The older man glared up at him, face red and nostrils flaring, and pointed a finger. Raised his voice even more. “Don’t make me get out of this wheelchair?—”
Caleb inhaled deeply and let his breath out slow, his frustration wanting to build into anger.Lord, help me. I said I wouldn’t argue, and I do not want to disrespect mygrandfather, but right now I’m about this far from telling him what I think of his attitude.
He pulled a verse from his memory.Charity suffereth long, and is kind…
While Caleb couldn’t exactly say he’d suffered, or that it had gone on a long time, he still needed a dose of charity and kindness in his?—
“Mr. Kennedy!”
He looked down from the ladder, and there stood Ariel, in a long, pale-yellow dress with little yellow flowers, her dark-blonde hair flowing over her shoulders. Whether she knew it or not, she was now accomplishing the one feat he’d never seen anyone do, even his grandmother: silencing crusty, touchy, grouchy Jacob Kennedy.
Calling out to his grandfather again in a calm and patient way, she headed toward them from the vicinity of the breakfast bar, carrying her guitar case in one hand and a piece of toast on a white plate in the other. “Would you help me, please?”
What was she doing?
Granddad swiveled his head toward her so fast, he must have felt dizzy. “What? What do you need, Miss Sullivan?”
Caleb let out a huff. When had he ever seen his grandfather make such a lightning-fast change of mood? When had he ever heard him speak in that gentle tone?
“Call me Ariel.” She caught Caleb’s gaze, and he rolled his eyes.
Her smile turned into a playful grin as she set her guitar case on the floor. “My aunt is still resting, but sometime today, I need to try out the new songs our writers gave me last night. Someplace quiet where I won’t bother anyone.”
“How about the restaurant?” Granddad pointed in that direction, his pitch lowering and the frown slowly melting from his brow.
“I knew you’d have a solution. Have you had coffee this morning?”
Granddad shot a scowl up at Caleb. “Had to come down here and supervise first.”
“My aunt can’t function without her morning coffee, and I imagine it’s worse for a man. I’ll bet you take yours black.”
“That’s right.”
She hurried to the breakfast bar, poured a hot cup, and handed it to Granddad.
He grunted a gravelly thanks and downed half the cup. Then he looked over the mug, his gaze fixed on Sarah, who wore a red Island House Inn Henley and tan pants as she all but ran down the wooden circular staircase. “Sarah, why are you back so early after working late last night?”
“It wasn’t that late.” Sarah cast a split-second glance at Caleb before hurrying off toward the breakfast bar. “I’ll see if anything over here needs refilled.”
Granddad shot his gaze back to Caleb. “Employees aren’t allowed to double back with only eight hours between shifts. What kind of staffing trouble do we have? By the time Sarah took the ferry to the mainland then drove home, came back to the ferry this morning and rode it here, she probably didn’t get four hours of sleep. Which is why we can’t keep our help.”
Or maybe they had a high turnover rate because Granddad spent his time bellowing orders and insults in the lobby…
Caleb climbed down the ladder, carrying five burned-out bulbs. “We had a hole in the schedule, and Sarah volunteered to fill it.”
“Whole place is falling apart. I’ve spent too much time away from the office.” He started wheeling himself across the lobby a couple inches at a time. “I’ll be at my desk—with the door open. The staff needs to know someone’s in charge.”
With Granddad’s back to them now, Ariel whispered, “I’m sorry.”
Caleb ran his fingers through his now-short hair. “Not your fault. I just wish I could be what he needs.”
“The innkeeper gig isn’t working out for you, is it?”
“Not remotely. Sometimes I don’t know why I try.”
His guests wandered off, replacing Granddad’s harsh speech with laughter and pleasant conversation. So did Uncle Augo, freshly shaven and looking sharp in khakis, a lightweight brown sweater, and matching deck shoes and flat hat as he crossed the lobby, his little dog, Lucy, following.
Finally, a return to normal.
