The Gallery At Bristol Pines

By Bob Mandala

(Bristol Pines Book 1) Shelley and her son Luke are recovering from a tragic life event and are making their new home in Bristol Pines, MA., a boutique ski village in the mountains above the hustle and bustle of Boston. Luke is a stellar soccer player good student who is finding his way in a new school and new community while Shelley is working hard to fulfill a life-long dream of owning and operating an art gallery.
Alec is a divorced father of precocious twin girls, Olivia and Mia, who generally have totally different viewpoints on most things. He coaches baseball and has three history classes, on of which is Art History, not his strong suit. He meets Shelley while she prepares the new gallery space and strikes up a deal whereby she helps him with lesson plans and he gives her insight about how the gallery operated when his grandparents owned it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jul 16, 2019
• ISBN: 9780359793907

Book preview

The Gallery At Bristol Pines

The Gallery at Bristol Pines

Bob Mandala

Copyright 2019 © by Bob Mandala All rights reserved 2019

Bob Mandala

[e-mail]

This is a work of fiction.  Names, characters, business, events and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination.  Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is

purely coincidental.

ISBN # 978-0-359-79390-7

Table of Contents

The Gallery at Bristol Pines

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter - Epilogue – 6 months later

Chapter 1

Luke, could you please hurry up?  We’re going to be late.

Racing down the stairs – Coming, Mom.  I had to get the soccer shoes out of the garage!

"Your soccer shoes are in your bag, honey. 

What was in the garage?  As soon as she said it, Shelley Knowles knew what shoes Luke was talking about and she felt terrible.

The shoes that Dad gave me when I was, you know.

I do know Luke, and I’m sorry. I know how much those shoes mean to you and I’m glad you remembered them.

I never forget, Mom.  I knew exactly where they were.  They’re always in my bag during games.  It’s like Dad’s there watching.

And I’m sure he is honey.  You know he never missed a game no matter what he had to do.  Remember the time his flight out of  St. Louis was cancelled and de drove all night to get to your field?

Yeah, and he almost stayed awake for the whole game!

They both smiled as they headed for the car.

Shelley and Luke arrived at Fitzsimmons Field, or the Fitz as it is commonly known and Luke ran off to meet his team. 

"Good luck, honey.  See you after the game.

OK, Mom.

Shelley set up her chair alongside the parents that had already arrived. She was now used to the Saturday morning routine - chair, snacks, jacket, and hat.

Hey, Shelley.  Bruce and Kathy Wells waved.  How’s the gallery coming along?

Good morning, you guys.  It’s coming along – so much to do yet.  I have a self-imposed deadline but I’d like to hit it or at least come close. But, a lot depends on things that are not in my control.

Bruce nodded, understanding her dilemma. Things like building permits, electrical and plumbing updating to meet code?

Exactly. The building is old and I want to make sure that any and all issues are addressed before they become problems while maintaining the integrity of the old structure.

Bruce and Kathy were becoming good friends, at least on the soccer field. Shelley had learned a lot about being a soccer Mom from Kathy.  She was not, for sure, soccer Mom cool when she first started going to games.  She didn’t have the right chair - and we know it’s all about the chair -, nor the cool snacks, nor the cool, well, anything.

She didn’t want to embarrass Luke and she would like to have these people visit the gallery some day, so she asked Kathy what she needed to have and do and Kathy was sweet enough to bring her up to speed on the do’s and don’ts of soccer-dom.

DO be early for practices and games to respect coaches’ and the time of other players and coaches.  DON’T coach from the sidelines (no problem there!).  DO say thank you a lot to coaches and parent volunteers.  DON’T yell at your kid from the sidelines.  They can’t hear you but the coaches and other parent’s sure can!  DO help clean up, even if you didn’t make the mess.  DON’T make a mess!  And the list went on, but was very helpful.  Making it to cool soccer mom may be a bit elusive, but Shelley’s pretty sure she won’t make it on the coach’s naughty list either. 

Joe and Shelly used to get to the games on every Saturday possible when they lived in Des Moines.  After his promotion to partner and transfer to the Boston office of this law firm, they found it even more difficult to be at the games together but one of them was always there for sure.  When Joe passed away of an acute aneurism almost six months ago, Shelley wasn’t prepared to be both Mom and Dad.  On the contrary, she was having difficulty enough being Mom, let alone trying to occasionally fill in the Dad shoes as well.  If Joe had to go earlier than most men at age 42, at least he and Luke had had 14 good years of father-son bonding.  Joe took Luke camping and hiking.  They played catch together, wrestled on the den floor together, stargazed together in the back-yard, and made Shelley breakfast in bed for her birthday and Mother’s Day, together.   She didn’t have a clue how to be a Dad, but was learning.  YouTube was a life-saver when it came to so called easy home repairs, and a few of the neighbor Dads had pitched in at the beginning, enough to keep them going for a few months anyway.  She quickly saw the need to pull on her big-girl pants and dig in.  Luke was a real sport and helped whenever he knew how to do something and Shelley didn’t, and cut her a huge amount of slack when neither one of them had a clue and they had to stumble along together. 

Like when they locked the keys in the car in the garage, complete with the newly installed garage door opener; so new that Joe hadn’t had time to install the remote keypad that would avoid situations like this.  They eventually got into the garage only to discover the keys were locked in the car!  So that was what the blinking and honking was about – You’re about to lock your keys in your car you dummy.  Once again, their neighbor, Chuck, came through for them.  Shelley wasn’t sure who was happier about them moving to Bristol Pines, them or Chuck!  Shelley often thought about how lucky she was to have Luke.  He had been her rock since Joe died and she had no idea what she would have done without him.  She hoped that Joe was looking down on them and saying, ‘we did good." 

Snapping back from her reverie, Shelley realized that the soccer game was over and was yet another tie.  That’s OK; at least it wasn’t a loss.  Kids at Luke’s age and soccer level play to win while in the lower divisions it’s all about team play.  Because she has a used van that will be used for the art gallery, she was able to fit a few more boys than a regular car.  She offered to take some boys to Subway so the smelly bunch piled into a new Fabrezed van and off they went to re-load the carbs. 

Everyone was talking at once and she couldn’t understand a word – but it was music to Shelley’s ears, Luke laughing and having fun with the guys.

Luke had come a long way from the complete devastation he felt not all that long ago.  His Dad was his idol.  They did everything together whenever Joe was home.  Although he travelled a lot, especially when they lived in Des Moines, Joe tried very hard not to miss those things that are so important to a strong father-son relationship, like games, project presentations, and birthdays.  So when he received the partnership and offer to move to Boston, Joe and Shelley were excited about their choice of Bristol Pines as a place to settle. Wachusett Mountain is the closest ski slope to Boston and Bristol Pines and is not far away from Princeton, MA. 

While Princeton has the historic ties to the area, Bristol Pines grew out of Bostonians need for a ski village, complete with shops, restaurants, boutique hotels and art galleries. Although this beautiful little oasis is certainly not Aspen or Stowe, Bristol Pines offers skiers a close-by alternative without the hype or high prices. Family owned B&B’s, great restaurants, and easy access to Boston gives visitors the best of both worlds.  They can be sipping hot chocolate by a bon-fire at night and be in the office the next morning.

When Joe’s move coincided with the availability of a gallery storefront, the Knowles family was elated! Both Joe and Shelley had lost their parents years before, but what was left of Shelley’s family, a brother and sister, both lived in New York, and Joe’s brother lived in Connecticut.  Being closer to family was a plus because they all got along very well but seldom got together because of distance.

Shelly and Joe visited Boston before Joe accepted the offer, heard about the gallery in Bristol Pines, and were immediately taken by the town.  The tree-lines streets, combination of old and new structures that seem to compliment each other, a seemingly very walkable Main Street with a bustle that was both obvious and normal.  It would be a great place for Luke to grow up, all three loved to ski, and the gallery would eventually be perfect. Eventually because it needed so much work, being such an old building and all.  The town offered everything they needed without the huge crowds, but with enough locals and tourists to support a new, quality gallery, or so they hoped.

It was all coming together so nicely.  Joe’s schedule was becoming more predictable and travel was reduced substantially.  He was even able to work from home several days a month. That took Shelley some time to get used to, but she loved having Joe close.  And Luke seemed to be adjusting as well.  He would have high school soccer after school in the fall but had Club soccer now on weekends, of course, and that provided an automatic camaraderie with the teams. He was good and that commanded a certain amount of respect among the guys who saw him as a new secret weapon.  It would take the other teams a while to recognize his style of play and individual skills but the Bristol Pines Rockets were enjoying the brief period of new player advantage.  And almost all his Rocket teammates went to Bristol Pines High School.

Those close team relationships were especially important when Luke and Shelley experienced the most traumatic event of their lives.  Husband, father, brother, best friend Joe Knowles collapsed and died instantly of an acute aneurism while he was on a business trip to Chicago.  He had left home mid-morning the day before, after taking Luke to school and having breakfast with Shelley, which was a rarity.  He took an Uber to the airport, was sitting in the airline lounge when he suddenly slumped in his chair.  Attempts to revive him were unsuccessful and the local police called Shelley on her cell phone with the news no one ever wants to hear about any loved one, especially a husband and father of your only child.  Shelley was in the City offices waiting to speak to a building inspector about an issue with the gallery.  Luckily, her friend, Kim, was with her because they had planned to go to lunch.  Almost immediately after Shelley answered, she dropped the phone and started crying.

Kim asked, Shelley, what’s wrong?  What happened?

She couldn’t respond; she was crying so hard.  Kim picked up the phone, explained who she was, got out paper and pen and began taking down information she knew Shelley would need to know about Joe’s location, process for claiming, etc.  By this time a supervisor in with the City had been called and was sitting with Shelley who was still quietly sobbing and unable to speak. Kim finished the call and tried to comfort Shelley as best she could under the circumstances.  Kim asked the supervisor to please explain what happened to the inspector and that Shelley would connect with them later. 

Shelley, I‘m so very sorry about Joe.  Let’s get you home.

What about Luke?  How am I ever going to be able to tell Luke?  What are we going to do without Joe? Kim, I can’t do this. There must be some mistake.  It can’t be Joe.  He’s only 42.

Now, as she thought about it in those same City offices waiting, again, for a building inspector, she knew she never wanted to go through anything like that again. Six months is not a long time, but somehow she and Luke were pulling it together and moving on.  Luke had friends and soccer to help.  She had the gallery to distract her and a few new friends to help.  It will never be easy without Joe, but time is making it less difficult.

Mrs. Knowles - nice to see you again. What do you have for me today?

Chapter 2

Is it finished yet?  Alec asked, his eyes still closed. 

Olivia responded, No, Daddy, not yet.  We’ll let you know.  And then, Mia! Not there!  Daddy said you couldn’t paint there!

I didn’t hear him say that.  When did he say that?

"Girls, I’m sitting right here.  Paint where?  Mia, what are you doing?  Where are you painting?  (Eyes half-closed at this point).

Daddy, Mia is painting your truck.

Liv, stop tattle…what, my truck?  Eyes were wide opened now.  Mia, stop painting my truck!

The girls couldn’t hold back their giggling. 

Daddy, we tricked you!  Mia isn’t painting your truck, only the sidewalk!

What?  The sidewalk?  Why the sidewalk?

I ran out of paper space and I wasn’t finished, so I kept going on the sidewalk, Mia reasoned.  She was the creative twin."

Alec swallowed a laugh.  I appreciate your being creative and adding space for more drawing, but now you have to clean up the sidewalk mess you made.

It’s not a mess, it’s my art!

Yes, your art.  But to our neighbor, it may not be art – but a mess of unwanted paint in front of his house.  Not everyone appreciates every artists’ work.  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

What does that mean, Daddy?

Liv shouted, It means not everyone likes your stupid painting, Mia.  Now get some water and clean up your stupid mess.

Liv, easy now.  Your sister didn’t mean anything by it.  She gets caught up in drawing and she forgets to stop.

But you said no painting on the sidewalk.  That’s the rule.  And she painted the sidewalk.

"I know, Liv.  But she started on paper, trying to follow the rule. Alec was trying to appease both of his strong-willed daughters, knowing that one of them was going to be unhappy.

Most people want to follow the rules and most people do.  It’s OK not to sometimes as long as you have a good reason and do your best to make it an exception.

Is an ex-pect- sion, OK?  Even if it means you break the rules?  Liv was zeroing in for the kill. He had to be careful here.

"Some exceptions are OK.  However, if you say you are making an exception intentionally – meaning – you knew all along you were breaking the rule and didn’t have a good reason, than it is very wrong.  In this case, Liv, your sister did not intentionally break the rules.  Do you understand the difference?  He waited.

Daddy, of course I do.  I’m eight.

Of course you are.  But, don’t forget, so is Mia. Case closed, counselor?

Case closed, your honor.

Alec and Olivia had played this cat and mouse game many times.  It was getting harder to win these days.  Liv’s ability to maneuver him into a corner was becoming more evident. He was certain she was going to become a litigator, just like her mother.  Alec and Leticia had been divorced for almost three years now, but the girls saw her regularly in Boston where Leticia was a top attorney for one of the city’s most prestigious firms.

The divorce had been more than amicable and Leticia offered Alec alimony over and above the child support that was ordered by the court. She made a significant mid-six-figure salary plus bonuses and partner benefits and was more than willing to provide Alec with anything he needed to care for the twin girls.  They agreed that Leticia’s work and travel schedule meant that Mia and Liv would be with nannies and other care givers more than either she or Alec wanted, so he agreed to take full custody with regular visiting rights whenever practical.  It had worked well.  Alec and the girls lived in the Bristol Pines chalet that came with the divorce free and clear and lived on Alec’s teacher and coach salaries.  He split the child support payments into two trust