warm-hearted and caring. And Jim loved the boy, especially as he paid him even less than he paid Isabella or Maria. He was hard working and he didn’t understand much of anything that was going on in the inn which suited Jim perfectly. He had never asked for a raise or anything, he was happy with what he got. Which made Old Jim happy too.
It was a busy day at the inn, lots of customers and a lot of work to be done. Tom was cutting wood in the yard to keep the fire going in the stove and the fireplace. Otherwise the inn would get cold which would drive the customers away and drive Old Jim nuts. And Tom didn’t want that. As for the women, they were busy cooking and serving at the tables while Jim was also serving and making money.
As for Samantha, or Sam as she was most often called, she was under a customer's table playing with a small rag doll, drawing as little attention to her as possible. She was a good child, content with the little attention she could get from her mother before they cuddled in bed together every night. At least then she didn’t have to share her mom's attention with anyone else. During the days, her mom had to work to earn their living, their right to stay and eat there. But before going to bed, Isabella poured all her love on her. She'd make up stories for her daughter and cover her little body in loving kisses. Then she'd be the first to fall asleep as she was always tired from the day's work. And Sam would stay awake a bit more in the dark room, listening to her mom's heartbeat. That was always so comforting for the little child.
Then she would hug her mom and fall asleep beside her under the cover, trying to keep warm. Their room didn’t have a fireplace in it and it was pretty cold during the winter days. Sometimes, when it was really cold, her mother would warm some water and pour it in plastic bottles which she'd put under the covers for them to hug to get warm as their bodies' warmth wasn’t enough….