The Parker Women Page 11

  They drove back to Moonbeam chatting about people they’d met and trying to decipher a few of the choices of appetizers. The motion of the car began to lull her to sleep, but she struggled to stay awake to keep Barry company on the drive.

  Barry glanced over at Donna and smiled. She was sound asleep in her seat, her face relaxed and peaceful. He knew she’d do fine at the get-together, and she had. But events like that were tiring. He’d done his part, chatting about the opening of the hotel until he just couldn’t bear it another moment. The crowded room, the buzz of conversation. He was glad Donna seemed ready to go when he was.

  It was strangely intimate to be driving home in the darkness with Donna sleeping beside him. Okay, in her own seat, but still it was peaceful and calming after the hubbub of the evening.

  He finally pulled into her driveway, leaving the car running, unwilling to disturb her. But he couldn’t sit out here all night with the car running. She stirred a bit and he reluctantly shut off the car.

  She blinked a few times, stirred again, then looked over at him with sleepy eyes and a sheepish look. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

  “No problem. It was a long night.”

  She stretched her arms out and cocked her head from one side to the other. “It was, but now more people know about Parker’s expansion and the opening of The Cabot, so we did what we’d planned to do.”

  “That they do.” He got out and went around to open the car door for her.

  She slipped out and walked to the door. “I’m glad you asked me to go. I had a better time than I thought I would.”

  “I’m glad you did.” He stood staring at her in the muted light filtering out the windows. More tendrils of her hair had worked loose and framed her face. She held her shoes in her hand. He understood that. He couldn’t wait to get back to his house and kick off his dress shoes. Yet… he didn’t want to leave her. Not yet.

  Besides, maybe he should kiss her. It sounded like a good idea, didn’t it?

  She stifled a yawn and his manners kicked in.

  “I better go. It’s late.” The kiss would have to wait. Besides, he wasn’t certain it was a good idea or not.

  She nodded. “Thanks, again.”

  He turned and headed back to the car and drove the one house over and pulled into the garage. Grabbing his coat and tie from the backseat, he headed inside. The house was deadly quiet and empty after the noise of the evening and the comfortable, intimate atmosphere of driving home in the darkness with Donna.

  He slipped off his shoes and padded to the front window and stood staring at Donna’s house. As he watched, the house darkened when she turned off the front lights. She was probably headed for bed.

  Which he should do, too. But as tired as he was, he was wired, too. He headed through the house and out onto the small, screened lanai and sank into one of the comfortable overstuffed chairs. The sky was filled with twinkling stars and the moon cast a shaft of light across the water in the canal. The tide was coming in and the water lazily drifted past the dock in front of the house and onward. The tide changes fascinated him. He’d been surprised to see how far the water in the canals rose and fell with the tides.

  He’d toyed with buying some fishing gear so he could fish off the dock, not that he had much free time. He sat outside, listening to the lullaby of the night sounds until sleep threatened to overcome him. He shoved out of the chair and went inside, reluctantly leaving the night behind him.

  Chapter 17

  Barry sat at the bar at Jimmy’s out on the wharf, sipping a beer. It had been a long day at the hotel and he wanted to unwind before heading home. He turned when someone sat on the barstool next to him, then grinned.

  “Well, hello there, Delbert. Looks like you had the same idea that I did.”

  “Looks like it.” Del nodded to the bartender. “I’ll have that local craft beer.” He pointed to a sign up high above the bar. “It’s been a long day.”

  Barry laughed. “I was just thinking the same thing.”

  “So, did Donna enjoy the get-together at The Hamilton? We sure had a good turnout.”

  “She did. And there were a ton of people there.”

  “By the end of the night, I’m pretty sure everyone knew about the grand reopening of The Cabot.” Delbert smiled. “I even heard Donna talking about it to a group of ladies she was chatting with.”

  “I knew she’d have a good time. She’s so easy to talk to, and people just seem to like her.” He liked her…

  “Oh, and I finally met Evelyn in person this week. Looks like she’s doing a great job with the grand opening. She said she’s calling it a gala. A 1920s theme. She has some great ideas and seems very capable.”

  “I think so, too. Glad to have someone else in charge of that. She’s got catering set up and servers. Invitations went out weeks ago, plus basically the whole town of Moonbeam is invited.”

  “Sounds like it will be perfect. And I’ll be glad when we get our official occupancy permits. Should be soon. I’m going to move into one of the suites for the last few weeks until we open.” The bartender brought Del’s beer and he took a sip.

  “You are? Well, that’s probably more convenient than staying on Belle Island.”

  Delbert stared at his beer glass for a moment, then looked directly at him. “I haven’t been staying on the island. I’ve been driving into Sarasota and staying at The Hamilton.”

  “Really?”

  Delbert let out a long breath and grimaced. “Seems that Camille and I are on the outs. I tried really hard with her. I did. She was charming and fun to be with when she wanted to be.” He shrugged. “But she was a bit… difficult. And sometimes she could be a bit… um… self-centered.”

  And by self-centered, if Delbert meant mean girl, he’d agree with him.

  “Anyway, I can’t have her talking to my employees like she did to Emily, and it wasn’t the first time. I’m always running interference between her remarks and people I care about. This deal with Emily was the last straw. She said she was heading back to Belle Island and…”

  Barry stayed silent letting Del continue or not.

  “She expected me to apologize for asking her to not interfere in my business decisions of who I hire. And I asked her to not speak to them like she did. I feel like people who work for me are my family. Camille? Well, she doesn’t understand that. She was raised… differently.”

  “So, are you just taking a small break? Giving her time?”

  “No, I’m thinking it’s a permanent break. Honestly, I’m fond of her, but the woman wears me out with her demands and her acidic remarks to people. And… she tends to be a bit, ah, overly dramatic at times.”

  No kidding. And Delbert was one of the most down to earth people Barry had ever met. Even though he was in charge of all the new properties that Hamilton Hotels opened and was next in line to take over the whole company from his father. He did treat his employees well and people loved to get jobs at his hotels as evidenced by the massive number of applicants for jobs at The Cabot.

  “I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you two.” Though, he really wasn’t. He wasn’t much impressed by Camille’s whole attitude and couldn’t forget the tears he’d seen in Emily’s eyes when Camille made her dismissive remarks to her.

  “It’s for the best. Things have been rough for a while now. I just didn’t have the energy to actually go through with explaining to her why things weren’t working out. Didn’t want to hurt her feelings. And—” Delbert grinned. “I’m sure it’s better that she decided we should break up than I did. But it’s just… well, breakups are tough, aren’t they?”

  He nodded. “They are.”

  “Anyway, as soon as the permits go through, I’ll move in. It will be easier than commuting to Sarasota.”

  “Should only be a few more days.”

  “So, I’m starving, you want to grab a sandwich here or something?” Del asked.

  “That sounds like a plan. I was trying to
think what I had in the fridge to cook at home, and the pickings were pretty sparse. I’m not much of a cook these days. Just don’t have the time.” Barry figured Del could use the company tonight. He seemed a bit down—though possibly relieved—about the whole Camille thing.

  “Perfect. Let’s get dinner.”

  They had their meal, chatting about the rehab, and what was left to do on the finishing touches. An hour later they left, with Delbert heading to Sarasota.

  Barry headed back to Sandpiper Court, by now knowing his way all around town with no missteps in the wrong direction. He loved being able to walk everywhere. He’d miss that when this job was over. He doubted he’d ever get a job in a small town like this again. More’s the pity.

  His footsteps fell softly on the sidewalks as he walked home in the moonlight, feeling at peace and at one with his world, perhaps for the first time in his life.

  Chapter 18

  Olivia had been working from early mornings until hours after Parker’s closed for weeks and weeks now, trying to get everything sorted out with the expansion. Things were going well, except when they weren’t. They’d run into some glitches that cost more than she’d budgeted, but a few—very few—things came in under budget and she’d made a few cost-saving decisions.

  The original section of Parker’s was taking shape, at least. New lighting to brighten up the once dark corners. She’d scored on some old sturdy wooden shelving units from a store that was closing a few towns over. They made the perfect backdrop for when people entered the store, filled with items that were most needed by their customers.

  The back section of the new building was connected first, floor refinished, and she’d moved so much of the lesser bought inventory over there so the original building wasn’t so crowded. While she’d done that, they’d refinished the wooden floors in the original building.

  She had to admit, she was pretty proud of how it had all turned out so far. All she needed was to get the as-yet unnamed cafe opened and the ice cream counter up and running again.

  She looked up as Heather ducked under the rope blocking off the unopened section. “Hey, cuz.”

  “Hey, yourself. You’ve been scarce.” Olivia put down the cloth she was using to clean the windows.

  “You’re one to talk. You’ve turned down my last two invites to dinner and you don’t meet me at Brewster’s for coffee anymore in the mornings.”

  “I know. I’m sorry. I’ve just been so busy.”

  She heard the front door to the cafe open and turned around to tell yet another person they weren’t opened yet. Could people not read the sign on the door? The townspeople were curious, and many had stopped by to see how things were going. As she turned, she was surprised to see Aunt Evelyn standing there. She glanced at Heather and saw that her cousin was more surprised than she was.

  “Hi.” Aunt Evelyn walked further in, closing the door behind her. “I wanted to come see how things were coming along.”

  “Well, Parker’s is doing great. You should peek in there. And we’ve expanded in the back of the building here. I just need to get the cafe up and running.”

  “How’s that coming along?”

  “It’s… slow. I’ve got the permits for the kitchen, and this week the order of tables and chairs will be here. But I haven’t found someone to do the baking to stock the bakery counter. I want to start with just baked goods, some really great coffee, and then we’ll still have the ice cream counter, of course.”

  “I could,” Aunt Evelyn said.

  “You could what?” Heather asked the same question Olivia had been thinking.

  “I could bake for the cafe. I certainly know Grandmother’s recipes.”

  “But…” Heather’s face held a puzzled expression.

  “I think I might like it. I do love to bake.” Evelyn glanced around the cafe but avoided looking directly at Heather.

  “I know you do, Aunt Evelyn. And you’re a wonderful baker. But this would be a full-time job and—” She wasn’t certain if her aunt was joking… or what was actually going on here.

  “Yes, I do believe I’ll take this job.” Evelyn nodded confidently.

  “Are you sure?” Olivia hadn’t known her aunt to ever work. Then again, she had taken the job planning the grand opening of The Cabot.

  “I’m sure. The gala event for The Cabot is next week. After that, I’ll be free and clear. How long until the cafe is ready to be opened?”

  “I was hoping by the end of the month.”

  “Perfect timing, then. I’ll finish up the gala, and in the meantime I’ll drop by tomorrow. We’ll start a list of ingredients to order. I’ll bring my ideas on what items we could serve. I’m thinking we’ll vary them each day?”

  “Yes, whatever you think.” Relief rushed through Olivia, but there was still the tiniest bit of apprehension that Aunt Evelyn would change her mind.

  “Okay, then. See you tomorrow.” Aunt Evelyn turned and left.

  Heather sank onto a large crate. “I don’t understand. Mother has never worked. Ever. And she took that job planning the gala for The Cabot, but I thought that was just this one-time deal because it sounded like fun to her. But now… she wants a full-time job?”

  “Who wants a full-time job?” Donna entered the cafe.

  “Aunt Evelyn just said she was going to take on being the baker for the cafe for Livy.”

  “No. She didn’t say that.” Her mother frowned.

  “Yes, she did. Insisted she wanted the job.” Heather got up and paced the floor. “I don’t understand it. She just… doesn’t work.”

  “Something is going on with her. I just know it. She’s acting… different.” Her mother’s brow creased. “I think I’m going to head over to her house in a bit and talk to her.”

  “Good luck with that. Mother is never very… forthcoming.” Heather picked up her purse. “I’m going to head out. I hope this works out for you with Mother taking the job. I just don’t want you to get hurt or get left stranded.”

  “I’m sure it will be fine.” But Olivia knew that was a lie. She wasn’t certain at all.

  Donna headed out a few hours later, determined to talk to Evelyn. As she walked out of Parker’s she spotted Jackie and Jillian approaching. Unfortunately, they saw her and waved before she had a chance to duck back inside the store.

  “Oh, Donna. There you are.” Jackie hurried up to her with Jillian just steps behind. Both sisters’ faces were flushed and Jackie was out of breath.

  Although most people said they had a hard time telling the twins apart, she never had any trouble. Well, no trouble with telling them apart, just trouble with… them. And their gossip.

  “So, how is the expansion going?” Jillian asked. “We tried to get into the new side, but Olivia chased us out. Said it wasn’t safe to have people in there yet with all the work going on.”

  Olivia probably had just wanted to find a reason to shoo them out the door… Donna pasted on a smile. “Things are going great. Just great. Should be ready to open soon.”

  “Really? That’s quick. I sure hope this whole expanding Parker’s works for you. I mean, it’s not like you were that busy anyway, were you?” Jackie shook her head.

  “Business has been good. Great, actually.” She didn’t know why she was defending her store to these two, but if they were going to spread gossip, it might as well be gossip that Parker’s was doing fabulously. Even if they were just doing… okay. And she hoped this expansion didn’t tax their finances too much. But the Jenkins twins didn’t need to know that.

  “So…” Jackie leaned forward and lowered her voice in a conspiratorial whisper. “I heard that Evelyn has been talking to Steve Anderson, the new realtor in town.”

  “I wonder what she was talking to him about.” Jillian added, her over-dyed locks of midnight black hair bobbing along with her head. “Do you think that she and Darren are looking to move? Though I can’t imagine ever wanting to leave their gorgeous house. Right there on the harbor. It’s lov
ely. And I’m not sure there’s a larger, nicer house in Moonbeam to buy.”

  “She’s probably just checking out the market value. She likes to keep up on those types of things,” Donna said quickly. There was no need for the Jenkins sisters to know that Evelyn never cared about those kinds of things. At all. She let Darren deal with all things financial.

  Jillian looked disappointed. “Oh, I guess that’s probably right.”

  “Well, I’ve got to run.” Donna glanced down the sidewalk, planning her escape. “Sorry I don’t have longer to stay and chat.”

  She turned and hurried away before they could ask her anything else. But now she had questions of her own. Why had her sister taken a full-time job, and why had she been talking to Steve Anderson? And why would she talk to a brand new realtor instead of one who had been here for years in Moonbeam?

  So many questions, and she was going to get some answers. She walked over to Evelyn’s and rang the doorbell. The thought flitted through her mind that it was strange that she rang the doorbell at Evelyn’s but her sister just walked into her house calling out she was there. Well, all the family just walked in and called out as they entered her home, and Evelyn was no exception.

  She waited for a minute, then rang the doorbell again. Where was Evelyn’s housekeeper? Even if Evelyn was gone, the housekeeper would answer the door.

  Finally, the door swung open and Evelyn stood in the doorway, an apron wrapped around her slender waist, a surprised look on her face. “Donna, what are you doing here?”

  Donna stepped inside without waiting to be invited. “I came to talk.” She looked at the foyer and the long hallway off to the side. Boxes were stacked everywhere. She turned to Evelyn. “You want to tell me what’s going on?”

  “I’m just getting rid of a few things. Come, have some tea.”

  She followed her sister to the kitchen a frown resting on her face. Evelyn was not telling her something. She knew it.

  Evelyn poured them some tall glasses of iced tea and led the way out onto her beautiful patio overlooking the harbor. They sat down in matching chairs.