Page 109 of Beaches, Bagels & Babes
Thanks to Horace the Horseshoe Crab, Lamarka’s attempted murder was broadcast to the whole world. His first words after being rescued by the Coast Guard were to demand a lawyer. A precinct move, since the Feds had already been building a case thanks to information turned over by Ernest Leary’s widow. As it turned out, the former fun pier accountant’s death was as untimely as it seemed; the man had grown a conscience about the many misdeeds he had a hand in, and they killed him for it. However, not before he bundled up everything he knew in a binder so nicely organized that it rivaled Candace’s.
What Peter Perry and Lamarka did to Daisy’s parents was only the tip of the iceberg. Their business dealings over the decades were rife with coercion, bribery, and murder, ranging a wide web of conspiracy between their many contacts. Under the law’s Eye of Sauron, it did not take long for the rats to start jumping ship; Janice’s information was particularly helpful, Ted told Candace.
Peter Perry, Wonderwood’s fun, wacky uncle, became the weird one you didn’t want to invite to family holidays. He was not in jail (yet) thanks to the slow wheels of justice, and it was possible he would never actually see the inside of a cell. But his reputation was ruined. In the end, that was the greatest victory they could have.
Although the payout Daisy was due would be a welcome bonus. Her lawyer was not clear on the exact sum, but soon, Peter Perry would be the one handing her a check. Most significantly, the land Bagel Bombs! was built on—a whole block that included several other storefronts—would be returned to her ownership. Lamarka’s begrudging testimony helped.
However, it was luck that clinched their claim.
During the storm and subsequent clean-up, they discovered a surprise inside Bagel Bombs! A framed picture of Daisy and her parents outside the cafe on its opening day, the same one they had been unable to remove during renovations, turned out to conceal a hidden safe. They cracked it open and found that Daisy’s parents kept a copy of the original deed inside. With that document compared to Lamarka’s forgery, the proof was impossible to deny.
Or, so Daisy hoped. She did not quite believe everything that was happening. The idea that she might never have to work a day in her life again, that she could wake up and do whatever, wherever she wanted, was almost too daunting to face. It would have been, without Candace by her side. Together, they went to every lawyer meeting, every deposition and court appointment, slogging through the muck of bureaucracy.
As far as relationship-starts went, theirs was tumultuous to say the least. While Daisy reeled from her world growing much larger, Candace’s shrank. Her uncle had been evil, but he was one of the few blood relatives she had left. Plus, she was now once again unemployed and broke. She picked up shifts at the diner and helmed the front desk at the yoga studio to keep her bills paid (despite Daisy being happy to cover her expenses). Without her uncle stymying her career, she could try to find something in her field once more. However, she was in no rush. For the first time since she was young, she operated with only a loose plan, and she was just fine with it.
At Demi’s insistence, Candace left the waterlogged Comfort Clam and took up residence in her spare bedroom. That arrangement lasted about two weeks. One night, lying in Daisy’s bed, they realized how ridiculous it was for them to be apart any longer. She moved in the next day. Since then, the little bungalow had undergone a transformation as Candace unleashed her style and sensibilities on the place. It was not easy for Daisy to change things from the way her parents had left them. And yet, each day she woke up feeling lighter.
The future was theirs to make what they wanted of it. One change, however, was impossible to avoid.
While the fun pier would never be the same, the boardwalk itself remained largely intact. Most of the storefronts were undamaged, including Zeus' Torch. Demi and her cousins reinstalled the iconic torch sign to its rightful place, and the bustling diner returned to normal (or, as normal as things could be with Panopoulos drama) within days of the storm.
Bagel Bombs! was not so lucky.
The roof did, in fact, tear off. With the building condemned, they had no choice but to demolish the whole block. One crisp October day, while the dwindling shoobies continued about their business as usual, it happened. Daisy, Candace, Rio, and Demi watched from across the boardwalk.
As the hulking industrial crane clawed into the debris, eating away a place that held so many memories as if it were paper mache, Daisy felt a full spectrum of emotions. The expected sadness was there; frustration and bewilderment at life’s winding way. But there was hope, too. The end of this was not the end ofher. For Daisy and Candace, things were only getting started.
The loud sniffle Candace let loose cracked Daisy’s stoic face. Grinning, she teased, “Don’t worry. You know I’ll make you bagel bombs any time you want, girlfriend-discount included.”
Looking refined and ladylike even as she cast the stink-eye, Candace went stiff under the arm Daisy had looped over her shoulders.
“You’re cruel. I can’t help crying! Maybe I should go and grab—”
“No you don’t,” Daisy warned. She hauled the woman back against the boardwalk rail, embracing her from behind as they continued to look forward. “We already saved the fluorescent sign and Norman’s stool. The house is full enough now with all your stuff without adding junk debris.”
Demi agreed, saying, “She’s right, Can-can. I think the construction workers will throw a fit if you interrupt themagain.”
“Ugh. I liked it better when you two didn’t get along.”
“Too bad,” Demi told her. “We’re the next great partnership. My yogis are loving Zee’s seaglass art at the studio, and her bagels are selling better than hotcakes at the diner. I’d say I’m in danger of making your#BagelBabefans jealous, but they got all the confirmation they needed about you two the night of the hurricane.”
“And in front of poor, innocent Horace,” Rio added in a mock-aghast voice. “I didnothelp set that feed up to get high-def video of my boss getting lucky.”
The irony was not lost on Candace that in trying to stop compromising material from leaking to the internet, she ended up throwing more on the pile.Let it be, ride the sea, she told herself. Shifting in Daisy’s grasp, she met the other woman’s wry gaze and murmured as she closed the distance between them.
“How about a live show?”
Candace trailed her lips from the nape of her lover’s neck, up her jaw, to her lips. Light and drifting, like grains of sand filling the container of Daisy’s heart. She did not care who saw, and, by her pleased purrs, neither did Daisy. Their fans, their foes, and friends were all important, but the one who mattered most was already kissing her breathless.
Rio and Demi shared a snort.
“Well, I’m off to get some lovin’ myself,” Rio bragged. Their relationship with Katina was going strong, and they took every opportunity to flaunt it. “Smell ya later, nerds.”
Demi said, “I should get to the restaurant for my shift.TheiaThea hasfinallycome around enough to stop calling me ‘Demitra,’ so I want to stay in her good graces. We’re still meeting tonight?”
Candace met Daisy’s eyes. Her gaze was searching, trying to find hesitation where there was none.
“Hell yeah,” Daisy answered with a confident tick of her chin. “Let’s do this.”
