“Sir?” Clark stood in my doorway with a resigned look on his face.
“Not now,” I demanded as I focused on my monitor and hit the test button. “Yes!” I cheered as it came back successful.
“Mr. Noch, I’m sorry to push but yo–”
“Clark,” I snapped and looked up to find him in front of me and pointing at my phone.
“Your mother, sir. And, I’m sorry, but she’s scarier than you.” Clark lifted the receiver and placed it in my hand before he turned on his heels and left my office without another word.
“Mother,” I greeted without enthusiasm.
“Harrison, you left before I could tell you the good news the other night,” she announced over the phone.
Letting out a heavy sigh, I resigned myself to whatever new hell my mother had found to put me through.
“I’m sorry,” I said softly to let her know I was listening.
“I’ve decided to open the Cape Luella house early this year and we’ll all stay there for the entire summer,” she exclaimed. “Won’t that be nice? Even your sister and her husband will be in attendance. I want us to enjoy a family summer like when you were young.”
Emotions rushed through me. At the forefront was annoyance but there was excitement as well. An image of a sweet and curvy girl filled my head. Would she still be in the small town where my parents had a summer home?
“Harrison?” My mother’s voice shook me from my daydream.
“Mother, it would be lovely but I’m not sure –”
“Nonsense! It’s your company and you can assign someone to take over your duties while you’re gone. I want you to be free to enjoy some downtime,” she insisted.
“Mother, you know we’re a small company and I still do most of the actual coding,” I reminded her.
Nerves filled me as I thought about everything that would have to be done. Did I want to spend the summer in the resort town? I’d never been a fan of our vacations there. Internet and cell usage were sporadic at best, not to mention my distaste for being outdoors. However, if she was there…
“Harrison, please,” my mother’s soft request shocked me back to the phone conversation. “I know you have a lot on your plate but this is important to me. Please… plan for the summer and if you have to leave early, I’ll understand.”
Something felt off. My mother never begged. She announced and expected everyone to hop to. It was obvious she wasn’t going to give me more than she had already said, so I only had one response...
“You know, a vacation would be nice. Thank you, mother. What date did you want me to arrive?”
“Get it out of here,” Mrs. Lawson screeched from her perch on top of the desk chair in her room.
“It’s just a small crab, Mrs. Lawson. I’ll have it out of your way in a jiff,” I replied with a huge smile.
“How’d it get in here? Should I call another B&B?” she demanded as she stared at the crab while I scooped it up in a cup.
“Not at all, Mrs. Lawson. It happens at all of the properties along the beach. Most of the time the little guys hitchhike on the guests’ bags and such from where the bag sat on the sand.” It took everything inside of me to keep my voice calm and the smile on my face.
“I’ll trust you, Naiva. I’ve been coming here for years and your parents have always taken such good care of me. I’d hate to not be able to return.”
It was the same old story, just a different day. My parents were the third generation to run the Aisley B&B. My great-grandparents opened it shortly after immigrating from the British Isles. As soon as I was able to walk, I’d been helping my mom around the place. I knew I’d be taking over for my parents someday and I really loved the old place, but there were times I wished I could simply stay in the cafe we had added a few years ago.
As a natural introvert, dealing with guests was never easy for me. I preferred my people in books – when they got to be too much, I simply closed the cover and took a break.
Shaking my head, I focused on the tiny crab in the cup which I quickly covered with my hand.
“See, no problem, Mrs. Lawson.” I gave her a smile and headed for the door. “Just let me know if you see any more and I’ll be right up to rehome them.”
I heard the sigh of relief behind me as I opened the door and stepped out into the hall.
“I’ll ask mom to bring you up a cup of tea… and maybe a few cookies?” I turned back to see Mrs. Lawson framed in the door.
“That would be lovely,” she replied and gave me a small smile. “I’m sorry, Naiva. I just… I just don’t like little creatures like that.” She laughed and waved her hand in the air.
“All part of my duty, Mrs. Lawson. I want you to have a great stay. So, I’ll have mom bring up the tea and you can just ring the desk if you need anything else.”
With those last words hanging between us, Mrs. Lawson nodded and closed the door softly as I turned to head out to the beach to return my little trouble maker to his home.
Aisley Cafe was my brainchild and I had a love-hate relationship with it. The cafe provided a stream of income all year long. We had a patio area for those who prefer to sit outside and look at the ocean. We had a nice dining area – it was small but provided a lovely place for a date. The set up provided those staying with us a menu full of options for the three meals we included with their
