Friday night party Sep 6

The first to arrive was her mother, Dean and Linda. “I’m not sure where you want us to go Bobbie. Johnny is downstairs but he’s still setting everything up and you’re still up here.”

“I’m sorry Mom, I didn’t mean to complicate things. Uncles Stewart and Donald are meeting us here because they’ve never seen the apartment before.”

“Trixie, if you are ready can you take Mom and Dean and Linda down and set them up with drinks. Johnny should be finished soon. I’m just going to wait for Gary and them and meet you down there.”

“Let’s go down to the restaurant Aunt Florence, I want to tell you about my new apartment in Cap City.”

“All right then. We’ll see you soon Bobbie.”

Greg and his brother Kieth and wife Vanessa, who were Lacey’s parents arrived next.

Vanessa hugged Bobbie. “What a nice apartment. There is so much light, you’ll have to have a knitting party soon.”

“I’m glad that you came. I’m just waiting to show off my apartment to a few more people and will see you all in the restaurant soon. Trixie is already down there.”

Eddie and Towns decided to go down to the restaurant too. Townes kissed Bobbie on the forehead. “I’ll see you down there.”

Jamie and Jarrod came next.

“Hi guys. Mom and everyone are down stairs but I’m here all alone do you want to wait for the uncles with me?”

They didn’t have to wait long. The elevator dinged and Bobbie greeted Gary, Stewart, Donald and Donald’s grandson Russel.

“Hey Jamie, our first cousin once-removed, Russel, is the guy we met in Cap City at that open mic we played.”

“Hey Russel nice to meet you again.”

“Man, it’s a small world. I just graduated form my Ph.D. program and decided to come visit my grandpa. We like to play together.”

“We’ve got a few instruments set up in the restaurant if you have any gear with you.”

Jamie nodded his head. “I’ll take you downstairs and we can get a beer and meet Johnny and get your gear set up.”

Uncle Donald put his hand on Russel’s shoulder. “You go ahead, I want to stay for the grand tour.”

Jamie and Jarrod and Russel left just as George and Sam arrived.

Sam looked around. “Hi Bobbie, is this the apartment I’ve heard so much about? It’s really nice. Look at the views out the windows.”

Bobbie introduced everyone and then took them all into the living room. “My builder Rocco is a master woodworker and he build me this full-length bookcase and it pretty much divides the house. Here’s the living room and in the corner is my office. Down this hall are the 3 guest bedrooms I made them longer and a bit narrower to fit in the space.”

Donald looked at the bookcase and his hand stroked the wood. “Margret would have loved this. I like how it connects the place and goes all the way to the dining room.”

Gary looked into a bedroom. “This is a good size, it’s large enough for a big bed and side tables at the back, under those high windows and there is space in front of the bed for a couple chairs and a dresser or two.”

Bobbie opened the next door. “It’s long enough that 2 twin beds can fit along the wall. My grandsons sleep here when they stay.”

Sam went to the end of the open hallway and looked in the laundry room. “Oh man look at the storage in here. Your home is well thought out and so beautiful Bobbie.”

“Well thanks guys. After Alex died, I really poured my heart and soul into the place. My room is over there and this is my media room.

Quinn and Will met them at the stairs by the elevator. “Hi guys I took Will on the grand tour of the whole place.”

“You’ve got quite an operation. I like the garden and the reception building is impressive.”

“Thanks Will, I’m sure you are used to working at much grander Hotels.”

Uncle Stewart looked interested. “Will, can you show Gary and me the garden?”

“We’ll meet the rest of you in the restaurant.”

Sam perked up. “Can I join you guys to see the garden?”

Bobbie shook her head. “OK, I’ll leave my back door open in case any one needs anything and the rest of us will meet you in the restaurant.”

They left the apartment and Bobbie found herself beside George. “Hi George, I’m so glad you and Sam could come. Is Sam’s husband going to join us later?”

“Well, Sam and her husband are taking a bit of a break, I guess. She came down to my apartment and asked me for a lift so we travelled together.”

Half an hour later everyone had a drink and people were mingling. Trixie and Sam were teasing the bartender and Eddie, Charlie, Greg, and Towns were sitting at a table. Bobbie joined them. “Hi Charlie, how’s June feeling?”

“She’s starting to show more and her stomach is not as upset and she had an ultrasound and things look good. She’s due right after Christmas.”

“June doesn’t like the smell of turkey during the best of times; I’ll have to have you over for Christmas dinner.”

Uncle Donald and Russel were talking to Johnny and Russ had an old fiddle that he was setting up a mic for. Uncle Donald sat beside him and tuned his guitar. When he finished, he said. “Okay Rusty let’s Burn the place down .”

Jamie and Bobbie stood together and Jamie leaned over. “Gee they’re pretty good. What should we play?”

After a few tunes Bobbie took the mic. “Is everybody hungry? The weather’s nice. Please bring your drinks out to the patio and we can have dinner.”

Lorne and Rocco joined them for dinner. There were hamburgers and barbecued bratwurst and lightly breaded chicken that Mark cooked on the grill in the restaurant. There were several types of salad and chopped onion, sauerkraut, mushrooms and lots of burger fixings. Gina put baskets of fries on each table with dishes of her now almost famous aioli. Johnny was happy with the gluten free salad Bobbie brought for him and a gluten free hamburger that Mark carefully prepared for him. Everyone helped themselves and the dishes were cleared away by 8 o’clock. Dusk was falling so Bobbie put the pool lights and the strings of lights on the patio on. Some people headed into spokes to be close to the music and some stayed out on the patio for conversation. Bobbie was sitting with Quinn and Will and nursing her wine and chatting.

“Bobbie, I should confess to you that I’m planning to move back home to Mom and Dad’s for a while. I left the job at the hotel. I wasn’t happy there and I want to be closer to Quinn and Ray and the kids and Mom’s not doing so well. I think almost everyone needs my help.”

Quinn rolled her eyes. “Sure, Will you’re home to save us all. You left your job because you knew the Hotel owner’s son was going to get your promotion.”

“Nepotism sucks.”

Bobbie giggled. “Speaking of nepotism, are you thinking of working after you move back? Would you consider working here, maybe?” Bobbie quickly described the job she wanted to fill stressing that she was more comfortable because he was family and asked Will to think about it. Quinn and Will moved back in the restaurant and Bobbie sat thinking about how lucky she was to get Will, maybe.

Charlie and Eddie walked out and sat with her. “We had to get away from the Bobbie appreciation society.”

Bobbie giggled. “What are you talking about?”

“Townes and Johnny, Greg and George all think you’re pretty great.”

“Mostly their alternating between congratulating Townes and warning him not to hurt you.”

“Maybe we should shut them down. I’ll go get Johnny to sing a couple songs.”

She got into the restaurant and the guys were not sitting together anymore. Townes was talking to her mother. Johnny and Jamie were singing Everly Brothers songs so Bobbie went over and sat beside Trixie at the bar. Lockland filled her wineglass.

“What’s new? I think I just hired cousin Will to be my new motel manager.”

“Ha ha, you are not serious. I’ve just been trying to talk Russ, our first cousin once removed, into moving to Cap City to be my executive managing assistant.”

“I think I’m just going to call Russel my nephew.”

“Hello Aunties; did you call my name? Trixie here, just offered me my dream job. This is a really good party, Bobbie. Jaimie and Johnny sound great.”

Trixie was excited. “Are you taking the job? Can you be in Cap city by next Wednesday? You can stay at the apartment with me. I have a nice guest suite for visitors.”

“I’ll be there Wednesday bright and early. Johnny is recording some of these songs. If they’re any good I can put them on my You Tube channel.” Russ left.

Somehow Bobbie and Trixie had cosmos in their hands and Bobbie raised hers. “Cheers to us for finding younger family members to continue our legacies.”

Trixie giggled. “I don’t think Fox Oil, or New Energy is my legacy. Anyway, it’s getting cool and I left my bag in your apartment. Come with me while I get my sweater.”

“Sure, I think I left the back door open.” They walked through the dark and quiet restaurant and up Bobbie’s back stairs. They went into the kitchen where Trixie had left her things. Bobbie stopped and listened. “Do you hear anything? I think someone is in here.”

Trixie crept over to the pink bedroom, where the sounds were coming from and she peeked around the door. She backed away quietly. “OMG it’s George and Sam; they’re snogging.” Trixie grabbed her sweater and they crept back down stairs closing the back door quietly.

“Sam told me that George was back to his old self and but I didn’t think she’d blow up her marriage to go back to her ex-husband.”

“Oh Bobbie, do you remember their wedding? Alex brought that Karaoke machine that had those big laser disks? I think it was the first time I’d seen karaoke. We sang all night.”

“That’s right; even Alex sang. Lets get back to the music in SPOKES.”

The party went on until the wee hours. Bobbie’s Mom and Dean and most of the people that weren’t singing and playing drifted away around 11:30. Trixie and Greg and Eddie and Charlie left then too. Bobbie and Townes decided to go back to the apartment just after midnight. Bobbie instructed Lockland, who was looking tired to leave the beer and wine out, lock the bar and go home and she told Johnny that he’d better lock the doors when they were finished playing because someone might steal their gear. George and Sam stayed the night.