule. 

Whitley had seen ads for Avery Bed and Breakfast and had thought that it, and the property it was on, had possibility. She wasn’t just about to go traipsing around on the grounds, though. In this town, Whitley had found it was always better to be safe rather than sorry. Which was brought brought her to the charming B&B with the hopes of speaking to the owner and gaining his permission to wander around.

[marcelosalcedo-blog]

If you were to ask him, Marcel would say that he wasn’t exactly the social type. That was why he had a strong tendency to throw himself into his work, what he loved to do most. The irony of the fact that part of his job involved interacting with people on a fairly regular basis seemed to be lost on him. Perhaps that was the advantage of his occupation, that it led him to meet many new people in town without having to set foot outside of his comfort zone.

Such was the case with the woman who stepped into the B&B that day. She was another unfamiliar face, and Marcel greeted her with all the natural friendliness that he would hold towards any other customer.

“Welcome to the Salcedo Bed and Breakfast,” he told her brightly. “Anything I can help you with today?”

[marcelosalcedo-blog]

msadriana-dimarco:

“Sounds like I know where I’m going to eat from now on. The Thai place is going to lose a lot of business.” She chuckles nudging him faintly. She nods softly in understanding. “I get what you mean. I am curious though, what were your parents like?”

“They were fantastic. I mean, no one’s entirely without flaws, but as parents go, we could have had a lot worse. My dad had a great sense of humour, though he knew when to be serious. And my mom, she definitely knew how to kick your ass into gear when you needed it, but I’d still say she was the kindest person I’ve ever known.”

[marcelosalcedo-blog]

andrewofthewoods:

“You’d like Jake. He’s pretty straight forward. There’s a few people around here worth meeting. Got to connect and stuff. It’ll be good for business. I can’t say much for socializing. I am not good at it.”

“I can’t blame you for that, I don’t really consider myself to be good at socializing, either. But now that I live here on a permanent basis again, it’ll do me some good to get to know everybody through more than just hearsay. That, and I’ll take any opportunity to get people into the B&B.”

[marcelosalcedo-blog]

msadriana-dimarco:

“Of coures, when do you guys open?” Her smiles fades briefly and she shrugs. “Maybe…I’m atleast hoping to be better family than he was. It’s just sad that our parents are always our heroes..I mean maybe its good to have someone to look up to but trying to live up to them without knowing their flaws just feels like a betrayal in the end”

“Soon, very soon. I’m excited to see the turnout, given how fast word spreads in this town.” He once again looked sympathetic. “You’re definitely not wrong there. At the very least, we can learn from the mistakes of our parents. As great as my own folks were, I try to do the same thing even now.”

[marcelosalcedo-blog]

andrewofthewoods:

“Agreed. Can’t count your chickens before they hatched and all that colloquialism stuff. Jake’s a good guy. The best. We’ve been friends since we were kids. She’s safe with him. He’s not like some of the guys in town. He has a sense of honor.”

“He definitely sounds like the type of person I’d get along with. That’s another good thing that could come out of holding the wine tasting, it’d give me a better opportunity to meet more people in town. I can’t tell anymore if I’m just antisocial by nature or if I just spend all my time cooking.”

[marcelosalcedo-blog]

msadriana-dimarco:

“I can attest to that. Hell it made my month that you’re now here in Barton Hollow” She chuckles and smiles. At his question her smile falters though. “Honestly, My father was a cop. I looked up to him. Wanted to be just like him, of course I never realized the kind of man and cop he actually was”

“Well, thank you for that. So would it be safe to assume I’ll be seeing you at the B&B sometime soon?” At her explanation, his face shifts with understanding. “Well, I mean, I think we all look up to our parents when we’re kids. It’s not until we get older that we start to see their flaws. Still, at least now you have the opportunity to be better than he was.” 

[marcelosalcedo-blog]

juliettckinney:

“Well, on an ordinary day I’d say ‘fuck traditions’, but hey… consider me in a good mood, so yeah, let’s go to the B&B, then.” As much as she cared about Marcel and the Salcedo family, there wasn’t much that would make this town interesting to her again. Maybe a certain someone, but she wasn’t going to bring it up. “Bonding with Andrew… I wonder how that’s going. I’ve tried, believe me. I still don’t see what Juni sees in him, but hey, at least he’s good to her and she deserves that.” There was a part of Jules that would never think anyone would be good enough for Juniper, hence why she didn’t think Andrew was even decent, but she wouldn’t try and rain on her sister’s happiness. “Ugh, I ran into her the other day. She kept claiming I was staring at her? I almost punched her, but I didn’t want to get my hands dirty. How was that for you? Please don’t tell me you’ve been ‘bonding’ with her, too?”

Marcel snorted. “God, no. She’s even scarier now than she was as a kid. I’m still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that she was about eleven the last time I saw her before I left town, and now she’s grown up into this femme fatale. Doesn’t surprised me she gave you trouble, from what I hear she’d been giving Juni grief as well. I can only imagine what poor Gilly has to contend with.” He shook his head, choosing to leave unspoken the fact that he’d encountered Rosemary again while she was skinny dipping in a lake. “The good news is, Andrew’s got me helping him make wine. We’re thinking about setting up a tasting event at the B&B in the near future, hopefully it’ll bring more people in.”

[marcelosalcedo-blog]

juliettckinney:

“Not at all, but you’re welcome to share that joint with me. I haven’t smoked one in a while.” Which wasn’t exactly true, but Juliette wasn’t known for her full disclosure on topics in the first place. “How about we share that join and the half-decent brandy, and we talk about you other than me?”

Marcel chuckled, and for the first time in a while he found it difficult not to smile. “I’d like that a lot,” he replied. “If you want, we can head back to the B&B, true to tradition? But for now, we can walk and talk.” For a moment, he racked his brain for something interesting to tell Jules about what had gone on while she was out of town. “Well, for one thing, the B&B is pretty successful, like you knew it would be. Andrew and I have been sort of bonding. Oh, and I met Gilly’s sister again, finally, that was...something.”

[marcelosalcedo-blog]

andrewofthewoods:

“I can be moved…sometimes. I try not to be all too stubborn, but I’m glad you think I’m upstanding. You’ll like Jake. He’s witty. He would be dating her. Yes. I need to ask him how that’s going. I try not to be nosy. I think we should invite them.”

“Agreed, definitely. And Jules, obviously, I know she never turns down good wine. But we should probably get the wine made before we start writing up the guest list. Still, knowing Gilly I’m not all that worried about her taste in men.”

[marcelosalcedo-blog]

msadriana-dimarco:

She grins hearing his story. “That’s really sweet. I bet your siblings loved you making them food growing up. I think it makes your food all that much better knowing not only its family learned but also because you love it”

“I definitely like to think so, especially if my customers’ reactions are any indication. My siblings loved my cooking; hell, they still love it. But I mean, what about you? Dare I ask what motivated you to want to become a cop?”

[marcelosalcedo-blog]

msadriana-dimarco:

“I can’t even imagine. but it’s good you have your siblings. Its always good to hold onto them.”

“What got you into cooking?”

“My parents taught me to cook when I was young. I mean, they taught all of us, but it really stuck with me. Maybe because I was the oldest and wanted to take care of my little siblings, but I came to love it. I was always fascinated by it, and over time I started to experiment more and more with different dishes and ingredients. My abuela helped me with that, too. By the time I was a teenager I knew it was what I wanted to do for a living. My parents always said there was no better way to make a living than to do what you love.”

[marcelosalcedo-blog]

juliettckinney:

“Juniper isn’t a shithead, so clearly, I kept her out of my observation. Keep up, Marcelo!” Juliette smirked, tilting her head to the side as she watched him carefully. “I’m never wrong, though. And when I am, you’ll never hear me admitting it out loud, so it’s all the same.” It was slightly saddening that she hadn’t been up to much while out of town. It was a trip to rediscover herself, to know for sure that the world outside was slightly dull without a certain duo that had remained in Barton Hollow. “I have some stories… that doesn’t mean I’ll share them with you, though. You haven’t earned them yet.”

“Fair enough,” Marcel conceded with a nod, still smiling all the same. He hadn’t really been expecting Juliette to tell him very much, if anything at all. That was just the way that she was. “I don’t suppose earning them would entail sharing a joint this time around, would it? Or at least some half-decent brandy?”

[marcelosalcedo-blog]

andrewofthewoods:

“Hey, I’m an only child. I welcome all this familial bonding stuff. Jake is basically my brother, but it’s nice to bond with my in laws. It’s good to be on good terms with you all. I’m glad you approve of me.”

“You’re a decent, upstanding guy, Andrew. If we didn’t approve of you, it’d be due to our own stubbornness. I still haven’t met Jake, believe it or not. He’s dating Gilly, right? We could always invite them both to the tasting.”

[marcelosalcedo-blog]

juliettckinney:

There were only a few people Juliette cared about in this town and Marcel was one of them. He also seemed to be one of the few who genuinely missed her. “I’ve been alright. You sound like you’ve missed me–that’s because you don’t have any friends, right?” She teased him, throwing one arm around him. “Good. You’re too good for these shitheads.”

Marcel couldn’t help but laugh a little at Juliette’s quip. It was like they were picking up right where they left off. “You mean other than my sister?” he told her with a lopsided smile. “Technically, you’re not wrong.” He shook his head fondly. “Man, I really missed you. What have you been up to? I bet you’ve got all kinds of wild stories to tell me.”

[marcelosalcedo-blog]

msadriana-dimarco:

“Oh…I’m sorry for your loss. I mean I guess I should have known when they weren’t at the wedding but still I’m sorry. I can’t imagine losing both parents.”

“It’s okay, really; it happened a long time ago. We all dealt with it in our own way, each of us. Of course it was rough, but my siblings and I, we’ve got each other. Wasn’t always that way, but we’re making up for it now.”