The Parker Women

by Kay Correll

  “Sounds beautiful.”

  Olivia couldn’t quite read her mother’s expression—probably because it shifted three or four times in as many seconds, as though acting out whatever war was raging in her thoughts. One side must have won because her mother smiled at Barry. “So… would you like to join us?”

  Ah, so that was what she was warring with. Wondering whether to invite her new neighbor.

  “I—are you sure I wouldn’t be intruding?” Barry looked between Olivia and her mother.

  “Not at all,” her mother insisted.

  “Please join us,” she added to her mother’s invite. Hey, if her mother wanted to invite some man to go with them, more power to her. Maybe she was just being neighborly, but maybe not. There was a bit of sparkle to her eyes when she spoke to Barry. Interesting…

  “Great. Then I’d love to go.” He gave her mother a warm smile. A very warm smile.

  “Meet us at my dock at nine on Saturday. I’m packing us all a picnic.”

  “Can I bring anything?”

  “Nope, I’ve got it all under control. We’ll see you then.” Her mother hurried off to help a group of customers entering the shop.

  Hm… this turn of events was certainly different. She’d have to keep an eye on her mother. See if there was anything going on between her and this Barry guy. Not that she minded if there was. Her mother rarely dated. She’d dated Stan Winkleman off and on years ago. Like lots of years ago. Stan had fallen by the wayside about the time Emily was born. Her mother had been so busy with the shop and helping raise Emily. She guessed Stan had gotten tired of too many no-I’m-busys back then.

  Saturday was looking like it would be an interesting trip. She smiled to herself as she went to wait on another customer.

  Chapter 7

  Donna checked the boat on Saturday morning to make sure everything was set for their outing. She’d packed a large rolling cooler with their picnic. The weather was warm for a winter’s day, but she still wore a light jacket. People always imagined that southern Florida had hot summery days all year long, but in the winter she did have to occasionally wear jeans and sweaters. She should have thought to tell Barry to bring a jacket. It got kind of breezy this time of year on the bay.

  And why had she invited Barry? She hardly knew him. She’d tried hard to convince herself that she was just being neighborly. That was all this was. She’d almost convinced herself. Almost.

  She glanced up as she heard laughter and saw Olivia, Emily, and Heather approaching the dock. Barry trailed not far behind them.

  “Hey, Heather, this is Barry. Mom’s neighbor for a bit,” Olivia said. “And, Barry, have you met my daughter, Emily?”

  “Not formally. Saw her at Parker’s, though. Nice to meet both of you.” He turned to Donna. “I brought a jacket. Figured it might get chilly on the boat ride.”

  “It might.” She nodded. “All of you come aboard. Let’s get this outing started.”

  She hugged Heather as she climbed aboard. “So glad you’re home for a bit and could join us. We’ve missed you.”

  “I missed you all, too. Can’t wait to get out on the beach.” Heather hugged her back, then headed to the bow.

  The girls all grabbed seats near the bow. Barry came back by the captain’s seat… which was really a bench. A small bench, but big enough for two if they sat close. Very close.

  “Mind if I join you here?” He nodded at the seat.

  “Yes. I mean, no.” She shook her head at her foolishness. Why was she suddenly so nervous? “Yes, join me.” There, that was better.

  He slid onto the bench beside her and she smelled the fresh scent of a woodsy aftershave. His arm bumped against hers and she tucked hers close to her side.

  She maneuvered them away from the dock, and they wandered through the canal system at a slow speed. She turned to Barry. “Minimum wake through the waterways to prevent damage to the seawalls, and it helps protect the manatees, too. We’re about twenty minutes from the inlet that leads to the bay at this speed.”

  “This is just fascinating to me. I’ve never been somewhere like this.” He looked all around as they slid past expensive mansions with tiny original homes tucked between them.

  Almost all were well kept and each beautiful in its own way. Many had pool cages over their pools to protect from the bugs. This time of year she loved to have all her sliders opened to the caged area. It made the house feel so expansive.

  “Years ago, they dug out the land and made the canal system. The original part is up near the bay, near the downtown area. Then they added this part, also years ago—my grandparents built the house I live in—and the town kept expanding into new areas. South of us there’s a brand new area that’s booming with new homes and a smattering of condos, but I really like this older area the best.”

  “I’d never find my way back to your house through the canals with all the twists and turns we’ve made.”

  She smiled. “I grew up here so it’s all imprinted on my brain. It takes a bit to learn the ways out to the bay for newcomers, I’m sure.”

  They slid through the waterways until they reached the outlet to the bay. As they got past the channel markers, she increased their speed and they slipped across the waters toward the small islands that dotted the entrance to the bay and lined the gulf near Moonbeam.

  She’d heard all the arguments that they weren’t really on the ocean, or technically not on the sea. Moonbeam Bay was on the Gulf of Mexico. But it didn’t matter to her. It was ocean as far as she was concerned.

  She steered them out across the bay, ignoring the fact that Barry sat right against her, leaning close to ask questions over the noise of the motor and the wind. She pulled up to a dock on the bay side of the island and Olivia scampered out to tie them up.

  “In the summer, we usually just anchor on the beach side and wade ashore. But it’s a bit chilly for that now. So, we’ll take the boardwalk across the island, it’s not far,” she explained to Barry.

  He helped swing the cooler with their picnic up onto the dock. Its large wheels made it easier to pull across the boardwalk and beach. Olivia gathered the large bag with the beach blankets, Heather grappled with the beach umbrella, and Emily grabbed a small bucket for her shelling.

  The girls walked at a faster pace and soon pulled away from where she and Barry walked, tugging the cooler along with them. Soon the waters of the gulf came into view.

  “Oh, look. A blue heron.” She pointed to where the large bird made his majestic flight above them.

  Barry paused and shielded his eyes from the sun, watching the bird as it landed at the edge of the water in front of them. “Impressive bird.”

  “They are. One of my favorites.” Though she had lots of favorite birds. The blue herons. The very pelicans this island was named after. The bright red cardinals. She loved going to the nearby wildlife area and birdwatching. Well, she used to. Back when she had time for things like that. She frowned slightly, wondering when she’d last gone and making a mental note to plan an outing there soon.

  They got to the sand and tugged the cooler across to where the girls had spread out a couple of blankets and stuck the umbrella in the ground in case they needed a spot of shade.

  “Mom, Emily’s already off down the beach shelling. Heather and I are going to head that way and catch up with her.”

  She nodded at Olivia and dropped onto the worn, much-used beach blanket. The warmth of the sun seeped through her and she shrugged off her jacket. Barry sank onto the blanket beside her and slipped his off too.

  “Can’t ask for better weather than this. Hard to believe it’s winter. I’m not complaining about lack of shoveling snow or the lack of needing a winter coat.” He gave her an easy smile.

  A smile that somehow relaxed her and made her a bit edgy at the same time. So she concentrated on ignoring it. “I do love winters here. There are more people and traffic this time of year. The tourists flock here to avoid those winters, but it just brings in more
business to the town. It’s good for the economy.” She laughed. “And the tourists do seem to like ice cream and then explore the general store. Win-win.”

  “And if they’re anything like me, they’ll come back daily for ice cream while they’re in town.” He gave her that easy, trouble-free smile again, and she shifted restlessly beside him.

  Olivia walked at the water’s edge with Heather. The water chilled her bare feet but wasn’t unbearable. It felt almost like old times with her cousin here walking beside her. Heather paused and picked up a shell, leaned over and rinsed it in the water, and tucked it in her pocket.

  “One more for your collection?” Olivia teased.

  “I just picked up this pretty antique glass vase at that new secondhand shop that opened in town. I thought I might fill it with shells.”

  “You already have a half dozen or more containers of shells at your condo. You realize that, right?” She laughed. “But, what’s one more? You should probably double down on your efforts of collecting them today.”

  “What can I say? I love to go shelling.”

  “Then you should come home more often and go shelling with me. I miss you when you’re away.”

  “Home.” Heather paused. “I… I don’t really feel like I have a home anymore.”

  The sentence tore at Olivia’s heart. “Oh, Heather. Of course, you do. Moonbeam will always be your home.”

  Heather shrugged. “I don’t know. My condo doesn’t feel like a home. And Moonbeam… sometimes it doesn’t feel like home anymore, either. I feel like a fraud when the stores label me as a local artist when they sell my prints.”

  She stood next to Heather not failing to miss the loneliness in her cousin’s voice. She grabbed Heather’s hand and squeezed it. “Why don’t you move back here? You don’t need to travel around so much now, do you? You could buy a place that you love and make it feel like home. You know I’d love having you back here.”

  “And I’d love seeing you more. But I’ve moved on… why would I come back?”

  “Don’t be silly. You have me and Em. You have Mom. And you have your mother… even though I know that whole relationship is… difficult. And…” She stopped, wondering if she was brave enough to go on. She plunged ahead. “And your father isn’t here much. There’s no reason to let him chase you away anymore.”

  Heather looked out at the blue water of the gulf. “I— I don’t know. I just don’t know.”

  “You should at least think about it.”

  Heather turned back, sadness etched on her features. “I don’t think… I don’t think I’m strong enough to move back.”

  “Hey, Heather, look at this cool shell.” Emily hurried up to them before Olivia could assure Heather that of course she was strong enough.

  Heather’s face slipped into a reluctant, if not totally convincing, smile. “Here, Em, let me see.”

  The three of them headed back toward the beach blankets, Emily and Heather pausing frequently to pick up shells. She smiled at their shared love of beachcombing, always looking for that interesting find. It was nice to have Heather here. She’d just work on getting her cousin to stay this time. At least she’d try…

  They got to the blankets and Emily plopped down. “I’m starving.”

  “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’d love to 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.”

  Mostly. Even when her mom took a day off, she usually found a reason to pop back into the store. When was the last time her mother had a day when she didn’t once step into Parker’s? She frowned as she stood and brushed the sand from her legs, gathering up items to put back into the cooler.

  Maybe she’d just make it her mission to see that her mother took a full day off.

  She laughed to herself. She’
d probably have about as much luck with that as she was going to have convincing Heather to move back to Moonbeam.

  Chapter 8

  Barry waved to Olivia, Emily, and Heather as they left the dock. He turned to help Donna with the cooler. “Here, let me get that.” He swung it onto the dock.

  Donna checked the boat, climbed off, and put the lift up, suspending the boat over the canal water. He nodded at the lift. “Those are different than what we had on a lake near us when I was growing up. The boats there were on lifts that float on pontoon-like supports.”

  “These are used here because of the changes in the tides, suspending the boats from cables.” Donna pointed across the lake to a large trawler. “Though some larger boats are kept just tied up to their dock, and not on lifts.”

  “Not really a boater myself, but I sure enjoyed going out today.”

  “I learned my way around a boat probably about the time I could walk.” Donna’s eyes sparkled as she laughed. “My grandfather would set me and my sister on his knees and let us steer his boat. Anyway, been boating ever since. At least when I make time for it.”

  “Speaking of making time. Could I repay you for your kind invite by making you dinner tonight? I could grill out some burgers for us?”

  Indecision flitted across her face.

  “I really do need to check on the store.”

  “That would give me time to run get groceries.” He waited for her reply, suddenly not wanting to spend his evening all alone.

  “How about this? You get the makings for burgers, and I’ll make us salad to go with them. We can grill at my place. You can see the view. It looks like it will be a spectacular sunset with all the clouds in the sky.” She laughed. “Unless they all dissipate. You just never know.”

  “Okay. That sounds like a plan. I’ll be over about five-thirty? Does that work?”

  “It does.”

  He pulled the cooler up to her house, then picked it up, following her inside and placing it down on the tile floor of the kitchen. He looked around the room. The walls were a light neutral almost white while the cabinets were stained a warm gray color. She had pops of teal and yellow in the kitchen that followed through to items scattered around the great room. Large windows encased the showy view of the lake created by the convergence of a smattering of canals.