Page 34 of Starfish Cottage
“Great. Then I’ll let you get back to work.” Lorelei tossed the flower over the side of the railing and sauntered off, her high heels clacking on the wood of the pier.
A cloud of disappointment dampened Maddie’s excitement. But why? She knew Lorelei lived in Portland, and it made sense that Dex would move in with her. Maybe it was because, even though they’d been working closely and she’d thought they’d become friends, he hadn’t mentioned anything about moving soon. That stung. Apparently, they weren’t as close as she’d assumed. Better to keep things on a professional level from here on out.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“You’re serious about moving out of Shell Cove?”
Dex could see the doubt in Nick’s eyes. He glanced around the empty bar at Sharkies, where they had met for a late-afternoon beer. “Yeah. I think.”
“You think? That’s a pretty big move.” Nick took a sip from his frosty beer mug.
“I know.” What else could he say? He still hadn’t quite come to terms with it himself.
“Well, I’ll miss you man. So, you’re leaving this weekend?”
“What?” Dex jerked his head up, startled. “Oh, no, we’re just going there for the weekend. I’ll be back Monday.”
“Oh, I heard something about you picking out a place.”
“Where did you hear that?” Dex was certain Lorelei never mentioned anything about that. He’d assumed they’d move into her place.
“Jules. I think she heard from Maddie. I might have gotten mixed up though.”
Maddie had been talking about him moving? He hadn’t mentioned it to her. Not because he didn’t want to. It was because she’d been acting a little strange, and he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He’d thought they were becoming close, like they could talk about anything, but the past few days she’d seemed distant. Not cold-shoulder distant, but just not as… intimate. Intimate? That wasn’t exactly the right word, or was it?
“Are you sure about this? I mean, Rose is here, and your friends are here.” Nick pointed to himself.
Dex laughed, but Nick’s words gave him pause.Washe sure? The thought of not waking up every day in Shell Cove made his stomach hurt, but maybe that was more about what he was used to. Like Lorelei had said, getting out of your comfort zone felt uncomfortable.
“Lorelei is pretty set on it,” Dex said.
“And you’re set on Lorelei.” Nick said it as a statement, but Dex knew his friend well enough to sense it was a question.
“Well, yeah. I mean we’ve been dating for a long time.” Dex looked at Nick. He’d changed since meeting Jules. He was always smiling, and Dex could always tell when Jules walked into the room by the way Nick lit up. Their longing glances and the way they always touched each other bordered on sickening. He didn’t have that with Lorelei, at least not anymore. But that was to be expected after so many years, wasn’t it?
But then Dex thought about his grandmother and grandfather. They’d still shared those looks and touches. His grandfather had lit up when Rose walked into the room up until the day he’d died. And they’d been together a lot longer than Dex and Lorelei.
“It’s about time you settled down, and if Lorelei is the one, then you need to move.” Nick’s tone was warm, but Dex knew he didn’t really care for Lorelei. “I’m glad you’ll be around for a while anyway. You guys are coming to the big party, right? It’s all Jules has been talking about.”
“I think so.” Naturally Dex wanted to go, but Lorelei hadn’t seemed so keen on it when he’d asked her.
“Good. I won’t feel as silly in a dumb costume with you in one too.” Nick made a face. “But I have to wear one. I don’t want to disappoint Jules, and Maddie has worked so hard on this.”
“Of course. Costumes it is.” Dex could understand Nick not wanting to disappoint Jules. He hated it when Lorelei was disappointed. But he had a feeling that was for a different reason entirely. Lorelei acted like a spoiled princess and made Dex miserable when she was disappointed. Nick didn’t want to disappoint Jules because he was disappointed when she was. There was a big difference.
Suddenly Dex was starting to question everything. Was he making a huge mistake?
Chapter Twenty-Three
Gina had spent the last week poring over her pie recipes, getting ingredients, and planning for the event. The Beachcomber had a tent in the merchant section, and she wanted to offer free pieces of pie. Jules had been busy getting pamphlets made and putting together a binder with pictures of the motel, the rooms, the lobby, and of course, the porch overlooking the ocean.
She’d spent the last of the proceeds from the convertible she’d traded for something less expensive when she came to Shell Cove on the retainer for the private investigator. She didn’t have any savings—Hugh had taken all of it—but the motel was fully booked for the next week, and even more reservations were coming in for future weeks, so she’d have money soon. The advertising for the event was working and bringing attention to the town, and people seemed eager to vacation here even after the event was over.
She was feeling more hopeful about Shell Cove, but that also created a sense of urgency for renting the old bakery. She’d gone as far as to inquire about it and had worked a deal to get reduced rent for fixing it up, not that it needed much work. She got the impression that the owner was just happy at the prospect of receiving rent since the store had been empty for five years. She hadn’t agreed just yet, though.
The offer might not last long. If tourists started to come back, merchants might be rushing to open stores. Still, she wasn’t going to make a decision until she found out if she could locate Hugh. She wanted to know how much money she had to work with.
“I can’t believe how many people are buzzing around town already.” Maddie breezed in through the side door to the kitchen with a tray of coffees from Ocean Brew. “I had to wait in line for these!”
