“Of course you are.”Olivia knelt beside her daughter and opened the cooler.“You always are.”
She passed out the sandwiches and drinks her mom had made, along with a container of fresh fruit and another one of cookies.
“So Donna tells me you work at Parker’s, right?”Barry asked Emily.
“I do. And I work at the history museum part-time. I love it. There is so much history to this area and the whole state.”Emily set down her soda.“Like that old hotel. Mom said you were in town to manage restoring it. The hotel has a fascinating past.”
Emily’s eyes lit up when she talked about the history of the area. Emily had always loved learning everything about the past, in this area and worldwide.
“Do they have books about the hotel’s history at the museum?”Barry asked.
“We do. We sell quite a few books about the history of the area. It helps fund the museum.”
“I should check them out. Del tried to keep the hotel as close to its origins as possible. You know, with updated wiring and plumbing.”He grinned.
Emily laughed.“You should stop by then. We’re at Third and Magnolia. Do you know where that is?”
“Strangely, I do. I believe I got lost there this week.”Barry smiled.“But Donna kindly rescued me.”
As Barry chatted with Emily, he kept glancing at Donna. If Olivia’s instincts were correct, he was interested in her mom. He’d have to make some obvious move toward her, though, because her mother sure wouldn’t make one toward him. He’d have to ask her out, act interested. Heck, he’d probably have to spell it out for her. Her mother was no expert on dating.
Or maybe…she could give them a little nudge.
“Barry, I hate to impose…”But she really didn’t.“But since Em is so interested in the hotel and its history. Do you think she and I could come see it while you’re working on restoring it? Mom, you’d love to see it, too, wouldn’t you?”She turned to her mother and gave her an innocent look.
“Oh…well, yes. I suppose I would.”
Emily jumped up dumping her pail of shells in her exuberance.“I’dloveto see it. Can we? Please, Mr. Richmond?”
“Call me Barry. And I don’t see why not.”
“Grams, you want to go, too. Don’t you? Didn’t you say you used to go there when you were young? Before it closed down?”
“You were once there, too. We got you ice cream from their ice cream shop by the bay, and you sat outside eating the cone until you dropped it and started crying,”Olivia informed her daughter.“But Grams bought you another scoop.”
“I don’t remember that.”
“You were really young. It was right before it closed down.”Olivia smiled at the memory. It would be nice to have the hotel open again. She had good memories of going there herself as a young girl.
Barry turned to Heather.“Would you like to come, too?”
“I would.”Heather nodded.“I’m happy it’s going to open again.”
“How does tomorrow afternoon work for everyone? The workers won’t be back until Monday so it won’t be so noisy.”
“That sounds perfect.”Olivia looked over at her mother and Heather who both nodded.
“Great,”Barry said, then frowned slightly.“So, since the three generations of Parker descendants are here today and you’re coming to The Cabot Hotel tomorrow, who’s running the store?”
“That would be the Keating boys. They work one weekend a month so we can get a break, and help out at other times, too,”Donna explained.
Olivia laughed at Barry’s expression.“No doubt you’re picturing two young kids running the store. The Keating brothers are in their sixties. Retired. They’ve always been known as the Keating boys, though. Almost as if they’re one person. I don’t know. Just a quirk of our town, I guess. Anyway, they like working in the store for a change every now and again. They worked there when they were teenagers. Moved on to their careers, then came back asking for part-time work to keep busy after they both retired.”
“Speaking of which. We should probably pack up and head back home. I do want to pop into the store and make sure everything is going well.”Her mother stood.
“Mom, you’re supposed to be taking the day off.”
“And I did, didn’t I?”she insisted.“Well, mostly.”
