Page 92 of Beaches, Bagels & Babes
It was eerily gorgeous. Even as lights began to dim, they were beacons in the thick, late-night haze. The far-off clips of carnival music and bursts of laughter were distantly dreamy.
Everything looked so tiny, too. The people leaving the pier, going about their lives… the boardwalk, where she could glimpse Bagel Bombs!,and the city beyond… all of it was small. For the first time in her life, Daisy felt herself rising above it.
Then, the coaster dropped.
Their mouse dipped, zipped, and whipped along the rickety track at a snappy pace. Screams and delighted laughter belted out of them both. Since the ride was designed for younger children, it had nothing too death-defying like loops or corkscrews. Even so, it made Daisy’s heart pound with excitement.
As their car pulled back into the ride queue, Candace took one look at Daisy’s face and knew she wanted to go around again. She sweet-talked the attendant into indulging them, and he did not seem to care either way.
Two runs later, they stumbled from the exit in a tangle of limbs and laughter. The boardwalk was a ghost town, with even Bagel Bombs! shuttered up by Tina. However, as they left the pier, the women did not return to Candace’s car. Daisy led them to the beach, where they ambled along the vacant shore.
They walked and walked, beyond the boardwalk to the beach outside one of Wonderwood’s premier resorts. Peter Perry would make a fair penny if he managed to build his muck-mansion right on the boards. With access right from people’s rooms to his pier, he would have his market cornered. Like a mini, mouldy Disney World by the shore.
But Daisy did not care about any of that. Peter Perry could have his money and Wonderwood. The idea that he might have pulled one over on her parents nagged at her. Yet, none of itmattered if she had Candace. Even if he used his lofty power to make them live in a box, they would be richer.
“So,” Daisy asked, continuing her train of thought aloud, “what do you think you’ll get up to now? With no Bagel Bombs!, there’s no reason for you to be held hostage over at the pier anymore. You could try to start fresh with a job around here. Or, maybe you could go out on your own. There are a lot of other struggling small businesses out there who need a money-minded savior.”
Scrunched up to Daisy’s side to ward against the chill, Candace shrugged.
“You know, I’m not sure.”
“Really? I thought you’d be planning your binder colors.”
“Maybe the stickers, at least. Some motivational sayings and that kind of stuff. Demi gifted me a bunch of yoga-themed ones a while back that are super cute.”
Candace’s easy tone turned thoughtful, and her grip on Daisy’s arm tightened.
“It’s funny. When I was stuck here, I planned for years how to get out. I thought if I could just do that, I would be happy. I wasn’t, though. Not at all. I planned my life around some vague idea of success, using my uncle’s warped notion of what ‘making it’ looked like to measure my own. No wonder I was so miserable.”
Quietly, Daisy said, “But you got out. You were living in New-Freaking-York on your own and killing it. Sounds to me like you planned pretty damn well.”
Sighing, Candace leaned her head against Daisy’s shoulder. In a murmur, she answered, “Too well for something wrong. How could anything I planned have been right when it didn’t involve you?”
Daisy could feel Candace’s sidelong gaze on her, even though she could only see the barest hint of her silhouette in the darkness. If they were not walking together, she might have swooned.
“So,” Candace concluded, “for now, I’m not going to worry.I’m going to enjoy our date, and let it be. Right?”
“Yeah,” Daisy agreed as her heart melted. “I think you’re onto something.”
They ambled for a while longer. Their imprints in the sand were left side by side, in perfect step. Out of the blue, Candace pointed ahead.
“What’s that?”
Daisy peered through the inky blackness. A tall, but not overly large, stilted structure stood at the very edge of the shoreline. With the storm clouds overhead blocking out the moon and stars, the night was particularly dark. It was only as they came right up to its base that Daisy knew for sure.
“It’s a lifeguard stand. One of the covered ones they bring out when it’s supposed to rain. They must’ve forgotten to wheel this one back.”
Daisy urged Candace to the front of the ladder. It was about ten rungs up, high enough for the lifeguards to have a decent vantage point but low enough for them to make a quick descent.
Without giving it too much thought, Daisy started to climb.
“What are you doing?!”
“Trespassing. C’mon, my legs could use a break.”
At the top, Daisy pulled her way into the plywood construction. The vague smell of lumber and paint told her this was one of the newer boxes that her lifeguard regulars had been excited about; something about lights, seating, and a lack of mildew. Sure enough, as she groped along the half-wall ledge, she found a switch.
“Nice! Our tax dollars at work.”
