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The old woman looked at her with a mixture of concern and amusement. "I don't think it's a good idea to keep showing up buzzing," she said. "You don't want to make enemies with those people. They're working for the mayor, you know."
“I know. And I’m not afraid of him. It’s he who should be afraid of me.”
Doris sighed and shifted a five gallon bucket on her hip—Ariel could see that it was full of garden tools, and surmised that Doris must have come back to get the remainder of her stuff. "Richard Stanton has been trying to get this project off the ground for years. He claims it's going to bring in jobs and revenue to the town, but most of us locals know it's just a way for him to line his own pockets. Now, he has friends in high places around here, and lots of money behind him. You think a few noise complaints will stop him?"
“I can put a hitch in his step until I figure out something else,” she said.
“You can’t for long. There are greater goals here than even this hotel. That’s why I’m leaving. Don’t want no part of a town that’s about to be high-rise and low character.”
Ariel was intrigued. This was the longest lucid conversation she’d ever had with Doris, whose speech usually tended toward the more eccentric. "So, you think there's more to this project than just a hotel?"
Doris grinned, her yellowed teeth flashing. She nodded knowingly. "Oh, I'm sure of it. There's always more to these things than meets the eye. But sometimes it's best not to rock the boat, you know?”
Doris leaned in closer, her eyes darting around to make sure no one was listening. "That crooked mayor, he's been taking kickbacks and turning a blind eye to shady dealings for years. You don't want to get on his bad side, trust me. Same thing I told your pa, years back. You should listen. He didn’t."
“What? What about my father?” Ariel’s blood ran cold. Doris had hinted before about what had happened before Ariel’s father had disappeared—but never anything concrete, nothing that would have given Ariel closure about the trauma of losing him and being left answerless.
But Doris’s eyes were suddenly unfocused, and she only patted Ariel’s arm reassuringly. "Just be careful, child. Don't go poking your nose where it doesn't belong," she warned before shuffling away.
Ariel was left standing there, her mind reeling with the weight of the secrets she felt just on the precipice of being privy to.
But she couldn’t let Stanton get away with his machinations. Shewouldbe careful, but she had to confront the mayor.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The mention of her father had made Ariel’s heart ache—and as she walked through the field back across to Leeside, she made up her mind to go talk to Katie. Her daughter had sulked and hidden out long enough. It was time to hash out their differences and face what they had said to one another on the beach. Ariel knew that she needed to start prioritizing her daughter's well-being, and that meant not allowing Katie to run from what she was feeling.
And, yes, it was true that Ariel had been so focused on running the B and B and the café and dealing with her personal life that Katie was right to feel that her mom had neglected to spend enough quality time with her lately. So, Ariel decided to drag her daughter—even if she was reluctant—to a day off from work. A girls’ day.
Ariel asked Darcy to take over the B and B for the day, and Charlie was more than happy to help him out. Ariel suspected that Charlie was just waiting for more Emily drama to erupt, and Ariel was happy to leave that particular hot button behind for a day. With Darcy and Charlie in charge, Ariel knew that everything would be taken care of while she was away.
With that settled, Ariel made her way up to Katie's room. As she stood outside the closed door and heard noise inside, it took a few seconds for her to realize what it was—Katie playing music. Ariel’s heart clenched with love and sorrow; until now, she hadn’t realized how long it had been since they’d shared an afternoon like this—in Miami, they used to take off some Fridays and order takeout, just listening to music together in their own little world, watching terrible TV, or trying out something new they had never done, like learning to knit—two kindred spirits who belonged together, mother and daughter.
Ariel let out a deep sigh and rapped on the door lightly before entering without waiting for permission.
“Hey Katiebug," she greeted softly as Katie turned around from where she sat at her desk, facing away from the door. “You coming down today?”
Katie gave a small shrug and turned back to her laptop.
"Not yet," she finally grumbled after several moments of silence between them.
Ariel could tell that Katie was still angry with her, but she refused to back down. Instead, she squared her shoulders and walked over to Katie's bed, sitting down on the end, which put her behind her daughter. She reached out and placed a hand on Katie's shoulder, hoping to convey the love and support that she felt for her daughter.
"Katie, I know we had a fight, and I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel neglected. I've been trying to do too much, and I know I haven't been there for you as much as I should be."
Katie didn't say anything, but Ariel could see her daughter's shoulders relax slightly under her touch.
"I was thinking that we could take a day off today and just spend some time together. We could go to the beach or maybe take a hike. Whatever you want to do, I'm up for it."
Katie finally turned to look at her mother, the anger in her eyes replaced with a hint of curiosity.
"Really? Anything? You're not just saying that to get me to forgive you?"
Ariel shook her head. "No, I mean it. I want to spend time with you today. Just the two of us, doing something fun. Aunt Charlie is here to take over, and she and Darcy can handle things until dinner service.”
For a moment, Katie looked unsure, but then she nodded slowly. "Okay, I guess that would be cool."
Ariel smiled, relief flooding through her. "Great. Get ready and we can head out." She stood, pointing toward the door. “I’ll be downstairs waiting.” As she left the room, she gently swung Katie’s door closed, but was stopped by Katie calling out.
