Marcus told Abby about his family during their long chats.  So she knew that the attractive redhead that answered the door wasn't his daughter.  She knew Grace was a blonde.  What she didn't know was how to properly introduce herself.<br/><br/>"Umm.  Abby Daniels.  I was the waitress who served Marcus whenever he ate at Charlie's Diner."  She cringed, realizing how lame she must have sounded.<br/><br/>To her credit, the redhead didn't look down her nose at Abby, but simply checked her guestlist, saw Abby's name, smiled, and greeted her with "Welcome, Ma'am.  Please let me show you to the parlor. There is a coffee urn and service there, if you wish. However, if you wish to use the powder room, then I will show you the way there."<br/><br/>Abby let go of the breath she'd been holding.  She'd been certain that this was some practical joke and she was going to be turned away at the door. Stepping forward, she was confronted with the ornate Grand Staircase, the high ceilings covered with frescos, and the beautiful wood paneling of the walls.  All she could say was "Wow".  Then realizing she was holding up traffic behind her, she stepped further into the room, hearing the echo of her heels on the marble floor.  She followed the redhead towards the parlor.  As big as this room was, she was eager to see what the rest of the mansion looked like.<br/><br/>"Coffee is all I really need," Abby told the young woman, as she made a beeline for the coffeepot.  "Thank you Rikkie.  You're a lifesaver."<br/><br/>Perhaps an exaggeration, but Abby wasn't at her best until she'd had her first cup of coffee.  Caffeine might make other people jittery, but it seemed to calm her nerves a bit.  So while everyone else was milling about, she wandered off to start peeking in doors.  After all, she suspected this was going to be her one and only opportunity to see how the rich lived.<br/><br/>The first room she arrived at was the library.  But she backed quietly away from the door upon seeing two people who seemed to match Marcus's description of his children.  They looked like they were having an argument and she wanted none of that.  She was aware that Marcus had cut them out of his will.  In fact, she'd argued with him about it, believing his actions were a mistake that he would regret the rest of his life.  She had no idea how shortened that life was about to become at the time.  She could persuade Marcus to her point of view on a lot of things, but when it came to family, he was so pigheaded.<br/><br/>Abby was not looking forward to introducing herself to Grace.  Marcus blew hot and cold in his conversations about Grace.  One visit to the diner, he would be regretting his treatment of her.  The next visit, he would be raging over something she had done.  As for Greg, he was merely an afterthought in the conversation, not worthy of his father's anger or regrets.<br/><br/>Quietly moving on, Abby explored every room she dared to on the first floor, ending up at the kitchen.  The kitchen was to die for.  She was the designated baker for Charlie's Diner, which meant she was the one that baked the pies and cakes, either the night before or very early in the morning.  The kitchen at the diner was cramped, making that task hard to do.  Here, she could fit a month's worth of pastries on that island in the middle of the kitchen.<br/><br/>"Oh, hello," she said to the man and woman already in the kitchen.  Uncertain whether she was supposed to be exploring this deeply into the house, she backed out into what turned out to be the dinning room.  Which also appeared to be where the guests were eventually going to assemble, given that there were names next to each of the place settings, hers among them.