Page 29 of Starfish Cottage
Constance’s housewas in a remote area on the edge of Shell Cove, so it was on the way. Dex pulled onto the dirt road at Rose’s instruction.
“I didn’t realize anyone even lived out here,” Dex said as his truck bumped along the ruts.
A weed-filled yard came into view just before an old ranch-style house with peeling paint and a garage with a broken door. A gutter hung down from the roofline.
“Oh, dear. I guess she’s let the place get a bit run-down,” Rose said.
“Does she have money troubles?” Dex asked.
“Not sure. After her husband died, she might not have had anyone to fix things, and like I said, she’s sort of ostracized herself. Maybe she didn’t want to hire anyone.” Rose sighed. “But it could be money too. I wish I’d known about this. I might have reached out to help.”
Dex stopped in front of the house. The driveway was empty, and there was no car in the garage. “Does she have a car?”
“Yes. I guess she isn’t home. Sorry, looks like I dragged you out here for nothing.”
“No need to apologize. It wasn’t for nothing.” He turned and drove away, but he wasn’t disappointed. He had an idea of what he could do to help Connie come around.
* * *
Maddie feltlike ripping up all the carefully made drawings and plans sitting on the sectional in front of her. She was so frustrated with this turn of events that even the sounds of the ocean couldn’t soothe her. She’d put so much time into this, and now it was ruined. They couldn’t have the party on the pier, and they needed the party to attract a good crowd.
She heard Dex’s truck pull into the crushed-stone driveway, and a glimmer of hope surfaced. He’d taken Rose to their bimonthly lunch, and hopefully he’d asked her to talk to Constance Harbinger. There had to be a way to bypass the bylaws, at least temporarily.
He was whistling as he came around the corner. A good sign!
“Did Rose talk to Connie?” she asked before even greeting him.
The whistling stopped midnote. “No. We went there, but Connie wasn’t home. She said she’d try to talk to her later.”
“Oh. Okay.”
“What about you? Are you adjusting the plan?” He gestured toward the paperwork.
“Adjusting? No. How can I? It’s all planned out to the last detail. Changing it now is impossible.”
“I don’t think it’s impossible. You do have a lot of details, and it will be a lot of work, but it’s possible.”
What did he know? He was used to working on the fly, never planning anything out. He had no idea how attached one became to the detailed plans.
Maddie frowned down at the paperwork. But he was right. Itcouldbe changed. Nothing was set in stone, but she was afraid the new iteration wouldn’t be as good.
Maddie sighed. “The party is the problem. I don’t think people will be happy at a party without cocktails, and if we can’t have those down at the pier, it’s going to flop.”
“Who says the party has to be at the pier? I bet Harley would let you have it at Sharkies, and he has a liquor license.”
Maddie scrunched up her face. “But the pier will be so gorgeous lit up at night, and the whole point is to show people how beautiful our town is.”
“Maybe there could be another event that focuses on the beach. In the daytime, like sandcastles or surfing.”
“Every place has those.” Maddie couldn’t help the disappointment creeping into her voice. “And then there’s Burt’s moonshine demonstration. The fan club was really excited about that, but if we have all the tents in the common, then that violates Constance’s precious bylaw.”
“Maybe we could move the moonshine event into Sharkies. I bet Harley would let him set up in the parking lot. It’s out back and not in front of any shops, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Maybe. I don’t know. There’s probably a bylaw against setting things up in parking lots. I have put so much time into planning this out, and now it’s all a waste.”
Dex sat on the sectional beside her. “It’s not all a waste. Most of it can still happen the way you planned. I think you need to be a bit more flexible, though. Sometimes you can’t get too invested in the vision you have in your head. Sometimes it’s not good to plan things out to the smallest detail because it throws you off when things get messed up. And things usually have a way of getting messed up.”
“I suppose you’re right. I guess I can try to figure something else out for the party.” She smiled at Dex. “But in the meantime, I’m still going to hope that Rose can soften Constance up.”
