“She’s having a bit of trouble. Well, lots of trouble. She’s not big on figuring out names. She had a cat called Cat for its whole life. And a teddy bear named Bear, for that matter. I might have to stay here all night to avoid going home and being roped into a naming brainstorming session that might last for hours.”
“Livy had a hard time naming the cafe, too. She finally decided on Sea Glass Cafe—and I love that name—but most of the town calls it Parker’s Cafe. Really riles Livy. So, no matter what name Violet comes up with, the town will still probably refer to it as Murphy’s Resort.” Evelyn’s clear blue eyes sparkled with amusement.
When she smiled at him, she had the same look of the young girl who had worked in her grandmother’s store all those years ago. Not that she’d really caught his attention back then. He was more interested in sports and ice cream at that age. He just remembered she and Donna had worked there every summer when he’d come in for ice cream. Like every single day that he’d been in town. Of course, not much had changed. He was still going there almost every day for ice cream.
“What are you thinking about? You’re smiling.”
He looked up, startled. “Oh… I was thinking about going to Parker’s when I was young. Getting my ice cream. You and Donna working there as girls.”
“I don’t really remember you coming in, I’m sorry.”
He laughed. “It was a million years ago and Parker’s was always filled with customers. I was impressed at how hard you two worked.”
“We loved working in the store. We earned our own spending money, and, well, Grandmother needed the help.”
“A true family business.”
“It was. Kind of. My mother never worked there. Not her thing. And then Donna took over the store after my grandparents retired.”
“Did you work there after Donna took over?”
“No, not really. By then I was married to Darren and he didn’t want me working at Parker’s. He wanted me planning events at the country club, hosting business dinners, and getting involved in what he considered proper charities. He said he couldn’t have a wife working retail.” She shrugged. “And, for some reason, I let him run my life. Not too proud of it now.”
He couldn’t imagine her with Darren. From their brief meeting, he could tell he was a hard, critical man, and Evelyn was so kind and friendly.
“Anyway, that part of my life is behind me. I have my job at the cafe. My own apartment. I’m really proud of all I’ve accomplished since splitting with Darren. It might be the best thing that ever happened to me. I would have just grown old with him, miserable in my life.”
“That’s no way to live.”
“No, it’s not. And I love my job now. Cooking, coming up with new recipes to make. It’s very fulfilling.” She looked over at him. “Is that how you feel about your writing?”
He gave her a wry grin. “Usually. But I’m in a funk right now. A big case of writer’s block. Usually I can work my way out of it, but this time it’s clinging to me hard.”
“What’s your favorite part of being a writer?”
He thought for a moment. “One of the best things is when a reader writes me and tells me how much they enjoyed my book. How they got to escape into it for a time.”
“That must be nice.”
“I also love when I get really into the flow of writing and the story pours out from my fingers to the keyboard. And sometimes my characters surprise me. I’m like—no kidding—that’s what happened?” He grinned.
“I read one of your books.”
“You did?”
“Of course. After getting to know you, I wanted to see what kind of books you wrote. It was The Lady Under the Lake. Very good. What a twist you put at the end of it.”
Her praise thrilled him. “Thank you.”
The server came by. “Dessert?”
“I’ll have the chocolate molten cake,” Evelyn said.
She hadn’t steered him wrong on food yet. He ordered the same.
They finished their meals—she paid for her own—and they left Jimmy’s. He made a mental note to bring Violet here. She’d love it.
They strolled along the sidewalks toward her apartment building. All too soon, they arrived at her building. She stood under the streetlight, the soft glow illuminating her easy smile. “I had a really good time tonight.”
