AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
ELLIE
As she had so many times over the past forty-some years, Ellie crossed her front lawn to Liz Ensley’s house next door. Liz was sitting on the front porch of her home with Sarah Simon. In the distance, Pat Dunlap and Karen Atkins were walking toward them from the far end of the cove. Ellie lifted her arm and waved at them. These four women had seen her through a lot of ups and downs over the years. Having become a widow in her late thirties, she’d gratefully received their emotional support after she was left without much to survive on. She’d transformed her home into a small B&B and then enlarged the concept with the new buildings that created the Inn as it was today. Their husbands had been supportive too, which meant a lot. Sanderling Cove was a special place they all wanted to protect from visitors who wouldn’t respect that. Sarah and Pat were now widows, and the survivors now rallied around them.
“Hey, there, Ellie. You’re just in time. I opened a nice pinot grigio to share,” said Liz as Ellie climbed the front porch stairs.
“Sounds delightful,” Ellie said, taking a seat in one of the rocking chairs that had been drawn into a circle of five.
Pat and Karen arrived, and as soon as all the women had settled in their chairs and been served a glass of wine, Liz leaned forward. “Okay, everyone, how are we doing? Any sparks flying yet?”
“Austin is over at my house now,” said Ellie. “Says he wants to talk to Livy about her cookies. I told her a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. What do you think?” A wave of hope rushed through her.
“An interesting beginning, I’d say,” said Liz. “Shane told me he’s meeting Charlie for lunch tomorrow. Another possibility.”
“I saw Eric talking to Morgan,” said Sarah.
Pat shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I have to say it. Even if Morgan is my granddaughter, that girl is as flighty as they come. I’ve tried to speak to her about it, but it’s like talking to a stone wall.”
Ellie exchanged glances with the other three women. Flighty wasn’t the word they’d use for that spoiled young woman.
“I caught Dylan and Charlie talking together,” said Karen. “And I’m hoping that Adam has another chance at happiness. The only good thing that came out of his marriage was my precious Skye.”
“She’s so adorable, Karen. I can’t wait for my three granddaughters to produce some great-grandbabies for me to love,” said Ellie. She’d encouraged Liz’s idea for summer romances for the cove kids.
“Thank heavens Shelby is nicely settled,” said Sarah.
“Yes, David is a wonderful man,” said Liz, and they all agreed.
“Grace is happy with Belinda, and that’s all that matters to me,” said Sarah. “I don’t worry about her or Brendan. Just Adam and Dylan.”
“In addition to them, that leaves us with Shane, Austin, Morgan, Kyle, Eric, and Ellie’s three granddaughters to worry about,” said Liz.
“Seems to me, there’s enough to get all of them settled,” said Sarah. “Four young women and six young men.”
Ellie laughed with the others. “Seven young men if you count Jake.” She shook her head. “Only three great-grandchildren out of the bunch of kids so far. It’s time for action.”
A round of applause brought a smile to Ellie’s lips. She loved these women.
The conversation turned to other things, and then Ellie announced, “John and I are leaving for Europe for the summer sooner than we thought. We’re not going to take any chances on waiting. Charlie, Brooke, and Livy are going to manage the Inn for us. In fact, with our blessing, they’re going to upgrade it. Charlie keeps referring to the upgrade as refreshing the property, but I suspect it will be more than that.”
“So, all three will stay for the summer?” said Pat. “That’s terrific.”
“How’s John feeling? He looksfabulous,” said Sarah and then covered her mouth. “I didn’t mean that quite the way it came out.”
Ellie waved away Sarah’s concern. Sarah’s spouse, Joel, had passed on, and soon after, Pat’s husband, Ed, died unexpectedly. Of the three men who were left, John was in the best shape. One evening, to the amusement of all of them, after two glasses of wine, Pat had called him a stud muffin.
“How will we keep in touch with you?” Liz asked Ellie.
“Your darling Austin is giving me lessons on uploading photos to my phone and computer, and we can communicate with emails,” said Ellie.
“And we’ll send photos of the kids and the Inn back to you,” said Sarah. She was the savviest when it came to the electronics they all had to use.
“Look at that sunset,” said Karen, bringing silence to the group. Sunsets were an important time of day on the Gulf Coast as visitors and locals lined up to watch the sun slip below the horizon, hoping for a chance to see the “green flash.”
After the sun disappeared, the women continued to sit, sip, and share news as they had so many times in the past.
