Page 36 of The Spotted Cottage By the Sea
Sheila walked back toward the kitchen and pushed the swinging door. The sink was clean, a dry rag hanging on the edge. All the teacups and teapots were in their places.
She turned and went into the kids’ tearoom. There was thick dust on every surface, but the paintings were as cute as ever, and the view from the windows was stunning.
They could see the patio now, and Sheila peered through the window, taking note of everything. Weeds had covered most of the stone, and the tables and chairs were rusty, but with the ocean sparkling behind it, the scene was still magnificent.
“It honestly isn’t that bad,” Eliza said, walking in behind her. “It’s kind of creepy, being empty like this, but I think if we got some new light bulbs, cleaned up, and repainted, it’d be perfect.”
Sheila ran a hand on the booth seat. They’d visited the tea shop with the girls so many times. Eliza had been a teenager then, but she had still relished toasting marshmallows for her little sisters.
“Granny said there’s something wrong with the insurance. I’ll sort that out, and maybe we can be back up and running in a few weeks,” Sheila said.
“I found the tea list!” Eliza said, holding up a thick black binder. Each page was laminated and had a description of the tea, where it came from, how it paired best. “I can redo these and get them on the website.”
“There’s no website,” Sheila said with a smile. “Remember?”
Eliza cracked a smile. “Oh. I’ll make one, then. We can host events! Like movie nights on the patio. We can get one of those big outdoor screens. And music nights! Open mics. You could play something.”
She let out a laugh. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why not? Dad’s not here anymore. He can’t get mad at you for it.”
Sheila’s gaze halted and she turned to her daughter. “That’s – that’s not it.”
“Yes it is. Dad always got mad about your music.”
“No, honey, it wasn’t –”
“I’m not blind, Mom. And I’m not a little kid anymore.”
She smiled at her. “Believe me, I know.”
“Dad was always weird about your music. I think he was jealous.”
It was unbelievable the things kids picked up. Brian wasn’t jealous – well, maybe he had been, at some level. Threatened, in a way. Any success Sheila had with her music was a threat to the balance of their lives, the balance where Sheila’s career took a backseat to his, where her best moments were their biggest fights.
A man’s voice called out. “Hello?”
She shot Eliza an alarmed look, but Eliza was smiling.
“Come on in!” her daughter yelled, then dropped her voice. “It’s Russell! I invited him.”
“Youinvitedhim?” Sheila whispered back.
Eliza shrugged. “What? He’s helpful, and I thought you might need a friend.”
“I don’t need friends.”
“Come on, Mom,” Eliza whispered, “how often do you get to hang out with a movie star?”
“Hey there!” Russell said, stepping into the doorway. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
Before Sheila could react, Eliza spoke up. “Not at all! We were just figuring out what we needed to do to get this place back up and running.”
“It’s really nice in here,” he said, looking around. “Do you need help? I’m pretty handy, and I can fill any of my knowledge gaps with instructional YouTube videos.”
“No, that’s all right,” Sheila said quickly.
“That would be amazing, actually,” Eliza contradicted. “Do you have a ladder? I think we need to repaint most of these walls, and the trim, and the ceilings. I want to get all the light bulbs replaced too, because the yellow lighting isn’t really working for me.”
