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"If there's any trouble..."
"There won't be," I assured him again.
"Good."
He seemed satisfied and his protective duty for the community done, we fell into silence.
After a few minutes, I asked, "Why aren't your rooms full, Dex?With this location, I would think you'd be booked out for months."
The old man sighed and the sound came from deep inside.After a moment, he spoke."It used to be like that.When my Jessie was alive, we were full every weekend and most weeks through the summer too.But when Jessie passed, the heart of the place went with her.It fizzled and died after that."He took a sip of coffee and stared straight ahead.
"I'm sorry to hear about your wife," I said and I meant it.The sadness permeated me."Can I ask, why didn't you sell the place then?"
Dex continued to stare straight ahead but he said, "At first I didn't have the heart.This here was Jessie's place, her dream.Then some young upstart, John Jackson was his name, said he would 'take it off my hands.'He offered me a good deal, said he wanted to turn it into a re-sort.But I couldn't do it.Everywhere I looked, there was Jessie.She was everywhere, everything.The gardens were bright all summer with plants she'd tended.The cook still mixed up her recipes, and the guests she'd booked, they kept a comin'.It was like she was still here and if I didn't dwell on it, I could pretend that she'd done and gone to the city to visit her sister, and she'd be coming on back soon.But then the flowers died and the garden done got weedy.The guests stopped coming and without any new bookings, I had to let the cook go.Pretty soon, it was just me and the occasional guest."
I drank some coffee and let the heat of it warm me."Then why didn't you sell?"
"Couldn't."
"You still couldn't bear to leave?"
"No," Dex said and turned to me."I couldn't sell it.I tried.That John Jackson, when I turned down his offer, he'd gone off to Wasa Lake just about two hours further east and built up a fancy re-sort there.I called him, told him I was ready to sell.He laughed at me, called me a stupid, sentimental old man.He made me an offer, though."
"Really?"
"I can't even call it that really," Dex said."The pissant offered me less than I owed on the place and he knew it, too.There was no way I could take it."
"So why not make a go of it again?"I sat up in my chair, excited by my own ideas."With a little work, this place could be booked up in no time.You could offer honeymoon packages, fishing trips, ladies' retreats and even family getaways.I'm telling you, Dex, you could make the Lake Lillian Inn a destination and show that John Jackson just who he's dealing with."
Dex laughed, but it was a tired sound."You got dreams, Leo.You're a young man."
"Maybe I could give you some ideas?I'm kind of in the hotel business myself," I said.He arched a brow in question and I added, "Vegas."
"Well, son, this here ain't Vegas.It's Lake Lillian and that John Jackson did just what you're talking about down in Wasa Lake.He bought up some shoreline property and built a monstrosity.It even has a pool.Why you need a pool with a perfectly good lake steps away, I never understood.It's one of them commercial jobs.No life in it.I can't compete with that."Dex looked out over the lake again."Even if I wanted to," he said."Which I don't.Just don't have the energy no more.Now, if Jessie were still alive, things would be different.The love of a good woman, well, it just makes you want to be a better man.You know what I mean?"
I nodded, more to myself than to him, and we fell into silence, sipping our coffee.
