20. Cary

20

Cary

I wasn’t sure why, but I had to force myself not to reach over and take Evan’s hand as we drove the winding road toward Tillamook. Deke said he was busy with Hallock business, but could take time off around two in the afternoon. He’d anticipated me bringing Evan to meet him at some point, and said he’d put some things together about the estate to give him.

Deke worked in an old farmhouse converted into an office complex. At one time, his family had farmed the area and had dairy cattle like so many of the other immigrant families that settled here. Of course, most of the farm was now touristy.

We entered the first floor that’d been converted into a storefront, making our way past all kinds of goodies to buy. All were priced three times higher than anywhere else I’d seen, yet people were lined up at the register.

We walked through the employee-only entrance and up the stairs to where Deke’s office was. I’d done this enough times that none of the store’s staff even looked our way.

Sure enough, Deke was sitting at his desk working on his computer. When I knocked, he looked up and smiled. “I wondered if you were going to get here on time,” he said, winking at me. When we were in high school, I was perpetually late. Of course, I was a different person now, but for him, that would never change.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. This is Evan Garland, the new owner of Cordelia Manor. Evan, this is one of my oldest friends, Deke Hallock.”

Deke smiled warmly at Evan. “I’m very pleased to meet you, have a seat.”

Deke was always so friendly and accommodating. In a lot of ways, he was my opposite. Whereas I tended to be abrupt and come across as standoffish when I first met someone, Deke was all personality. But few people got to know him deeply or personally. As far as I knew, his family and I were the only ones he let in.

“So, you’re the one who took the old place off our hands. I have to tell you, you did us a favor,” Deke said, and I knew it took Evan aback.

I cocked an eyebrow at my friend, and when Deke waited too long to get a reaction from Evan, I intervened. “They were afraid they’d get stuck doing another major renovation to the place.”

Evan looked confused. “Why? Is it not worth the investment?”

Deke laughed. “It is, it’s a great property, and it’s made our family very wealthy over the years, but no, my grandfather’s health is failing, and the running of the business has fallen on my shoulders. I love Cordelia Manor, but we need to keep our holdings closer to Tillamook and expand from here.”

He looked at me then and it was my turn to look confused. That Hallock planned to expand came as news to me. Deke must’ve realized he hadn’t told me before, because he added, “We got preliminary approval from the city to build a new hotel and apartment combination. With the ongoing popularity of the Tillamook Cheese Factory as a tourist attraction, it couldn’t be a better time.”

That made me smile. I’d been a tough couple of years for the Hallock family in dealing with their patriarch’s declining health, so any bright spots were welcome. “I have no doubt you’ll make it amazing. But you should still use your grandma’s homemade ice cream recipe to give Tillamook a run for their money.”

“Oh no, no interest in that. We just want them to continue to be successful and let their success build ours.”

Deke looked over at Evan and nodded. “The same goes for Cordelia Manor. We wish you success, and because our family has been a part of that building since it was built, your success will help build ours as well.”

“Your family has been involved since it was built? Are you related to the Cordelia family?” Evan asked.

Deke laughed out loud. “Oh no, we were among the hired help. I don’t know the entire story, although I should as often as Grandpa told it, but what I remember is that his parents weren’t able to make a living on the farm at the time, so my great-grandpa was the groundskeeper, and my great-grandma was a maid.”

Evan’s eyes lit up. “What was her name?” he asked.

Deke sighed. “I really should’ve paid more attention to my grandpa’s stories. I’m sorry, Evan, I don’t remember off the top of my head, but I know Grandpa will want to meet you. I guess he grew up with your grandma. He told me when he was young, she lived with them, and she was his babysitter.”

“Oh, wow,” Evan said. “This is all making more sense now.”

Deke looked perplexed, and Evan smiled. “I’ve been piecing my family’s history together, and after my great-grandmother… well, after she wasn’t around any longer, I wondered where my grandmother went. I only know she left the coast for Portland while still a young woman, but she never really spoke about her childhood.”

“Hold on,” Deke said, picking up his phone and making a call. A moment later he was talking to someone, and when he frowned, I knew he wasn’t getting good news. “Well…” he said over the phone, “…ask when is a good time for Grandpa to meet the new owner of the manor.” He waited a moment and laughed. “No, Grandma, I’m not trying to give him work. I just thought since he shares a history with the Garlands, he’d like to meet him.” His smile grew as whoever he was talking to was clearly giving him the business. “Okay, I’ll let them know. Kiss the old coot for me.”

Deke hung up, still smiling. “Evan, my grandpa does want to meet you, but he had a rough chemo treatment yesterday so he’s not feeling up for visitors. Grandma did say, though, Cary should bring you by sometime for dinner. He usually does better a few days after chemo.”

I looked over at Evan, who nodded. “I’d like that. Meanwhile, can you tell me about the hotel business at the manor? What did you have going on before you closed?”

“Oh, we were doing a great restaurant business. In fact, it was the only thing we were still running. Wait,” he said, swiveling in his seat, opening an old file cabinet, and pulling out a massive folder. “You can take this with you if you wish. The licenses with the state and health department are still active. You’d have to sign some agreement with us to operate under our umbrella for the time being, I think, but that’s something for an attorney to work out. In any case, if you’d like to reopen the place, we’d support you any way we can. Truthfully, I think reopening the restaurant would go a long way in cheering up the old man. It crushed him to close down even though we’d agreed to do so before the state gave the place back to you.”

Evan looked at the pile of paperwork in front of him, then back up at Deke and swallowed hard. “So, we could open the restaurant back up now? Just like that?”

Deke shrugged. “Yep, can’t see why not. You’ll have to have the health department do another inspection first and like I said, we’ll need our attorneys to chat about the legalities, but I can give you the names of the folks working there before we closed. Most were older, but I think they’d relish the idea of working there again.”

Evan just nodded, and for maybe the first time since I’d met him, looked hopeful. “I-I can’t thank you enough. I didn’t know what I was going to do about all that.”

“Well, we don’t want to run a hotel there again, and the restaurant is a heck of a lot of work, but if we can help make the transition easier, please let us know. My grandpa always had a special fondness for that place, and I think it rubbed off on all of us a bit.”

Deke stood up and extended his hand. Evan took it and shook, still looking like a deer in the headlights. I thought he might’ve been a little overwhelmed. He picked up the huge folder, and with a promise from Deke to be in touch again soon, we left the office.

The restaurant, before it closed down, was a beloved landmark in the town. People traveled from all over the state to eat there, if not the country, even if the décor was a bit ragged and tired. The food and the service were excellent. I’d always been proud to work for Cordelia Manor, and I liked the idea of Evan opening it up again. Minus one especially nasty spirit, of course.