Return to Gray Harbor (11 page)

She needed to get through this breakfast first and then she’d be off to town to get the items necessary to welcome her guest. She was thinking little bags with bottles of water, power bars, other Maine snacks, and a copy of DownEast Magazine would be a nice welcome for her guests. She loved the idea, but too bad she had only thought of it this morning, and right before breakfast service was about to begin.

After breakfast service, she met with the staff, then Lisa arrived and all plans were in place for the welcome reception for their guests in the Tavern that evening. They’d be serving a simple fare for their first evening in Gray Harbor, the Tavern’s standard menu. The only difference was they’d have some passed hors d'oeuvres during the welcome cocktail hour from five thirty to seven thirty that evening. When all was set, it was already two... Beth had to hurry before the check-ins in two hours; they decided to hand out the bags at check-in, so she needed to do some fast shopping first. She grabbed her purse and keys from her office behind the kitchen and made her way to her car.

After lunch, Michael wrapped up some paperwork and saved it all on the computer. He also printed out suggestion slips and made a customer feedback box for the front of the store. He thought that he, his mother, and Annie had come up with a lot of good ideas, but he wanted to hear from their customer base, maybe they saw flaws in the business that his family did not. Maybe there were more products they’d like Malone’s to carry, maybe they thought the checkout lines were not efficient enough. As he made his way to the parking lot, he called Jonah to check in.

“Jonah, how’s it going?”

“Mikey! Hey! Man, it’s looking good. These shingles are nice. Oh, and your friend Bob from the store is here. He threw in some window boxes with flowers that he’s installing. They have geraniums or something in them. Whatever it is, Mom will love it. It’s like a whole crew is here. They’re doing the front and sides of the house today and he says they’ll wrap up tomorrow.”

“That’s great, Jonah, just great. Hey, I wanted to talk to you about something” said Michael in a deliberate way.

“Yeah, what’s up?” responded Jonah cautiously.

Michael decided to get right to the point. “Have you ever made a website? I think we should have one for Malone’s and I was hoping you could help. “

“I mean, I could, but that would take a lot of time...”

“What if I cover some of your hours at the fish market in exchange and you still get paid? You’ll just work upstairs in the office instead.”

There was a pause as Jonah considered it. Then he said, “All right, cool, but we should also maybe do a Facebook page, a Twitter feed, and maybe even a Pinterest page about new products or from the perspective of a fishmonger. Oh, wait, we could even do our coupons from it and save money instead of that old circular—”

Michael was impressed. “Wow, Jonah, this all sounds great. Have you ever talked to Dad about these ideas?”

Jonah chuckled. “Are you kidding me! Like he would ever listen.”

“Well, let’s do it. Why don’t we sit together tomorrow afternoon and talk. I’d like to hear your ideas on re-branding, too, and let’s get Judy involved in that. What do you think?”

“That sounds awesome! I’ll ask Judy what she can do with the logo. She is great with all that graphic design stuff.”

“She is?”

“Oh, yeah, loves it, she wants to go to art school. Oh, crap, I wasn’t supposed to say anything. Anyway, I’ll talk to her about it today! Talk to you later, bro!” With that, Jonah hung up.

Huh, Michael thought, as he started the car. Looks like he wasn’t the only one who thought their father was stubborn. And even Judy was afraid to tell the family what she’d really like to do. He began to think maybe a mural might be nice touch on the wall in the parking lot near where he and his mother ate lunch the other day. Judy could probably help with that, too. That wall was just large concrete bricks. Rather than painting it or siding it, a mural could give the place a nice whimsical feel, especially along with a small jungle gym … or maybe just some swings, since they would mean less liability. Maybe he would talk to his mother and Judy about that. He had so many thoughts swimming around his head that he didn’t realize he had arrived at the video store, which was next to an old bookstore. He decided to stop in to the bookstore first, but stopped when he noticed a large ‘for sale’ sign outside of the building.

“I can’t believe it,” he mumbled. He had spent many years in the bookstore when he was young and even all these years later, the place still looked magical. It was a small stone structure that had three levels.

Mrs. Slossenger, the owner, had moved into the basement when her husband had passed away and the other two floors housed books. He peered through the windows and saw the shelves and the tables. He had spent so much time there growing up, but he guessed with the advent of the e-reader and the Internet, books were less popular. But with all the tourists, he figured mass-market paperbacks and magazines would still sell. He didn’t know why he did it but he opened up his wallet and took out a card so he could jot down the number on the ‘for sale’ sign. It couldn’t hurt to find out how much the place was ... even as a vacation apartment. He could remodel and take the top floor as an apartment and rent out the other two floors to a store. It could be a nice investment. It would be small, but surely bigger than his studio in New York. He whistled as he walked over to the video store.

After thirty minutes, he walked out with what he thought would be a good assortment of movies and snacks for his nephews, who were five, seven, and eight years old. He got two Harry Potter Movies, the latest Pirates of the Caribbean, Narnia, and a super hero movie. He looked at his watch. It was three forty-five. A little too early to buy the pizza now, so he grabbed a menu and made sure they did delivery. Next stop, the drug store. He figured comic books and soda would be good. He also wanted a new notebook and some more pens for himself. He was making his way down the aisles with his arms full of ‘supplies,’ when a woman bumped right into him. He was annoyed.

“Hey, watch where you’re going,” he said, before he realized the woman was Beth. She looked startled.

“Sorry about that, I’m in the biggest rush,” she said, without even looking up.

“Beth? Hey, it’s me, Michael, no problem. You okay? Anything I can help you with?”

Oh, God, she thought, it’s him. The last person she wanted to see when she was so frantic. She was trying to find enough copies of DownEast Magazine for her gift bags and couldn’t. She was freaking out.

“Well, I need twelve copies of DownEast Magazine but there are only four here, and there really isn’t anywhere else in town to pick it up ... I need them for these gift bags for the guests. But there aren’t any ... and now I don’t know what to do.” Her words came out in a rush.

“You know what, I saw some by the register. I’ll be right back and see if they have eight more.” With that, Michael ran off to the register and saw some right by checkout. He grabbed them and he also grabbed a bag of individually wrapped Maine candies. He left his own items for purchase at the counter and let them know he’d be right back. He ran back to Beth with his finds. She was still franticly looking on the ground. He bent down beside her and handed her the magazines.

“Here, I found eight more, and I thought if you’re making bags for guests that maybe these little maple candies might be nice, too.” He placed them in her basket and looked at her.

Beth was relieved, she hadn’t even thought of checking the checkout counter. She never bothered because all she ever noticed were the copies of People Magazine and US Weekly. She was glad Michael found them but also annoyed. She was hoping to avoid him entirely. She got up and so did he.

“Well thanks, Michael, I appreciate it,” she said cordially.

Michael looked taken aback. Despite how the previous night had ended, he thought they shared something. And although he was nervous, he wasn’t going to give up.

“So, um, Beth, I was wondering. I know you’re pretty busy this weekend, but would you like to have dinner some time, or lunch? Maybe Sunday night?”

“Michael, I like you but I just don’t know if it’s a good idea. You’re leaving Gray Harbor soon and I’m not really looking for a fling...” She let her voice trail off.

So that was what she was worried about, he thought. “How about dinner as friends, then? I really enjoyed chatting with you last night. At the very least, I’d like to continue to catch up, maybe even get some advice from you on what it’s like being a business person in Gray Harbor. Let’s just call it a business lunch instead, then, how about that? Can I pick you up at one o’clock Sunday?”

She looked like she was thinking it over, but he could tell she wanted to say yes. “Okay, fine, but only because it’s a business lunch and we’re meeting as friends.”

His confidence restored, he smiled and said, “Of course, I’m looking forward to it. Good luck with your guests, I’ll see you Sunday!” He waved as she walked away towards the checkout.

He quickly looked at his watch and saw that it was almost time to go babysit. He ran to the checkout and made his purchases, then headed for the car. He had promised to be at his sister’s house by five and he didn’t want to let Annie or Tom down. They needed the night alone and he needed the chance to get better acquainted with his nephews.

Michael was in awe of his sister. How did she do it every day? He had spent five hours with her three sons and was wiped out. After he arrived at Annie and Tom’s home, Tom showed Michael the ropes, pointing out where everything was from snacks to toothbrushes and pajamas.

Tom was a cool guy, thought Michael. He was quiet and reserved but you could just tell he had a sense of humor. Tom was on leave due to an injury. He had broken his arm in a ‘silly accident’ while training his plebes down at a boot camp in Portland. Tom said he was thinking of taking it easy and maybe becoming a recruiter so he could finish out his remaining two years with the Navy before retiring and then moving on to something else. But as Tom said, right now he was focused on being a father and a husband, and as fun as the Navy was, he said nothing could be more fun than hanging out with his three sons.

Fun? Michael thought that the night of babysitting certainly wasn’t fun. Okay, well, that wasn't entirely true; he did have fun with the kids, but he also realized that three boys was a lot of work.

He got reacquainted with his nephews when he got there and each of them gave him a tour of his room. Then they ordered pizza and played video games and drank sodas until the pizzas arrived. Michael learned the error in his ways after dinner, when they were all hyped up from so much caffeine. He gave piggy back rides, helped make model planes, watched pieces of each of the movies he brought till they got bored, and basically ran around like a madmen. At around nine thirty they all started losing steam, so Michael put them to bed. Finally it was quiet. He could hear himself think.

He was tired but he also could see why people wanted to have families. It felt really rewarding. And amid all the commotion tonight, he felt like he imparted some important lessons on the boys. Why black magic was always bad, why you should always have a napkin on your lap while eating pizza (in case the hot cheese fell off). He thought maybe someday he could get into this whole father and husband thing like Tom. What a scary thought!

And speaking of fathers, Michael thought about his own as he cleaned up the mess in the kitchen. He needed to clear the air with his father. He decided he was going to do it tomorrow morning before he wimped out. It had gone on for too long. He had a feeling that maybe his father wouldn’t feel the need to be such a tough guy if they were alone. Maybe they could talk it out. And maybe they could even discuss how they could save Malone’s.

Michael also began thinking about his work. No one had called him back. He had left messages, sent emails. It felt like he was getting the silent treatment. He made a mental calculation of what was in his savings accounts outside of his investments — six million dollars, give or take a few thousand. He could comfortably resign and forget about all of the headaches he’d been dealing with at the fund. They all referred to themselves as the Goldfarb Family — but they weren’t family; hell, they weren’t even his friends. Not a soul had gotten back to him. He was going to have to go back to New York and resign in person. It was over and it was okay. He wasn’t sure what was next, but he did know that he needed a change.

He just wasn’t satisfied with his career anymore. But he did like being a part of something important. He also liked being a part of the family again. It was something he hadn’t felt like in a long time ... not since Jesse had died. It hadn’t been the same -- or maybe it had just been Michael who wasn’t the same. He sat on the sofa and did something he hadn’t done in a long time, read the paper.

Beth breathed a sigh of relief. Night one was over and it had been a hit. Everyone loved the bags, the hors d'oeuvres, and the cocktail hour. The dining room had a number of guests in it and as usual, the Tavern was doing quite well for a Thursday evening. The head of the touring group had said to her if the rest of the week went as well as tonight did, then they’d like to reserve group holidays on a consistent basis with as many as twenty-four guests in a single weekend! It would be a dream come true for Beth. That would account for a nice little chunk of annual expenses. She was going to sleep well tonight, and tomorrow she would go for a nice jog and maybe even go sit out by the lighthouse after breakfast was served.

The tour guide really thought the bags were a nice touch, especially the candies. He even offered to pay a little extra for some additional items to be added to the bags, including brochures, bike maps, and anything else that could also be “very Maine.” Maybe she would get some of Michael’s ideas during their ‘business lunch’ on Sunday. She wondered what she should wear and where they would be going. Knowing the only other restaurants in town were informal, she decided casual would be the right look. What was she thinking? Why was she even thinking about this? She was not interested in Michael. Now that her mind was convinced, she just needed to convince her body of that, because every time she thought of him she felt an undeniable heat in her abdomen and her heart beat faster. She guessed there was nothing wrong with admiring him. He was like a taller, more muscular Patrick Dempsey ... and who could say no to that? She meant, who couldn’t look at that? No, she thought, she couldn’t do this. She had more important things to do than get involved with a man who wouldn’t be sticking around.

The next morning, Michael got up early and got dressed to go running. Visiting hours at the hospital began at noon that day and he planned to be there then but before that, he had some other things to attend to at home. He had hired some painters to finish the work he and Jonah had started on the inside. He had also asked Bob to stop by with some slipcovers for the old sofas and see what he could come up with in terms of sprucing up the decor. He placed Judy in charge of taking care of that today. He was going to check out the work being done on the exterior of the house and he had also hired someone from McAllister's to do some planting and gardening. The place was really starting to come together.

He ran downstairs and had a little coffee, let in the painters, and set up the rest of the workers around the house. Before he knew it, it was nine o’clock.  He decided to head off in the direction of the Warren Inn and the Gray Harbor Lighthouse.

He was feeling out of shape by the time he had run the three miles to the lighthouse. A few weeks ago, he wouldn’t have even been winded, he realized. He decided to have a little break, have a drink, and sit by the water. Just behind the lighthouse, there were these beautiful boulders right by the ocean where tourists often sat and watched the boats go by. In the distance, you could frequently see lobster boats. At this time of day, many of the lobsterman would have already been out for several hours but you could probably still see a few from the lighthouse.

Michael walked by the small lighthouse and thought about how when he was a child, he had imagined living in a lighthouse of his very own someday. He had also dreamed of being a lobsterman, a naval officer, and a bag boy at Malone’s Market. Funny how hedge fund manager had never occurred to him. He smiled at himself.

He walked out to the boulders and was climbing down when he saw her. There was Beth, sitting on the very edge of a sloping stone, with her feet partially in the water and partially on the pebbled beach surrounding the lighthouse. You could only ever see the little beach when it was low tide.

“Pardon me, is this seat taken?” he asked her.

She looked startled but before she could stop herself, she smiled and said flirtatiously, “So ... are you stalking me? First the market, then the tavern, the drugstore, and now here at the lighthouse? Come on, Malone, be a little more subtle.”

He had to laugh at that one. She looked at him, amused.

“Beth, I’m shocked that you would even imply that. I think you must have Annie feeding you the details of my whereabouts. I always run in the mornings, and who wouldn’t run to the lighthouse? It’s gorgeous here.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll let it slide this time,” she said with a smile, as she shaded her eyes from the sun.

She looked great. She had on short navy blue running shorts with orange stripes. She wore a tight white tank top, white cross-trainers, and her hair was up in a ponytail. She looked healthy and even fairly tan for a redhead.

He took a breath and looked out at the water. They sat in silence for a few moments. Then he asked, “So, how did it go last night?”

She looked surprised that he remembered or even cared. Usually the men she went out with weren’t very interested in the happenings at the Inn. But then again, since they were ‘friends’ she supposed that was a normal question. Surely Annie would ask her such a thing. Now she was even rambling in her thoughts.

“It went really well, thanks again for your help.”

“I didn’t do anything really,” he paused as she was about to protest, “but I’m glad it went well.” He glanced at her shyly.

She filled him in on what the tour guide had said and Michael shared in her enthusiasm. He even offered up a great idea.

“You should get some bikes for the Inn, you could rent them out or let guests use them for free so they can ride up to the lighthouse or even go into town instead of driving. I think people could get into that, and it would show how bike friendly you are. And you could get some fairly inexpensive cruiser bikes online.”

“That’s a great idea,” said Beth. And she really meant it. She hadn’t heard of any other Inn doing such a thing, so it could really help her get a write up by DownEast or even other travel magazines. It always helped to have a distinguishing characteristic. Maybe a business lunch with Michael on Sunday wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all. She really enjoyed speaking with him. They stayed there for a while just chatting until he looked at his watch.

“Time really flies when I’m with you,” he said. “It’s already eleven thirty. I need to head back and go visit my father at the hospital.”

He looked serious for a moment and then his face brightened. “This has been really nice. I’m really looking forward to Sunday. Dress casual. We aren’t going anywhere fancy for our lunch but I think you’ll like it.”

He offered her his hand so she could get up, too. She took it and they both climbed the boulders together. When they reached the top, Beth stumbled and Michael caught her, and then he did a very unprofessional thing. He looked in her eyes and kissed her on the lips.

His lips were soft and his arms strong around her. She forgot her surroundings.

“Goodbye, see you Sunday!” And with that he ran off.

Beth just stood there dumfounded as he ran off. What just happened? Did he really just kiss her? She began jogging back to the Warren Inn with a stupid smile on her face. Even though she was feeling really cautious about this whole thing, maybe she shouldn’t. Maybe she should just live in the moment and enjoy Michael while he was here. It wasn’t often she met a man with whom she shared such mutual attraction, intense chemistry, and great conversations. Maybe she should just go for it?

Although she had no problem taking risks with her cuisine, with her business, or even at times with her own personal fashion, she had always guarded herself when it came to men. Maybe it was her parents’ terrible relationship. She remembered the day her parents had died in a car accident. They had been arguing even before they got in the car to take her older sister on a college visit.

It had been raining and they crashed into a truck. Her sister made it out alive somehow but her parents had died instantly. She remembered that awful day now as she slowed to a walk. She had been called out of lab from class to the principal's office. Then months later, she got that call again after sister’s accident. Her sister had been on life support for several days before she finally let go. When she got the call that her sister was gone for good, Michael had slipped out of class to see if she was all right. She sobbed and told him everything. Things she had never told her friends about her parents, about finding out her father had had an affair. About how she had told her mother the night before. About how their death was probably her fault, and about how now Jen, who had nearly lost her life months before, had died in another tragic accident and how she couldn’t stop it. She begged him not to tell anyone, and he never did. He never even mentioned it again. She had mostly blocked that out.

But now, as she walked beyond the Inn and into her cottage, she realized that maybe knowing what she knew about her parents’ marriage was why she was so distrustful of men. Maybe it was why she would never let anyone close.

But she had that one time. That one time in high school, she had let in nerdy, pepperoni-faced Malone. Maybe it was time now to let in Michael, the man. She smiled slightly at the thought and then hit the shower.

Michael ran all the way home at full speed. He was glad he had run into Beth and that they had shared a moment, but now he had to stay focused. He needed to figure out what he was going to say to his father and how he would patch things up, if they could be patched up at all. He was also concerned about broaching the topic of the business. By the time he arrived back at the house, he was breathless. He quickly waved to Jonah, who was working in the kitchen on his laptop. Jonah looked like he wanted to talk but Michael avoided it. He saw Judy and Bob, who were in a deep conversation about color palettes and said a quick hello as he ran to the shower. He showered quickly and opted against shaving. He had always wanted to grow a beard; maybe he’d just go with it. He threw on some jeans, a fresh green polo shirt, his boat shoes, and wayfarer sunglasses. In ten minutes flat he was clean and dressed and in his car.