Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
In honour of Gwen’s bistro, which was currently under construction, Joanna had made this month’s potluck theme French. They’d started with French onion soup, one of Debbie’s favourite and go-to soup recipes. It was perfect for a cold night, but since it was only March, they’d eaten it on a warm but windy day instead. The soup was followed by roasted duck and boeuf bourguignon with sides of roasted vegetables and a lovely crusty baguette. Everything was accompanied by several bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon, which swirled in the glasses of each of the ladies now as they sat around the den in a post-meal stupor.
“That was delicious,” Gwen said. “I can’t wait to try all those dishes at my new restaurant. You’re really a genius in the kitchen, Jo. I hope you know that.”
Joanna smiled. “Thanks, honey. I’m adding them to your menu. I’ve been trying out quite a few dishes lately that I think will suit the bistro well.”
“You’re a wonderful friend.”
“How’s the construction coming?” Debbie asked.
“It’s going well. The digging is done, although it took longer than they expected it to.”
“Of course it did,” Debbie replied with a chortle. “That’s how these things go.”
“And they’ve begun tearing down the wall where the new bedrooms will be located. It’s all very stressful.” Gwen chewed on her bottom lip. “I can hardly watch it.”
“It’s going to be fantastic,” Joanna replied.
“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about an idea I had,” Gwen said, turning to face Joanna. “You’re helping me with the menu, and that’s great. I can’t thank you enough for that. But I was hoping you might also take a more active role in running the place when it opens. At least until I get on my feet.”
“I told you I’d help pick your kitchen staff and get them going.” Joanna took another sip of wine.
“Yes, but I want to make it more official. Give you a title. I’m not sure what just yet, but I want you to be on staff as one of the team. Would you be open to something like that?”
Joanna hesitated. She hadn’t worked a job in many years. She wrote cookbooks from home. Debbie could see her reluctance to take on something more permanent, but maybe it would be good for her.
“Not full time?” Joanna asked.
“No, of course not full time. I know you have your own work to do.”
“Hmmm… Then I’m definitely interested. We can talk more about it. But let’s say the discussion has been opened.”
“Wonderful,” Gwen replied, beaming.
“I’m excited about it,” Joanna said. “This bistro and inn will be the best on the island. I have a feeling about these things, and I can just tell.”
“You two are so cute,” Debbie added. “And I think I’ve had a little too much of this wine.” She leaned back in her chair.
“Are you okay, honey?” Joanna asked.
Debbie sat up straight and put her wine glass on the coffee table. “Not really. I have something to tell the two of you.”
“This sounds serious,” Joanna said, setting her glass down as well. “What’s going on, Deb?”
Debbie inhaled a slow breath. “Okay, well, you know how much my business has meant to me over the years. It’s been my baby when I couldn’t…” Her voice broke. She cleared her throat.
“Yes, of course. We understand that,” Joanna said.
Debbie continued. “Yes, it’s been my focus for a long time. But recently, my senior partners left me in the lurch. They left the firm, and that’s caused a flow-on effect for the rest of the team. Unfortunately, this does happen with legal partnerships. And it’s happened to me—I wasn’t able to save the business. I had to close it down three weeks ago.”
Gwen spoke up first. “Oh, honey. I’m so sorry.”
“That’s awful. I can’t believe it got that bad. I knew you were going through some difficulties…” Joanna said as she reached for Debbie’s hand and squeezed it. “You should’ve told us.”
“I didn’t know what to say. And I was just trying to survive, honestly. I haven’t said anything to anyone. Other than Caleb, you’re the first people I’ve told. I’ve been hiding away at the beach house on my own for the past few weeks, just trying to process everything that’s happened. I’ve had to go into the office, of course, to finish things up, finalise client work, and hand over what I can to a former colleague of mine. The office is now closed, and I’ve sold the furniture. All of the staff have moved on to new things. It’s over.”
“That happened so quickly,” Gwen said. “You’ve been busy.”
“Very busy. But now I can finally relax.”
“You should do something fun,” Joanna said.
“I will, but for now I’m still trying to figure out how to relax. Caleb said he would take some time off, but I’ve asked him to wait until I’m ready. There’s no point in him using his leave to sit around the beach house with me. Maybe we’ll go to Thailand or something. I don’t know. But not yet. I’m still feeling very anxious and irritable.”
“That’s understandable,” Gwen replied. She took another sip of wine. “I can’t believe it’s over. You worked so hard to build that firm.”
A lump formed in Debbie’s throat, and her voice sounded choked. “For a while, I’ve felt as though everything I worked so hard to achieve was for nothing. But when I think back over all of the clients I’ve helped, the relationships I’ve built, the challenges I’ve faced and overcome, it wasn’t for no reason. I created something out of nothing.”
“You should be proud of that,” Joanna added. “I’m proud of you. I always have been. Whenever I talk to people about you, I’m always boasting. This doesn’t take away from what you’ve done. And you could rebuild if you wanted to.”
“I could, but I don’t want to. At least, not right now. I’ve been considering retiring. Caleb wants me to, and maybe this is the universe’s way of telling me that it’s time. Now I have to convince my husband to join me.”
“I doubt you’ll retire completely,” Joanna said. “I’m sure you’ll find things to occupy your time, attention and energy.”
“But this way, you’ll be in control of how much of your time it takes,” Gwen added. “You can manage your retirement the way you want.”
“I know you’re right,” Debbie replied. “Thank you. That helps more than you know.”
“I’m going to need help with photography for the inn and bistro when they open.”
“I can definitely help with that,” Debbie replied with a wobbly smile. “In fact, that will be a lot of fun. Something to look forward to. And I got a new lens just a few weeks ago I’ve been dying to try out.”
“Wonderful. I know you’ll do a great job.”
Just then, Joanna’s granddaughter appeared. She wore a pair of tiny denim shorts. Her stomach protruded beneath a too-small singlet and hung over her shorts. She looked very uncomfortable. Joanna went to talk to her. Debbie watched with interest. Joanna hadn’t spoken much about Eva, and Debbie wondered how long she’d be staying. From what Joanna said, she would have the baby here. But Debbie couldn’t imagine how that was going to work out—a sixteen-year-old girl living under Joanna’s roof, along with her newborn baby.
Gwen received a phone call and moved off to the side to talk to someone about crown moulding, and Debbie strained her ears to hear what Joanna was saying.
“Where are you going?”
“To the shops. I want to get out of here. I’m so bored.”
“But you could go into labour at any moment.”
“I’m two weeks past my due date,” the girl complained with a groan. She placed a hand on her stomach. “The internet says I should walk, that it might help bring on contractions.”
“Take your phone with you, then. You may need to call me.”
Eva huffed. “You don’t have to keep tabs on me all the time.”
“And have you thought about which school you want to enrol in? We’ve got to get the paperwork done now, even though you won’t be going right away. We have to plan ahead.” Joanna crossed her arms.
Eva rolled her eyes. “Stop pushing me, Gran. I’m not going to school. I told you that. I don’t care about any of it. I don’t want to go to university. I don’t want a job. I’m having this baby. That’s all I’m going to do. I can’t think about anything else.”
“Eva Gilston, you will finish high school,” Joanna said. “If you don’t finish high school, you won’t be able to support this baby. I won’t be around forever to take care of you. I know you’re going through a hard time right now, but if you want to be a mother, you have to step up and do the hard things. And that means finishing school and getting qualifications that will allow you to provide for your little family. You’re being forced to grow up fast, sweetheart, but that’s what happens when you make grown-up choices.”
Eva’s cheeks grew red. “What do you mean, grown-up choices?”
“I mean, getting seriously involved with a boy at sixteen. You knew the possible consequences, and you still dove into the relationship. I hope you thought it through, but it doesn’t seem to me that you did. And you’re still acting as though none of this is your responsibility. Well, it is. You’re responsible for the choices you’ve made, and you’re responsible now for another human being. A whole baby. And she’s going to need you to make better choices from this point on.”
Eva stormed out of the house and slammed the front door behind her. Joanna watched her go, one hand pressed to her mouth. She blinked, then faced Debbie, who offered her an encouraging smile.
“I shouldn’t have said that.” Joanna slumped onto the couch. “I went too far.”
“No, I don’t think you did,” Debbie replied, moving over to rest a hand on Joanna’s shoulder. “You’re right—she has to grow up fast. And the sooner she realises that, the better.”
“She’s been spoiled. I didn’t want to admit it, but there it is. Her parents have always let her get away with whatever she wants to do. They’ve given her everything she asked for. And more! And now she thinks it’s perfectly fine to run away to Sunshine and give up on study. Well, not if she’s going to live here. That’s where I draw the line. She has got to finish school.”
“You’re right,” Debbie replied. “It will be a hard road if she doesn’t get her certificate.”
“And she’s a clever girl.” Joanna shook her head. “But it’ll be tough. I know that. She’ll have to put the baby in daycare, which no one wants to do.”
“Unfortunately, there’s nothing ideal about the whole situation. But I applaud her for keeping the baby. I think she’ll step up and do the right thing. She’s probably feeling overwhelmed right now.” Debbie patted Joanna’s arm.
“You’re right. I shouldn’t push her too hard. She’ll get there.”
“You’re a good grandmother,” Debbie replied. “Don’t worry—she knows how much you love her. And this baby is going to be very loved as well.”