The Parker Women

by Kay Correll

  She, herself, wasn’t much of a risk-taker. At all. The risks she had taken in life seemed to have a way of crushing her. But how could she let her own insecurities and doubts smash her daughter’s dreams?

  “I’ve run the numbers, Mom. Talked to an accountant. I ran it past my business professor.”

  “You have?”

  “Of course. I couldn’t just jump into suggesting this if I didn’t think it would turn a profit.”

  “I see.”

  “But, you’d have to agree, of course. Because we’d have to take out some of the wall. I already talked to a contractor about how we could connect the buildings. They’re only about three feet apart. We’d have to work with the town to get it approved, but they’ve approved it before for businesses that have expanded to the building next to them. The contractor didn’t think it would be a problem.”

  “You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you?”

  “Probably not.” Olivia shook her head. “But I’m trying to cover as many bases as possible before actually doing this. And, of course, the Redmonds would have to take my offer for the building. I’ve come up with what I believe is a fair price.”

  She leaned back in her chair, the air sucked right from her lungs. This was not what she’d expected today. Or any day. Her days were the same and she liked that. This would change things. Change things a lot. She’d be the first to admit she hated change.

  “Aunt Donna, what do you think?” Heather leaned forward in her chair, pinning her with a hard stare.

  “I think…” What did she think? She wanted to say no. Say it’s just too much. Say Parker’s was fine the way it was. She looked over as Olivia shifted from foot to foot, waiting for an answer.

  “I think if you can make it work and have the financing, then… I’m okay with it.” She forced a smile. “I’m fine with it.” Did that sound convincing? “I think it sounds… promising.”

  Olivia rushed around the desk and hugged her. “Oh, Mom. You won’t regret this, I promise. It’s going to be awesome. Just awesome.”

  Awesome. She sure hoped so. For her own sake and more importantly, for Olivia’s. She didn’t want to see Olivia’s dreams get crushed.

  Donna worked the rest of the afternoon kind of on autopilot. Pointing out where the paint was. Helping someone find a cleaner for a hardwood floor. Okaying Melody Tanner to run up yet more on her tab here at Parker’s. She really should deal with that, but so far she hadn’t had the heart to insist Melody pay off part of her growing bill. Her husband had died last year and Melody seemed to be just scrambling to keep her feet under her as a young widow.

  She turned at the sound of yet another customer entering Parker’s and self-consciously tucked back a lock of hair when she saw it was Barry. He waved and came over to where she was stocking the latest phone chargers. It was surprising how many tourists came to town and forgot their chargers.

  “There you are.” He gave her a warm smile. A smile that reached from his lips to clear, sky blue eyes.

  The fact he had such sky blue eyes startled her. The fact that she hadn’t noticed this before now startled her even more. How had she not noticed their color before this?

  “Hi,” she replied as she scanned her gaze over him. Or the fact that his brown hair had just a thread or two of gray in it. And the fact he was in need of a haircut. Just a bit of one. She realized she was staring and quickly turned to hang up another charger.

  “You look busy.”

  “A bit.” She turned back to him, careful not to stare this time. “Did you come for more ice cream?”

  “I did. Do you have time to join me?”

  The store was fairly empty. Lydia, one of their regular workers, was running the cash register. And if she joined him, she could give Olivia a break from the malt shop counter. “Sure, let’s grab some ice cream.”

  They walked over to the counter where Olivia had a pad of paper and was scribbling notes. “Olivia, why don’t you take a break? I’ll run the counter while I have ice cream with Barry.”

  Olivia eyed her, then Barry, and a quick smile crossed her face. “Perfect. I need to make a couple calls. I’ll use the office. Be back in about fifteen minutes.”

  “Take your time.” She went behind the counter as Olivia slid past. “So, what kind of ice cream today?” She stood across from Barry.

  “I think I’ll try your mint chocolate chip. Two scoops in a cone.”

  She nodded. “Great choice.” She made his cone and got a scoop of vanilla in a bowl for herself, then sat down next to him.

  “So, there’s another reason I came by today.” Barry took a bit of his ice cream and looked at her with those just-discovered sky blue eyes.

  “What’s that?”

  “I wanted to…” He paused and glanced at his ice cream before turning back at her. “I wondered if…”

  She waited for him to continue, her spoonful of ice cream halfway to her lips.

  “Would you like to go to dinner with me on The Destiny? I mean… like a date with me?”

  “I… uh… when?” Smooth, really, smooth.

  “This weekend? Is Friday or Saturday good for you?”

  “Yes.”

  He grinned. “Which one?”

  “Oh, I think Friday would work better.”

  “Perfect. I’ll make reservations for us.”

  She nodded and they turned their talk to the weather and restoration on the hotel without another mention of their date. He finished his ice cream and rose. “Thanks for joining me. I should get back to work.”

  She nodded.

  “I’ll see you Friday? It leaves at six. Do you want to walk over together? If so, I’ll come to your house at five-thirty.”

  “That sounds good.” She nodded yet again.

  He walked away and she stared down at her empty ice cream bowl, debating getting another scoop. It wasn’t every day someone asked her out on a date.

  A date. She was going on a date.

  “Mom?” Olivia walked up and slipped behind the counter. “You okay?”

  “What?” She gathered her bowl, spoon, and napkin and stood. “Of course.”

  “You look… funny.”

  She glanced over toward the door. “Well… it appears your mother is going on a date on Friday.”

  Olivia grinned. “That’s some good news. Now will you please, please let me take you shopping?”

  She remembered her closet that held the old dated clothes and her indecision on what to wear when Barry had simply come over to grill burgers. She smiled at Olivia. “I think that might be a good idea.”

  Chapter 11

  Later that week Donna went shopping with Olivia and Heather. They dragged her to their favorite shop on Magnolia Avenue, Barbara’s Boutique. Margaret, the owner, met them as they came in. It always tickled Donna to think that Barbara’s Boutique hadn’t been owned by a Barbara in over fifty years… but the original name survived. Though, now that she thought of it… there wasn’t a person with the last name Parker running Parker’s General Store, either. But at least she was a Parker descendant.

  She shook her thoughts away and back to the problem at hand. Clothes shopping.

  “Donna, I haven’t seen you in here in a while.” Margaret frowned. “Actually, I can’t remember the last time you’ve been in here.”

  Olivia laughed. “I’m sure the last time she was here was probably to buy a present for me. Mom just doesn’t go shopping for herself. But she needs an outfit. For a dinner date on The Destiny.

  “A date?” Margaret’s eyes widened. “Well, I’m sure we can find something perfect.”

  “I don’t want anything fancy.”

  “Do you want to wear a dress or maybe slacks and a top?” Heather asked.

  “I… well, I don’t know.” Donna looked at the racks of clothes surrounding her, starting to panic just a bit. So many choices.

  “Okay, let’s say a casual dress.” Olivia sifted through some dresses on the rack before her. She p
icked out two and held them up. “Like either of these?”

  “I guess so?” She wasn’t sure.

  “You like yellow, so try that one on for sure.” Heather pointed to the simple yellow dress with elbow-length sleeves.

  “I like this black one, though, too, and you could brighten it up with a scarf or a wrap.” Olivia raised the other dress. “Try them both on.”

  Margaret put the dresses in a dressing room and Donna entered. She slipped off her usual worn slacks and Parker’s t-shirt—she was heading right back to work when they were finished shopping, after all. She put on the yellow dress and turned this way and that, looking at her reflection in the mirror. The dress was pretty. It was fitted at the top but swung loosely around her legs and hit about knee length. The material was a soft jersey and draped nicely from her waist. She opened the door to the dressing room and stepped out.

  “Oh, Mom. That looks great on you.” Olivia clapped her hands. “Just great.”

  “But try on the other one to be sure,” Heather added.

  Donna went back in and switched into the black dress. She barely recognized herself in the mirror. The dress gave her a bit of a sophisticated look. Dressier than the yellow one, by far. But it fit her like it was made for her. She walked out to show the girls.

  “Wow.” Heather stood there staring at her. “That’s just… wow.”

  “You look fabulous, Mom.”

  “Don’t you think it’s way too fancy for The Destiny?” She frowned as she ran her hands down the sides of the dress.

  Olivia puckered her lips. “Maybe. But it sure looks great on you.”

  “Why don’t you get them both? Then, if he asks you out again—hopefully, to somewhere fancier—you’ll have the black dress to wear,” Heather suggested.

  Donna laughed. “I haven’t even gone out with him this first time. I don’t think I should be planning on a second date quite yet.”

  Olivia handed her an armful of clothes. “While we have you here, I picked out some more outfits for you. Slacks, sweaters, tops. Try some more on. Your wardrobe could use some—how can I put this nicely—freshening up.”

  “I don’t know…”

  “Come on, Aunt Donna. It will be fun.”

  Donna went back in and put on one of the outfits Olivia had picked out for her. Simple black pants—that weren’t worn out or faded to a dusky gray like the few pairs she had at home—and a short-sleeved white sweater top with a bit of black trim. The girls approved of that outfit along with a knit skirt and striped top and a casual sleeveless dress. They vetoed a loud floral sundress, then approved of a pair of navy slacks and red top.

  She got dressed back into her now decidedly old and worn clothes and went out to join the girls. As she walked out of the dressing room and saw the stack of clothing, she almost gasped. “I can’t buy all of that.”

  “Of course you can. Who knows how many years it will be before I can get you back in here,” Olivia insisted. “Oh, and I found these two scarfs. They’ll go great with a couple of the outfits. So, you’re all set.”

  Margaret rang everything up and Donna looked at the bags of clothes, feeling guilty. Like really guilty. It seemed like such a splurge. But they really weren’t that expensive. Margaret carried reasonably priced lines of clothing. But still, it was a lot of new clothes all at once.

  Olivia gathered up the bags, handing some to Heather. “Now, we’re going next door to the shoe store.”

  “Wait. No, I’ve gotten enough new things.”

  “Mom, you can’t wear your work shoes with these. Look at them.” Olivia pointed at her sensible, if worn, black shoes. “We’ll find you some simple black flats and maybe another dressier pair of shoes.”

  Thirty minutes later Donna walked out of the shoe store with three new pairs of shoes. The simple black flats, a low-heeled sandal, and a pair of bright red slip-on wedges. She stood on the sidewalk, a bit in shock.

  Heather hugged her and laughed. “It will all be okay, Aunt Donna. Your closet may have a bit of shock when you put all this in there, but everyone should get new clothes every now and again.”

  “And, Mom, you haven’t gotten anything new in years.” Olivia dumped the packages in her car that was parked in front of them on the street. “I’m going to run all these home for you, then I’ll meet you at Parker’s.”

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “I’m going to take them to your house, cut off the tags, and hang them up. I want to make sure you don’t return them all when Heather and I aren’t there to watch over you.” Olivia grinned as she got into her car.

  Donna said goodbye and walked down the sidewalk to Parker’s. She had to admit she’d loved the new outfits. She looked down at her worn slacks and Parker’s t-shirt. Maybe she should consider getting a few more outfits for work that didn’t look so old and tired…

  That would have to wait. She’d had enough of a clothing shock for one day. A smile played at the corners of her mouth while she hummed a song and hurried back to Parker’s to get to work.

  Donna looked up to see Delbert enter Parker’s with a woman hanging possessively on his arm. Maybe the Camille he’d mention at The Cabot?

  The woman frowned just inside the door. “Really? Here?” she exclaimed in an incredulous tone.

  Donna walked up to them and smiled.

  “Welcome, Del. What brings you to Parker’s today?”

  “Been craving your ice cream, of course.” He winked, then turned to the woman beside him—the woman with the frown plastered on her perfectly made-up face with her perfectly put together trendy outfit. “Camille, this is Donna. She owns the general store.”

  Camille looked her over carefully, her gaze running from the top of her disheveled curls, to her faded work clothes, to the tired, worn-out work shoes. “Pleased to meet you,” she said without any warmth.

  “Nice to meet you.” Donna plastered on a welcoming smile. She knew how to deal with difficult customers. Years of training.

  “I wanted Camille to try some of your delicious ice cream.”

  “I don’t suppose you have sugar free?” Camille cocked her head to the side.

  “Ah… no, we don’t.”

  “Well, I guess I could have one scoop in a dish.” Camille’s forehead creased. “But, Delbert, why you’d take me to a general store to get food is… well, strange, at best.”

  “Best ice cream I’ve ever had.” Delbert led Camille over to the malt counter and Donna trailed along, hoping to provide some moral support if Camille said something not so nice to Olivia.

  “Good afternoon, Del. How are you today?” Olivia greeted them with a wide smile.

  “Olivia, this is Camille.”

  “Hey, Camille, great to meet you. Any friend of Del’s and all that.” Another wide smile.

  Camille barely nodded at Olivia in acknowledgment. “So, where do we sit?” She looked around at the handful of small cafe tables like they were dirty or totally unacceptable.

  “Right here at the counter.” Del climbed onto a stool.

  “At the counter?”

  “Best place to eat it.” Delbert nodded.

  Camille let out a long sigh, grabbed a napkin to wipe off the already sparkling clean seat, and slowly climbed onto it, perched carefully at the very edge.

  “I’m in for butter pecan today. Two scoops in a cone.” Del smiled at Olivia.

  “I guess I’ll just have vanilla. In a dish. No cone.” Camille let out yet another sigh.

  “Best vanilla ever,” Olivia said as she went to make their orders.

  Camille’s eyebrows rose in frank disbelief.

  “What brings you to town, Camille?” Donna asked in her friendliest tone. Well, as friendly as she could manage. She was still bristling at Camille’s weak acknowledgment when she was introduced to Olivia.

  “Delbert wanted me to see The Cabot. The renovations.”

  “Oh, it’s gorgeous, isn’t it?” Olivia said as she gave them their ice cream.
r />   Camille frowned yet again. “Gorgeous? I think it looks… outdated. And it was dusty from construction and so noisy.”

  “I think it looks… vintage and elegant, and I just love what Del has done with it,” Olivia said.

  “I guess. If you like that type of thing. I much prefer the more classic Hamilton Hotels.”

  A customer needed her attention and Donna reluctantly turned to help them and left Olivia to fend for herself. When she finally made it back to the counter, Del and Camille were just getting ready to leave and she recognized the fake smile on Olivia’s face and the tight set of her mouth.

  She forced a cheerful tone. “So, did you enjoy the ice cream?”

  “As always,” Delbert affirmed.

  “It was just ice cream.” Camille shrugged as she turned and swept her gaze around the shop. “The store is so… worn, I guess. Don’t you ever update it and make it more modern? And how does one ever find something in here?”

  “There’s always someone to help a customer if they can’t find something.”

  Camille looked doubtful. “Well… this was an… interesting trip to Moonbeam, but I’m ready to get back to Belle Island. Delbert, are you ready to leave?”

  Del nodded, then turned to Olivia. “Thanks for the ice cream. Delicious as usual. See you soon.”

  His tone was almost apologetic as if compensating for Camille’s rude remarks.

  Camille kept a wide berth from any of the displays as they were leaving, then she paused for Del to open the door for her. They slipped outside and Donna turned to Olivia. “Camille is… something.”

  “Right, and I’m not allowed to use the words to describe what kind of something I think she is.” Olivia grinned. “I wonder what Del sees in her?”

  “I’m not sure. He seems so down to earth and a genuinely kind person. And she is… well…”

  “Full of herself?”

  Donna laughed. “Yes, that’s one way to put it.” She turned to get back to work as more customers came in the door.

  Chapter 12