Page 11 of The Lighthouse Sisters
“Good, I’m glad you feel that way because I already made us an appointment with the groundskeeper.”
“Wonderful, lead the way.”
Together they made their way towards the lighthouse. It was perched at the very tip of the island. They weren’t able to drive up to it because the road was blocked, so instead, they walked along a path that started at the beach and circled around toward the front of the building. The lighthouse looked a little different from the pictures, much older and more worn, but Raelynn wasn’t disappointed. She stood back and noted that the lighthouse was actually three different colors. In the photo, it appeared to have a shade of blue at the top and bottom with a large white section in between, but upon closer inspection, the color of the lighthouse was more gray than blue.
Katrina didn’t look as impressed. “The pictures were nothing like this,” she said.
“Pictures can be deceiving, you know. They were probably taken from a different vantage point.”
“Or from a different time period,” Katrina mumbled.
“Hey, remember, don’t judge a book by its cover.”
Raelynn was trying to keep the conversation positive. She was finally excited about something, and she didn’t want it to all go up in smoke because things weren’t exactly as pristine as they appeared in the photos. She did remember though, that the reason Katrina’s grandfather had closed his bed and breakfast down was because he could no longer care for the second property he had built on the island after his wife died. The second property was a small home that he and his second wife had ran together as a bed and breakfast before she passed. That had been back in the 70s, so Raelynn hadn’t expected a nice piece of property. She expected the lighthouse and the bed and breakfast to show years of neglect.
As they approached the lighthouse, two people waved to them from a point near the road.
“Who’s that?” Raelynn wondered out loud, waving back. She couldn’t help herself; she was from the South and couldn’t ignore someone waving to her.
“I think that might be the groundskeeper,” Katrina said. “And maybe her assistant?”
Once they were near, Katrina introduced herself to the two women, “I’m Katrina. And I guess you’re Laura?”
“Yes,” the older woman said with a smile. “And this is my daughter, Nellie.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Katrina said.
The older woman smiled. They were both dressed in khaki shorts and tank tops. Laura and Nellie could have been twins. The only difference between mother and daughter was that the mother’s eyes looked tired, and a bit weary. Laura’s hair was almost white but had a few streaks of black running through it. Nellie was platinum blonde, and Raelynn assumed that at one point, Laura’s hair had most likely been the same color. She guessed Nellie to be around her son’s age. She figured Laura was in her 50s.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Laura said, shaking Katrina’s hand and Raelynn’s. Nellie followed suit.
“So, where are y’all from?” Nellie asked.
“Savannah.”
“Twenty minutes away, but it might as well be New York for me,” Nellie said with a laugh.
Laura smiled. “Nellie was raised here.”
“And wouldn’t change a thing,” Nellie quipped.
Raelynn instantly liked her. She was spunky. “Come on in. Let me show you around the lighthouse first,” Nellie said, taking charge.
They started at the bottom of the lighthouse, which was a bit bare. There wasn’t much space in it, but Raelynn figured it would still be enough room to check visitors out and in. She pulled out a notebook from her back pocket and started writing down ideas for each space. A tall spiral staircase was the only way to get in and out of the lighthouse. Gingerly, Raelynn followed behind Nellie, Laura, and Katrina, trying not to fall. The staircase was very narrow and rickety.
“I thought there were going to be three of you,” Laura called back, pausing.
“Oh, yes, our friend Hazel couldn’t join us. She’ll be up later. Most likely in a few weeks.”
“And you all plan to start the B&B again and turn this place into a tourist attraction?” Nellie asked, curiously. It was hard to figure out what she thought of that.
Raelynn nodded. “That’s the plan.”
“I’ve been telling Mom for years that this place would make a fantastic bed and breakfast. Yeah, I know there’s already a B&B on the property, but one actually in the lighthouse would be pretty cool. People now already travel across the world to take pictures near it. Imagine if they could actually go inside it.”
“Visitors aren’t allowed inside?” Raelynn asked.
“No, this is private property. We don’t even let people on the land,” Laura said. “That’s why there’s no parking near it, and we blocked off the road. We’re trying to preserve it as best as we can.”
