Chapter Seven
To Do:
Price paint and carpet
Check out bedding suppliers
Clean bathroom in reserved unit
Pray for money to fall from heaven
After breakfast Jenna found someone to take care of the boarded-up window, then left Sabrina busy texting with Marigold about how bored she was and drove to Beach Lumber and Hardware to price paint. She figured her top priority was probably to get the roof checked, but the potential cost of that was overwhelming so she decided to start with something she knew they could handle.
The place was busy. An old geezer in a baseball cap with Beach Lumber printed on it was ringing up a sale. A middle-aged couple was waiting to buy a clam gun, and several men were wandering through the store holding plastic pipe or bags of nails.
One woman wheeled past Jenna with a cart filled with lavender starts. “It’s one of the few things the deer don’t eat,” she explained.
Jenna spotted Tyrella Lamb, who was advising a woman on hinges. She gave Jenna a cheerful nod and promised to be with her in a minute, and Jenna nodded back and went to the paint section. So many shades of blue—how could she choose?
A moment later, Tyrella was standing by her side. “Paint for the inn?”
“Yes. I need something to match the blue tarp we’re probably going to have to put on the roof.”
Tyrella smiled at that. She picked up a sample card. “This one’s very popular down here.”
It was a pretty shade—not too pale but not too dark, either. “Summer Sky,” Jenna read. “I like that.”
“I think your motel would look great that color,” said Tyrella. “And white for the trim.” She handed Jenna another sample card. This one was labeled Summer Cloud.
Blue with white trim. Perfect. She could already envision the Driftwood looking fresh and pretty and ready for business. “I love it. How much do I need?”
“Well, let’s see.” Tyrella pulled a small tablet and pencil from her carpenter’s apron and began to scribble. “Your place is about two hundred feet long.”
“Two hundred feet. That’s not bad.”
“Don’t forget, you’ve got a front and a back, and two sides. Your building is about ten feet high, give or take. That’s probably around forty-four-hundred square feet. So, I’d say you’ll need fifteen gallons. Oh, then there’s paint for the window and door trim, and your doors. And, of course, you’ll need paint for your rooms. You’ll want to figure two gallons for each room. You’ll probably want forty gallons to be safe.”
“That much more paint for the rooms?”
“Four walls, ceilings.”
Expense.
“And if you paint the bathrooms...”
“Oh, boy,” Jenna said faintly. She looked at the escalating price and gulped. There went more than a third of Aunt Edie’s stash just on paint. But it had to be done.
“I’ll give you a ten percent welcome to Moonlight Harbor discount,” Tyrella said.
“Thank you.” It would help. “Will that be okay with your husband?”
“Leroy? I doubt he cares. He passed on four years ago.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize. When you mentioned him...”
“I should have said that he’s in heaven now,” Tyrella said. “But it always sounds so stuffy and old lady to say ‘my late husband,’ and just calling him my dead husband sounds creepy. Anyway, my late, dead, gone husband was a generous man, and he’d approve of me helping another member of the community. You’ve got a lot on your plate, so if I can help make your life a little easier, I’m glad to do it. Everyone’s excited that you’ve come to help Edie. We all love her.”
“I’m excited to be here,” Jenna said. And she was...except for when she was worrying about her daughter or wondering where the money was going to come from to fix the place.
“What are you doing for lunch today?”
Who had time to eat? “Tuna fish sandwich probably.”
“How about a salmon Cobb, my treat?”
“That’s awfully nice of you, but—”
“Oh, not really. I want you to come to the chamber of commerce meeting with me. Lunch at noon at Sandy’s. The schmoozing starts at eleven-thirty.”
“Chamber of commerce?” Jenna repeated. “Isn’t that for business owners?”
“You’re managing your aunt’s motel, aren’t you? And, trust me, it’s no secret that Edie’s leaving it to you. You qualify as a local business owner. And it never hurts to network.”
“I was going to go to Quinault and price carpet this morning.”
“Go to Ben Samuels over at the Carpet Guys. He’ll give you a square deal. There,” Tyrella added with a grin. “Now you won’t have to run all over the place looking. I just saved you a good hour.”
“Well, when you put it that way,” Jenna said, smiling at her. She looked down at her jeans and T-shirt. “Guess I should go home and put on something more professional looking.”
“Business casual is fine.”
So Jenna went home, donned a sundress, sweater and sandals and then drove down Harbor Boulevard to Sandy’s, a restaurant that offered casual dining. What they lacked in a view they made up for in decor. The small space outside the restaurant had been turned into a tiny beach, complete with sand and shells, a small lime-green lifeguard chair planted in it. Inside, a net was hung on one wall, holding a starfish and a turquoise glass float. The smell of cooking fish told her what was popular on the menu.
She heard the chatter of voices all the way down the hall, and she arrived at the meeting room to find it packed with men and women of all ages. She caught sight of Patricia Whiteside, who owned the Oyster Inn, and the woman from the kite shop. The kite lady’s hair was long and perfectly styled and she wore a sleeveless top with fringe along the neckline over skinny jeans. Her earrings were glittery little lavender cowgirl hats. That had to be Austin Banks, who Brody had told her about. And there was Brody himself, busy talking to Whit Gruber.
She quickly spotted Tyrella, who had ditched the carpenter’s apron and was wearing a coral top over her slacks. She was chatting with two middle-aged men. Jenna suspected that if Tyrella wanted to replace Leroy she’d have no trouble.
She saw Jenna, waved and hurried over. “I’m glad you made it. You’re going to love this bunch. They know how to keep it real.” Brody turned and saw Jenna and made a beeline for her. “Here comes Brody Green. He’s the broker at Beach Dreams Realty,” Tyrella said. “Don’t be surprised if he hits on you.”
“He already has.”
Tyrella shook her head and chuckled. “Leave it to Brody to zero in on the new single woman in town.”
“Pretty single woman,” Brody corrected, coming up in time to hear her.
“Don’t you go breakin’ this sweet young thing’s heart,” Tyrella scolded him.
Brody put a hand to his chest. “Tyrella, you wound me deeply.”
Tyrella rolled her eyes. “Since you’ve already met Jenna, you just move on out of the way and let me introduce her to everyone else.”
“Only if you promise to let me sit with you two,” he said, and smiled at Jenna. The man had quite a smile.
“Come on. Before this boy sucks you in like an undertow,” Tyrella said, taking Jenna’s arm and leading her away.
She first introduced Jenna to one of the men she’d been talking to earlier. His name was Ellis West and he looked to be somewhere in his fifties and was a husky man with a jaw the size of a boulder. Jenna caught a whiff of cigar.
“You need to know this man,” Tyrella told her. “He owns the Seafood Shack.”
“My daughter and I were just in your place Sunday,” Jenna told him.
“I thought I recognized you. Welcome to Moonlight Harbor,” he said, and held out a large paw.
Jenna made the mistake of putting her hand in it. Ellis West had a crushing handshake.
“Glad you’re here. Now Edie will have help and the old Driftwood will get spruced up like it oughta be.”
And that would mean more business for him.
“Let me know if you need help with anything.”
Money help? Would Ellis West be willing to make her a personal loan?
“I swing a mean paintbrush,” he said.
So maybe not money, but a kind offer all the same. “Thanks. I appreciate that.”
Next Tyrella introduced Jenna to Sherwood Stern, president of Harbor First National Bank. He gave Jenna a quick smile and even quicker welcome and then excused himself to go talk to someone else. That didn’t bode well for hitting up good old Sherwood for more money.
Cindy Redmond was next on Tyrella’s list of people to introduce Jenna to. She was thin in the hips and legs but full in the bust and she had a round, pink face and red hair. Looking at her, Jenna couldn’t help but think of a Tootsie Roll pop. She owned Cindy’s Candies along with her husband, Bruce, who was minding the shop.
“We take turns coming to the meetings. Can’t leave the candy unguarded,” she joked.
There were so many people to meet. Jenna managed to shake hands with about half of them, including Austin Banks, who invited her to come join her gang of line dancers on Sunday nights.
“Good fun,” she drawled. “Get out there and shake your booty to the only music worth listening to. It’s a great way to shed your troubles.”
Did she know Jenna had troubles?
She had eyes. She’d seen the Driftwood Inn.
Whit Gruber said hello to her, and Alex and Natalie Bell, who owned Beachside Burgers and Doggy’s Hot Dogs, invited her to stop by and have a hot dog on the house. Rita Rutledge, close to Jenna’s age and thin enough to blow away in a strong wind, owned Beans and Books, the combination coffee shop and bookstore, and offered to give her a free latte.
“Everyone’s so generous,” she said to Tyrella.
“Good people here,” Tyrella said.
It sure looked that way.
The preluncheon chitchat ended promptly at noon when Brody, who was the president of the chamber, herded everyone to their seats, making sure he got one next to Jenna.
“What do you think so far of our business community?” he asked her.
“They all seem really nice.”
“That’s because they are. And they believe in this town, want to really put it on the map. You know, way back in the sixties, when developers first started building down here, they thought it was going to turn out like Vegas or some California beach town.”
“They didn’t reckon with the weather,” Tyrella put in. “Don’t get me wrong. In July, when the sun is out, it’s heaven. And in August a lot of people come down here from the city to cool off. Fall can be nice, too, but winter is rainy and windy and sometimes stays that way clear into June. Not exactly what people want when they come to the beach.”
“Still, we’re working at making the place more attractive to year-round visitors,” Brody put in. “We’ve got the razor clam festival in March and people come down in droves to dig clams. A lot of people come down for Labor Day weekend, too. Then we’ve got the Sand and Surf Festival end of June. And people always come here for the Fourth. The best fireworks show in all of Washington takes place right here on our beach. And, thanks to all the people who bring their fireworks, the city doesn’t have to pay for it. Well, other than overtime for our firemen. We can’t have the dune grasses catching fire.”
“Those are summer draws,” Tyrella reminded him. “We need to find a way to bring people here year-round.”
“You don’t have a convention center here, do you?” Jenna said thoughtfully. “With something like that you could put on events all year long.”
Brody rubbed his fingers together. “Money.”
“Well, if you had plans for one and presented it to voters...”
“They’d vote it down,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of retirees down here living on limited incomes.”
“Yes, but you also have a lot of business owners and working families. Something like that would really help the local economy.”
“Or break the city,” Brody said.
Their servers had arrived by then with salads and fish and chips and that ended all talk of a possible convention center. Probably a dumb idea, anyway, Jenna thought. What did she know about stuff like that? She didn’t even know how to rehab a motel.
Still, if the movers and shakers here at the beach wanted to give their town a popularity boost, it seemed like they’d have to do something. She’d noticed a large chunk of vacant property on the north end of town when she was driving around with Sabrina. Not a bad location for a convention center.
Never mind that, she told herself. You’ve got your hands full with the Driftwood.
And her daughter, who was probably going stir-crazy by now. Jenna vowed to play a game with her as soon as she’d priced carpet. Life was so much easier when Sabrina was smiling.
Speaking of smiling—or not—who was that woman on the other side of the table with the taupe hair and dark roots and cat-eye eyeliner? She was young, thin and hot. And she looked like she’d rather skewer Jenna than get to know her.
Tyrella followed Jenna’s gaze. “That’s Rian LaShell. She owns Sandy Claws—pet toys and supplies.” Tyrella lowered her voice. “I think she and Brody might have had a thing once. And based on the looks she’s giving you, she probably sees you as competition.”
“Probably every single woman in town is competition,” Jenna murmured, making Tyrella chuckle.
“He does appreciate women. Especially good-looking ones,” Tyrella added, giving Jenna a nudge.
Yeah, that was what she needed, another potential cheater. Not.
Once lunch was half-eaten, Brody called their meeting to order. “For those of you who haven’t met our guest today, this is Jenna Jones, Edie Patterson’s niece. She’s going to be managing the Driftwood Inn.”
“About time somebody did something with that dump,” muttered a thin, middle-aged woman in slacks and a pink blouse.
Her hair was as thin as the rest of her and she had frown lines carved into the sides of her mouth. Who the heck was she? Who cared? She wouldn’t be anyone Jenna wanted to hang out with, obviously.
Brody cleared his throat and moved on. “Can our secretary read the minutes from our last meeting?”
Cindy Redmond had her iPad ready and began to read. As she did, Tyrella leaned over and whispered, “Don’t pay any attention to Susan Frank. She’s a pill.”
“What business does she own?” Jenna whispered back.
“Beach Babes.”
No wonder she was cranky. That store was an embarrassment to clothing stores.
Cindy finished reading the minutes from the last meeting and the treasurer, Ellis West, gave his report.
Brody thanked him and then, after old business had been covered, it was time to discuss the upcoming event, the Sand and Surf Festival, which took place at the end of the month.
“We’ve got all our vendors in place,” reported a stylishly dressed older woman named Wilma Spike, who owned the consignment store.
“But we’ll need to get a handle on the garbage thing,” put in the frowning Susan. “All those out-of-towners are going to spread litter everywhere.”
“I think we’ll need to do what we do on the Fourth of July and get volunteers to go along the beach and pass out garbage bags,” said Nora Singleton, who’d slipped in late.
Susan shook her head in disgust. “People are so inconsiderate. How would they like it if we went up to their towns and littered everywhere?”
This was obviously a rhetorical question, and discussion continued, with members reporting in on everything from reserved porta-potties to who would be judging the sand castle contest.
“It sounds like fun,” Jenna said to Tyrella.
“It is. Your daughter will love it.”
“I hope so.” At least that was something Sabrina could look forward to.
The meeting broke up and, after a little more chitchat, the members began to scatter, heading back to their various businesses.
“Don’t forget to come in for your free latte,” Rita said to Jenna.
“That’s how she gets you hooked,” Nora teased. “I’m glad you came today,” she told Jenna. “Don’t know why I didn’t think to invite you myself. Good for you for thinking to,” she said to Tyrella.
“We can always use fresh blood,” Tyrella said.
“Yes, we can. I hope you’re going to join.”
Nora was looking expectantly at Jenna. “Well,” she hedged.
“I know. You’re still finding your feet,” Nora said.
“We’ll give you one more meeting,” Tyrella told her, and grinned. “Then we’ll reel you in. It’s only forty dollars to join.”
Jenna needed to hang on to every dollar she had. She nodded politely.
“I’ll pay your membership for this year,” Nora said to her.
She may have been poor, but she wasn’t a mooch. “No, no. I’ll pay.”
“You can pay next year, after the motel’s up and running.”
Jenna hoped they could stay afloat until the next year. She thanked Nora, said goodbye to Tyrella, skirted around crabby Susan and then left to go see what kind of bargain she could find on carpet.
Ben Samuels, the head carpet guy, was a good-looking middle-aged man with the kind of muscles that could probably lift a roll of carpet as easily as if it were a roll of paper. He had a friendly smile when Jenna introduced herself, which she hoped was a symptom of a big heart.
“Actually, I got a call from Brody. I’ve been expecting you to drop by. Got some remnants I think might work for you.”
“Great,” she said, and followed him past several aisles of carpet rolls and vinyl and laminate samples.
“I don’t think I’ve got enough of the same for all of your rooms, though,” he added, and her heart sank. “But,” he continued, “I do have an idea.”
“I’m open to ideas.”
He took her over to an area where the size of the carpet rolls were considerably smaller, unwinding one in brown. “Can’t go wrong with Stainmaster,” he said. “And brown won’t show the dirt.” Then he turned to another hunk of carpet. This one was blue. Dark blue. Very, very blue. “This one’s not bad, either,” he said.
It sounded to Jenna as if he was trying to convince himself as much as her.
And then there was... “Yikes.” Not the most diplomatic reaction, but it just slipped out of her. “Sorry. I didn’t even know they made orange carpet anymore.”
“Yeah, I know,” said Ben. “And we’ve got some black.”
Black and blue, brown and—ugh!—orange.
“So, here’s my thought. You could do the rooms in different colors, and have different themes. Some could be your Sunrise rooms.”
Jenna had to smile. “Don’t tell me, let me guess. That would be the orange carpet.”
He smiled back and shrugged. “You’ve got the Sandy Shores rooms with your brown, the Seaside rooms with the blue.”
“And the black?”
Ben grunted and rubbed his chin. “Maybe we got enough of the other colors that you won’t need it.”
“Otherwise, the rooms with that will have to be the Stormy Sky rooms,” she joked. But it was a good idea. “I could decorate to match the carpets. Maybe a framed picture of a sunrise in the Sunrise rooms, hang some starfish in the Sandy Shores rooms.”
“You get a lot of good home decor at garage sales down there—people are always selling off lamps filled with shells and clocks shaped like boats.”
“It’s a great idea,” she said with a smile. Then her smile faded a little. “But how much?”
“Come on, let’s go back to the counter and do some calculating,” he said.
Once he’d finished, she found herself wishing he had a different calculator. She could barely afford paint. How was she going to pay for this carpet?
He must have seen her chewing her lip because he said, “Why don’t we set you up with a payment plan? Give me a couple hundred down to seal the deal.”
“Oh, God bless you. That would be great.”
“Hey, I’m happy to help. We get a lot of business from all of you down there and I want to see you all succeed. We can cut labor costs if you take up the old carpet yourself and haul it away.”
Twenty rooms worth of old carpet. By the time she was done she’d be as buff as Ben. She nodded. “I can do that.” She could do anything if it meant saving money.
She left the carpet store armed with determination and excited by the challenge. Making each room unique would be fun. And a great way to express her creativity. Sabrina would probably enjoy helping her with that, and it would give her something to do.
Her carpet and decor plan met with her aunt’s approval when she shared it at dinner that evening. “What a cute idea!”
Even Sabrina looked pleased when Jenna offered the use of her old digital camera and suggested she take some pictures for them to use. She wasn’t smiling when Jenna got down to the how-tos of room transformation, though, looking at her mother as if she was nuts as Jenna went on to talk about moving out the furniture and pulling up carpet.
“Gross,” she said in disgust.
Pete, who, as usual, had joined them for dinner and was enjoying Aunt Edie’s shrimp casserole, wasn’t any happier. “I’ve got a bad back, you know.”
“I’ve got a bad back,” Jolly Roger repeated from his kitchen perch. “Give me whiskey, give me whiskey.”
“Don’t worry,” Jenna said to Pete. “I’ve got plenty of Advil.”
Both Pete and Sabrina pouted.
“Come on, guys, how about some team spirit? We can do this. And think how much fun we’ll have decorating and how cute the rooms will all look when we’re done.”
“I’ll be dead by the time you’re done,” Pete muttered.
“It has to be done,” Jenna said firmly, making herself ever so popular with her fellow diners.
“Who’s for ice cream?” asked Aunt Edie, a determined smile on her face.
Poor Aunt Edie. She probably felt guilty.
Sure enough, later that night, after Pete had wandered off and Sabrina had gone to the beach to take pictures, she came to Jenna’s room where Jenna was reading Muriel Sterling’s book and half wishing she could smack the ever-positive author with it.
“I shouldn’t have done this to you,” Aunt Edie said, joining the dolls on the window seat.
She looked tired and sad, and frail and ready to crumble. Aunt Edie had always been so full of life, so...timeless. When had time caught up with her?
“You didn’t do this to me, you did it for me.”
“I really did want to help you. But truth be told, I did what I did as much for myself as you. I know the Driftwood Inn is no Hilton, but the memories it holds are priceless. And even though it’s getting old, just like me, I know the place still has some life left in it. I can’t let it go, Jenna. I want it to stay in our family. I want the place to have a future. A good one, with you.”
“It will,” Jenna assured her. It was what Muriel Sterling would have said.
“Well, I’m going to help you tomorrow.”
Jenna had a vision of Aunt Edie keeling over with a heart attack after her first tug on the carpet. “The best way you can help is by keeping us supplied with food.”
Aunt Edie gave her a knowing look. “You’re just trying to get me out of the way. But I can still strip a bed.”
“I’d rather have you bake me cookies.”
“I’ll do both,” said her aunt, suddenly energized. She hopped up from the window seat and came over and gave Jenna a hug and a kiss. “Bless you, dear child.”
Jenna hugged her back, told her she loved her, and when Aunt Edie left she’d gained a smile and shed ten years.
“You’d better know what you’re talking about,” she informed the absent Muriel Sterling. “This new beginning needs to work out.”
* * *
The next morning Jenna rented a truck and mobilized the troops. Fortified with omelets and cinnamon rolls, they stripped the bed in the first room and began to move out the furniture. They’d barely gotten the box spring mattress out when Pete announced that he’d pulled something.
Jenna took a small bottle of ibuprofen from the back pocket of her skinny jeans and handed it over. “Here you go. Eat up.”
He glared at her, shook out two pills and downed them with a swig from his water bottle.
“Think how fit you’ll be by the time we’re done,” she told him.
“You’re trying to kill me,” he said, in no mood to consider his future fitness.
She smiled and walked back into the bedroom, passing her daughter, who was coming out with a lamp, on her way to the office where they were going to stack and store everything until the new carpet could be laid. When they ran out of space there they’d have to use Aunt Edie’s garage.
Ellis West left the grill at the Seafood Shack and, along with one of his workers, lent a hand. But even with extra help, moving furniture took all morning.
After lunch (goodies from the Seafood Shack—thank you, Ellis!) Jenna gave Pete and his bad back the afternoon off. She sent Sabrina to the Laundromat with Aunt Edie to wash bedclothes while she started tackling pulling up carpet.
She tugged and grunted, turning the air as blue as some of the carpet remnant she’d bought. She’d just tugged hard enough to send her flying onto her backside and let loose with a word that would have inspired her mom to wash out her mouth with soap when a male voice from the doorway asked, “Having fun?”
She turned to see Brody Green leaning against the doorjamb. She was a sweaty mess with her makeup long gone. He looked like he’d just stepped out of the pages of GQ.
“Yeah, tons of fun. Want to join me?”
“I’d love to.”
“Liar.”
“I’m on my way to meet a client. Thought I’d stop by to see how you’re doing.”
“Good. We’ve got paint and we’ve got carpet.”
“You need a roof,” he said.
“I know. But right now all I can afford is paint and carpet. Anyway, it’s summer.”
“And you know what comes after summer.”
She frowned. “Thanks for the reminder. Say, you wouldn’t like to invest in a nice motel with lots of potential, would you?”
He made a face and shook his head. “Sell the dump, Jenna. The value’s in the land.”
“Money isn’t the only value we’re talking about here,” she said. “We’re going to make a go of this place. You’ll see.”
“I hope you prove me wrong. I really do. But you’ve got a big job ahead of you.”
“Tell me about it.” She went back to uprooting dead carpet. “Would love to chat, but I’ve got work to do.”
“And I’ve got money to make. Try not to kill yourself,” he said cheerfully. “And when you’re ready, Top Dog Roofing is your best bet,” he added, and left.
He probably got a kickback for recommending them, Jenna thought cynically.
Her cynicism left her when, an hour and a half later, Brody returned, this time wearing jeans and a black T-shirt with a pirate flag on it.
“What are you doing back here?”
“Saving you from getting blisters.”
She held up her palm. “Too late.”
He shook his head and got to work.
“I didn’t really mean what I said about you helping,” she told him, feeling suddenly guilty. She barely knew the guy. He didn’t owe her anything.
“I know,” he said. “But I can spare a couple hours. This looked like more fun than going to the gym.”
“Oh, it is,” she said, straight-faced.
“And the company’s prettier.”
Brody Green was a flatterer. But he was also a nice guy.
“Besides,” he added, “your aunt and I are buds.”
“So even though you think she should sell, here you are helping me renovate?”
“If you’re determined to bungee jump over the cliff, someone ought to make sure your cord’s in good working condition. Anyway, I figure this will score me some points with Edie’s pretty niece.”
“Ah, now we come to the true motive,” Jenna teased.
“Seems like it might be worth dinner out on Saturday.”
“Maybe,” she said. “Unless Aunt Edie offers me a hot card game.”
He chuckled and gave the carpet a yank.
They were just carrying it out of the room when a well-worn truck pulled into the parking lot. “Did you hire help?” Brody asked.
“No. That must be our one paying guest,” Jenna said with a grunt as they heaved the carpet into the U-Haul.
“You actually got someone willing to stay here?” Brody sounded incredulous.
“He’s moving into town and needs a place to stay while he starts his new business.”
“Yeah?” Brody gave the truck an assessing stare. “What kind of business?”
“I don’t know.”
“Probably handyman or lawn care,” he said, sounding slightly snobbish. “I might be able to throw some business his way.”
He looked a little less inclined to be helpful once the stranger got out of his truck. He wasn’t quite as tall as Brody, but he had twice the muscles. In fact, he looked like he had muscles growing on his muscles. He had dark hair and brown eyes and swarthy skin and he made Jenna think of pirates. Gorgeous, sexy. He walked with a swagger. Dangerous?
Why, oh, why did he have to show up when she was all sweaty? She pushed a lock of hair out of her face and called a cheerful hello.
He nodded and said nothing until he was standing in front of her. “I’m Seth Waters. Are you the woman I talked to the other day?”
The dumpy-looking woman. “I am. You got here earlier than I expected.” And you’re so gorgeous. Was there drool on her chin?
An eyebrow shot up and he checked his phone. “It’s four. I thought check-in’s at three.”
“It’s four? Already?” Jenna was suddenly aware of Brody standing next to her. His friendly air had evaporated. “I lost track of time. As you can see, we’ve been busy with our renovations.”
The newcomer took it in and nodded. Didn’t say anything else.
“This is Brody Green,” Jenna said. “He’s a real estate broker. He might be able to help you when you’re ready to find a place to live.”
“I don’t deal in rentals,” Brody said rudely, and it was all Jenna could do not to kick him.
“That’s okay. I’m not in a hurry,” said Seth Waters, pirate.
“Jenna says you’re here to start a new business.”
Now it sounded like she’d been gossiping about him. “I did happen to mention we had a guest arriving.” Where was a fire extinguisher when you needed one? Her whole face was burning. Looking at Seth Waters the rest of her was heating up pretty quickly, too.
“I treat houses. Mold removal.”
“There’s sure a need for that here on the water. Everyone battles it,” Jenna said. Brody didn’t say anything encouraging, and she felt the need to put out the welcome mat. “You probably won’t have trouble finding customers—seniors, house flippers, Realtors.”
“We could probably use you,” Brody deigned to admit.
Seth Waters nodded in Brody’s direction. Then he smiled at Jenna. Call the fire department!
She cleared her throat. “Well, let’s get you checked in.”
“I’ve got to be going, anyway,” Brody said. “See you later,” he said to Jenna, as if they were an item. Were they?
No, no, no. It was too early to be an item. And besides, she didn’t want to be an item with anybody—not Brody Green or pirate Seth Waters.
Brody drove off and she led Seth to the office. Halfway there she realized they’d have to make their way through a mattress canyon. “Sorry,” she muttered as they clambered over furniture. “Like I said on the phone...”
“Renovations. I get it.”
She had to climb over two dressers to get to the cash register, giving him a view of her dusty bottom. She managed to lose her balance and fall behind the desk rather than land gracefully as originally intended, hitting the floor with an “Oomph.” She righted herself and pushed her hair out of her face and apologized again.
He was smiling now, mocking her.
She frowned. “Credit card?”
“I prefer to pay cash.”
Cash? Cash, cash, cash! She forced herself not to jump up and down and pump air. “All right. Cash. In that case, I’ll need you to pay in advance.”
“No problem. How about I pay for the first week?”
Seed money! “That will be fine.” She took his money, wrote out a receipt and handed over a room key. No key cards for the Driftwood Inn. Her aunt preferred to do things the old-fashioned way. She also probably preferred to not have to spend the money updating their security system. “You’re in room number two.”
Pete had the first room on the far end, and had complained mightily about having to make do with an army cot instead of a bed.
Bed. Furniture. Oh, no! Jenna’s right eye began to twitch and her face was on fire again. “There’s just one little problem.”
“Let me guess. You moved the furniture out of it.”
Blink, blink. “I’m afraid so. And the carpet.” Blink, blink, blink. “We have new carpet coming in just a few days.” New carpet. There. Wasn’t that worth sticking around for and sleeping on the bare floor. “I’ll give you a discount.”
“How about a free night?” he countered.
She frowned.
“You don’t have a bed in the room,” he pointed out.
“Fine,” she said grudgingly. “One night free.”
“How about every night I don’t have a bed free?”
When was that carpet coming? She hesitated.
“I was kind of looking forward to having a bed.”
There was that mocking smile again. If he hadn’t been a paying customer she’d have slapped him.
No, no, no. No slapping. No violence.
No income if he went somewhere else. Someplace with a bed.
“Okay, deal,” she said. “And I am sorry we’re not more prepared for you.”
“No worries,” he said. “I don’t need a lot.”
She had to smile in spite of her irritation. “But I guess a bed would be nice.”
“It would,” he agreed, and this time his smile was genuine.
“I’m sorry the room’s not in great condition yet.” What were they thinking, anyway? Letting someone stay in the place when it was such a disaster area.
“It’s okay. I’ve been in worse.”
Jenna wondered what that meant. Had he been in some special forces unit in a Middle Eastern desert?
He didn’t elaborate and she didn’t ask. Instead, she said, “Thanks for being so understanding. The place really is going to be nice when we get done with it.”
“I believe you.” He put out a hand. “Would you like help getting back out?”
Oh, yeah. That. “I can manage,” she said with as much dignity as she could muster.
“Okay.” He turned and started to make his way back through the mattress canyon.
“Do you need me to find a cot or something for you?” she offered.
“No. I’ve got a sleeping bag. I’ll be fine on the floor.”
He’d be fine anywhere.
Oh, no, Jenna scolded herself. Don’t go there. Don’t even think about it. You are so through with men.
Hmm. Maybe she was just through with artists.