Page 133 of Banter & Blushes

“Caroline, what does your town offer? Other than a single diner, maybe a hotel with a drippy ceiling, and an old man announcing every piece of gossip two old biddies can come up with, set to music.”

“Character, Faye. Bluebell Bay has character. The hotel was torn down. Max has put up beach cottages. This is a two-day kick off summer gala. We want to invite people to come see what we are all about.”

“It’s small potatoes, Caro.”

She pulled the pencil out of her mouth, wishing it was chocolate instead, as she listened to her college roommate on the other end.

“You’re really going to tell me, a two-day affair at the beach is small potatoes, Faye? Who else’s potato could it be?” Putting the pencil on the desk, she flipped out the notebook and started scribbling.

“You know the movie from the 70s? The one about the shark terrorizing the town during the summer. Got any large sea creatures swimming along the beach?”

“Yes, I’m aware of the shark movie. No, we don’t have any large sea creatures.” Dropping the pencil, she leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes. “We have a dog named Quint. Does that count?”

“Quinn?”

“Q-u-i-n-t. Not Quinn. Quint was the sea captain in the movie. Not to be confused with the song about an Eskimo.”

“That’s not who I was thinking of. I don’t recall the song. Do you remember who sang it?”

“Bob Dylan, but if a villainous anti-hero works for you, so be it.” Caroline pulled the phone away and counted to ten. Faye’s squawking could still be heard, even though the phone wasn’t on speaker. As soon as there was a pause, Caroline lifted the phone back to her ear. She hadn’t heard a word Faye had said. “What about Tucker?” Caroline suggested. “He lives for this type of stuff.”

“I just told you. He’s in North Carolina covering the giant squid story.”

“What do you mean, he’s covering the giant squid in North Carolina?”

“I tell you what, Caroline. You get a giant sea creature, or any creature inyour town, and I will send a reporter on down. No questions asked. In fact, I’ll send a whole team of reporters.”

Picking up the pencil, Caroline scribbled in her notebook again. “Come on, Faye.” She knew she was whining, but at this point she didn’t care. “Do you have anyone else? Anyone.” There was a long pause, and she wasn’t sure if Faye had hung up or was thinking. “Anyone at all. You’re killing me with this, Faye.”

She chewed on the inside of her cheek, listening, and finally let out a relieved breath when her friend started talking again.

“How long is it?”

“Two days. I promise.”

“Will you provide rooms? If I can find someone. You might need two. If I send a cub reporter, I’ll need to send an experienced videographer with her.”

“Yes, we will provide accommodations. It doesn’t matter if she’s a junior reporter. We are testing the event over Memorial Day and then repeat it over Labor Day.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Caro. I’ve not even cleared it with her yet.”

“All right. I appreciate you asking.”

“Give me a quick rundown of your itinerary.”

“Sure.” Pulling her binder close, Caroline’s finger skimmed over the colorful laminated tabs, pausing at the one labeled “Itinerary.”

With a flick of her wrist, she opened it, and her heart dropped as an icy wave of panic washed over her. The pages which were supposed to be filled with meticulously planned details and schedules were missing. All her colorful sticky notes and highlighted details were gone.

Gone!

Her mind raced as she stared at the empty section, the stark white paper mocking her with its absence of crucial information. Scanning the office with mounting anxiety, she struggled to keep her voice steady while wracking her brain to remember what lay behind the paper tab and where the elusive section might have vanished to.

She was torn between the certainty of once something was filed in the binder, it stayed there, and the unsettling possibility her papers had somehow been misplaced. The routine was always to make a copy and then return it immediately, but doubt gnawed at her, questioning if she had missed a crucial step.

“Caroline?”

“Uhm … sorry.” She blinked, pulling herself back into the conversation. “Day one is packed with interactive events. You know, things like a scavenger hunt through the dunes, building elaborate sandcastles, searching for unique shells, and snapping a picture with the town’s famous pelican statue.”

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