Page 29 of Bay of Plenty

“I’m telling you for your own sake, Rosemary. I want your business to go well.” She stood and smiled, but her mint-colored fingernails sloshed her smoothie in tighter circles. “Have to get back to the shop. See you guys in a sec.” Mum must have told her we were coming in.

Mr.Saunders was the most flustered of any of us, not sure whom to ally himself with. After a bit of dithering, he followed CeeCee out.

When they’d gone, Rosemary bit her finger. “Theyleft because of me. I suppose she’s right. I’m a big ole blabbermouth.”

Mum picked some lint from Rosemary’s jacket shoulder and smoothed it out. The small gesture made Rosemary’s eyes mist over. But then, CeeCee safely out of earshot, she turned defensive. “She’s been in a bad mood with me since I helped her mother sell the campground a year ago.”

Mum glanced desperately around the café, which was full. “Inside voices, maybe?”

“CeeCee didn’t want her mother to sell the campground?” I asked. “But why would she blame you for that?”

“Her mother asked me to be the broker, and I helped her sell it overnight. CeeCee was furious because she didn’t see a penny from the sale. That wasn’t up to me, but I’m pretty sure she’s still holding a grudge.”

“What made her mother sell so quickly?” I leaned closer.

“Scrumy died,” Rosemary whispered loudly. CeeCee’s dad. She checked the room theatrically, then leaned forward. “In prison. That night, CeeCee’s mother called me.”

“Scrumy died in prison?” I asked. “Second year of high school, I heard he went to prison, but I was never sure it was true.”God, imagine having your dad go to prison when you were only fourteen.You’d think CeeCee would have been harassed and teased about that, but I don’t recall anything ever being said to her. Maybe I hadn’t paid close attention. Maybe I was too wrapped up in my own misery to notice whether CeeCee was also being bullied. But now I wondered.

“What was it about Scrumy’s death that made CeeCee’s mother sell?” I asked.

“Not sure, because she’d been the sole owner for years.” Deep in thought, Rosemary teased out her purple hair with her fingers. “She’d paid him out ages before. I think CeeCeeand her mother had a big fight the day he died. I’d already heard that those developers were hunting around for coastal land, so I contacted them, and the sale went through almost immediately. Her mother took off to live at The Mount.”

At the mention of Mount Maunganui, known to locals as The Mount, Mum and Rosemary met each other’s gaze and muttered, “Scuzzy sellouts.” I knew from Mum’s phone calls through the years that this international port an hour away—where the wine and heroin set sail for London—was now a busy resort filled with high-rise apartments and drunk teens on jet skis.

“What was Scrumy in prison for?” I asked.

Mum smoothed her paper napkin so tight it ripped.

“Oh, he was in and out for years,” Rosemary said. “First, petty crimes, like taking too many crayfish. But eventually, he was done for stealing from people’s houses. He had a big drinking problem; then he went on to P.”

“Meth?” I said. “That serious?”

“All’s well that ends well.” Mum patted the tabletop to end the discussion because she didn’t like dwelling on the negative. “Rosemary got to remodel her ensuite with the commission.” As though that was the most interesting thing about the story.

I swallowed my impulse to contradict Mum. Clearly, all hadnotended well for CeeCee.

The mention of her ensuite prompted Rosemary to revisit her controversial all-black bathroom. She went on and on until, thankfully, Declan appeared in the doorway in faded jeans, a white T-shirt, and jandals, with that downward dip of his head and slow half-smile of his. I realized I’d been keeping a watch out for him.

We all left the café. Rosemary hesitated at the door, saidgoodbye, and turned right toward the park. I was disappointed because I’d been hoping to get more information from her, although she was antagonizing CeeCee, which was not a good thing if I wanted CeeCee to relax and open up. Declan kissed me on the cheek and, his hand on the small of my back, guided me into the boutique next door. It felt good to be looked after like that.

“Rosemary does not stop talking,” I said quietly to Mum as we strolled into Ruby Dunes, past the fluttering silk caftans, rattan egg chairs, and sprawling floral arrangements. “How are you so patient with her?”

“She has a good heart,” Mum said, stroking a yellow silk cushion. “Gets stuck in the details a bit. Makes her an effective lawyer and real estate agent—as long as she’s supervised.”

What did that mean? It gave me pause. I’d never thought of Mum as having insightful opinions. I was about to press her when CeeCee appeared with an armful of dresses for me to try on.

Chapter Eighteen

The dress hadflounces, it was pink, it was floral. Not meat all. But even I could see the color lit up my face.

“Fire,” CeeCee said, her tiny green fingernails on her hips.

“That frock is beaut on you.” Mum smiled.

“What do you think, Declan?” CeeCee asked.

I held my breath as I waited for his reaction, surprised I cared so much. Everyone was focused on him. His eyes grew heavy as he looked at me, and he inhaled quickly.

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