All of a sudden Heather hugged her and laughed. “Livy,I think we’re the most normal out of our family. I’m glad we’re friends.”
Olivia hugged her back.“Yes, we were lucky. Wearelucky.”She pulled away slightly.“Even if I do have to share my birthday with you.”
Heather laughed again.“Hey, it’s my birthday, too. Just because you were born an hour before me, it’s still my day.”
“I still find it strange that we were born on the same day.”Olivia shook her head.“What are the odds?”
“Remember that one year when we were girls and we insisted we both were going to have our own party?”
“After years of sharing our parties? Yes, I remember.”
“Our friends couldn’t decide on which party to go to and didn’t want to hurt the other one’s feelings.”Heather laughed.“So, no one came.”
“To either of them.”Olivia grinned.“That was the last time we made that mistake.”
Olivia took Heather’s arm and they headed back downstairs. Emily came rushing up to them as they reached the first floor.
“Oh, Mom. You should see all the stuff Mr. Hamilton has in that storage room. Photo albums. Paintings. Guest registers dating back from the early nineteen hundreds. There’s even a couple of trunks of old clothes. Just so much cool stuff.”Emily swirled around them.
Olivia laughed.“Well, sounds like you’ll be busy sorting through all that.”
“I’m sure it will keep her busy. I can’t wait to see what we can come up with for the history area in the library,”Del added and turned to Emily.“And, Emily, call me Del. Please.”
“Really? Okay.”Emily’s eyes shone at being treated as an adult.
Her mother and Barry walked up to them.“Have you seen the ballroom? It’s not finished yet, but it’s starting to look like its old former glory.”Barry nodded to wide doorways across the two-story lobby.
“No, can we see it?”Emily danced around them again with her usual exuberance. Olivia would like to have about a tenth of her daughter’s energy at any given moment.
Barry smiled at her enthusiasm.“Sure thing.”Barry and Del led them across the lobby and swung open one set of many double doors lining the wall.
Olivia gasped as they stepped inside, looking up at the three-story arched ceiling high above them. Long balconies lined each level along the sides. Huge, ornate, chandeliers hung suspended from the ceiling.
“Oh, my gosh. It’s the most beautiful room I’ve ever seen.”Emily’s voice was hushed in awe.
“It is striking.”Heather stepped further into the room.“I’ve never been in here before.”
“It was closed off for years before the hotel was closed. Some structural damage to the roof. It’s all been repaired now.”Delbert strode into the room.“Come, come see it all. She’s going to be a grand lady again. I can’t wait to see people in here. Parties. Gatherings.”
They all walked to the center of the room, their footsteps echoing off the tall ceiling. Olivia couldn’t quit staring, her mouth open, at the grandeur of the ballroom. But at least she was in good company. Everyone stood with their necks craned staring up at the ornate ceiling above them. Light flowed through the windows lining the room, making flecks of construction dust dance in the beams of sunlight.
“Oh, I need to find some photos of this room from when they first build the hotel. We have to showcase those in the history alcove.”Emily spun slowly around.“I can almostfeelthe history in here.”
Her daughter was right. She could almost feel the history throbbing through her, too, if that were possible.
“It’s a fine thing you’re doing, Delbert, restoring this hotel,”Barry said as he stood looking up at the ceiling.
Delbert beamed.“I’m pretty proud of how it’s turning out. Nothing like restoring an old hotel to its former beauty. I never get tired of it. And this one is kind of special to me.”
“How come?”Emily stopped and turned toward Delbert.
“I used to come here as a boy with my grandparents. Very fond memories of the place.”
“That makes the history of the hotel even that much cooler.”Emily bobbed her head, her wild red curls bouncing around her shoulders.“You’ll have to tell me everything you remember about it.”
Delbert smiled.“I will. We’ll have a long sit down and I’ll tell you everything I can remember about it and then maybe, when she’s all restored, she’ll make magical memories for more people when they visit.”
Olivia never pegged him as the romantic he was turning out to be. She had to admit, Emily’s enthusiasm was catching. She, too, couldn’t wait to see how all the restorations turned out and looked forward to the hotel opening again.
