Chapter Five
Summer took a long drink of coffee and hoped the caffeine would help keep her eyes open. They’d stayed out with her brother and Peter until after eleven, then she’d had a fitful sleep, getting up at six AM to go for a run. It had helped clear her head, but now, three hours later, she was feeling the effects. The heat of the day had just started to mix into the air, and she was glad she had gotten up early. She had dressed in a hot pink jumper to easily change into her dress. Her mom, being the ever-appropriate lady, had scowled at Summer’s choice of attire, but not everyone considered silk blouses and pencil skirts as minimum casual attire.
“You look tired,” Barbara said from across the small table. Her mother, of course, looked perfectly put together. The Hive was busy, as it always was on a Sunday morning. Summer was so proud of her mom’s venture, impressed that a woman in her fifties could start a business for the first time and make such a success out of it. The Hive was one of the only places in the Pines that stayed busy year-round. Even when the tourists were back home, seats were full as locals and people from neighboring towns came to eat here.
“Thanks, Mom. Just what every girl likes to hear.” Summer took another drink of coffee. “I am a little tired, if I can be honest.”
“Well, eat up. We have to be on the road soon.” Barbara was finishing off her smoothie bowl, and Summer took another bite of her avocado toast, topped with a poached egg. The yolk ran down the plate, and she scooped it up with some crust.
“I’m ready when you are.” Summer pushed the plate away, and a young server came to clear the table. “You have a lot of new faces in here.”
Her mom smiled. “We do. We lost a couple after the school year, and since we’re so busy, I brought in three new servers and a kitchen staff. You wouldn’t believe how much work it is running a place like this. Thank God Haley is pulling more shifts,” Barbara said, and Summer stole a glance to the coffee bar, where Haley was discussing something with the hostess.
Haley had really grown up since Summer had moved back to the Pines, and she was turning into an amazing woman. “She’s great.”
“Yes, she is. But today is about my daughter.” Barbara looked at her watch. “Let’s go before traffic gets bad.”
Summer bit her tongue, not wanting to remind her mom that traffic was never bad between them and Montpelier. It was roughly an hour’s drive to the state capital, and Summer knew the dress shop didn’t open until eleven on Sundays. They had all the time in the world.
The air was warm as they left the restaurant. Summer took out some lip gloss, noting just how dry it had been this season.
Barbara agreed. “I haven’t seen it like this in some time. It’s only June and the farmers are already complaining about their yield for this year. My suppliers are charging me a fortune for fresh produce. The county is threatening a water ban if this keeps up.”
Summer hadn’t known it was that bad, but her mom did have her finger on the pulse of that kind of news. Plus, patrons in restaurants loved to talk about the weather, whereas her yoga studio was often quiet, a sanctuary away from the world’s noises.
They got into Summer’s SUV and headed to Main Street. They drove by her studio, where the Peaceful Pines sign was lit. Kimber was teaching the one morning class, and Summer planned on being back for the three o’clock.
Jake would be inside Pines Hardware, opening up the store, and already there were a few cars and trucks parked in front of it. She was proud of her fiancé. He worked so hard, and that store was really starting to make him some good money.
“So I thought we could talk about a few things on the way,” Barbara said, pulling out a pad of paper from her purse.
“Sure.” Summer didn’t really want to discuss anything, but they needed to.
“The cake. We have tastings at two places in the city after we check on the dress. I gave them a few suggestions over the phone, so we’re trying everything from caramel-crusted chocolate to raspberry parfait cupcakes.” Barbara was scribbling down notes, though Summer couldn’t imagine what they said.
“That’s good. I’m looking forward to having another thing checked off our list,” Summer said.
They exited the town and were approaching Maple Mountain Resort. Summer noticed a large new billboard on the side of the road.
“That’s a little tacky, wouldn’t you say? Since when has the Pines council approved those godforsaken eyesores?” Barbara said with a wave of her hand.
That was when Summer saw what it was advertising. Mountain Spin. She slammed on the brakes and pulled to the side of the road, twenty yards from the billboard.
“What are you doing, Summer?” her mom asked as Summer exited the SUV, her cell phone in her hand.
Summer walked toward it and read the tagline: “Why let your mind relax when it can race? Mountain Spin. Get your first class free.” She took a picture of it, seething in anger. “That’s a dig at yoga. How dare they?”
She texted the picture to Trina and stared at the sign for another moment, her mother coming over to stand beside her. “What’s this all about?”
“The new spin studio. I feel like they’re targeting me, Mom.” Summer turned, walking back to the SUV, the excitement of heading to the city all but lost.
“Who cares?” Barbara offered. “Do you think I didn’t try to get customers from the other restaurants in town? I wanted everyone who loved Zucci’s to come and try my food. I wanted the Carpe Diem crowd and the Pinecone regulars to come for brunch. Don’t you see? It’s business. What you do from here on is what makes you a business owner. If there wasn’t any competition out there, the system wouldn’t work.”
Her mom made some great points. “Well, if it’s competition they want, it’s competition they’ll get.”
“That’s the spirit. If there’s one thing the Phillipses do well, it’s persevere.” Barbara stuck her arms out and enveloped her daughter in a hug. Summer melted into it. It felt like years since her mom had held her like this, and she reveled in it. For a second, she was a little girl again, before she snapped back to reality.
“Thank you, Mom,” she said, meaning it with every ounce of her heart.
“What are moms for? Come on; we have places to be.” Summer noticed Barbara wipe a tear from the corner of her eye.
Summer buckled up as she sat down in the driver’s seat and smiled as they drove on, hitting the highway.
*
“You look beautiful,” the salesgirl said, pinching the back of the bodice a little more, adding a pin.
“I still think you should have gone for the mermaid style. It’s more flattering to your figure,” Barbara said dismissively as she sat down in an oversized velvet chair.
“Mom, we’ve been through this. I want the A-line dress.” Summer twirled around; the lower half of the dress danced as she spun. It felt magical. “Jake is going to love this.” She smiled at herself in the full-length mirror, picturing Jake’s handsome face as she walked towards him.
Barbara sipped a champagne and smiled thinly. “You do look wonderful. I do wish you would let me win on the lace. There is such a thing as too much.”
They’d picked out the dress months ago, but her mom had wanted to see her in it one more time when it arrived at the shop.
“We just need to make a few alterations. Would you like us to do them now or wait until you pick it up a couple weeks before the wedding?” the young woman asked Summer.
Barbara answered for her. “Summer, why don’t you get out of the dress, and I’ll take care of this stuff? Then we can go cake tasting.”
Summer nodded, and Barbara walked off with the salesgirl, her hand resting on the woman’s back. She was talking quietly into the girl’s ear.
A few minutes later, they were leaving the store, and her mom had become oddly quiet.
“Everything okay?” Summer asked. She looked towards her mother as they strolled down the sidewalk. Barbara kept her gaze forward as she spoke.
She nodded. “I’m just so happy that my daughter’s getting married. Jake is such a good man. Maybe not the type I imagined you walking down an aisle to face, but at the end of the day, love trumps everything else, doesn’t it?”
Her mom was being unusually sappy today, but Summer was relieved to see it. She’d worried they would have been battling it out over every small detail.
“I’m glad we can do this together,” Summer said, and Barbara smiled again.
“Me too, dear. Me too.”
“Now which way to the first bakery?” Summer asked, ready to try some of that caramel chocolate cake she’d heard about.
*
“What did you shoot on the last hole, Jake?” Hudson asked, pencil ready to write it into the small square on the scorecard. Sweat beaded down his brow, and he wiped it with the small handkerchief he always carried.
Jake leaned back in the cart and laughed. “Another seven. You sure you want to be seen out here with me, Hudson?”
Hudson waved it off. “Did you know that it took me thirty years and about forty lessons to be able to break an eighty-five?”
“I’ll be lucky to break one twenty,” Jake said. He was still enjoying himself. He could also get used to the plaid shorts that seemed to be everywhere on the course.
Hudson drove to the next hole, and Peter and Garrett pulled up behind them in their cart.
“Looks like you have honors, Dad,” Garrett said, adding, “Again.”
“Well, son, one day, after a few hundred more rounds, maybe you’ll finally be able to beat your old man.” Hudson taunted his son, and Jake smiled, watching the interaction.
“You seem to forget the time last year when I did beat you. By three strokes, if I recall correctly.” Garrett grabbed his driver, and Jake did as well.
Hudson waved the comment off. “Don’t believe it. You must have cheated.” He teed up a ball, and Jake watched as he took a smooth swing at it. The ball flew straight down the fairway, landing near the one-fifty marker.
“Nice shot, Hudson,” Jake said, wishing he could keep it in the fairway every now and then.
“Suck up,” Garrett whispered, just loudly enough for everyone to hear.
Garrett creamed a shot, and it rolled just off the fairway into the fringe. Peter was next, and Jake was glad he wasn’t the only beginner out here. His shot curled to the left, and into the trees a hundred yards out. “At least I look good in the shorts,” Peter said, smiling as he picked up his tee.
“Just you, Jakey boy,” Hudson said, and Jake lined up his shot. He took a deep breath, kept his eye on the ball, and swung as smoothly as he could. The ball soared high in the air. It didn’t go as far as Hudson’s, but he did find the middle of the fairway.
“Looks like you’re picking it up okay,” Hudson said, clapping him on the shoulder.
They finished off the round, Jake feeling better about his game with each hole. By the end of the afternoon, he’d scored his first-ever par and couldn’t believe it.
“Beginner’s luck,” Garrett said as they entered the clubhouse.
“Then how come I sucked so bad?” Peter asked jokingly.
“You’ve used up all your luck,” Garrett answered.
The four men sat at a table on the outdoor patio, keeping out of the blazing sun under an umbrella. “Son, it looks like your old man has beaten you yet again,” Hudson said and slid the scorecard to Garrett. Jake watched the rivalry with interest. He hadn’t been old enough to experience something like that with his own father, before he’d passed, and part of him longed for a relationship like it.
“There’s always next week. Jake, you want to join us?” Garrett asked.
“I can’t. We’re going to see my sister and Stewart. And of course, little Lucy, my niece,” Jake said. “But count me in the weekend after.”
“Deal. Now what is it you boys wanted to talk to me about?” Hudson asked.
Peter and Garrett shared a look, and Jake sat back, knowing what was coming. It was a good idea these guys had a few rehearsals before telling Barbara.
Garrett wrapped his hands around a pint of beer, not drinking it, just holding it. “Dad, Peter has an opportunity to move and work in New York, and we’re taking it.”
Hudson sat silent for a moment before smiling. “That’s wonderful!” he exclaimed.
“It is?” Peter asked, obviously surprised by his father-in-law’s reaction.
“Yes. You’re so talented, and deserve to do this. I’ve always known this day would come,” Hudson said, taking a sip from his old-fashioned.
“Dad, thanks for saying that,” Garrett said.
Jake watched as Peter’s cell phone beeped on the table, and the bearded man tapped it open. “I’m sorry, we have to run. Bryan’s early.”
“Bryan?” Jake asked.
“He’s selling the barn house, or at least arranging it with the local chapter he used to work for.” Garrett stood, and his dad got up to hug him.
“That quick, huh? When are you leaving?” the older man asked.
“As soon as we find a place to stay in the city. We’re going at the end of the month to look at apartments,” Peter answered.
The two men left their untouched drinks on the table, and Jake moved to sit opposite Hudson. “Looks like it’s just the two of us,” Jake said. “Which beer do you want?”
Hudson laughed. “Jake, I’m glad we’re alone. I wanted to check in on you anyways, since we don’t get a lot of you and me time.”
Jake was really enjoying the day. He loved feeling like part of the family and always felt so welcome with the Phillipses. “Good. Me too. What did you want to talk about?”
“How’s the store doing?” Hudson asked.
“Great. I mean, it’s making more money than it ever has. I’m actually able to reinvest in better inventory and pay myself enough to save a decent chunk each month.” Jake was really proud of the hardware store and never would have expected the success when he’d first stepped foot into it a year after Kyle had died.
“That’s great, son. And the wedding planning?” he asked.
“That’s not my department. I guess Summer and Barbara are dealing with most of it.”
Hudson nodded. “I wish my wife would be a little less controlling about things. I can see it in Summer’s eyes every time we’re with you two.”
Jake didn’t know what to say. He knew Summer could get frustrated at her mother’s choices, and he often prodded her to speak up. “I think they’ll figure it out together. No one said a wedding wasn’t stressful. How about you? How’s retirement?”
Hudson leaned back, looking out over the golf course practice putting green. “It’s not what I expected, but that doesn’t mean I’m not enjoying it. I have a lot more time for things like golf and tennis, only I used to imagine Barbara beside me for them. She used to love golf when she was younger.” He kept staring wistfully out at the course beyond.
When his gaze fell back to Jake, his eyes were cloudy. “I am enjoying the days I can sit outside at home on the back deck and read, though. That’s something I never made enough time for. And your fiancée has gotten me into podcasts. Who knew there were so many great things to listen to out there?”
Jake laughed at that. Summer had tried to get him into them too, but he never got the hang of them. He preferred the hardware store speakers to quietly play the local country station or talk radio.
“Any news on the house possession date?” Hudson asked.
Jake bristled a little, not because Hudson had inquired, but because of the recent dealings with the builder. Hudson seemed to pick up on his mood. “That bad?”
Jake blew out a deep breath and took a sip of beer. “It’s going to be fine. Summer’s worried that we won’t be able to afford it with her studio’s waning attendance. We already put so much into the land and deposit that we’re a little threadbare. We’re so grateful that you’re taking care of the wedding costs.”
“Summer means everything to me. I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Hudson said. “Is that why she won’t speak up to her mother about the wedding planning?”
Jake nodded. “I think so. She hasn’t talked to me about it much either, but she’s stressed out. I just want to give her the best life she deserves. I hope this was the right decision.”
“Jake, it is the right call. That home is going to be your nest for years to come. We’ll come and visit on every second Sunday while you host family dinner, even if Garrett and Peter aren’t around for it anymore. I imagine my grandchildren will begin to fill it up sooner rather than later.” Hudson tossed that in, and Jake nearly spit out his beer.
“Thanks, Hudson. It means a lot to have your support. As for the kids, I’m not so sure. Summer is warming to the idea, but it seems to be the furthest thing from her mind these days, and I don’t want to press it. Not right now, that’s for sure,” Jake spilled out.
Hudson raised both eyebrows. “She’ll come around. I know it. Her heart is too big not to share it.”
“Maybe.” Jake leaned his arms onto the table. “Tell me life gets simpler.”
“I’d like to, but most of the time, it gets more difficult. I’m just glad to be able to help you two out where I can.” Hudson’s eyes had a glimmer in them. “Don’t worry about the house. These things have a way of working themselves out.” Hudson didn’t say more, but Jake had a feeling he was leaving something out.
Their food arrived, and the two men chatted about golf and whatever else was on their minds, enjoying the company.