Page 5 of Sunset

I step out of my car at the same time Mrs. Adams comes out of the front door.

“Come on, child. Lunch is waiting. We don’t have all day for you to sit and stare at the old place.” She says from her porch with a huge smile on her face.

Just like that, I’m eighteen again, as I run up the walkway to hug her. She’s the closest thing I have to a mom right now, but with Jasper back in town, everything is changing.

“Let me get a look at you.” She says, as she steps back and holds onto my upper arms.

“Too skinny as always, and still wearing those cut-off shorts that show off your legs. Men like a nice set of legs. Your boobs are a bit bigger too, or you’ve got a great push up bra.”

“Mrs. Adams!” I gasp in fake shock.

“Oh no, dear. You call me Lisa.”

“Okay, Lisa. It’s my turn to take a look at you.” I smile, as she stands up straight ready for inspection.

“Mmm, I think you have gotten an inch taller, or I shrunk! Still have those same curls in your hair, and you don’t look a day over thirty-five. I don’t know how you do it!”

“Oh, posh. Inside with you!” She laughs.

She does look good for her age. Her dark, blonde hair has gray in it now, and she has a few more laugh lines, but she has always been a few inches shorter than me with a stocky build. She says it’s from all the southern cooking her husband made her eat. Without her morning walks, she’d be the size of a whale. Her words, not mine.

As I walk into the house, I can tell not much has changed. I take my shoes off in the foyer. Since we’re a beach town, when you enter anyone’s house, it’s shoes off to keep the sand in the house to a minimum. It’s just good manners.

The glass French doors open into the living room. There are more family pictures on the wall, and it has new furniture, but all in the same spots. She has redecorated, but all in all, it looks much the same.

I follow her into the kitchen that has been completely redone.

“Wow.” I gasp, as I take it all in.

“Oh, yes. You haven’t been here, since Samuel renovated it. It was right after Jasper left. The stove broke, and he demanded we have a chef’s kitchen, since we had two chefs in the family, then. I agreed, and we ate at the restaurant for a month, while it was being done.” She shakes her head.

I run my hands over the white granite tops, taking in the white cabinets.

“It has to be hard to keep clean.” I think out loud.

“Not as bad as you think. Samuel insisted on some cabinets with dirt resistant something. You know he went on for an hour on how easy it would be to clean them. I finally agreed just to get him to change the subject!” She laughs, but there’s a bit of sadness there, too.

“I’m so sorry,” I say, and she just waves her hand at me and turns to pull the pitcher of sweet tea from the large stainless-steel fridge.

“It’s God’s plan, and it’s brought my Jasper home to me, so I’m thankful for that. But today, is not about bringing up old memories.” She says, handing me a platter with her famous sandwiches and cookies on it, as I follow her to the already set dining area.

They have a formal dining room, but they always eat in this dining nook. It has a u-shaped bench seat surrounded by windows on three sides, and a few chairs on the fourth side. It’s both comfy and welcoming.

“Now, dear, you know there are no secrets in this town.” She gives me her mom look.

I sigh, “I will apologize to Jasper about the kiwis.” I say, as I take a sandwich and some cookies onto my plate.

She pours me some sweet tea, and then sets the pitcher down.

“You will do no such thing. That boy deserved it!” She says to my shock.

I can’t help it, as I burst out laughing.

“Now, tell me what’s new with you and Lin?” She says.

We spend a few minutes going on about changes at The Inn. I’m careful not to mention Kade staying there, or anything outlined in the non-disclosure I had to sign.

“Now, I heard that Lin gave a bunch of her employees two weeks paid vacation spur of the moment. Is everything okay?” She asks.

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