Free Claire Gulliver #04 - Cruisin' for a Bruisin' by Gayle Wigglesworth Page A

times. It’s very sad.”
    Millie felt a shiver, realizing longevity had a price.
    “But look at me? I’m starting to get maudlin. I’m sure you have better things to do with your time than listen to me.”
    “Oh, no Mrs. Bernbaum, I enjoy talking to you and hearing about your life. I hope you’ll tell me the rest of the story.”
    “I will, of course I will. Another day perhaps.”
    “Ruth and I are going to take a taxi into the city to the Empress Hotel to meet Claire and Lucy for tea. Would you like to join us?”
    Mrs. Bernbaum’s smile was tremulous. “Me? You’re inviting me to join you?”
    “Of course, we’d love to have your company. It will only be for a couple of hours and I hear it’s very fancy.”
    “My dear, thank you for asking, but I must decline. I need to take my nap.” She smiled ruefully. “The penalty for having the late seating for dinner is an afternoon nap, so I don’t doze off during the main course.” She struggled to get out of the chair, then stood a moment as if to test her legs before heading for the elevator. “See you at dinner tonight. I’ll look forward to hearing all about the tea.”
    She tottered with determination across the lobby toward the elevators while Millie tried to picture her as she was when she met her Nate.
     
    *  *  *
     
    “Oh, you didn’t wait for us?” Ruth was clearly disappointed.
    “Yes, we did. We didn’t order anything to eat even though we were tempted. We had to have some tea to warm us up. Don’t worry, we’ll order it all again.”
    “Did you both get soaked? I hope you’re not going to come down with a cold.” Millie took off her jacket and settled in a chair facing her daughter.
    “It was cold and damp, but it was wonderful. I think it was even better in the rain. And actually, except for our feet, we stayed pretty dry.”
    Ruth was busily examining the menu, but Millie took the time to gaze around the elegant room where the Empress Hotel was serving tea.
    “Oh my gosh. Look at these prices.” Ruth looked up. “Are we sure we want to eat here?”
    “Those are Canadian dollars, Ruth,” Lucy said. “And besides we deserve to treat ourselves.”
    “It is very nice here, Ruth.” Millie was taken with the ornate Victorian décor, the heavy velvet draperies, the rich carpets on the polished wood floors, while the subtle clink of silver sounded through the room and the crystal stemware gleamed richly in the dim light. The hotel itself was old and elegant, similar to the St. Francis in San Francisco.
    “Lucy is right. The price is not the object. This is a treat,” Millie told Ruth.
    “Well, in that case we’d better do the whole thing and go for the High Tea. It’s the most expensive, so it must be the best. What kind of tea should we order?”
    “We have Earl Grey and will probably stick with that. So order whatever appeals to you and Mom.”
    “I like Earl Grey, or perhaps Oolong. Either of those okay with you, Millie?”
    The waitress took their order and left them to catch up on the activities of the day.
    “Mom, the Rose Garden was outstanding. I took a picture of the most beautiful rose I’ve ever seen. I hope it comes out because you’re going to drool over it. It was crimson, but as the petals unfolded it was white inside with crimson only on the edges of each petal. It was just too perfect!”
    “The last of the summer flowers were still in bloom and the fall flowers were just starting to bloom. So we got to see two seasons,” Lucy added.
    “We bought seeds, oodles of seeds. I got some for you too. I’d show them to you, but they’re sealed with an agriculture sticker so we can get them through customs. I thought I might plant some of the wildflowers in that weed patch behind the book shop. And I’m hoping some will take to the planters on my porch at home.” Claire always regretted she didn’t have the time to do much with her yard, either at home or at the store. And so far she only had a service