Chapter Two
CHAPTER TWO
Riley crossed the bridge at the Cape Cod Canal a few minutes past four. She’d hit the beginning of rush hour traffic when she came through Providence, but it wasn’t too bad. She relaxed as she glanced out the window at the ocean below and a barge making its way through the canal. She was almost there.
Forty minutes later she made it to Chatham and drove down Main Street. Chatham was one of those quaint small towns that looked like it belonged in a Hallmark movie. She drove by the renovated movie theater and cute shops, including her favorite bookshop. She passed by the Chatham Squire, a casual restaurant and bar where she’d spent many fun nights. She drove a little farther, turned to the left, and into the driveway of her childhood home. Her mother’s car was in the driveway.
Riley parked and walked to the front door, holding Lily’s carrier. She knocked lightly and her mother called for her to come on in.
She stepped inside and smiled when she saw her mother sitting in her favorite recliner with her leg up on an ottoman. She moved to get up.
“Stay where you are, Mom. Don’t get up.” Riley set Lily’s carrier down and unlocked the door. Lily bolted out and stopped short when she didn’t recognize her surroundings. “I’ll get you some water in a minute, Lily.”
Riley walked over to her mother and gave her a hug. She glanced at her mother’s leg, which had a cast on it. “Does it hurt?”
Her mother shook her head. “Not anymore. It just itches now and then.” She grinned. “I can handle that. It’s so good to see you, honey. Thank you for coming.”
“Of course! Lily and I would have just been moping around the apartment, looking at job listings. I’d much rather be here. What did the doctor say? How long will you have to wear the cast?”
“He said it’s a clean break, so it should heal quickly as long as I don’t overdo it. I’m supposed to keep my weight off it for at least a month, then he’ll take another X-ray and maybe it can come off.”
“What have you been doing about the inn?” Riley wondered how she’d been getting to and fro and how she was managing.
“I’ve had help, and your sister has done what she can. She’s been great about driving me if I need to go somewhere. And filling in at the inn. But of course, I’m limited and can’t do much more than sit at the front desk. Thankfully, Ethel has been in charge of cleaning the rooms since I took over the inn. I don’t know what I’d do without her. She assured me that I won’t have to worry about housekeeping.”
“Oh, that’s a relief.” Riley could pitch in and help with the cleaning if she had to, but she’d never liked doing it.
“We’re not too busy at the moment either. It’s actually been slower than usual for the past six months or so. Two of the rooms need some repairs that I haven’t rushed to do yet since we haven’t been full in a while.” That was surprising to hear.
Riley just nodded. “How are you managing with breakfast?” The inn was a bed-and-breakfast, and every morning her mother set out coffee, juice, an assortment of pastries, bagels and breads, cereals, and usually a hot dish of some kind, scrambled eggs or a quiche.
“That’s been a little trickier to navigate. Ethel has helped me carry the coffee and food out from the inn’s kitchen. And I’ve just heated up some store-bought quiches. Your sister did the grocery shopping for me.” Her mother winced a little as she shifted position and looked exhausted just thinking about it all.
“Well, I can take over and help with all of that.” Riley smiled. “I’m going to get Lily settled and then we can catch up.”
“Perfect. I thought we could have a pizza delivered for supper, if that works for you? And there’s a cold bottle of Chardonnay in the refrigerator. Your sister picked it up when she went shopping yesterday.”
“That sounds good to me.” Riley went to the kitchen and got two bowls out and filled one with cold water for Lily and put some of her favorite dry food in the other and set the bowls in a corner of the kitchen. Lily came running and ate as though she hadn’t seen food in days. Riley found the wine, opened it, and poured two glasses while her mother ordered the pizza.
“So how did you manage to fall off a ladder?” Riley asked, once she was settled in a comfy leather armchair facing her mother. Her mother was in good health and in her mid-fifties. It wasn’t like she was too old to use a ladder.
“I was startled by a knock at the door and lost my balance. It was just the mailman and he heard me scream when I fell. He called 911 and felt terrible thinking he’d caused me to fall. I told him it wasn’t his fault, but it sort of was. Though, I should have been more focused.”
“How’s everything else going? You said business has been slow?”
Her mother nodded. “It’s been off this past year. We’re almost never full and if I’m more than half booked that’s a good week. That’s why I haven’t rushed to make the repairs in those two rooms.”
“Any idea why the slowdown?” Riley asked.
“There are two other bed-and-breakfasts that opened in the past few years. It was gradual at first, just a few off weeks here and there, but then it stayed steadily lower. I had to start cutting some expenses like the advertising I was doing. It dropped even more after that unfortunately. Though I suppose that’s not too surprising. I used to wonder if the ads were worth it, but I guess they do help. I can’t afford to turn them back on yet.”
“You need things to pick up first.”
“Yes. I’m watching what I spend very closely.”
Riley sipped her wine and thought for a moment. “Paid ads are great, but it’s not the only way to generate traffic. I can help you with some free stuff, like social media and blogging.”
Her mother looked grateful but also a little confused. “I don’t have a blog. Just a website.”
“I can add the blog. I’ll start posting a few times a week. Little articles that match things people might search for, like Chatham bed-and-breakfasts or inns. I can do some fun ones, too, like where to stay to see sharks in Chatham.”
Her mother laughed. “You really think people search for that?”
“I do. You’d be surprised.”
“The shark tours have become popular. Some of the guests have asked me about them,” her mother said.
A few minutes later, the pizza was delivered and Riley got paper plates and napkins and put a few slices on a plate for her mother. It was their favorite, pepperoni with pineapple.
While they ate, Riley asked about Amy. “I can’t wait to see her and the girls. Do you really think she won’t go back to work? I assumed she would once the girls were in school, but she said she likes being a stay-at-home mother. Said they ran the numbers and with twins, the math didn’t make sense once they paid for daycare, not until they are in school full-time.”
“Daycare is expensive. And Rob’s job pays well enough that they can get by on one income.”
“I suppose. But I would think she’d want to get out of the house and be around adults again. I couldn’t imagine not working. Amy used to love her job and she was good at it,” Riley said. Her sister had worked in finance. Riley never understood what she did but knew it had something to do with numbers.
“People’s priorities change when they have a family,” her mother said.
“Hmm.” Riley got up for another slice of pizza and handed one to her mother as well.
“How are things with you and Jack?” her mother asked.
Riley smiled. “Good. I have fun when I see him. We were supposed to have dinner last night, but he had to cancel because of work. That happens a lot,” she admitted.
“He’s on the partner track at his law firm? How much longer will he have to work these long hours?” Her mother lifted her wineglass and took a sip. Riley could see the concern in her eyes. She knew her mother would like Jack as much as she did once she met him. But he hadn’t been able to come to Chatham yet. Something had always come up.
“Not for a while,” Riley said. “He still has a few more years before it will be his turn for partner consideration and the long hours will continue for a few more years after that. It’s all about billable hours and profitability at the firm.”
“That sounds exhausting,” her mother said.
Riley agreed. It sounded horrible to her, too. “Jack loves the work, though. I don’t think he minds the hours because he knows it’s working toward a goal and for the most part, he enjoys it.”
Her mother nodded. “I suppose that does make sense. When I was waitressing all those double shifts I was just going through the motions. But once I opened the inn, the hours would sometimes be even longer, but I have never minded, because it’s my business. And I love it.”
“It’s perfect for you, Mom.” Riley had been thrilled when her mother bought the inn. It was hard work for sure, but she’d never seen her mother so happy. “I’ll get started on the web marketing and that blog tomorrow. We’ll see what we can do to get the inn fully booked again.”
“Thanks, honey. Oh, I have a bit of news. Remember Aidan Shaw? He and his son are staying at the inn probably through the holidays.”
Aidan Shaw?! “Why is Aidan staying there?” Even though it had been many years since she’d dated Aidan, her heart still fluttered a little at the mention of his name. Aidan had been her first love, and she’d written Mrs. Aidan Shaw over and over in her notebook. They’d started dating in tenth grade and during the summer before they both went away to college they had talked about getting engaged someday.
And that’s where it all fell apart. Aidan had his future planned out. He was going to college at UMass Dartmouth, getting his CPA, and then he’d be moving back to Chatham and joining his father in his accounting business. He was excited about working with his father and someday taking over the business. And he loved working with numbers. He assumed that Riley would be part of that plan, too.
But, like many of her classmates, Riley was eager to cross the bridge and leave the Cape behind. Employment opportunities for college graduates were limited on Cape Cod, unless one had a family business or worked in the hospitality industry. Riley had always dreamed of living in the city, either Boston or New York, and doing something with writing and business. She didn’t want to move home to Chatham after graduating.
So, sadly, they decided to break up then, before heading off to college. She’d run into Aidan a few times over the years and heard updates from friends. She wasn’t entirely surprised when he married a local girl a year after getting his CPA. They had a child a year later, a boy. Riley guessed that he must be nine by now. She knew that Aidan’s wife passed unexpectedly a few years ago, a tragic car accident. She’d thought about him now and then over the years and wondered how he was doing. They’d lost touch when she ended things and moved away from Chatham.
“How is he?” she asked.
“You know Aidan, he’s always upbeat. His son, Luke, is adorable, looks like a mini-Aidan. He’s a serious little thing. Always has his head in a book. I do feel for them both, though. I’m sure the holidays are bad enough without Nicole. This is only their third Christmas without her. But now they’re stuck in a hotel during the holidays.”
“Why are they here?” Riley asked.
“The two of them went away for the weekend and the hot water heater burst while they were gone. Flooded the whole first floor and it has to be completely cleaned out and renovated.”
“Ugh. That sounds awful.”
“It was a disaster. And those types of projects always take longer than anticipated. Aidan was hoping to be home by Christmas but it looks like it will be after the New Year now.”
“That has to be hard for them. Maybe they can get a small tree in their room? You probably have them in the Johnson suite?” The Johnson suite was their biggest room—it was two bedrooms and a sitting area in the middle.
“They are, and I suggested that. There’s definitely room for a tree. But Aidan won’t hear of it. He said they are basically skipping Christmas this year. It surprised me because he’s usually so cheery.”
“Skipping Christmas!” That sounded extreme to Riley. “What about Luke?”
“He said Luke will still have plenty of Christmas presents, but he’s not partaking in all the fuss. He told me that since Nicole passed, he has felt more Scrooge-like this time of year. He just wants it over with. I feel for him.”
“I do, too.” Riley loved all things Christmas. She couldn’t imagine the amount of pain Aidan must be in to feel that way about the holiday. She smiled as an idea came to her. “We’ll have to get an extra big tree in the inn’s living room. Really go all-out this year with the decorations. If Aidan won’t get a tree, then we will just bring one to him that everyone can enjoy.”
Her mother’s eyes lit up. “I like that idea, honey. Let’s do it.”