The Oldest Sin by Ellen Hart

he’s a delightful boy,” said Hildegard. “And he’s really taken the Zephyr Club’s kitchen by storm. You must have taught him well when he was a child. I’ve never seen anyone take to chefing the way he has.”
     
    Sophie nodded and then moved quickly down the hall. She would have loved to have taken credit for her son’s expertise, but the truth was she’d had very little contact with him as he was growing up. Her first husband, Norman Greenway, had been awarded custody after their divorce. She and Norman had spent most of their married life in Montana, where he was the pastor of a local church. The custody battle had been a fait accompli from the outset. Since the town was small, and filled with loyal church members, Norm had no problem finding witness after witness to attest to Sophie’s ungodly character. Lizzie Borden —
after
the ax murders — would have had an easier time gaining custody.
     
    From the moment they were officially divorced, Norm took charge of Rudy. He refused almost all of Sophie’s visitation requests. It had been the single most painful experience of her life. Even so, she could never resign herself to the notion that Rudy was gone from her life forever.
     
    Two years ago, much to her surprise and delight, he had appeared on her Minneapolis doorstep, asking if he could stay with her while he attended the University of Minnesota. Sophie was thrilled. Yet, thinking back on that time now, she remembered their first few months together as terribly awkward. They were mother and son, but they knew virtually nothing about each other. It took her nearly the entire winter to get him to open up, to tell her the full story of why he’d left Montana.
     
    It seemed that Rudy had defied his father’s wish that he attend Purdis Bible College, and instead he’d come to Minnesota to pursue a degree in theatre arts. He wanted to be an actor. The real bottom line was, Rudy was gay. He knew if he stayed in Montana with his father, or attended the church’s college, he’d have to hide that part of himself for the rest of his life. While he couldn’t give up all his beliefs, he also couldn’t see living a lie. So he’d come to Minnesota to get away, to think matters through, to find his own path. It had been a hard two years. Yet now Sophie felt she’d finally connected with her son. They were becoming closer all the time. Wherever she and Bram ended up living, there had to be room for Rudy, too.
     
    “I know Rudy could get used to living here,” said Bram, walking up behind her. He put a hand on her shoulder. “The fact is, I’m more worried about Ethel.” He pulled a badly chewed green tennis ball out of his pocket, leaned down, and rolled it down the hall.
     
    On cue, Ethel dragged herself out of the bathroom, sniffing the air.
     
    “Say, I hadn’t thought of that,” said Sophie. “Would that be a problem? I know the Maxfield doesn’t allow pets.”
     
    “I hardly think so,” said Hildegard with a shrug. “After all, it
is
your hotel now. You make the rules.”
     
    True, thought Sophie. She liked this newfound power. Not that she wanted to abuse it. She was still the novice innkeeper. Even though she’d watched her parents running the place most of her life — even worked on the front desk when she was in high school — she still needed Hildegard’s constant guidance. “It wouldn’t cause a problem with the other guests?”
     
    “I shouldn’t think so. There are lots of hotels that have a house pet. The Algonquin in New York has a cat that sits in the lobby, but the hotel doesn’t allow cats or dogs in the rooms. If you want Ethel to live with you, don’t give it another thought. We could even enshrine her downstairs on her own pillow.”
     
    Ethel raised her head and gave Hildegard a suspicious look “I think she likes it here,” said Bram. “Do you like it here, girl?” He bent down and scratched the short fur on her back. Ethel closed her eyes, giving in to