Page 23 of Starfish Cottage
“Well, there is one thing,” Deena said.
“What?”
“Could we get a discount on a couple of rooms at the Beachcomber? I wouldn’t ask, but Jules said she was going to offer one, and we want to invite our kids to town.” Chuck put his arm around Deena’s shoulders. “We want them to see how happy we are together so they’ll finally approve of our relationship.”
“We’d be happy to give you a discount. No problem.”
Chapter Twelve
Pearl, Leena, and Rose were sitting on the bench across from Saltwater Sweets having an ice cream when Maddie came out.
“She looks excited. I bet she has an idea for the event,” Pearl said.
“Deena and Chuck look happy too. They must have asked about the motel discount.” At the town meeting after seeing them so unhappy, Rose had suggested they bring the kids here andshowthem how they were made for each other. Chuck had mentioned he’d had the exact same idea, so with both of them suggesting it, it seemed like a wise course of action.
“The kids coming could make things worse,” Leena said. “I might still win the Chukeena bet.”
“Did someone say ‘bet’?” Aggie had come up behind them. She was wearing a turquoise tunic over white capri pants and had a chocolate chip cone in her hand. The turquoise color complemented her flame-red hair. She had a vitality about her, and Rose could see why Henry was spending so much time with her.
“Uhh… did we say bet?” Leena looked at Rose, uncertain if they should tell Aggie about their betting hobby.
“Yeah, you said…” Aggie looked across the street to Saltwater Sweets. “Oh, I get it. You guys are betting on the romance over there. They were telling me how their kids are acting like spoiled brats. The bet sounds fun. I want in.”
“You do?” Pearl glanced at Rose as if for permission to let her join. Rose glanced at Leena, who shrugged. Why not let her join? Rose liked Aggie, and the more the merrier. Plus the pot would be bigger.
“Sure. We’re betting five. Right now it’s two for and one against.”
She juggled the cone as she pulled a five-dollar bill out of her purse. “Put me down for against.”
“You don’t think they’ll last?” Rose took the bill and stuffed it in the side pocket of her purse, making a mental note to add it to the betting pot later.
“I know it sounds mean, but adult children can be brutal. I have a nosy one myself. Always thinking he knows what’s best for me. If they have it in their heads that Chuck and Deena aren’t good for each other, it’s going to be hard to dissuade them.” Aggie licked the side of her cone. “That’s why I don’t mention Henry to my son.”
Rose’s brow ticked up. “And just what is going on with you and Henry?”
Aggie blushed. “We’ve hit it off.”
“That’s great,” Pearl said. “We’ve noticed Henry is a lot happier these days.”
Leena narrowed her eyes at Aggie. “Henry is our friend, and we want him to stay happy. So how long do you plan to stay in town?”
Aggie looked put off at first, but then she smiled. “Oh, I see. You don’t want me to run off and hurt your friend. Let’s just say I have no plans to leave anytime soon. The girls treat me like a queen over at the Beachcomber, and I want to see where this goes with Henry.”
Leena smiled, scooted over, and patted the seat beside her. “Then why don’t you have a seat and chat with us? Any friend of Henry is a friend of ours.”
Chapter Thirteen
Maddie rushed over to the Beachcomber to tell Jules and Gina about her idea for the party. She found them on the porch, and she plopped into a wicker rocker and gazed out at the ocean as she told them about looking through the trunk at Deena’s and how it had seeded the idea of a Great Gatsby-style party.
“That sounds like fun. We could get it catered and have appetizers and maybe even some cocktails that were popular in that era,” Jules said.
“What happened to the whisky that was in your wall? Maybe that would be a good time to break it open,” Gina suggested.
“It might. Seems a shame, though. Does it have historical significance or something?” Maddie asked. “Harley is storing it down at Sharkies, which reminds me, I need to stop down and thank him.”
“Oh, perfect. You can meet me there tonight. I’m meeting Nick, and you’ve been working so hard, you need a break. You’ve hardly spent any time with us like Gina has, and I want both of you to get to know him better.”
Maddie could hardly refuse. Her cousin wanted her to be a part of her life, and she was flattered. If Nick had been coming to the motel or hanging out with Jules and Gina, things must be getting serious.
