The Hotel

by Pamela Kelley

  They chatted easily about everything from work to David’s mother, who he said was doing great now that she had an afternoon companion. Everything was delicious and when they finished, Paula asked their server for the check and also if the manager was available for a quick question.

  “Sure, I’ll get Missy. She’ll be right out.”

  Two minutes later, a familiar face walked toward them.

  “David Connolly! It’s been a long time.” David stood and gave his high school girlfriend a big hug.

  “It has been. How are you, Missy? I didn’t realize you were working here.”

  Paula watched their interaction with interest. They both looked pleased to see each other. Missy still had long, very blond hair, which she had pulled back into an elegant, low ponytail. Lots of mascara and eyeliner accented her baby blue eyes and her lips shone with bright pink gloss. She was also as slim as ever and tall. Paula felt somewhat short and frumpy next to her.

  “I just started here. The owners are good friends and we just opened a week ago. Are you just visiting? Or back for good?”

  “I’m on a consulting assignment here for a few months, at The Whitley.”

  “Oh, nice! And your parents, are they good?”

  He hesitated for a moment and then simply said, “They’re both great. How about yours?”

  “Dad just retired this year, so they’re going on a cruise soon.”

  “It’s great to see you. Part of the reason Paula and I stopped in here was to check out the restaurant and to invite you to participate in an event we’re doing in July—a Taste of the Town. It might be good PR for you.”

  “Oh, it might be. Can you email me some details I can share with the owners?”

  “Sure thing. I’ll send it as soon as we get back. This is Paula Whitley, by the way. She’s the new general manager at The Whitley.”

  “Paula. You were in school with us, too, a few years behind?”

  Paula nodded. “That’s right. It’s nice to see you, Missy.”

  She turned her attention back to David. “I got divorced a year or so ago. Are you seeing anyone these days?”

  “No. I’m still single.”

  Her eyes lit up. “We should get together soon and catch up over a drink.”

  “That sounds great. Let me know what works for you.”

  “I’ll watch for your email and we can make a plan.”

  Paula couldn’t help noticing that as they did in high school, that Missy and David looked good together. For some reason, the thought depressed her. Which was silly. She reasoned that it was just that she wasn’t overly fond of Missy. She’d come into The Whitley for various ladies’ group functions over the years and had never so much as said hello to Paula when she saw her. And it wasn’t like she didn’t know who she was, she clearly remembered as she said so today. No, she just always acted as though Paula, and many others, were beneath her.

  That was while she was married, though. Missy didn’t work then, and her husband was wealthy. They belonged to one of the swankier country clubs and she was involved in various charity organizations. Paula had no idea why they divorced, but she guessed that her financial situation wasn’t as rosy as it used to be if she was helping to manage a new restaurant. Maybe the experience had humbled her. But Paula still didn’t think she was worthy of David.

  He was quiet as they drove back to the hotel. They were halfway there when his phone rang.

  “Hi, Dad. What’s up?”

  Paula noticed a muscle in his jaw clench as he listened to his father. “You have no idea where she might have gone? I’ll be right there to help you look. Don’t worry, Dad. We’ll find her.” He hung up the phone and looked at Paula. “My mother disappeared. In the middle of the day, with her companion in the house. My father is on his way home from the office to help look for her. I need to go there, too.”

  “Take me with you. It will save time from having to drop me off. And I can help look, too.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, turn the car around.”

  He did, and ten minutes later they pulled up to his parents’ house. An older woman who looked to be in her sixties was on the front porch dabbing her eyes with a tissue. His father was talking to her and as they walked up they could hear him saying, “It’s not your fault, Meg. Who would have thought she’d disappear while you were putting a load of laundry in?”

  “Hi, Dad. Paula and I were just out to lunch, so we’re both here to help look for Mom.”

  “Thank you both for coming. I’m going to head east, down the street and to the park. Do you want to head the opposite way and check by the pond, too? Meg, why don’t you stay here in case she comes back?”

  David led the way down the street, calling his mother’s name.

  “Has she ever done anything like this before?”

  “No. But her doctors warned us this could happen. It just didn’t seem real, though.”

  They walked the length of the street and then down to the neighborhood pond, going through the woods as it led back to his parents’ house. Paula could tell David was getting more stressed as they walked and there was still no sign of his mother.

  Finally, as they were close to the house, they heard a sneeze and walked toward the sound. They saw his mother, sitting on the ground, leaning against a huge tree, with her eyes closed. The sun was bearing down on her and a slight breeze rustled the leaves.

  “Mom? Are you okay?” David asked gently as they reached her.

  She looked up and blinked. Her gaze at first was confused, but then seemed to sharpen and she smiled. “David, it’s so good to see you. What are you doing here?”

  He chuckled. “Looking for you. You gave us a bit of a scare.”

  Her lower lip trembled as she looked around her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare anyone.”

  He held out his hand to help her up. “It’s fine, Mom. I’m just glad we found you. Let’s get you back to the house.”

  As they walked back, he asked her, “What made you decide to walk out to the pond?”

  “I’d stepped outside for just a minute, to feel the sun on my face and then I heard the distinctive sound of a cardinal and I just wanted to see it. So, I kept following the sound and ended up by the pond. I never did find the cardinal.”

  They led his mother back to the house, and as soon as Meg saw her she rushed over and gave her a hug. His mother’s eyes welled up again.

  “I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be silly. I’m just glad you’re okay. What do you say we go in and have a nice cup of tea?”

  “Do we have the vanilla one?” His mother sounded excited.

  “Yes, I know that’s your favorite.”

  David gave his mother a hug, too. “Mom, I have to head back to work. I’ll see you soon, okay?”

  “Okay, honey. Nice to see you.” She glanced at Paula. “Who is your friend? She’s pretty.”

  “Mom, this is Paula Whitley. We work together at the hotel.”

  “Okay. I’ll see you soon, honey.” His mother followed Meg inside, and they turned to leave and saw his father walking toward him.

  “She’s inside. We found her sitting by a tree down at the pond. She heard a cardinal and was following the sound,” David said.

  His father’s face softened. “She’s always loved cardinals.”

  “Dad, you should talk to Meg. I don’t think she can take her eyes off Mom at all while she’s here.”

  His father nodded. “I agree. It’s not her fault. She was just trying to help, but now we know. I’ll talk to her before she leaves today.”

  Once they were in the car again and heading back to the hotel, David glanced her way. “Thank you for coming. That was the first time she’s wandered off like that. Hopefully, it will be the last time.”

  “I’m sorry. I know that was scary for all of you. I don’t think Meg will let it happen again. I felt bad for her.”

  “I did, too. And for my f
ather. It’s stressful for all of them.”

  “And for you, too,” Paula added.

  He smiled. “Thanks. It’s just the strangest thing. I was there last night for our weekly pizza dinner and she was so good. Better than she’s been since I first got back. But it seems that it comes and goes.”

  “You’ve had quite the day. Have you and Missy kept in touch at all over the years?”

  He shook his head. “No. I haven’t run into her at all when I’ve been home before. I knew she was married ages ago. I didn’t realize she got divorced.”

  “I was surprised to see her working in a restaurant. I’ve seen her a few times over the years. She’s come in for various events at the hotel and I don’t think she worked then.”

  “She used to work as a hostess at one of the waterfront restaurants when we were in high school. I don’t know what else she has or hasn’t done over the years.”

  Paula smiled. “Well, she wants to catch up, so you’ll probably find out soon enough.”

  “Right. I have to email her the details on the Taste of the Town event when we get back, too.”

  “I bet they’ll do it. It’s a great opportunity for a new restaurant.”

  “I agree. They’d be crazy not to.”

  When they got back to the hotel, David disappeared into his office and Paula was about to go check her email, too, when she saw her grandfather and Aunt Vivian coming down the hall.

  “How was it?” her grandfather asked.

  “Good! Cute place, mostly seafood. We invited them to participate and David is emailing the details to the manager to send to the present to the owners.”

  “Excellent!”

  Aunt Vivian glanced pointedly at her watch. “That was a nice long lunch.”

  They had been gone a long time. Not that it was any of her aunt’s business.

  “Actually, our lunch wasn’t long at all. But David had a family emergency, so we stopped by his parents’ house on the way home.” She didn’t go into any more details than that.

  “Oh, that’s a shame,” her aunt said.

  “I’m sorry to hear it,” her grandfather added.

  “Everything’s fine now,” Paula assured him. She glanced at her nosy aunt. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to work.”

  Chapter 24

  Paula headed to Lucy’s cottage around two on Saturday afternoon. They were meeting Ben and Jason in a half hour at the Cisco Brewery for the Blues Band event. She knocked on Lucy’s door, but there was no answer. Her sister rarely locked the door, so Paula checked it and then let herself in.

  She guessed that Lucy was in her back studio and maybe lost track of the time. The blues music she loved was playing loudly so she probably didn’t hear Paula knocking. She walked to the back and poked her head in the studio. Lucy was all dressed and looked adorable in a tie-dyed tank top and flowing white linen pants. Her hair was twisted up in a messy knot and she had a paint brush in one hand and was intently focused on dabbing pink paint onto a vivid blue sky.

  “Hey, there. I knocked but it looks like you are in another world.”

  Lucy laughed and put the paintbrush down. “I was working on this earlier. Then went to change and while I was waiting for you, I started playing around again.” She stood up, shook her hair loose and grabbed a brush and ran it through her hair a few times.

  “Okay, I’m ready when you are.”

  Paula drove and there was already a good crowd in the parking lot when they arrived. Lucy saw Ben waiting at the entrance and waved. By the time they parked and walked over, Jason had arrived, too, and they all went in together.

  It was a fun afternoon. It wasn’t too hot of a day, but sunny and warm and the bands were excellent. Lucy and Paula had white wine while the guys tried a few of the different draft beers. They had hot dogs and fried bread dough and later on, Lucy and Jason had ice cream cones.

  Ben kept them entertained and Jason was just as nice as Paula remembered from their first date. She wished she could feel some kind of attraction, but it just wasn’t there. And as much as she thought Ben was interesting and funny, she was surprised that he and Lucy were a match. Maybe she was broadening her scope, which could be a good thing. But Paula also wondered if she was considering that Ben wasn’t a year-rounder. When the fall came, he’d be heading back to Manhattan. And never in a million years could she see Lucy following him there. She loved Nantucket and being close to her family.

  Maybe for both of them it was just a nice summer diversion.

  “So, what do you think of the bands so far?” Jason asked her after they’d listened to several sets.

  “I thought they were all pretty good,” Paula said. She couldn’t really differentiate between them. She liked blues music but didn’t listen to it often enough to have a preference.

  “I thought the second band was amazing,” Lucy said.

  Jason looked pleased to hear it. “I did, too. I think they are the best so far. I saw that they’re coming to The Gaslight soon.”

  “Oh, that’s good to know. They get some great bands there. I saw one a few weeks ago, Blue Soul, that was excellent.”

  “No kidding? I saw them last year, they’re great.”

  Ben laughed. “I thought they were all good, too. I don’t know a whole lot about blues, though. I like it all.”

  “Oh, I have some news,” Lucy said. “Paula, I forgot to tell you. Some of my pieces are going to be at an art show next weekend.”

  “Really? That’s great. Which ones?” Lucy had done a few art shows and her work always sold quickly.

  “A couple of small tables, a few paintings, some mirrored wall hangings, and a few mailboxes.”

  Jason looked confused. “You make all that?”

  “No. I find stuff at estate sales and then refurbish and paint my designs on them. The mailboxes are something new.”

  “That sounds really cool. I’ll have to be sure to check it out,” he said.

  “I will, too.” Ben grinned. “Have to support our local artists.”

  By the end of the afternoon, Paula noticed that Lucy seemed to be getting along really well with Jason. The two of them knew a lot of the same people and shared similar taste in music and art. She laughed and chatted with Ben just as much, but her connection with Jason seemed different.

  When they all said their goodbyes, much to Paula’s relief, Jason didn’t mention getting together again. When they were in the car and on their way home, Paula thought about what she’d noticed and decided to say something.

  “I think maybe you should go out with Jason.”

  Lucy looked at her in surprise. “What are you talking about? I’m dating Ben and you’re with Jason.”

  “But I’m not. Not really. You talked me into this date. There’s no spark there for either of us. But it looked to me like there might be a connection with the two of you. Unless you prefer Ben, of course.”

  Lucy sighed. “Ben’s really nice, but he didn’t mention anything about going out again this time. I’ll wait and see. Are you sure you don’t like Jason? He seems like such a great guy.”

  “He is. But he’s not for me. I think maybe he’s better for you. Maybe he’ll come to your art show and you can see what happens from there.”

  “Maybe. I think Ben might still be dating Andrea, anyway. So, I will give this some thought.”

  Andrea was pleasantly surprised when Ben called on Sunday to see if she wanted to play her first round of golf with him the next day.

  “I thought I remembered you saying you sometimes have Monday off?”

  “I do and I’d love to. Are you sure it’s okay for me to play on an actual course already, though?”

  He laughed. “Yes, you’ll be with me and I’ll be helping you. It’s the best way to learn—to just get out there and do it. It will be fun.”

  They agreed to meet at his country club the next day at two in the afternoon. Andrea wondered if he was still dating Paula. She felt a little guilty about that, but at t
he same time also had a sense of satisfaction that maybe she was taking something away that Paula had wanted. It seemed fitting, somehow. It still bothered her that she’d been forced to leave the role she thought she’d be in forever and by Paula, of all people.

  She just didn’t see how Paula was a better option. She didn’t seem entirely comfortable in the role. Andrea couldn’t help but notice that she often seemed nervous and quiet in her interactions with groups of staff. She was better at one-on-ones. Andrea had loved talking to groups of people. But truth be told, there were aspects of the job that she didn’t enjoy. All the details and follow up needed and all the meetings and putting out fires. So many fires, all the time.

  For the time being, she was actually having fun in the concierge role. It felt a bit like a vacation after the demand and stress of being the general manager. Until she landed a new GM role somewhere, it was a good way to pass the time. She was still hoping that something might turn up in Boston, but Elaine said there was nothing yet. Andrea also had the feeling that Elaine wanted to focus on the Manhattan job and close her on that one since she was a final candidate.

  That interview was still two weeks away, though. She’d hoped to have something else in the works as well so she could have more than one option to choose from. But it didn’t look like that was likely at this point. So, if her final interview with the board went well, she would have a big decision to make. One that she wasn’t quite ready for. But she’d cross that bridge when she got there.

  In the meantime, she was having fun, enjoying her job and had fallen into the habit of going out several times a week after work with her co-workers. She’d done that when she was the GM, too, but not as often as her schedule was more demanding. Now she had more time to play and her usual partner in crime was Marco, as well as a few of the others like her cousin Nick whenever he had the night off. Bella had also joined them a few times lately.