The Parker Women

by Kay Correll

  “No.” Heather let out a long sigh. “I suppose I should stop by. Maybe have tea or something. I don’t think Father is home.”

  She couldn’t imagine feeling like it was an unwanted obligation to visit her own mother. She’d often wished that Heather and Aunt Evelyn could work out a better relationship. But it seemed like that wasn’t ever going to happen. She missed the days when they were young girls and their moms would take them on outings together. Sometimes they went to the beach. Sometimes into the city for the theatre. But as Heather’s father had risen in the ranks of his company, Aunt Evelyn had spent more time throwing business parties and running very visible charity events. And somewhere along the way, Heather and her mother had grown apart.

  “Oh, look, there’s The Destiny coming back in from her sunrise cruise.” Heather pointed to a large, double-decker boat passing by the wharf on its way to the marina.

  “I’m glad to see she’s still running.” Heather looked out over the water.

  “I heard that Jesse bought it.”

  “Really?” Heather’s eyebrows rose. “Our Jesse?”

  A smile tugged at her mouth. “Yes, your Jesse.” Heather and Jesse had grown up as next-door neighbors. Well, at least until she’d moved into the huge mansion her parents bought on the bay when Heather was about twelve.

  “Well, good for him.” Heather watched as the boat slipped passed them.

  “Want to stop by the marina after coffee and say hi?”

  “What? No… No, I have things I need to do.”

  “If you say so. I bet he’d like to see you.”

  “Don’t be silly.”

  “I’m not being silly. You two were great friends.”

  “That was so long ago.” Heather shook her head. “Anyway, tell me about the store. Business good?”

  “Same as always. Not great, not bad.”

  “At least you have your job there. It’s secure. You do like working there, don’t you?”

  “I love working there, I do. And it gave me so much flexibility when Emily was young. But sometimes…” She turned and looked out over the bay at the sunlight dancing across the rolling water.

  “Sometimes, what?” Heather leaned forward, frowning.

  She turned back to her cousin. “Sometimes I wish… I wish I could do more than just work in Mom’s store. Do something on my own. Make something of myself that isn’t all tied to Parker’s. My mom and her grandparents and her great-grandparents are what made Parker’s what it is today.”

  “But you’re lucky. You work with your mother and you two get along. You help her keep the store running smoothly. You did all this while raising a great daughter.”

  Olivia laughed. “You make me sound ungrateful, and I’m not. I’m very, very lucky. I just wonder sometimes… If things had been different…”

  “You mean if you wouldn’t have had Emily so young?”

  Olivia shook her head. “No, not that part. I wouldn’t change a thing about that. Emily is my everything.” She let out a sigh. “I just wonder what I could have done with my life. Accomplished. If I hadn’t just jumped into working in the store.”

  “There’s so much history in that store. I’m sometimes jealous of you working there. I loved that your mother let us play there in the store when we were girls and help out. I’m pretty sure we were more work than help.”

  A smile teased her lips. “I’m sure we were.”

  “But you know, you could do anything you wanted now. Emily is older. You’re still young.” Heather pinned her with a look. “So… what do you want to do?”

  “Well… I… I’ve been taking online classes.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t know if I’d do very well in them. And it’s been a long time since I dropped out of college when I got pregnant with Emily.”

  “But you’re doing well?”

  She gave her cousin a sheepish grin. “I’m kind of acing it. Now that I’m studying something I want to learn, I’m finding I’m pretty good at it.”

  Heather laughed. “I’m not surprised. What are you studying?”

  “Business. A smattering of marketing, accounting, and general business.”

  “Good for you, Liv.”

  “I finished up my associate’s degree that I started all those years ago, and I’m going to continue until I get my full bachelor’s degree.”

  Heather leaned back, her eyes wide. “Bravo. Of course, you can do that. I’m so proud of you.”

  She shrugged. “But… what am I going to use it for? I could never leave Parker’s. Never leave Mom to run it by herself. Not after all she’s done for Em and me.”

  “Aunt Donna would want you to do whatever you want. Be whatever you want.”

  “Maybe. But I still couldn’t leave Parker’s. I’m just hoping some of my knowledge can eventually be used to help run the store. At least I can use it for that.”

  Heather reached out and covered her hand. “Or, you could fly, my Liv. You could fly. You could do or be anything you want.”

  Chapter 5

  Heather said goodbye to Livy and watched her hurry off to work at Parker’s. She frowned as she watched her disappear. All that studying. All that education. And why couldn’t she leave Parker’s? Her cousin deserved to get out on her own if that’s what she wanted. Or at least do something to make her mark.

  Though, knowing Liv, she’d never leave Parker’s. She’d be too afraid of disappointing her mother, of letting her down. And in all honesty, Aunt Donna had been there for Liv and Emily every step of the way. Always supported them even when Liv and Brett decided not to get married when Liv got pregnant. They’d realized they weren’t a good fit. And they weren’t. Heather was glad Livy hadn’t ended up with Brett. She’d never been a fan of his. But Brett popped into town every so often, and Liv said he called Emily fairly regularly.

  But… she still wished Liv could have a chance to follow her dreams. Everyone should have a chance to follow their dreams. Hadn’t she, herself, when she left Moonbeam and concentrated on her art and her illustrations? Okay, that might have been more of a running away thing than a chasing thing. But, still.

  Heather strolled along the shops on the wharf, popping into a few of them to see if much had changed. There was a new store with a fabulous selection of teas and coffees. The same old t-shirt and beach decor shops that had always been there—even if a few of them had new names. A few of the shops carried prints of some of her work with signs proclaiming they were from a local artist.

  Heather Parker. After she moved out and started illustrating, she hadn’t wanted to use her real last name, Carlson, on her art. Whether it was that her father had been so against her silly, childish, foolish art or what, she wasn’t sure. But she took Parker as her name for her work. Eventually, she legally changed her name… not that she’d told anyone here in Moonbeam that part. Especially her mother. But the Parker name suited her. She’d come from a long line of strong women starting with Grace Parker, who’d helped her husband open up Parker’s General Store. She felt like it was some kind of homage to Grace’s strength and perseverance. Besides, most of the town referred to her and Liv, as well as their moms, as the Parker women.

  She stood in front of a framed print of her work, a steaming mug of coffee with a cute coffee-themed saying the company had come up with. A local artist sticker hung from the frame. She might have been born and raised in Moonbeam, but she didn’t really consider herself local anymore. More of an occasional visitor. Even if she did still keep the condo and claimed it as her permanent residence. Not that anything about her life was permanent. But it was nice to see some of her work hanging here in the shops.

  Hanging anywhere.

  As far as she knew, her parents didn’t have even one print of her work in their house. It didn’t fit into the modern style in their home. They’d hired a fancy interior designer who planned every piece of furniture, every rug, every piece of home decor accessory. But sti
ll, it stung just a tiny bit. But mostly she ignored it. Or tried to. She knew that both Aunt Donna and Livy had some of her work displayed in their homes.

  “Heather, dear.” Jackie and Jillian Jenkins interrupted her thoughts. “You’re back in town. So good to see you.”

  She glanced around quickly and realized she couldn’t avoid the two town busybodies. Sisters. Spinsters, if that was still even a term. Neither had married, they lived together in the house they were raised in, and they knew everything about everyone…and weren’t afraid to spread any tiny tidbit of news or scandal. To top that off they were twins, and for the life of her she wasn’t sure who was who.

  “Hi.” She pasted on a smile.

  “You haven’t been home in a while,” Jackie said.

  Or at least she thought it was Jackie. She bet they knew how long she’d been gone down to the day. “It has been a while.”

  “You know, Jackie and I were just talking about you.”

  Ha, the other twin spoke so she’d been right to guess the first one was Jackie. “Oh?”

  “Yes. We were wondering if you were ever going to settle down. You must get tired of all the travel.”

  “I love all the travel,” she corrected Jillian. And she did love the travel. Loved to see new places. Usually.

  “Your father’s been out of town a long time this time,” Jackie jumped in.

  “Oh.” If she kept giving them ‘oh’ answers would they leave her alone?

  “Yes, a very long time this time.”

  “He travels a lot with his business.” She didn’t know why she was defending his absence. She was glad he was gone while she was in town.

  “He’s gone a lot.” Jillian bobbed her head. “Leaving your poor momma all alone. And you rarely come home either.”

  She glanced at her watch. “Oh, look at the time. I’m going to be late. It was so nice to see you both.” Nothing like a bald-faced lie to start her day.

  She turned away and hurried down to the end of the pier, glancing over at the marina. The Destiny was tied to her slip at the end of the second long dock that extended out over the water. Jesse Brown. She hadn’t thought about him in years.

  As if her thoughts had conjured him up from the depths of her memories, she saw him coming down the lengthy dock, his face tanned, his legs stretching out in long strides.

  She stepped back into the shadows by the last shop. Not hiding from him. Not really. She watched as he turned and headed the other direction. When he was far enough away, she walked back out into the sunlight and headed in the opposite direction than Jesse had taken. Even though she had planned on going in his direction to her mother’s house, but not now.

  Not after the huge fight she and Jesse had the very last time she saw him. Even Livy didn’t know about that.

  Heather took the long way to her mother’s house to avoid Jesse and slowly walked up the long circle drive. Maybe her mother wouldn’t be here and she could just leave a message with the housekeeper that she’d stopped by… She sighed. But if that happened, she’d still have to make time to come see her later.

  She rang the doorbell and her mother opened the door, surprise showing on her face. “Oh… Heather.”

  Equal surprise probably showed on her own face at her mother answering the door instead of the housekeeper.

  “Hi, Mom.” She walked past her mother into the impressive two-story foyer. She glanced over at the large stack of boxes against one wall in the usually spotless foyer. “What’s that?”

  “Oh… nothing. Just getting rid of a few things.”

  She didn’t miss the slight look of guilt on her mother’s face. Maybe her mom felt guilty about all the stuff she bought and now was trying to dispose of. All the things that she just had to have. The constant shopping expeditions. The paintings and art pieces precisely placed in the house. The furniture that was never the same any time she came to visit. Really, how many times could one person replace a couch?

  “I was nearby and I thought I’d stop by.” She got the distinct feeling her mother wasn’t very thrilled about her visit. And yet, hadn’t her mother looked like her feelings had been hurt when she saw her at the wharf with Liv and hadn’t known she was in town? “Do you want me to come back another time?”

  Her mother’s look rested briefly on the tower of boxes. “No, of course not. I’m glad to see you. Come have some tea out on the patio with me. Go on out. I’ll get the tea.”

  Heather walked through the foyer into the great room and out through one of the numerous French doors leading outside. The view across the bay always made her pause. It truly was a beautiful view. She missed watching the sunsets from her upstairs bedroom she’d had at the house when she’d lived here. That had been one of the few things she loved about moving here. She loved watching the brilliant colors illuminate the sky, then dim into nothingness as the stars came out to twinkle over the bay. Her parents were lucky to have this view. Not that she remembered them sitting out and enjoying it often. They weren’t really outside people.

  She turned to see her mother coming out with a tray with a pitcher of tea, glasses full of ice, a small plate of lemon slices, and another plate of some kind of fancy pastries. She might let the cook put dinner on the table and the housekeeper run the house, but her mother knew how to bake. She was always making some kind of scrumptious recipe, usually one passed down for generations in their family. Alas, she hadn’t inherited the baking gene from her mother.

  Her mother sank gracefully down on a chair and she plopped down on a seat beside her with recently recovered cushions—she was certain this was a new pattern than last time she was here—and picked up her glass of sweet tea.

  “So, are you here for long this time?” her mother asked in her perfect polite-society voice.

  “I’m not sure. For a while.” She looked over at her mom. “Is… is Father here?”

  Her mother averted her eyes, suddenly very interested in her tea. “Ah… no. He’s away.”

  She hid her sigh of relief. The last thing she wanted was to run into her father.

  “When is he returning?” If she was smart and lucky, she’d get out of Moonbeam before then.

  “I— I’m not certain.”

  She frowned slightly. That wasn’t like her mother. Her mother had a planner and things written in it at least a year out. She always knew exactly when her father was returning and no doubt had planned a half-dozen social dinners for them.

  “So, where are you headed next?” Her mother changed the subject.

  “I’m not sure. Maybe a cabin in the mountains for a bit. Do some hiking.” She had in mind a series of illustrations of a woman hiking in the mountains, sitting by streams, sitting on the front porch of a cabin. The character would be reading. Enjoying herself. Discovering nature. Different than her usual beachy illustrations.

  As usual, her mother made no mention of her art, nor did she ask any questions about it. Fine. That was fine by her. Really fine. Just very, very fine.

  She set her tea down and the ice cubes rattled against the sides of the glass. “I can’t stay long…”

  “That’s okay. I have a meeting I need to go to soon.”

  That sounded more like her mother. Probably arranging some event with The Ladies Club. Planning a charity gala. Arranging catering for a party. Her mother was nothing if not the master at planning events.

  She stood. “Well, I should let you get to it then.”

  Her mother rose gracefully from her chair. “I’m glad you stopped by. Will I see you again before you leave town?”

  “Sure, Mom. I’m sure you will.” She headed down the stairs off the patio to the walkway around the outside of the house. She looked back just before she turned the corner and saw her mother just standing there on the expansive patio, looking out at the bay.

  Her mother didn’t seem like herself today. But then, she didn’t really know her mother anymore, did she?

  Chapter 6

  Olivia looked up and smiled a
s a new customer walked up to the malt shop counter. “Good afternoon.”

  He slid onto the stool. “Now you must be the Livy my friend Del was telling me about. And I met your mother, Donna, when I was here yesterday.”

  She didn’t recognize him from being in here before or from around town. “I am Livy. Glad to see you back so soon.”

  He gave her a warm smile. “I’m Barry. I’m working on The Cabot Hotel. Discovered your ice cream yesterday and I’m afraid it’s going to be the downfall of my diet.”

  “Ah. So Delbert told you about my family’s secret recipe best-ever ice cream, right?” She smiled back, automatically pulled in by his friendliness.

  “He did. I was in yesterday and your mother made me a vanilla malt. Think I’ll try a chocolate one today.”

  “I’m warning you, our ice cream is addictive.” She tossed him a grin as she turned to make his malt.

  Her mother came up to the counter. “Well, hello there, neighbor.”

  Olivia turned around from her malt-making. “Neighbor?”

  “Barry rented the Meyer’s house.”

  “And your mother walked me home when I got just a bit turned around last night.”

  “Oh, I see.” She looked from her mother to Barry. Interesting. Her mother hadn’t mentioned anything about a handsome man renting the house next to her. Nor the fact that she’d walked home with him.

  She turned back, finished making the malt, and handed it to Barry. “Here you go. Enjoy.” She turned to her mother. “Oh, I invited Heather to go with us to Pelican Cay. I hope that’s okay.”

  “Of course it is.” Her mother turned to Barry. “We’re taking my boat over to Pelican Cay on Saturday. There’s a beautiful beach there. Not many people because the island is only reachable by boat. The water turns into this amazing shade of crystal clear turquoise out there. It’s a little chilly for swimming this time of year, but it’s perfect for beach walking and shelling.”