“I’m glad all that’s working out for you.”
“I do like seeing him all the time. We have dinner most nights, or at least a drink out on the point if he or I come home late.”
“I miss sitting out on the point with you and watching the sunset.”Evelyn sighed.
“You should come over one night.”
“I will. Soon. Right now I can’t wait to get home each night and settle into my own place.”
“Did you ever get a table and chairs?”
“I did. At the thrift shop in town. It was pretty beat up, but Heather painted it with chalk paint. It’s a pretty teal color now and fits in great with the plans I have for the apartment. It’s starting to slowly come together. I’m having so much fun making it just how I want it.”
“With no one telling you what you can or can’t do.”Donna frowned slightly.“Any more problems with your ex?”
“Haven’t heard a word from him. Not since the divorce was finalized.”
“Is he still with that Lacey person?”
“I don’t really know, and luckily I haven’t run into him recently.”And she hoped that streak continued. The less she saw of him, the better. They didn’t run in the same circles anymore. She’d been dropped from the country club membership, and none of her supposed friends from the club had reached out to her. They’d thrown their allegiance to Darren and cut her from their ranks. Which was fine, really. Who needed fake friends?
“Anyway, so I hear Melody is helping out with the cooking here at the cafe more?”Donna set down her cup.“You really need to cut back on your hours some. You work all the time.”
Evelyn laughed.“You’re one to talk. You work long hours six days a week. And I know you pop into the store on Sundays sometimes, too.”
“What can I say? I love owning Parker’s and running the store. Chatting with the customers. Even setting up new displays. Most days the hours just fly by.”
“We’re pretty lucky, aren’t we?”
“We’reverylucky,”Donna agreed.
Livy hurried into the kitchen and up to Donna.“Mom, I have thebestidea.”
Donna looked at her daughter warily.“What idea? I’m just getting comfortable with yourlastidea. I’m not a very big fan of change.”
Evelyn chuckled at Donna’s understatement.
Chapter 2
Olivia laughed at her mother.“No, you don’t like change. I’m well aware of that. We all are. But this won’t be as big of a change as the expansion.”
Her mother sighed.“Hit me while I’m in a good mood. Evie and I were just saying how lucky we are.”
She sucked in a deep breath, hoping her mother would like her plan.“Okay…so you know how the upstairs floor here in this building is mostly storage? How about we make it into a seasonal room? You know. Like Easter, and Halloween, and Christmas? I think we could even keep up a portion of it with Christmas things all year. You know how the tourists seem to like to get little Christmas ornaments and gifts to remind them of their trips to Moonbeam.”
“I—”Her mother paused, then a tentative smile spread across her face.“I think that’s a marvelous idea.”
“You do?”She’d been expecting a lot of resistance to the idea.
“I think it’s a great idea, too. And when the cafe has a waitlist, the customers can go upstairs and browse around,”Evelyn said.
“Ever since Emily installed that texting program for our waitlist, the customers really have been browsing around while they wait.”Olivia was amazed at all her daughter had learned this year about software and so much techie stuff. Stuff she, herself, wasnotthat great at.
“You’re lucky Austin has had time to teach Emily so much,”Evelyn said.“Speaking of Austin. How is he? I haven’t seen him come into the cafe in the last week or so.”
“He’s been busy. He was out of town visiting a client, but he’ll be back tonight.”And she couldn’t wait to see him. She missed him when he took business trips. She’d gotten quite used to seeing him most days, something she never thought would happen. Olivia Foster had a boyfriend. And a serious one at that.
“You should take off early then,”Evelyn insisted.“Melody and I have things covered here at the cafe. And Brittany will be in too, to wait tables.”
