Page 87 of Beaches, Bagels & Babes
“That’s an understatement. We’re the only ones here!”
“People tend to give this place a wide berth. A couple of those bungalows down the way were speakeasies back during prohibition, and this point has never really lost its seedy reputation. It’s also a horseshoe crab nesting ground, so it’s an important habitat for them.”
“Is that right…”
The latter point was fairly apparent, as the gull-eaten carapaces dotted the beach here and there like macabre rocks.
Horace has it good compared to her relatives,she thought.
“For me,” Daisy went on, “it’s my favorite spot on the whole island. I’ve wanted to bring you here for a while.”
In a small voice that scarcely sounded like her own, hitched and breathy, Candace could not help voicing her disbelief.
“You have?”
“Yeah. Longer than I realized, I think. Here.”
Reaching out, Daisy offered Candace a multi-colored bouquet of flowers to match the one she found at the trailhead. Magenta and yellow, white and orange, pink and red, they were arranged in a familiar sunset color scheme.
The lace-tied plants felt like a 50–lb weight in Candace’s hands. She did not—could not—resist as Daisy guided her to sitacross from her on the blanket.
“C’mon,” Daisy insisted. Like a food magician, she began to pull a ridiculous amount of edibles from the basket. “Let’s dig in. IknowCandace Perry needs more than some sad jambalaya to get her through the day. Try this.”
Candace’s mouth, which had popped open to protest, was filled by Daisy with a pimento spread-covered cracker. It was delicious, like everything else the woman made. Next thing she knew, she had eaten another, and a juicy green grape followed. The fizzy champagne Daisy handed her washed it all down.
While she chewed gourmet crostini, Candace chanced a glance at Daisy. The woman was cattish as usual, all grins and swagger, but there was something else, too. There was a gravity when their eyes met, unnamed butso verytangible, it was silly to ignore.
Candace choked. She turned away to get herself under control, her vision trained on something,anything,else. Meanwhile, Daisy dropped a bomb that sent her sputtering even harder.
“Bagel Bombs! made its target revenue.”
“What?!”Once she managed to even out her breathing, she demanded, “When?”
With her attention on the mini empanada she was selecting, Daisy shrugged.
“When some woman decided to make a crazy gamble and devote all her effort to saving it. But, technically, two weeks ago.”
“Two weeks?! Why didn’t you say anything?”
Daisy did not answer right away. She finished chewing and took a drought from her champagne. Simply, she deadpanned, “I am now.”
Candace’s stomach twisted. In her head, she had known they were close. However, she never had access to accounts and relied on Daisy for raw numbers. Why would she hide something so important?
Guilt and shame doused the thrill she felt at reaching their hard-fought goal. She needed to tell Daisy about what she learned in the meeting with the Solid Rock Group. But how could she explain it if she barely knew the details herself? She had not been able to find anything about the land sale from Daisy’s parents, or dirt that would stop her uncle from tearing the whole place down. She failed.
Unable to hold back any longer, Candace burst.
“Your parents used to own Bagel Bombs!. Not just the cafe, but the whole place, land, building, and all. I don’t know how, but my uncle used some kind of shady tactic to buy it from them for next to nothing right before their accident. He has demolition permits for the whole block and the new building plans ready.”
“Huh.”
Daisy looked thoughtful as she chewed on a celery stick, with an elbow poised on her upturned knee. She took another sip of champagne, then fished her colorful bottle from the basket.
She offered it to Candace. “I brought water, too, if you want it.”
Candace gaped. “Daisy, don’t you get what I’m saying? It should be yours! Instead, because of that monster I’m related to, you’re going to get kicked out. Now that he’s secured the funding he needs for the project, there’s nothing stopping him from evicting you. You might get some settlement cash if you took him to court, but that’s it.”
The breath Daisy let loose was carried away by the persistent wind. Nodding, she concluded, “Bummer. We gave it a good fight, though.”
