The Parker Women

by Kay Correll

  A small pool and spa were enclosed by a large pool cage, and an expansive lanai with tables, chairs, and chaise lounges stretched out from a sliding door off the kitchen. A wonderful, homey house. “Your home is just… charming.” He couldn’t think of a better word to describe it.

  Donna blushed a lovely shade of rose. “Thank you. I did make some changes after it became mine. Lightened the wall color. Restained the dark cabinets to this lighter gray color. I find I like doing the work myself. I’m always working on some kind of rehab project.”

  “Really?” He couldn’t remember if he’d ever so much as fixed something, which now that he thought about it was strange since he oversaw so much reconstruction. He’d never painted anything. Never lived anywhere long enough to need to paint anything. “Well, I’m impressed by your skills.”

  “Oh, just things my grandfather taught me how to do. Evelyn—that’s my sister—and I spent lots of time here with our grandparents. Our parents traveled around a lot. Some for my father’s work, some just for pleasure. But my grandparents were always glad to let us stay here with them. I think I might have spent more time here than at my parents’ house.” She shrugged. “Not complaining. Loved staying here with them.”

  “And your parents? They’re gone?” He didn’t know how to ask the question, exactly. Asking if they were dead seemed harsh. Dead was such a hard word.

  “My father… he passed away last year.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Ah, yes.” Donna turned and placed a tote bag on the counter. “Thanks.”

  Her tone was careful, measured, as though giving the reply that was expected but not heartfelt.

  “Mother lives in a retirement place in Naples. She’s off on a world tour with a group of ladies from there. I guess she’s having fun. Haven’t heard much from her on the trip.”

  She seemed to have a dispassionate vibe about not hearing from her mother. There was more to the story here, that much he could tell. But it wasn’t his way to pry. He’d asked enough questions.

  “I’m off, then. I’ll see you this evening?”

  She walked him through the house to the front door. “Bye.”

  He walked over to the small house he was renting. When he glanced back, he saw Donna standing in the doorway, watching him. That Donna Foster was an interesting woman and she intrigued him. He waved, then unlocked the door and slipped inside.

  Donna checked on Parker’s, but the Keating brothers had everything under control and chased her away, assuring her things were going well and they expected to not see her tomorrow. She went back home and set the table on the lanai for two. A strange number for her. It was usually just for one… and truth be told, she often just ate standing at the counter in the kitchen. And if she did set the table out here, it was for three when Olivia and Emily would join her.

  She placed white plates on sunny, yellow placemats with multi-colored cloth napkins. She grabbed the teal solar lantern from its place in the sun and placed it on the table for light after the sunset.

  After fluffing the pillows on the chairs and glancing around to make sure everything at least looked picked up, she hurried inside to change clothes. She stood in front of her large closet and stared into the abyss of familiarity. She’d basically worn the same size for years… and some of her clothes had been in this very same closet all that time. How could a woman have all these clothes, yet nothing to wear? Olivia was always offering to take her shopping, and now she wished she’d taken her daughter up it at least once. All her clothing was so… dated.

  She finally decided on a pale yellow top and a pair of soft gray slacks. She pulled her hair back and twisted it into a bun, though a few locks escaped. Glancing in the mirror, she hoped it came across as casual-chic and not messy-disheveled.

  She returned to the kitchen and made the salad, then looked around the room and put away some items that had accumulated on the counter until the kitchen looked all picked up. At the sound of a knock, she quickly hung up a kitchen towel and went to answer the door.

  She caught a glance of her reflection in the mirror by the door and tucked a flyaway hair behind her ear, still hoping for the casual-chic look. When she opened the door, Barry stood there, his arms laden with packages. A cloth bag of groceries, a bottle of wine tucked under his arm, and a bouquet of flowers in his other hand.

  “For you.” He handed her the flowers.

  “Thank you.” She motioned him inside and led him to the kitchen. When was the last time anyone had given her flowers? She couldn’t remember. A very long time. The simple gesture pleased her. Pleased her more than she could say.

  Barry set the bag and the wine on the counter. “I went ahead and made up the burgers, and I got some buns from the bakery, and… well, they had peach pie and I couldn’t resist. So I got us some slices.”

  “Perfect.” She hadn’t even thought of making a dessert. Besides, she was a so-so baker, not an expert like Evelyn.

  She arranged the flowers in a mason jar, admiring their simple beauty. Daises, white and yellow carnations, and a few bunches of baby’s breath. “They really are pretty. Thank you.”

  “My pleasure.” Barry glanced out to the lanai. “Let me open the wine, then should I start the grill?”

  “Sure. It’s gas. Should be all ready to go.”

  She handed him the wine opener, and he deftly uncorked the red wine. Then he walked outside and lit the grill, glancing back toward her once and smiling.

  It seemed… strange. Strange to have a man here doing such simple things as opening wine for her and starting the grill. She was always the one in charge. The one opening wine. Starting the grill. Cooking.

  He came back inside and poured wine into the two glasses she’d placed on the counter. He handed one to her and their fingers brushed. She looked quickly up into his eyes, and he was staring right back. Then a brief smile crept over his lips. “Ah, it’s nice out. Should we sit outside while the grill heats up?”

  She cleared her throat. “Yes, let’s.”

  They moved outside and settled onto two lounge chairs, facing the view out over Sunset Lake. Silence hung between them. She debated if it was a comfortable silence or an awkward one…

  Just talk to her. Say something.

  Barry silently commanded himself, not sure why he was so tongue-tied all of a sudden. He tried again. “Ah, it’s a nice evening. And your view is nice. It does look like we’ll have a nice sunset.” Nice, nice, nice. What was wrong with him?

  “It is a pleasant evening. I love this time of year. Well, I love all times of the year except maybe the dead of summer when it rains all the time and the humidity skyrockets. But even then, I’m okay with it. Wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.”

  “So you’ve lived here your whole life?”

  “I have.”

  “I can’t imagine that. I’ve lived… everywhere. Truly. I mostly just travel from job to job. I have a small apartment in Chicago. I’m rarely there, though. Mostly just a mailing address.”

  “Any family?”

  “Ah… no. I’m an only child. And both my parents are gone.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It was years ago. I was a bit of a—how should I say this—surprise to them later in life. They were thrilled though. They were great parents. They both died when I was just out of college, though.”

  “No aunts or uncles? Cousins?”

  “Afraid not. It’s just me.” He shrugged and took a sip of his wine. And usually, it didn’t bother him that it was just him. Usually. But today, seeing Donna with Olivia and Emily, it did make his lone existence seem a bit… lonely, empty, isolated. And Donna had her mom, her sister, and her niece. And who knew who else? Not to mention a lifetime of friends from growing up in this town.

  “Did you ever marry?” She interrupted his thoughts.

  “Ah, no. Almost. Once. But… it didn’t work out.” He looked over at her. “And you?”

  “I was married once. To Olivia’s fathe
r. He… left. Didn’t like living here in Moonbeam, didn’t like how his life changed when we had a child. He left when she was about two.”

  “That must have been hard for you.” He couldn’t imagine raising a child alone.

  “It was…” She shrugged. “It was what it was. I had no choice. I had my job at Parker’s, and my grandmother helped me with Olivia.”

  He noticed she said her grandmother helped her, not her mother.

  “Do you ever see him? Does he come see Olivia and Emily?” He was curious about this man who left Donna—a totally charming woman as far as he was concerned—and her young daughter.

  “No. He’s never seen Emily, and she’s sixteen now. I think the last time he was here was over twenty years ago.” She looked out over the water. “But his loss. He missed out on knowing two great young women.”

  “They do seem like exceptional young women. I really enjoyed our outing today.” He stood. “Let me go grab the burgers and get them on the grill.”

  He came back and grilled their dinner while they chatted of less serious topics. The new restaurant on the wharf. The best place to get fresh seafood. The weather for the upcoming week. Safe topics. He was fine with safe topics. Safe topics were nice.

  They ate their dinner, then moved to two Adirondack chairs out on the point as the sun dipped behind the palm trees on the far side of the lake. A lone sailboat slipped by under power, returning from a trip to the harbor, its sail down and stored. The sky darkened from pale yellow, to orange, to purple in an amazing kaleidoscope of color as the last of the sunset faded away.

  “That was remarkable,” he said as the stars began to poke out of the darkness above him. “I can’t remember the last time I’ve just sat and watched a sunset.”

  Her voice drifted over in a small laugh. “I do as often as I can. At least a couple times a week I sit out here and watch it. It’s my… happy time, I guess. So peaceful. Such a simple pleasure and it brings me so much joy.”

  He looked over at her profile in the soft evening light. He admired how she just appreciated such a simple, ordinary moment like a sunset. How she made time to come out and watch them.

  Truth be told, there was a lot he admired about this woman. He raised his glass in a silent salute to her, to the sunset, to the moment. Her lips curled into a smile, unaware of what a captivating picture she made with that smile and her wisps of hair floating around her face in the breeze. She raised her glass and they both took a sip, savoring the moment.

  Chapter 9

  Donna had arranged to meet Olivia, Emily, and Heather at The Cabot Hotel. Olivia laughed and called her out on stopping by Parker’s on the way. Which is exactly what she did. Everything was fine there, of course. The Keatings had everything under control.

  She walked through the opened doors of the hotel and heard voices. She followed the voices to find the girls standing in the doorway out to the back porch facing the bay. She hurried up to join them.

  Barry turned as she approached, a wide, welcoming smile on his face. “Donna, there you are. Good. We were just going out to see the view.”

  As she walked past him, he briefly touched her elbow and steered her outside. A simple gesture, yet… somehow it delighted her. Which was silly, of course.

  “I’d forgotten how beautiful it is here.” Heather looked out over the water in appreciation.

  “Me, too. I can just imagine staying at the hotel and having a drink out here on the porch and watching the sunset.” Donna looked out at the boats gliding through the waters of the bay. Some headed out to the gulf, some heading up the river that flowed into the harbor. The breeze blew her hair into her eyes, and she reached up to grab it in one hand to pull it back.

  She caught Barry staring at her and looked quickly away, pretending she hadn’t noticed.

  “When will you have the hotel ready to open?” Emily asked. “I can’t wait to see it all finished. Are you going to have a grand opening?”

  Barry laughed at all her questions. “Hoping to open in a few more months. Maybe three? Hadn’t thought about a grand opening.”

  “I think a grand opening party is a great idea.” Delbert Hamilton came walking out onto the deck.

  “Del, thought you were out of town for a bit longer.” Barry shook Del’s hand.

  “I was supposed to, but Camille planned a party over on Belle Island and wants me there. You know, duty calls.”

  Del didn’t look too thrilled about his duty, but that was none of Donna’s business. She assumed Camille was his girlfriend?

  Del turned to Olivia and Emily. “Good afternoon, ladies. And who is this?”

  “This is Heather, my cousin,” Olivia answered.

  “Nice to meet you, Heather.” Del gave her a warm smile.

  “We were talking about the hotel yesterday, and Emily here works at the history museum. Knew some interesting facts about the hotel, so I invited them to come see it,” Barry explained.

  “I’ve seen you working at Parker’s, but you work at the history museum, too?” Del’s eyes lit up. “And you know about the hotel?”

  Emily nodded. “I’ve been researching it some while I’m working at the museum.”

  “Ah, that’s fabulous. I found a whole storeroom of albums and memorabilia from days gone by here at the hotel. I’d actually been planning on a kind of history of the hotel with photos and displays in the library room off of the lobby.”

  “Oh, that’s a cool idea.” Emily nodded enthusiastically.

  “I need someone who’s interested in… well, to sort through everything and put things together for the room. Is that something you’d be interested in?”

  “Are you kidding? I’d love to do that.” Emily practically hopped up and down.

  Donna smiled at Emily’s eagerness and energy. The girl did love her history.

  “That’s perfect. I could show you the room now, then you could come and sort through things when it fits in your schedule. I know you must be busy with two jobs and school.”

  “We can adjust her workload at Parker’s so she has time for this,” Donna assured him. “I’m sure it’s something she’d really enjoy.”

  “I’ll pay you a fair wage, of course.”

  “You’ll pay me to do it?” Emily’s eyes widened. “Heck, I’d do it for free. It’s so cool.”

  They all laughed and Delbert smiled. “Of course, I’ll pay you. And it will be nice to have someone with knowledge of the hotel that I can ask questions of. Let me show you the room.”

  “I’ll be back, Mom. Okay?”

  Olivia nodded and turned to Donna as Emily and Del walked away. “Well, that’s a job right up Emily’s alley. She’ll be thrilled to sort through all those pieces of the past.”

  “Well, I’m grateful. I know Del had all that in storage and I was hoping he wasn’t wanting me to sort through it all. Much better someone who knows a bit about the town and the hotel.” Barry turned to her. “You sure you can spare her from Parker’s? I hate to steal her way.”

  “We’ll be fine,” Donna said.

  “Mind if Heather and I go upstairs and peek in some of the guest rooms?” Olivia asked.

  “Go right ahead. The ones on the top floor are mostly finished. The second floor, not so much.”

  “Okay, thanks. We’ll be back soon,” Heather said as she and Olivia hurried off to the main stairway.

  Barry turned back to her. “Want to poke around or sit and enjoy the view?”

  “Let’s sit for a few minutes.” She sat down on the top step of the wide wooden porch and Barry settled beside her.

  “Going to put some Adirondack chairs out here and a few gliders. I want this porch to be a place people can sit and chat and drink and just enjoy the view.”

  “I predict this hotel will be a smashing success when it’s opened again. I’m glad Del bought it and is giving it the care it deserves.” She glanced down the long porch, noticing random new planks put down here and there. The workers had been busy fixing things up.
“I’ve missed the hotel. Missed coming here. And Moonbeam is always grateful for another attraction to bring people to town. Tourism keeps the town going.”

  “I hope it is successful. It was a shame to let this fine place just sit empty.”

  “Not to mention the clamoring that had started to tear it down.” She sighed. “But it couldn’t just stay here empty forever.”

  “Well, now it won’t. We just need to finish the rehabbing and she’ll be open again and filled with people.”

  “Oh, look.” Donna pointed out at the bay. “The Destiny. See, that large, two-level boat? It’s owned by a local man, Jesse Brown. Depending on the day it takes sunrise cruises or cruises out to Pelican Cay where we were yesterday. And then at night on the weekends, it has a dinner cruise to see the sunset.”

  “I’ve seen it go past here. Wondered what it was.”

  “Jesse’s a fine young man. Went to school with Heather and Olivia.”

  “I’ll have to see if I can fit one of his dinner cruises into my schedule. Maybe you could join me?” Barry cocked his head when he asked the question.

  “I… uh… Sure. Maybe we could work that out.” Had he just asked her out on a date? She wasn’t certain. She looked away and rolled her eyes at herself, so out of practice on this dating thing. If this was a dating thing…

  Olivia peeked out the French door on one of the grand suites on the upper floor of The Cabot. “The view here is spectacular.”

  “So is this whole suite. Did you see how nice they’ve done everything? It would be fabulous to stay here, almost like a throw-back to earlier times.” Heather walked up beside her to take in the view.

  “Hey, there’s Jesse’s boat. See it?” Olivia pointed.