Page 37 of Gulfside Girls
“You know, the management company information?” Didi squeezed Jorge on the shoulder and gave him a wife-to-husband stare. Ali had no idea what Jorge had done wrong, but he was for sure getting the stink eye from Didi all of a sudden.
He looked from his wife to Ali and then said, “Yes, uh, corporate stuff, hard to remember the name, always changing.”
“Well, if you could get that.”
“It’ll have to be tomorrow; we’ve got quite a bit of work to finish here, and we both have doctor’s appointments and then the meeting.”
“Sure, I’ve interrupted your day, and I can see there’s a lot to do here. If you don’t mind, I’ll just come back by tomorrow.”
“Where are you staying? Can I drive you back?” Jorge offered.
“No, my car is here. I can head back on my own. I’m over at the Courtyard Marriott.”
“Blech! No, no, no!” Didi waved her hands in the air.
“What?”
“You should stayhere. To really understand the Sea Turtle, you need to spend a night in a cottage.”
“What about your guests?” As Ali said it, she realized she hadn’t seen a single one.
“The Key Lime Cottage is closest to the water. It’s adorable. Get your bag from the hotel, check out, and just move in here! It’s perfect!”
Didi had it all settled for Ali.
“I don’t want to be an imposition.”
“Please, you’re the boss, not us. And if you really want to know what you’ve got here, you have to live here, for a day and night at least.”
“Live here?”
“Oh, figure of speech, but you could explore our grounds all day. Take a dip in the water, walk on the beach, and a few of our neighbors might even swing by for the Grand Finale.”
By this point Ali knew what that was, the sunset. She’d missed it last night.
“I don’t know.”
Didi reached out and took Ali’s hands in hers. Ali was taken aback. There was something so touching about it. This woman, old enough to be her mother but younger in spirit than Ali herself, locked eyes with her.
“You need what this beach has. I feel it. Sand between your toes, ocean breeze, and those waves lulling you to sleep. I promise you’ll soak it in and go back to Ohio as good as new. I’ll even make us some snacks.”
“She makes good snacks, I’ll give her that,” Jorge chimed in. “Can’t dance at all, but man, the cheese board.” Jorge gave Ali a wink.
Something caught in Ali’s throat. Emotion? Recognition? Or was it just having these two kind people be sweet to her? She’d hate to disrupt their lives by selling this place, which she was going to have to do.
But it did make sense, staying one night, getting the lay of the land. And she had to admit, the place had a funky charm. The Marriott was nice, but it looked like every other hotel she’d ever been in. She could have been back home in Toledo when she closed the door. Here, well, here you were on the beach, no question.
“Okay, I’ll stay the day and night.”
Didi smiled, and it took over her whole face. She was ageless when she smiled.
And then, a question popped into Ali’s mind.
“How did you know I was from Ohio?”
Didi’s smile flickered, and she waved her hand in the air.
“Your accent, total Ohio accent. We get a lot of snowbirds.”
