Finding Promise (The Promise Series, A Small Town Romance) (3 page)

The irony of using such current technology inside such a
solid, old building struck her. Interesting how one can mix old and new
together. She hoped she could achieve the same with the house, if she managed
to purchase it. As much as she had enjoyed her travels this past month, eating
at diners and gas stations, sleeping in different beds and the same
conversations starting with “Are you just passing through?” were becoming
tedious and lonely. She wanted to get rid of the life she previously led and as
exciting as gypsy living was, she yearned for some semblance of stability.
Maybe, just maybe, this could be the place for her to plant new roots.

She hoped that inn’s reception stocked copies of the local
paper that she could look through. Over the last month she noticed that some of
the larger small towns had local papers, which really just seemed like an
excuse for gossip columns but also contained a number of classified ads and
property listings? That should give her an indication of what the house would
cost and the kind of town that Promise is. She remembered looking at a local
paper once and was shocked at the huge variety of adult entertainment available
privately in the town. Shocked because the town sheriff didn’t do anything
about it and shocked because the town seemed so wholesome that a demand for
those types of services didn’t fit what she saw when she stayed there. Needless
to say, being a woman alone, she’d left that town the next day.

The inn’s reception was cozy and welcoming. Despite its wood
and stone exterior, it was bright and airy due to its many large windows. In
its center was a gleaming mahogany round table holding an enormous bouquet of fragrant
St. Joseph’s lilies. A generous brown leather couch stood next to a cherry wood
coffee table with an assortment of brochures on it. A polished, red-stained
pine reception desk dominated the far end of the room. Waiting patiently for
the receptionist to end a call from a customer requesting accommodation, she
picked up a few of the brochures noting that there were a number of water
sports, nature trails and boat tours available in Promise and its surrounding
areas.

“Hi, can I help you?” asked the receptionist. She was an
attractive girl with white blonde, shoulder length hair in a bob. That kind of
blonde was natural. The type that one was born with and that the sun had
further lightened. She had an open, friendly face, her mouth, slightly too large
for her face, but seeming to fit nonetheless, smiling at her. She looked like
the stereotypical California girl that so many songs were written about, down
to the big blue eyes and tanned skin. Imagine that. A California looking girl
in Massachusetts! It spoke of hours spent on the beach.  She wore a white
shirt and light grey skirt and her name tag read, Faith.

“Hi Faith. Do you have a room available for a few days,
possibly a week? It would really be great if I could get a room with one of
those balconies that overlook the sea.”

“Sure, although I’m not sure if we have any availability.
Its high season now, with summer vacation just having started, so we generally
tend to be fully booked. Mm… I think we may have had a cancellation this
morning though. It was for a long stay and I remember the evening receptionist
mentioning it to me when I took over. Let me see if it’s still available.”
Computer keys clattered as she looked at the screen.

“You’re in luck. We have a double room with a balcony and
ocean view. Just as I thought, it was the cancelled reservation. It has a nice
sized balcony with a small table and two chairs, so you can sit out there.
There’s also a bath but no stand-alone shower, I’m afraid. The inn was built
when such things were a luxury. The shower forms part of the bath but it has a
shower head and curtain, so you’ll be able to wash that beach sand away if you
want. Would you like to take it?”

“Yes, please. I’m afraid that I left my car further up the
waterfront with my entire luggage in it. Is there parking allocated closer to
the inn? If you could please give me the directions and arrange for someone to
help me to my room, I’ll go and fetch the car and we can sort out the check in
when I get back?”

“That won’t be a problem at all”, Faith confirmed, giving
Caroline a map of the waterfront and town; indicating where the inn parking was
located. “I’ll call a porter for you and arrange for him to meet you in the
parking lot”.

Back at reception, a dutifully silent porter attending to
Caroline’s, Faith asked: “Are you here on vacation?” She noticed that the
woman, whilst very pretty and petite, like a little china doll, seemed fragile
and in need of a break. A bit young to have such sad eyes, she thought.
Caroline seemed to be about her own age, around twenty-six.

“Yes, for a while, I think. I took the exit to Promise at a
whim and by the look of the town, I’m glad I did. This town and the inn are
lovely.” Could we book the room for two weeks with an option to extend?” Caroline
liked what she saw thus far and didn’t relish hitting the road again soon. It
seemed like a good idea to stay put for a while and a week was short.

“Let me check our availability…” Faith trailed off looking
at her computer screen. Looking up at Caroline, she decided to find out a bit
about her while she waited for the computer to show her the inn’s availability.
“Sorry. This thing can drive me a bit crazy at times, like peak season. It
seems that the whole town’s on computers at the same time and so, this may take
a while. Something to do with bandwidth. Are you here on your own or will
somebody be joining you later?”

“No, no one will be joining me. I’m taking some time out for
myself. I’m taking a road trip of sorts and the town looks like a place I could
stay in for a while and just relax. It seems prosperous. Some of the other
small towns I’ve been to recently seem a bit run down or were so quiet and
unobtrusive, they hardly seemed there at all. Promise seems to be both small
and laid-back, yet bustling with activity at the same time.”

“Thank you. It’s a good town. It’s had its ups and downs,
especially as the sea started producing less fish, but the new Chamber of
Commerce and local tourisms committee have initiated many improvements over the
last few years and we’ve certainly benefited from the influx of tourists.
That’s the bustling you see – the tourists. We’re lucky, though in that we
market out town to young families mostly, so there’s not too much of a rowdy
crowd around here. We leave that up to the locals.” Her lips curved knowingly.

“Are they a rowdy bunch then?”

“No, I’m just kidding around. We’re generally a good bunch.
Being a small town, we do tend to get together often but then all the
generations are there, parents too. It’s a bit difficult to get into a lot of
trouble in front of the parents. Besides, when you do get into trouble when
they’re not around, they still find out too. Nothing’s secret in this town.
Believe me, I’ve been staying on my own for the last two years and yet my mom
can give me a blow by blow account of what I did the night before when I see
her.”

“I guess it keeps you honest.” Caroline laughed.

“I guess. We do have our trouble, like any other place but those
are usually the trouble makers that couldn’t care less what the rest of us
think. The town takes care of them though.”

“Yes, I noticed that some towns are run by an open town
meeting rather than a council of representatives. People in those towns seemed
rather proud of it, feeling and knowing that they had an active role to play
and a stake in the ground.”

“You seem to have been traveling quite a bit. I haven’t
really traveled much myself and if you’re going to be staying here, I’d love to
her more about your experiences. Aaah… there it is!” Faith looked at the
computer screen. You’re in luck. For an unplanned stay, you seemed to be all
set here for the next two weeks. Just in case, I’ll provisionally book an extra
week and you can confirm in a week or two’s time?” Handing over the room’s keys
to Caroline, she offered, “I was born and raised here, so if there’s anything
you want to know or anything you need to make your stay more comfortable,
please let me know”.

“Thanks. I’ll do that. For now, though, would you be able to
arrange for a cup of coffee to go to my room?”

“It would be my pleasure. If you want some dinner later, the
inn’s restaurant is open until 10pm or you could call for room service. There’s
a room service menu on the writing desk in your room. Room service closes at
10:30pm. Tomorrow morning, you are welcome to have breakfast in the restaurant
too. It’s included in the price of the room. It’s through the side door over
there and has a beautiful view of the ocean.” Faith said indicating the archway
that led to the restaurant hinting at square tables covered in crisp white
table cloths, wooden chairs neatly pulled up to them. “We don’t have a bar, but
there one up in the main street and some of the waterfront restaurants serve sundowners
and cocktails in the afternoons. That’s all highlighted on the map I gave you
but you’re welcome to ask anytime.” 

“That’s great, thanks. I think I’ll just call it an early
night tonight. I’ve been driving the whole day.” Remembering, Caroline asked,
“What time does town open tomorrow morning?”

“The waterfront stays open 7 days a week throughout the peak
season, although some shops close on Sundays. Town’s closed on a Sunday too but
is open during the week from 9am to 5pm. Does that help?” Faith rambled on, in
what Caroline assumed was her usual manner.

“That’s just what I wanted to know. Thanks again.”

“Oh, before I forget. Here’s your beach sticker. Residents
of Promise and visitors staying in town don’t have to pay the visitor’s fee for
the beach. We include it in the bill at the inn to make it easier for you.
Welcome to Promise”, Faith called as Caroline followed the porter to the room.

The room was neat and comfortable. A far cry from the five
star hotels she was accustomed to but she relished in its adequate simplicity.
The balcony was irresistible, slanted so it faced both the ocean and the busy
waterfront that was filling up with people coming for dinner while others,
mostly young families, left for the day.

Sipping her coffee, she opened the local newspaper, kindly
provided with the coffee that room service brought, to the real estate section.
The house wasn’t there although the others indicated that property within the
area was within her price range. When James’ will was read she was surprised to
find out that all he had left her was the apartment and a little money. The
rest of his estate had been divided between various charities and his own
family. No one else was surprised though, her father informing her that James
rightly knew that a woman alone would be frowned upon and that she did not need
the money as she would be moving back home anyway. In shock over James’
unexpected death, the whirlwind of funeral arrangements and then the reading of
the will, she acquiesced. There was also the embarrassment of James dying in a
plane crash with his personal assistant on his way back from Rio, not Tokyo on
a business trip as he had informed her, but an impromptu vacation with Sheila,
who was also his mistress. Although James’ family hushed this up before the
media found out, her inner social circle still knew. Cheeks burning with
remembered humiliation, she gave herself a scolding and getting the pen and
notepaper provided by the inn, began making plans for the next day.

She had had a busy morning. After a good night’s rest, she
woke up to the sounds of gulls flying over the ocean and the quiet lulling
sounds of low tide washing onto the beach. She had early morning coffee on the balcony,
entertainment provided by the sight of fishing boats setting off for the day
and early morning enthusiasts jogging along the promenade. The previous night
was one of introspection and she had deeply thought about whether this is
really where she wanted to live. Well, impulse had served her well thus far.
Even without any plan or destination in mind, she felt immeasurably better
because of her great escape, as she had dubbed it.

A search on the internet had provided enough information to
satisfy her that the town was indeed one with a sound economy and low crime
rate. The internet also had a number of tourist websites that cited information
about Promise. Her assumptions confirmed, she decided to grasp the opportunity
that good fortune had provided her with.

Breakfast at the inn was delicious. She had forgone the hot,
fried breakfast in favor of the continental breakfast buffet that was filled
with a selection of cold cuts, breads, yoghurts and seasonal fruits. It suited
a summer’s day better. Maybe it was her good mood, but even the coffee tasted
better than any she’d had in some time. Faith, at reception, had provided her
with the details of the local real estate agents, lifting an enquiring brow at
her request. Caroline pointedly ignored the silent inquisition, weary of
counting her chickens before they hatch.

For such a small town, there were a surprising number of
real estate agents. Most specialized in holiday letting and the occasional sale
of holiday homes. From the many lengthy conversations she was subjected to in
each real estate office, she learnt that the Town Planning Committee in
collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce had put a limitation on the number
of areas that could be developed. Caroline supported the sentiment. The town
was charming as it is and whilst tourism was welcomed, over-development was not
something in the pipeline in an effort to preserve the intimacy and charm of
the town. Preservation of the area’s natural resources also served as a
motivation to limit development. Of course, this bit of information cost her a
whole morning, listening to realtors trying to convince, what they observed as
a wealthy young woman, for she looked expensive, to buy a property on their
lists.