A Family Likeness

He looked happier today, Gina thought, examining him closely as she shook his hand. His face was still tired and worn, but he seemed much more relaxed than on his first visit. Today he wore jeans, a yellow cotton shirt and a jaunty straw fedora, and was the image of a man embarking on a long holiday in the country.

“So, Alex, are you ready to settle in and be pampered for a whole summer?” she asked.

“More than ready. I feel like I’ve finally arrived in heaven.” Alex gestured at the lush garden, the stone mansion within its screen of vines and flowers, the shimmering lake and sleepy town in the distance. “I’ve been waiting for this day.”

“So have we,” Roger said with a teasing glance at Gina, who bent hastily to collect her bucket of strawberries.

“I’ll get you registered and show you to your room,” she said. “Unless Mary’s already helped you?”

Alex shook his head. “I just drove up and saw you two out in the garden, so I came right over. What’s in the pail?”

Gina fell into step beside him, heading across the lawn toward the back door. She held out the pail so he could see. “Mary’s planning to make strawberry waffles for breakfast tomorrow.”

“I am in heaven. Real whipped cream with them, I suppose?”

“Absolutely. And it’s fresh, too. We get all our dairy products from a farm up the road.”

Alex smiled down at her, one of those transforming smiles that tended to leave her at a loss for words.

“I have to drop this off in the kitchen,” Gina said at last, pausing by the back steps. “Roger will help you with your luggage, but first I need to check you in at the front desk. If you don’t mind waiting a couple of minutes while I wash my hands…”

“May I come to the kitchen with you? I’d like to say hello to Mary.”

“Of course. Come in.”

He climbed the steps lightly and held the screen door for her, then removed his bat and followed her into the cool wood-paneled interior of the house, with its pleasant scent of spices and fresh bread, flowers and furniture polish.

Gina was conscious of his quick intake of breath and the admiration in his eyes as he looked around.

“Well, is everything as nice as you remembered?” she asked, pushing open the door to the kitchen.

“Even nicer, if that’s possible. You don’t know how much I’ve been needing this holiday. Hello, Mary,” he said, smiling at the cook, who was lifting a tray of raisin-filled scones from the oven.

Mary straightened and smiled almost shyly, self-consciously rubbing a hand across the smear of flour on her cheek. “Hello, Mr. Colton. It’s nice to see you again.”

“Please. Call me Alex.”

Mary ducked her head and said, “All right…Alex.” She gestured at her baking. “And you’ve arrived just in time to have scones with your tea this afternoon.”

“He still has to unload his luggage and get registered,” Gina said, putting her bucket of strawberries on the table.

Mary looked at the berries with approval and carried them to the big enameled sink for washing. “Are the wax beans ready, Gina?” she asked over her shoulder.

“Some of them are. Enough for tonight, anyway. Roger said I should tell you.”

“Couldn’t tell me himself, I suppose.” Mary began to run water over the strawberries.

Alex and Gina exchanged a glance and moved toward the door.

“Still at odds, are they?” Alex murmured when they reached the hall, bending so close that his hair brushed her cheek.

“I’m afraid so,” Gina whispered. “And not just over Annabel’s diet, either. There are all kinds of new complications.”

His eyes danced. “Like what?”

Gina was tempted to confide the details about Roger’s glamorous new girlfriend. But just at that moment Roger came through the front door and into the reception area, carrying a couple of well-traveled leather suitcases, a garment bag and a small case.

“Thanks, Roger,” Alex said. “I could have looked after those.”

“No problem. I might as well take them right up to the gold room.”

“All right.” Alex reached for his wallet, but Gina touched his arm and shook her head.

“No tipping,” she told him quietly. “We don’t believe in it around here. As soon as you’ve registered, you become a welcome guest in our home, not a paying customer.”

He relaxed and nodded. “Thank you, Roger. Be careful with the smaller case, all right? I’ve got a laptop computer in there. Most of my life is on that hard drive.”

Roger paused at the foot of the staircase. “I read your column all the time. It’s really good.”

Alex gave Gina a look of comical dismay. “I guess I’ve been discovered.”

“Mary found your picture in one of the newspapers at the library. Do you mind?”

“Not really. The pseudonym used to give me some privacy, but now that they’ve started attaching a picture to the column, I get recognized a lot.”

“Would you prefer that we keep your identity to ourselves while you’re here?”

“Yes, if it’s possible,” Alex said gratefully. “This is my holiday, after all, and I’d just as soon not have other guests asking me for stock tips during breakfast.”

Roger paused halfway up the steps and peered over the carved banister with a cheerful grin. “How about the staff? Would you mind slipping us a few investment tips?”

“Roger!” Gina said.

Alex winked up at him. The caretaker chuckled and vanished into the depths of the upper landing.