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CHAPTER THIRTEEN
BROOKE
When Brooke saw who was calling on her phone, she quickly picked it up feeling guilty she hadn’t called her back. “Hi, Mom! How are you?”
“Missing you. When are you coming home?”
Remembering how the others had told her it was time to be more independent, Brooke drew a deep breath. “Not until sometime in September.”
“Oh? I thought you might get bored at the beach.”
Brooke chuckled. “I’m not bored at all. Charlotte and Livy are here too, and we’re having a great time together.” She didn’t mention anything about the three of them helping Gran. That was Gran’s story to tell.
“That sounds like a lot of fun,” said her mother. “I’ll have to thank Mom for having you all there at once. It’s a lot of work for her, no doubt.”
“Mother,” said Brooke, “we’re not kids anymore. We can be a help to her, not a hindrance.”
“You’re right. I sometimes forget that. You’re all strong, independent women. Are any of your aunts planning to come there?”
“No,” said Brooke, hating any suggestion that they might. “As Gran says, this is a time for us to have the opportunity to think about the future. How is the home nurse doing?”
“I’ve canceled any visits. I’m having one of my easier times, and I didn’t want to spend the money. When it becomes necessary, I’ll have them send a nurse to help. I’d better get back to work. Talk to you later. Love you.”
“Love you too, Mom,” Brooke responded, pleased her mother seemed to be doing well on her own. This was a transition for her too.
Brooke finished her coffee and headed over to the Inn to meet Jake. She reminded herself it was strictly a business relationship, and that no matter how attracted she might be to him, that’s the way it should remain.
When she entered the kitchen, John looked up at her from behind the stove. Beside him, Livy was plating a dish with scrambled eggs and bacon.
“Looking fine, Livy,” Brooke said.
Livy grinned at her. “Feels comfortable.” She put an arm around John. “The real pro is here. How many years has it been, John?”
He shook his head. “More years than I can count.”
Brooke left them and went into the administration office. Jake sat at one desk. An empty desk near his had been designated as hers.
“Good morning,” she said cheerfully, happy to be doing something constructive. She was so used to working she had felt at loose ends from time to time.
“Ready to begin?” said Jake smiling at her. “I figured I’d show you the financials from four years ago and compare them year to year for you. The slowing trend will be apparent. It’ll be up to us to mark certain areas that need improvement and develop a new budget that’s reasonable. In the past, this has been a very lucrative business, which is unusual for a small operation like this. But it’s doable, as Ellie and John have proved.”
Brooke was soon lost in the paperwork they went through together. Finally, a couple of hours later, she sat back in her chair and sighed. “It will take time to go through the line items, but it’s important that we do.”
“Agreed,” said Jake. “I’ve been working on insurance costs, investments, and financial management issues. But I’d like to turn the rest over to you. I’ve got other clients I need to pay attention to, but I don’t want Ellie and John to think I don’t care about their situation. I do. At Ellie’s insistence, I’ve billed for my work so far, but I don’t intend to charge them for more now that you’ll be doing the bulk of the work.”
“That’s kind of you,” said Brooke, impressed by him.
“John and Ellie have been kind to me, taking me on when I was first starting out. I remember things like that.”
“Gran mentioned you’ve worked hard and done everything on your own. Did you grow up here?”
“Years ago, my mother was a housekeeper at the Inn. Unfortunately, it didn’t last. She couldn’t shake her drug habit. A friend of Ellie’s living in Tampa took me in when I was twelve. She was wonderful to me, but John and Ellie saw that I got the extras a kid needs and helped me focus on college. I’ll always be grateful to them.”
“I’m surprised we didn’t meet you earlier,” said Brooke.
“I pretty much stayed away. It wasn’t a happy time for me, but I’ve gotten past that,” he replied.
Brooke had an urge to hug him. Instead, she gazed out the window of the office, touched by his story. Living with her mother, caring for her, Brooke had sometimes felt alone. She realized how much more difficult Jake’s childhood had been.
Jake stood. “I’m going to leave you working on line items in the budget. I have a meeting in town. I’ll check in with you later.”
“Okay, hopefully, I’ll have started a list of suggestions for all of us to discuss. My cousins and I toured the property earlier. Charlotte is making a list of things we need to do to refresh the rooms, and Livy is doing an inventory of the kitchen equipment and also reviewing menus.”
Jake’s smile lit his eyes. “Ellie told me she hoped to have the three of you help her. I’m glad you decided to do it. She said she and John are taking a much-needed extended vacation. That’s a great idea. Most clients don’t like change, needed or not. With them away, you’ll have more opportunities to make those improvements.”
Brooke basked in his smile. She was happy she’d decided to spend the summer here and even more pleased that she’d be able to help Gran.
