“We should,” she agreed. “How is your mother doing? Is she managing okay on the crutches?”

David was quiet for a moment before answering. “Yes and no. She can get around fine on them, but she was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. We worry about her forgetting that she needs them and falling again.”

Paula’s heart went out to him. The worry was etched across his face. “I’m so sorry. That sounds stressful, for all of you.”

He nodded. “It is. For my father, especially. But we’ll figure it out.”

“There you both are. Could we go into my office for a moment? I have an idea I want to discuss.” Paula’s grandfather looked excited about his idea, whatever it was.

“Of course.” Paula set her pen down, stood and followed her grandfather to his office. David was right behind her.

“Have a seat, please.” They sat in the two chairs facing her grandfather’s massive dark wood desk. He took his seat behind it, leaned forward and looked at them both.

“I want to do a Taste of the Town event on our front lawn. Invite a bunch of the area restaurants to participate as well as have a wine tasting. Paula, can you call Peter at Bradford’s Liquors and see if he wants to help? He can arrange for all the wine vendors and then take orders if people want to buy wine.”

“You mean like what they do at the Nantucket Wine Festival?”

“No, not like that. They mostly focus on wine with a few fancy snacks. This will be as much about the food as the wine. It’s a chance for local restaurants to showcase their signature dishes. We can give out awards, too, like best chowder/soup, best appetizer and best entree. The restaurants can use that for marketing.”

“I like it,” David said. “It sounds like a great way to deepen your relationships with area restaurants. They may be more apt to refer people your way.”

Her grandfather’s eyes lit up. “Yes! That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

“When would you want to do it?” Paula knew they’d need some time to pull something this big together.

“I was thinking the week after the fourth of July. That’s one of the busiest weeks here and if we do it on Monday, it will be easier on the restaurants and the people are here looking for something to do.”

His excitement was contagious. Paula smiled. “I think it’s a great idea, too.”

“Okay, good. I’ll let the two of you take this on. We’ll need tents, of course, and ones that can be zipped shut if it rains. Lots of details to manage. But that’s what you’re good at.” He stood. “Okay, we’re done here. Get started tomorrow and make it happen!”

Chapter 9