Page 53 of Gulfside Girls
But it wasn’t her fault. Well, the marriage failing might have been a two-way street, but the cheating? That was at Ted’s feet and his alone.
“So now you’re here, and you own The Turtle!”
“Yeah, for a second anyway. If I can get Didi to give me the contact info of the management company, I can get appraisals going and, well, all the things needed to list it.” She saw a look go from Erica to Henry.
“You’re sure you’re selling?” Henry asked.
“Yes, I’m not a resort manager or hotel baron. I’m a convention center assistant manager; actually, a former assistant manager. Between me and my two sisters, we can sell this for what, a couple of hundred thousand, and each one of us can get a little bump on our future retirement savings. That’s the plan.”
Henry and Erica were quiet for a second, upon hearing Ali’s mission. She supposed it was natural. They’d just met her, and with Ali’s plan, who knew what would happen to Jorge and Didi. It was hard not to love the old couple and here she was, about to sell the place out from under them.
Henry stepped in and filled the awkward silence. “Nothing wrong with that, very sensible. Though…it seems like event convention center manager is actually pretty close to what they need there at The Turtle.”
“Yeah, it’s a shame,” Erica agreed. “Didi and Jorge are just not able to bring the magic like they used to.”
“You mean because of his hip?” Ali asked.
“Yes, and she’s older too now. It’s a lot of work. But I’ll tell you, that place is magic. I will never forget the nights I’ve spent on that beach with a glass of wine,” said Erica.
“And those lights she put up for my fiftieth birthday? I mean, it was anight,” Henry said. The two of them laughed, sharing some memory. Ali wished she’d been there and she’d just met them both.
“Well,” Ali said, “I’m sure whoever buys it will fix it up, and you’ll have those nights again. While I have the two of you, though, Didi has been a little hard to pin down. Do you happen to know the name of the management company they use? In case she’s still unable to find her paperwork?”
“Honestly, I have no idea. I’ve never seen anyone but the two of them over there,” Erica replied.
“Right. But, you know, I have a person you should talk to on the appraisal front. I think you’ll find the numbers are a lot different than a couple hundred thousand,” Henry said.
“Yeah, worse. You may be right. There are some major repairs needed. And there are only like two guests booked right now. Watch me owe on this thing.”
The two old friends exchanged another look, and Erica piped up. “Ha, well, Henry will steer you right on a good agent. Patsy, right?” Erica looked at Henry, and he nodded. “You shouldn’t decide anything until you know all the facts.”
“Yes, like how in the world did we own this all this time and not know it? It’s the craziest thing.”
Her two new friends both muttered noncommittedly and buried their heads in their coffees.
Ali had the distinct impression they knew more than they were saying.
She may not have gone to the Y’sCool Vibes for Small Business Ownersclasses, but she did have the sense to let the topic trail off.
She was the outsider here, and she was about to upset their groovy vibe.
Twenty-Two
Ali
Ali had planned to get right to the point with Didi.
But Didi did not have the time to chat. There was excitement at the Sea Turtle. Ali found Didi in the laundry room in a cloud of fabric softener sheets and reciting to do lists to herself.
Ali grabbed the laundry basket, filled with hot towels, from the grateful Didi.
“We’ve got two families, one checking into the Mango Mansion, and I think I’ll put the other in the Blueberry.”
Ali’s confusion was likely written clearly on her face.
“Mango’s the one directly across from the Key Lime; its Mango color gives it away.”
Ali thought about the cottage across from the Key Lime. It was not mango or even orange; it was weathered gray with pealing peach paint. And “mansion”? Well. Not so much. But the names of the cottages were part of the charm. She itched to get a scraper and a few gallons of mango-colored paint and do a once over before any guests arrived. The Blueberry was easy to figure, and its paint chips were less obvious. The darker blue was moreforgiving. But the guests were coming today. There wasn’t time for DIY upgrades.
