“So, for your date with Barry?”
“How did you—never mind. Nothing is secret here. Not that I was keeping it a secret.”
“I ran into Jackie and Jillian. They told me.”
Of course, they did.“Yes, we went on The Destiny. Jesse’s done a great job with that.”
“He has?”Evelyn’s eyes flew open in surprise.
Donna remembered that Evelyn wasn’t much of a fan of Jesse’s. He and Heather had been friends growing up and Evelyn and Darren had thought that Jesse wasn’t a good influence on Heather. But Donna had always thought he was a fine young man. Just one more thing they disagreed on.
“Yes, it was nice. You should go on one of his dinner cruises.”
Evelyn looked unconvinced and set her glass down.“So I heard that you bought the building next to Parker’s.”
Well, that was a ping-pong subject change.“Ah…well, Olivia did. She wants to expand the store.”
“And you think it’s wise to take out a loan now? Didn’t you say that you were just getting Parker’s to a profitable spot these days?”
Now what was she supposed to say? Evelyn obviously didn’t know about Heather investing in the store. So, she evaded the question.“I think it will work out.”
“I don’t know how you can even consider it. You’re so busy as it is.”
“Olivia says she’ll be in charge of it all. And she’s very excited about it.”
She could see the clear disapproval on Evelyn’s face. So maybe it wasn’t so much that her sister was lonely tonight, but that she wanted to voice her opinion about the expansion of Parker’s.
“I still think it’s risky.”Her sister’s voice was edged with disapproval.
“A bit. But we’ll make it work. Olivia has grand plans about sprucing up Parker’s and making it look more like the old general store instead of how cramped and cluttered it’s become as we added more inventory. I think that will attract more tourists to come in. And if she expands the malt shop into more of an eatery—or cafe or something like that. She’s thinking baked goods and maybe even sandwiches.”
“But you don’t cook. Or bake. Neither does Olivia, does she?”
“No, we’d have to hire someone. Olivia wants to use Grandmother’s recipes for a lot of the things she’d offer.”
“Really?”Evelyn nodded at that, finally approving of something.“They are the best recipes ever.”
Donna knew that Evelyn often made their grandmother’s recipes. She was an accomplished pie baker, unlike herself. She could not get a pie crust to taste good or be flakey like Evelyn’s no matter what she tried. And she was sure she was using the exact same recipe that Evelyn used. She sighed and took a sip of her wine.
The waiter came and took their order, giving her a chance to segue into a new subject.“So, I guess Darren is out of town again?”Had he even come backintown? She rarely saw him even when he was in Moonbeam.
“Yes, he’s out of town.”Evelyn fiddled with her fork, caught herself, and left it alone.
“He’s been gone a lot.”
“He’s busy, what can I say?”
Her sister had a strange marriage. She’d never seen much real affection between Evelyn and Darren, though she had to admit they made a smashing couple when they were all dressed up for their numerous fundraisers and business parties. Some of the beautiful people. They often had their photo in the paper from the various events.
Donna had had her photo in the paper exactly one time. The day she’d officially taken over running Parker’s. It was a photo of her and her grandparents in front of the store. And it hadn’t been exactly flattering.
She’d had on her usually worn slacks and Parker’s t-shirt. The day had been hotter than blazes and she’d been busy working in the store when a reporter for the local paper dropped in to write a brief article on the official change of managers. Though, to be honest, even after her official change to manager, her grandparents had often come in to help during the busy season. Most townsfolkstillconsidered it her grandparents’store, and her grandparents had passed away years ago.
They finished their dinner chatting about the great weather they’d been having and a new restaurant Evelyn wanted to try in Sarasota. Sounded like another up and coming trendy place that Evelyn would love and she herself would just…go along to please Evelyn and keep her company.
They paid their bill and walked out of the restaurant and down the long wharf. The twinkle lights strung on the storefronts lent a festive air to the wharf at night. She did like coming here even if she only came when Evelyn or Olivia insisted she get out. She much preferred her quiet nights at home, sitting out on the point.
But her sister thrived on activity and people and conversation. She might as well check that off as just another difference between them. She glanced over at Evelyn as they strolled along. Her clothes had no wrinkles, even after sitting for dinner. Her hair was perfectly in place, still.
