Chapter Eight
To Do:
Pull up more carpet
Buy a case of pain reliever cream
“We’re half done,” Jenna announced at breakfast, forcing energy and good cheer into her voice. It wasn’t easy since she felt like she’d been run over by an entire convoy of trucks. Carrying cows. And lumber. Bricks. Manure. And today she got to do it all over again.
But after today the old carpet would, hopefully, be gone, and they’d be ready to start transforming the rooms.
“I don’t know if I can help,” said Pete. “My back’s in pretty bad shape.”
He’d looked fine when he walked in to scrounge coffee and French toast. “Come on, Pete. You can do it. Don’t poop out on me now.”
He frowned. “I can probably manage for a while. But don’t expect me to work as long as I did yesterday.”
Yeah, it would be awful if you had to put in two four-hour days in a row.
“What about your kid?” he asked as Aunt Edie poured him more coffee. “Is she helping?”
“Yes. Once she gets up she and Aunt Edie will be back at the Laundromat, washing the last of the linens.”
“You should have her help us. She’s still got a good back.”
“And I want to keep it that way. Besides, she’s only fourteen.”
“When I was fourteen I was pitching hay on my uncle’s farm,” Pete said.
Good for him. “Which is why you’re so strong now,” Jenna said in response. She downed the last of her coffee and stood. “Okay, let’s go.”
“I was going to have another piece of toast,” he protested.
“You can have an extra sandwich at lunch,” Jenna told him. And boy, was she going to make sure he earned it.
She left Aunt Edie with instructions to haul Sabrina and the rest of the laundry to the Laundromat as soon as her daughter had eaten, and then dragged Pete out the door, with him grumbling all the way.
She caught sight of their new guest as they walked to their first room of the day. Seth Waters had obviously been out running. He was wearing some baggy shorts and a faded T-shirt dotted with sweat. He sure filled out a T-shirt nicely. She gave him a casual wave and he waved back and kept on going to his room.
“That’s who’s staying here, huh?” said Pete. “Reminds me of myself when I was young. I was pretty buff back then.”
“I can imagine,” Jenna lied. Then, to inspire him, stretched the lie a little further. “You’re still pretty buff.”
He looked at her suspiciously. “Not really.”
But he did make it through the morning before he claimed to be on the verge of collapse.
“You should probably rest,” Aunt Edie told him as he inhaled a grilled cheese sandwich and half the bowl of fruit salad she’d made. How was her aunt managing to afford feeding this two-legged locust?
“Yeah, I’m pretty beat,” he said. “Your niece is killing me.”
“I’m not asking you to do anything I wouldn’t do myself,” Jenna said.
“You should take it easy, too, dear,” said her aunt, looking at her in concern.
“I’m fine. Anyway, we need to get this done. I don’t want to have to pay another day on the rental truck. Did you and Sabrina finish the laundry?”
“Oh, yes. It’s all clean and ready to go.”
“Where’s Sabrina?” She loved grilled cheese sandwiches. She should have been there at the table, chowing down.
“She already ate,” said Aunt Edie.
“So she’s up in her room?”
“No, she went outside.”
“To the beach?”
“I think so.”
She had to be at the beach. She knew to let her mother know where she was going, so surely she would have reported in if she was planning to ride her bike somewhere. She’s fine, Jenna told herself. She was probably taking more pictures to turn into art for the rooms.
And speaking of rooms... “I’d better get back to the motel.”
“Oh, dear, I do worry about you,” Aunt Edie said, looking at her in concern.
“I’ll be fine.”
“She’s young and tough,” put in Pete, not moving from the table.
Jenna shook her head and left. At least he’d put in a morning’s worth of work. In fact, he’d probably done more work in the last two days than he’d done in the last two years. Sheesh.
She could hardly blame Pete for not wanting to do any more. She didn’t want to, either. But there was no one else. She sure couldn’t ask Aunt Edie.
She was crossing the parking lot to room eleven when Seth Waters drove in. He pulled a minicooler out of his truck and started for his room. “How’s it going?” she called.
“Good,” he called back, and kept going to his room, toting his cooler. Poor guy, he didn’t even have a minifridge in the room.
Of course, he wouldn’t have had one even if the rooms were refurbished. Jenna wasn’t sure Aunt Edie even knew what a minifridge was. They’d have to add those in the future. People liked having a place to store their restaurant leftovers.
Room eleven smelled especially musty, and it was one of the ones with the worst water damage on the wall. It was a painful reminder of the looming large expense. Jenna found herself standing in the middle of the room, looking around, wishing everything was already done. What she’d give to be able to take a beach towel and spend an afternoon simply lying on the sand with a good book. Not Muriel Sterling’s.
“A big job,” said a deep voice, making her jump.
She turned to see Seth Waters standing in back of her. He’d exchanged the slacks and shirt he’d been in a moment ago for jeans and that same old T-shirt. He smelled like soap.
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you,” he said.
Nothing scares me as much as looking at this mess. “That’s okay. I just wasn’t expecting anyone.”
“No help today?”
“He has a bad back.” And a lazy butt.
“He looked pretty fit to me,” said Seth.
“Oh, you’re talking about Brody. He just stopped in for a while. We do have a handyman—Pete. You may have seen him around.”
“Old dude, not into shaving?”
“Not into working, either,” Jenna muttered.
Seth nodded, taking that in. “A broomer.”
“Broomer?”
“You know, a guy who stands around leaning on his broom while everybody else is working.”
“That would be Pete.”
“So, want help?”
“From you?” Well, duh. Who did she think he was talking about? “You’re a guest.”
“Guests help out, that’s what my mom always said.”
“Not paying ones.”
He pointed in the direction of the other rooms. “You still got a lot of carpet left to pull.”
Jenna’s shoulders slumped. “Thanks for the reminder.”
“How about this? I’ll help you with your remodeling in exchange for a free room.”
She already had one handyman getting a free room. Except he wasn’t very handy and she wasn’t getting much work out of him.
“I have to work on my own business but I’m going to have some free time while I’m getting it off the ground. How about I give you my afternoons in exchange for the room for the rest of the summer?”
Jenna still had carpet to pull up and a motel to paint, inside and out. She did some quick calculations, weighing the pittance they’d get from the room rental against the cost of labor.
Before she could answer, he sweetened the pot. “You can keep the money I already paid up front.”
All this in exchange for a room that didn’t have carpet and was missing its furniture. “Deal,” she said.
He nodded and pulled some work gloves from his back pocket. “Okay, let’s get started.”
And so they did. Seth worked hard and fast and it gave Jenna hope that they’d be done by the end of the day and she could haul her carpet to the dump and return the rental. He didn’t seem to be much of a talker, though, other than to observe that she had taken on a pretty big project.
“Bigger than I thought it would be,” she confessed. “I’m new to this sort of thing.” And don’t have a clue what I’m doing.
“They say the best way to learn is by doing. I bet you always wanted to learn how to tear up carpet.”
“Oh, yeah.”
And then that was it. Okay, fine. Jenna could live with that.
For about fifteen minutes. Then her curiosity got the better of her. Hey, they were going to be working together a lot. Couldn’t hurt to find out a little about each other. Right? And didn’t most people chitchat a little when they were working side by side?
“Where’s home for you?” she asked as they tugged carpet across a floor.
“Here.”
“No, I mean before here.”
“I’ve been around.”
“So, no family around here?”
“Got a brother in Tacoma.”
“Maybe he’ll want to come visit you while you’re down here.”
“Maybe.”
And that was the end of that conversation. Okay, so not all men were big talkers. She got that. But this was like working with the Sphinx.
She tried again when they moved to the next room. “So, what did you do before you decided to start your business?” she asked as she knelt next to him. He smelled like sweat and aftershave. Eau de man.
“This and that,” he answered. Seeing her looking expectantly at him, he added, “I used to be in construction.”
“I’m not surprised to hear that. I can’t picture you behind a desk.”
“If I’m going to be sitting around I’d rather be reading a book or watching a game on TV than staring at a computer.”
“Why’d you quit construction?”
He frowned. “Do you always ask your renters so many questions?”
She blinked and her face flamed. “No. I’m just making conversation.”
“Well, how about we make conversation about something else?” he said shortly.
“Sorry,” she muttered, and gave her section of carpet a tug.
He softened his voice. “Let’s talk about you instead. I suspect you’re a lot more interesting than me.”
“Not really.”
“Let’s find out. Where’s home for you?”
“Lynwood.”
“How’d you end up here?”
“My aunt asked me to come. She needed help running the place.”
“So, what’s a pretty woman like you doing alone?”
“Do you always ask your landlord so many questions?”
That got half a smile from him. “Just making conversation.”
“I’m divorced, that’s what I’m doing alone.” Just a little bitterness bleeding into the voice.
“Don’t tell me, let me guess. Your ex is a shit.”
“As a matter of fact, yes. How’d you know?”
“Because every woman’s ex is a shit.”
“Well, that’s a little biased. Are you someone’s shit?”
“Nope,” he said, and yanked up a corner of carpet.
“Then why are you so cynical?”
“I’m not cynical. I’m an observer of life.”
The carpet-pulling philosopher. “Well, for your information, I’m not just some unreasonably bitter ex-wife. To show his gratitude for me supporting him all those years, Damien cheated on me. And I’m paying for the privilege of being rid of him. Literally. Tar and feathers would be too good for him.”
“Whoa, a little anger there.”
“Wouldn’t you be pissed?”
“Yeah, I would.”
“I swear, if I was a braver woman I’d...”
“What? Shoot him? Shoot her?”
“Maybe.”
“No, you wouldn’t. That sort of thing always backfires. Anyway, living well is the best revenge.”
Hadn’t she told herself that at one point? “I guess,” she said. “Still, it makes me mad.”
“Obviously, since you just spilled your guts to a stranger.”
Jenna sat back on her heels and sighed. “I did, didn’t I? I’m a mess.”
“It’s okay,” he said, walking the musty carpet back on itself. “I’m a good listener.”
“You are. But that’s enough of my ugly past. Let’s talk about something else.”
“Okay, how about your future?”
“That will be fabulous,” she said as much to herself as him. “We’re going to get this place fixed up and business will be booming. My aunt will be thrilled and my daughter and I will live happily-ever-after.”
“Sounds like a plan,” he said. “And what about what’s-his-name?”
“Pete?” Jenna rolled her eyes.
“No, the tall dude who was with you yesterday. Where does he fit in the picture?”
Who knew? Jenna shrugged. She was through with men, after all. Why didn’t she come right out and say that to Seth Waters?
“Still gun-shy, huh?”
“There’s an understatement.”
“Eventually, you got to get out there and start living.”
“I’m living just fine now.”
He looked over his shoulder at her with a mocking smile. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” she said with an insistent nod.
“Most people don’t do well in solitary.”
“I’m hardly solitary,” she informed him. “I’ve got my family in Lynwood and down here. I’ve got friends.”
“No friends with benefits.”
“Yeah, well, sex is overrated.” Had she just said that out loud?
He snickered. “Yep, still bitter. You’ll get past it.”
She was trying to think of a reply to that when Brody knocked on the doorframe. “Just stopping by to see how you’re doing,” he said with a smile for Jenna. And a frown for Seth.
“I’m doing great,” she said, standing and pushing back her hair. “I got help.”
“I can see that.” And he didn’t look all that happy about it. “Where’s Pete?”
“He gave himself the afternoon off.”
“There’s a surprise,” Brody said. “Thought I’d see if you want to go to the Lighthouse for fish and chips later.”
For a moment, Seth hesitated in his carpet yanking, as if waiting to hear her answer, and she felt suddenly awkward. She commanded her eye not to twitch. “I think I’m going to be too pooped to do anything tonight.”
Brody took the refusal in stride. “Okay. See you Saturday, then.”
She nodded and he left.
“Looks like things are moving along with the house peddler.”
“We’re just friends,” Jenna said. Although the idea of becoming more with Brody was tempting. Rich, nice-looking, easygoing.
Popular with the ladies. Maybe not.
Conversation stalled out after Brody’s visit and Jenna and Seth worked on in silence for another couple of hours. At last they were done. Yes! Progress.
“I can hardly wait to see these rooms with new carpet,” she said.
“You’d better paint before you put in the carpet,” cautioned Seth.
Of course. That made sense. “Good point.” And if she’d known what she was doing she’d have thought of it herself.
“And looks like you’ve had some water damage. Have you had someone out to check your roof?”
There it was again, the pesky roof. “Not yet. But I will.”
“I wouldn’t put that off too long if I were you.”
“I don’t intend to. But I do need an infusion of cash for that.”
He nodded. “Well, maybe once you get the rooms done and the furniture back in you can start making some money.”
“I sure hope so.”
“I’d get some tarp on that roof though,” he added.
Blue tarp, what every well-dressed dump would be wearing for summer. Ugh.
She nodded. “Thanks for all your help today.”
“No problem,” he said. “See you tomorrow.”
Jenna watched as he sauntered off. The man was a walking work of art and she’d have liked nothing better than to run her hands over all those gorgeous muscles.
No, no. One didn’t touch works of art. And one didn’t get involved with men.
“You’re working too hard,” Aunt Edie fretted when she returned to the house to shower.
“Don’t worry,” Jenna told her. “I’ve brought in some muscle. I made a deal with our new resident. He’s going to help with our renovation part-time while he works on getting his business up and running.”
“Splendid,” Aunt Edie said with a smile. “Is he single?”
Jenna pointed a teasing finger at her. “Don’t be getting any ideas. Pete would be jealous.”
“Jenna Jones, you are a terrible tease,” Aunt Edie said, but she got the message and dropped the subject.
Hopefully she wouldn’t pick it up again anytime soon. She seemed anxious for Jenna to find a Prince Charming. But after Prince Poop Jenna was in no hurry.
“What’s Sabrina up to now?” she asked.
“I gave her some money to go get an ice cream,” Aunt Edie said. “I hope that was all right.”
“Of course it was. But she’s supposed to let me know where she’s going. How long ago was that?”
Aunt Edie looked suddenly guilty and concerned. “It was about two hours ago. She said she was bored so I suggested she ride her bike down to Nora’s place.”
She was going to be more than bored when Jenna found her. She was going to be dead. “It doesn’t take two hours to get ice cream.”
Fuming, Jenna marched to her car and drove down Harbor Boulevard. There was no bike parked in front of the ice cream parlor. She went to the cabana shops and looked around. No sign of Sabrina or her bike. No sign of her at the bakery or Beans and Books. Okay, she was fine. She was...somewhere. But where? The more Jenna searched with no positive results the more worried she became.
She was ready to call the police when she finally spotted the cute little body wearing shorts and a tank top racing down the road from Beachside Burgers, light red hair flying. Okay, she was probably on her way home.
But that didn’t get her off the hook for not letting her mother know where she was. Jenna pulled past her, checking in the rearview mirror as she passed. Sabrina had recognized the car, and the expression on her face told Jenna she knew she was in trouble. She doubled down and pedaled faster.
Jenna beat her back, pulled the car into the driveway and then leaned against the back of the car to wait.
Sabrina pulled in, opting for cheerful ignorance over contrition. “Hi, Mom,” she called as she rode up the driveway.
Jenna let her dismount and walk her bike up to the garage before laying into her. “Where have you been?”
“I just went to the ice cream parlor. Jeez, Mom.”
“All day? You’ve been gone all afternoon.”
“I went to the beach, too.”
“We have beach right here, in back of the motel, in case you didn’t notice.”
“I wanted to see a different beach. Okay?”
The snotty voice didn’t win her any points. “No. Not okay. I didn’t know where you were.”
“So what? You keep telling me what a great town this is and talking about all the time you spent on the beach.”
“It is a great town. And yes, I spent a lot of time on the beach. But I told my mom what beach I was on. I never went wandering off.”
“Well, I’m back now,” Sabrina informed her, and tried to flounce past.
“Not so fast.” Jenna caught her arm. “You can’t be making a habit of this.”
“Why not? I’m fourteen.”
The perfect age for some pervert to grab her and drive off to parts unknown. “You need to let me know where you are so I don’t worry,” Jenna insisted.
Sabrina rolled her eyes. “You don’t care, anyway.”
“Of course I care.”
The eye-rolling upgraded to a glare. “If you really cared we wouldn’t be here. I hate it here!”
Said the girl who’d spent the day at the ice cream parlor, the beach and probably the arcade.
Jenna was about to go into her give-it-a-chance routine, but Sabrina didn’t wait. “You’re the meanest mom in the world,” she cried, and stamped off to the house.
Jenna let her go and fell back against the car to collect herself. From across the parking lot she saw Seth Waters leaning against his truck, one foot crossed over the other, drinking a beer. Probably enjoying the show. She gave him a shrug and wandered over in his direction.
“Pretty fun being a parent, huh?” he greeted her.
“It’s taking my daughter a while to adjust.”
“I thought kids loved the beach,” he said. “There seems to be a lot to do here.”
“There is. But Sabrina wants someone to do things with. We left her best friend behind. And she misses her dad.”
“Ah, so at least he was a good dad,” Seth said, and took another swig from his bottle.
“No. But she misses him all the same.”
“I get that. Kids love their parents no matter what.”
“Do you have kids?”
“Nope.” Another swig. “Known some pretty big losers who did, though. The kids didn’t seem to care. Dad’s their dad no matter what.”
Jenna sighed. “And Mom gets to be the bad guy.”
“I guess somebody has to.” He nodded in the direction of the house. “She reminds me of my little sister at that age. Monica was always in a snit about something one minute, then happy the next. Is that a chick thing?”
“Hormones,” Jenna said.
He grinned. “Oh, yeah. Those. Well, you’ve got some fun years ahead of you.”
“Thanks for the warning,” she said with a frown, and left him.
So, Seth Waters had a sister. One more bit of information pulled out of him. No kids, though. No woman? He was too good-looking not to at least have a girlfriend. What was his story?
Whatever it was, she’d pry it out of him eventually. It wasn’t fair that he was learning so much about her and she still knew so little about him.
“You’re a blabbermouth,” she scolded herself.
But no wonder. With everything going on in her life she needed a shrink. Or at least a listening ear. Seth may not have been all that great at talking but he was good at listening.
She was sure Aunt Edie had dinner ready but she opted not to go in the house. Instead, she headed for the beach and some downtime. Being at the water’s edge was so calming, better than drugs. Not that she’d ever taken drugs, but still.
She walked along the sand and watched as the tide came in. Someone had left behind a sand castle, and the waves were slowly eating it. A couple of middle-aged women passed her with smiles and nods. Farther down the beach a pair of young marrieds strolled, holding hands, completely into each other. The view was wasted on them. Jenna frowned.
“Don’t be jealous,” she scolded herself. She had a new start and beautiful setting to do it in. She had a dinner date for Saturday and her daughter was safe. She found a log and sat, watching the sunlight dance on the water. A flock of sanderlings were playing tag with the surf, running up to the edge and then racing away when the tide came after them. A gull flew overhead. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, letting the early-evening sun settle on her shoulders. Her life wasn’t perfect, but at least she had a beautiful place to do her worrying.
After a while the temperature dropped and she ambled back to the house. She found her daughter seated at the kitchen table with her aunt, playing cards.
“Where were you?” Sabrina greeted her. “Aunt Edie was worried.”
“Oh no, I knew you were fine,” protested Aunt Edie.
“You should tell people where you’re going,” Sabrina taunted.
“I have hamburger casserole left in the oven,” said Aunt Edie, determined to stay neutral in a possible mother-daughter skirmish.
“It’s really good,” Sabrina added. She laid down her cards and cried, “Gin! I got you, Aunt Edie.”
“You surely did,” said Aunt Edie.
“Call the cops!” suggested Roger from his kitchen perch.
Jenna shook her head. There it was, a scene of domestic bliss. One would never guess that only a little while ago her daughter was having a hate affair with her new home. Yep, those moods were like the weather at the beach, highly changeable.
Maybe, if Jenna was lucky, that good mood would last for a while. Maybe they were in for some sunny weather. A mom could hope.