Wed June 19 2019

Bobbie woke up to a text from her brother. He was coming over around 11 and wanted to talk and go out for lunch.

Bobbie was genuinely curious about what Jamie wanted. She dressed and went downstairs into the restaurant and saw that it was full. She pulled out her phone to check the reservation website and saw they had rented lots of rooms. Mark came out to replenish coffee.

“I guess all the notoriety was free advertising too, we’ve got more guests.”

“I that doesn’t surprise me, the breakfast was busy I had to get Sipho to make more muffins.”

“How’s Sipho working out. I think of him as a promising programmer but I am sure he is going to be a talented chef.”

“The kitchen staff are all great. Sipho has interesting recipes from his homeland and Gina can teach me a thing or two about Italian food.

Bobbie sat with her coffee at a small table and looked around. It was hard to believe how quickly they were growing. She finished her coffee and went upstairs to the laundry room and saw Roger. He was humming and loading a clothes washer. “Hi Roger are you very busy?”

“Hi Bobbie, I am always busy. I got to empty garbage cans and I carried someone’s bags to their room and now I have towels to wash.”

Bobbie saw Effie walking by. “Good morning, business picking up. Can you manage all the rooms?”

“Yes, it’s nice to keep busy. I change the beds, Drey cleans the bathroom, Roger replaces the towels and I finish up vacuuming and we’re out in 12 minutes. I didn’t like your check sheet at first but it is almost fun.”

“You do a room in 12 minutes? That’s amazing!”

“We’ll get your apartment done after lunch and still have time to weed the garden a bit. The carrots are starting to come up. Brit is actually a big help too.”

“Maybe I need to start paying Brit. You spoil me Effie, please let me know if things change and you need anything.”

Bobbie went down her stairs and over to the new building. Lacey wasn’t in the gallery yet but Joe was at reception.

“Bobbie, the website is getting traffic, I got a request about a wedding. We have to decide if we are going to keep the rooms fist come first serve or are we going to allow people to reserve blocks of rooms for events.”

“We’ll have to get some numbers from Trixie but I really think we could host weddings. Bobbie was already thinking of a planning spreadsheet that linked all the services you need to host a wedding.

He phone beeped and it was Jamie. He was at her door. She waved as she hurried out to meet him. “So what’s going on little brother?”

“Hey Bobbie. I just want to sit on your new roof deck with some iced tea and chill for a few minutes.”

“When they were sitting in lounges in the shade and Jamie began. “The view up here is as good as I imagined. So anyway, did you know our mother has a new boyfriend?”

“I had no idea!”

“Jarrod and I saw them at the Treat Shoppe. They held hands and even smooched a bit. I don’t think they even saw us.”

Bobbie started texting. “I bet Lorne knows something.”

“I’m Calling Mom right now, we’re picking her up for lunch.”

“Jamie that’s a little like an ambush.”

They sat for a few more minutes enjoying the sun. Bobbie cleared away their drinks and said. “let’s go.”

They picked up their mother and took her to the Treat Shoppe. They were only sitting a few minutes before Jamie started asking questions.

“Mom, Jarrod and I saw you with a man here on Monday.”

“Jamie, I was hoping you would share my happiness. I decided I am ready to date again and when Dean Nolan called me I was delighted. I remember playing tennis with him at the Yacht club when we were young. I had the biggest crush on him. He picked me up last Monday and we had lunch. We talked about our kids, our grand kids and great grand kids. We marvelled that we had lived so long. He’s smart, still drives a car, seems in good health and I like him. It’s hard for me to find a guy that isn’t looking for someone to be a nurse for them.”

“How long have you been looking for a date Mom, seeing you are so wise in the ways of dating seniors?”

“Don’t be saucy Jamie, I’ve been chatting to Linda about it and she thinks dating Dean is a great idea. You’re being quiet Bobbie what do you think? Will me dating Dean make things awkward for you if you want to date George, his son?”

Before she could answer, Jamie said. “No problem you can go on double dates. That’s not too weird!”

“Jamie! Let me answer and stop being so sour. I don’t think I’ll date George. Mom, I already feel funny that Sam is his ex wife and now that you are dating his father it is just too complicated.”

“Oh dear, Lorne told me that George called him about redesigning and renovating his condo apartment. And that he is staying at your motel while the work is being done. I thought he was staying there, to be close to you.”

Oh no, thought Bobbie, I hope I didn’t lead George on. She wasn’t sure if she should mention Hennessy to Jamie and her Mom. She didn’t know what was happening and hadn’t really made up her mind. The Honourable Hennessy could have a different idea about things too. “So I ran into an old friend the other day and he found out I was widowed and I found out he’s single and I think the old spark is still there, so who knows?”

“Who could you possibly have an old spark with? You met Alex before you turned 18.”

“Remember that sailing camp I went to. Well I met a boy there and we hit it off really well.”

“Bobbie, you were just children, how did you even remember him?”

“Well we were kids but we kissed a lot a lot and remember each other. When I was around 26, Alex and I were in a rough patch and I got together with this guy one weekend when I was at a conference in Vegas”

“Bobbie, I had no idea, I’m sad you couldn’t talk to me about all this before.”

“I’m sorry Mom, Alex and I worked it all out. He cheated on me too and it was a turning point in our relationship. We worked really hard to earn each other’s trust again.”

“Well I had a relationship with a colleague when I was married to your father so I know about these things. I never told your father though.”

“Mom!”

“I know kids. Sadly they’re dead now, I’ll always wonder what could have been.”

“The McNally women are trouble. Are you going to tell us who this mystery man is Bobbie?”

“I don’t know, You probably won’t believe me.”

“I invited Mom to lunch to find out about her date and now I find it’s you keeping secrets, Bobbie.”

“It’s Ambrose Hennessy, he’s a politician.”

They both looked at her in stunned silence.

“He comes from very old money.”

“He’s the most eligible bachelor in the country! I guess if you’re going to cheat on your husband picking a hot, powerful, rich guy is about the best option.”

“Jamie! Alex never knew who I cheated with, he just knew it was an old friend. I really don’t know where it stands with Brose so I just might have to call him this weekend.”

The rest of the meal was passed with chit chat and gentle teasing. They dropped their mom off and Jamie turned to her. “What the hell is going on Bobbie, What are you not saying?”

Bobbie sighed. “If you must know we spent all our free time at that camp with each other and were such a ball of raging hormones by the time it ended, we vowed to reconnect. When we happened to meet in Vegas it was mind blowing and when we happened to meet last Saturday it was still mind blowing.”

“Ahh, mind blowing sex, it’s just like a fairy tale; right? Also, you keep saying “happened to meet”. That’s a lot of coincidences. This guy was low key stalking you for 30ish years? That’s creepy.”

Bobbie just rolled her eyes and when she got home she found Brose’s e-mail online and sent an e-mail with her phone number. The ball was in his court.