Page 52 of Whispers at Seaside
“Matt said you were working on the materials for your trip,” Amy said, lining up the plastic cups with the two wineglasses. She struggled to open the wine bottle, and Bella took it from her hands.
Bella opened the wine and poured everyone a drink. “We’re experts at all things presentation related, and weddings, too. The triple wedding is planned, catered, and ready to roll.” She turned to Serena, who was taking in all the commotion with a glint of amusement in her eyes.
“I’m Bella, and you must be Serena, Mira’s BFF that we’ve all heard about. You’re so cute. Do you have a boyfriend?”
“Um…?” Serena raised her brows.
“Ignore her.” Parker, Grayson’s fiancée was a beautiful blond actress. Luckily, she didn’t have a stuck-up bone in her body. She wore very little makeup and her hair was pinned up in a high ponytail. “Bella’s the prankster of the group, and she’s sworn off playing tricks on Theresa, the property manager of Seaside and the woman who’s officiating our wedding ceremony, so Bella needs a project to keep her mind busy. Being a mom, running a work-study program for high schoolers, and hanging out with us just isn’t enough for her. She’s like Wonder Woman on Energizer batteries.”
“In that case,pleasefeel free to find me a worthy man,” Serena said with complete seriousness. “I like them tall, dark, and well hung.”
“Oh geez. You are Bella’s dream project.” Jessica swung her long dark hair over one shoulder and sank down to a chair. She’d been a professional cellist before she and Jamie had their son, Dustin. Unlike busy Bella, Jessica was thrilled to devote all of her time to her family.
“I could hook you up with my brother Brock,” Jana offered. “I have no idea about the well hung thing—and have no interest in knowing—but girls love him. He owns a boxing club in Eastham. He taught me to fight.”
“You fight? Mira, where have you been hiding these amazing women?” Serena lifted her glass of wine and said, “To finding me a man. I might just have to start with Brock.”
They toasted, and Mira introduced Serena to each of the girls. Then, as if the wind had shifted, everyone began opening their laptops and pulling out notebooks and pens and talking about the co-op.
Amy pointed a pen at Mira. “Tell us what you’ve got.”
“Okay.” Mira took a deep breath, exhaling slowly as she glanced around the table. “But first I just have to say thank you. I have been stressing out over how I was going to get everything done.”
“No more stressing,” Sky said. “It’s bad for your aura, and with us around, you’ll never have to stress again.”
Mira had been friendly with the girls since she started working with Neil. Everyone associated with the Lacrouxs were like one big family. But each of them giving up their free evening to help her? She felt like she’d fallen into a sisterhood.Sisterhood of the Traveling Helpers, she mused.
She explained what she was thinking of presenting, and they all took notes. “Basically, I need everything, but I can get away with a professional-looking outline of the business plan, lists of warehouses, including prices, locations, and restrictions. I also need to formalize the projected return-on-investment financials. I’ve got the numbers, but I’ll need to present different scenarios, like if we get five investors versus six, or four. I also think it would be wise to give them examples of other businesses who have successfully formed co-ops. Nothing speaks louder than proof that it works. I have my initial research notes, but they’re not in a format that I can present to anyone.” Her shoulders dropped in defeat. “There’s a lot to do, and Matt and I think we should try to make the trip soon, so the people who are interested don’tloseinterest.”
“Nail them down before they get off the couch,” Parker said. “That’s what they say in Hollywood.”
Jana and Sky laughed.
“Not like that!” Parker insisted, which made everyone laugh. “You guys have sex on the brain.”
“Look at our men,” Bella said. “Look atyourman. Do you blame us?”
Parker blushed. “I do adore my soon-to-be husband.”
“Ladies,” Leanna said loudly. “Less sex talk, more co-op talk.”
They divvied up jobs and formed teams to work on each one. They were the most organized women Mira had ever worked with. When they were finished, Jenna set a list in the center of the table outlining what they’d discussed.
“Amy and Mira, you’ll handle the financial documents. Sky, Leanna, and Bella will research warehouses in the areas we discussed. Parker and Serena will take care of formalizing the business plan you’ve already outlined, and Jana, Jessica, and I will formalize your research on co-ops and also find others to include in the report.” Her eyes danced around the table. “Deadline? Does next Friday work?”
“Pfft.” Amy waved her hand. “Easy-peasy.”
“Absolutely. And I’ll ask the business manager of my foundation for any tips he has, too.” Parker had created a very successful children’s foundation, and Mira knew her experience would be invaluable.
“Thank you allsomuch,” Mira said. “You can’t even begin to imagine how relieved I am to have help. I feel better already.”
“Good!” Sky reached for the cookie dough and tore the package open. “Now give us the scoop on you and my brother.”
“Wait, I thought we were going to skinny-dip,” Amy said with a pouty face.
“Skinny-dip? Here?” Mira and Serena exchanged a wide-eyed glance. “We can’t. Anyone could see us.”
“Your beach isn’t private?” Jessica asked. “I’m not stripping down on a public beach.”
