Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
The giant bulldozer scraped at the ground. The bucket’s teeth dug into the dirt, lifting old pieces of burned timber with clumps of grass into the air. It spun around and dumped the lot into a large rubbish skip. Gwen watched, adjusting the mask over her mouth as she smiled. It was finally happening. Construction on her boutique inn and bistro had begun.
There was dust and debris floating through the air all around her, and the entire construction crew were in masks, so she’d thought she would follow their lead. It was a gloomy day, with threatening clouds obscuring the sun. But so far, there’d been no rain, and she was grateful for that. Her umbrella was in the car just in case.
The contractor, Mark Hunter, directed the workers. Gwen made her way over to him and stopped next to him.
“Hi, Mark.”
He glanced at her. “Gwen, good to see you. Things are going well so far. As you can probably see.”
“Glad to hear it. I’m so excited that we’re starting today. I was sure it would rain and delay everything.”
He looked up at the sky. “It’s holding off for now. We should get a full day in before it gets too bad.”
“Is there anything you need from me?” she asked.
“Not yet. I’ll give you a call if I need anything. And congrats on your new inn. It’s going to be a beauty.”
She grinned. “I think so too. And thanks. Do you think we’ll be on track to finish up by August, like we discussed?”
“I’d say we’re more likely to be hitting October at this point. We’ve had some setbacks with the council, and the ground is harder than we anticipated. Plus, there are some delays on orders I’ve put in with suppliers.”
Gwen’s stomach fell. “Oh… October?”
“That’s probably a more realistic date. But let’s stay flexible. It may be less time—it could be more.”
“Okay, thanks. Keep me updated.”
As she walked away, she couldn’t get his words to stop ringing in her head. October? That was eight months away. There was a lot of work to do. Maybe she’d been optimistic, thinking they could achieve it in six months. But regardless, she’d still be able to open her doors before the peak summer season hit. And that was all she could really hope for.
She couldn’t help feeling a little anxious about how much money the entire project would cost. She would be paying for the construction crew and the supplies needed for a full eight months. It was more than she’d budgeted, but thankfully still within her means. As long as it didn’t go too much more over budget.
The inn was being expanded from fifteen bedrooms to twenty bedrooms and twenty-two bathrooms. There would be a dining room, library, sitting room, breakfast room, games room and small kitchen for tea, coffee and other basics. The commercial kitchen would be located in the adjoining bistro, where there was planned a large sitting area inside and an outside area as well. There were also plans for three private dining areas that could be opened up to join the larger seating space if needed for events and functions. It was an ambitious plan, and she anticipated it would be one of the premier upscale boutique inns on the island. As long as she could actually get the work done. And so far, it looked promising.
A car pulled up to the curb, and Gwen recognised it as Brandon’s. She walked over to greet him. He kissed her cheek, then looked over the construction site with a smile. “This is incredible, Mum. I can’t believe you’ve taken on such a massive project. Dad thinks you’ve lost your mind.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’ll bet he does. But what do you think?”
He laughed. “I think you’re doing something really special here. And I can’t wait to see the finished product. I hope it works out. You deserve something good.”
“Thanks, sweetheart. I appreciate that.” His words buoyed her spirits. It was good to be appreciated. He hadn’t often given her words of encouragement over the years, but after her discussions with him on the subject the previous year, he’d clearly tried to do better. And she couldn’t ask for more than that.
“How are the kids?” she asked.
He shrugged. “They’re fine. They keep us very busy. I’m currently avoiding them because every single one of them is sick. I don’t want to catch it.”
“Sick? In February?” Gwen huffed. “Goodness, that’s unfortunate.”
“They catch everything that comes along at daycare and school. We can’t seem to escape it.”
“They’ll grow older, and it’ll stop happening.”
“I live in hope,” he replied. “Have you heard that Dad’s engaged?”
Her heart thudded against her ribcage. She knew already, of course. But hearing her son speak the words out loud hurt more than she’d expected. “Engaged? To who?”
“Her name is Samantha.”
“Oh, the Brazilian girl? I wasn’t sure if he’d already moved on from her. How old is she?”
“Twenty-nine,” Brandon replied. “She’s younger than I am.” He shook his head. “I don’t know what he’s thinking. Why would he get married again so soon?”
“It’s beyond me,” Gwen replied. “But it’s his life. If he wants to get remarried, he can do whatever he likes. I’m not going to judge. Well, maybe I’ll judge just a little bit.”
Brandon laughed. “I’m judging him enough for the both of us.”
Gwen squeezed her son’s arm. “Thanks for being on my side.”
“Of course, Mum. We’ve got to stick together. I’m about to get a stepmother who’s younger than I am. It’s so uncomfortable for all of us kids. I only hope she doesn’t take his money and run. But it’s probably inevitable.”
“Wouldn’t it be sad if after he spent decades chasing the almighty dollar, only to end up with nothing?” Gwen mused with concern. “I suppose it will be up to the rest of us to take care of him in his old age.”
“You don’t have any responsibility to him, Mum.”
“I know I don’t. But he was my husband for a long time, and I worry about what’s going on in that head of his.”
He put an arm around her shoulders. “You’re too good to him. I wish he’d appreciated you more.”
She sighed. “Thank you. That means a lot. Sometimes I wonder if anyone noticed how much I put into my family over the years.”
“We noticed,” he said. “And we all appreciate it, even if Dad won’t admit that. I know he misses you.”
“Do you think?”
“Absolutely. He talks about you sometimes. Wants to know how you’re going.”
“I’m glad. I want him to be happy too.”
“He seems to be okay. But I’m concerned about this wedding.”
“All you can do is support him. He’s your father, and he needs you to be there by his side. We can all hope it works out for him, even if we worry it won’t.”
“I’ll support him. I promise.”
“Where is he living these days?” She pictured him shopping for décor with his fiancée.
“They’ve bought a place outside of town looking over the beach. It’s huge,” Brandon said. “You’d hate it—angles everywhere, and so much glass.”
“Oh, wow. Very different to what your dad likes. He’s more into the traditional look—dark colours and leather couches, that kind of thing.”
“Well, this one is all metal, silver and polished concrete with massive windows everywhere.”
“I suppose that can be nice. In a modern kind of way.”
Brandon laughed. “You’re always so polite, Mum. It’s okay—you can trash them with me.”
“I don’t want to do that,” she replied, watching the bulldozer as it moved earth around in front of them. “I’m going on a new adventure. I don’t want to be bitter and hold on to the past. It’s hard to move forward. Sometimes it seems like it would be much easier to simply wallow for a while and let myself be angry. But I’m afraid I’d be stuck there. It’s better for me to let it go.”
He nodded. “That makes sense. I should do the same. Right?”
“Yes, you should,” she replied with a chuckle. “Although you can vent to me anytime you like.”
He smiled. “Glad to hear it.”
“Only give me warning in the future when you want to complain about your father. Next time, I’ll bring cake.”
Brandon burst into laughter, and Gwen joined him.