Page 43 of Starfish Cottage
A few hours of partying had exhausted her, so she said her goodbyes and headed to Starfish Cottage. Once home, though, she couldn’t sleep. Something was bothering her.
After changing into a pair of comfortable jean shorts and a T-shirt, she grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge, slipped out the back door barefoot, and started down the beach, heading for her special place down by the rocks.
The cool ocean water soothed her feet, which were aching from the high heels on the shoes she’d borrowed from Jules. The smells and sounds of the ocean and the stars twinkling in the dark sky lifted her spirits. This was her place, where she was meant to be, and now that the event was a success, she had hope that she’d be able to stay.
She sat down on the flat rock and imagined the future, when the town was thriving and the work on her cottage was finished. She had a clear picture now of how she wanted it to turn out. And now that Dex was staying in town, he would have the time to do what she wanted.
Thinking of Dex reminded her of the night they’d sat on these very rocks, and her good mood deflated. She’d thought that had been a special time, a pivotal time in their relationship where she’d discovered they had more in common than she’d first thought. She’d felt like they’d “had a moment.” Was she the only one who had felt that way?
* * *
Dex feltsilly in his 1930s-style suit no matter how much his grandmother gushed about how handsome he looked. The saving grace was that every other guy that had dressed for the party appeared to be just as uncomfortable.
The place looked great though, and there was a huge turnout. His heart swelled to see the town thriving once again.
“Hey, Dex. I wanted to thank you again for what you did for me.” Constance Harbinger stood at his side. He barely recognized her all dressed up and smiling. Smiling wasn’t something he’d seen her do often.
“You’re very welcome. Thank you for digging into the town laws and making this all happen.”
“Oh, I can’t take much credit for that. It’s mostly down to Maddie Montgomery. She’s a real asset to the town.”
“She sure is.” Dex scanned the crowed over Constance’s shoulder for Maddie. He wanted to congratulate her in person, and he also wanted to try to get back to the friendship that had been blossoming between them earlier. “Have you seen her?”
“Maddie? Oh, sure. She’s here somewhere.” Constance turned and looked out at the crowd. “Last I saw she was over by the railing in the corner there.”
Dex saw a red feather above the crowd. Hadn’t Nick mentioned something about her outfit having a headband with a big red feather? “Thanks. You enjoy the evening.”
“You too!” Constance called after him as he made his way through the crowd.
There were so many people, he kept losing sight of the feather. Maddie sure was getting around. He turned the corner of the building where it had disappeared, practically running. No feather.
There it was, over on the other side of the tent!
Dex jostled his way through the boisterous crowd, trying not to elbow people out of his way.
“Oh, Dex! So glad to hear you are staying.” Belinda Simms caught his arm. “Your grandmother is so happy.”
Dex couldn’t be rude to Belinda even though he wanted to pull away.
“I’m happy be near Gram. I guess maybe Lorelei wasn’t really the one. Gram helped me see that.” Dex’s attention drifted to the crowd over Belinda’s shoulder. Darn! The feather wasn’t there anymore.
“That’s nice. Looks like you need to get yourself a drink.” Belinda gestured to his empty hands. “I’ll just—”
“No need.” Dex saw his way to exit gracefully. “I was on my way to the corner bar. Can I get you something?”
“No, I’m fine. You go.” Belinda waved him off, and Dex breathed a sigh of relief. He’d taken a chance offering to get her a drink, but since she had a full one in her hand, it wasn’t really much of a chance.
“Have a great time!” Dex spun in the direction he’d last seen the feather. Wait… was that it, bobbing above the crowd, heading toward the other side of the building? Why would Maddie be going over there? It was dark, and no one was there…. unless she wasn’t alone.
Maybe he shouldn’t interrupt her. That would be the smart thing. But even as he thought it, his feet were rushing toward the corner of the building.
He had almost caught up when she slipped around the side with a man in a black fedora. Tossing away all common sense, he rushed over after her.
“Hey, Maddie! I—”
She spun around, and Dex skidded to a stop.
It wasn’t Maddie. It was Henry’s new friend, Aggie, and it looked like he might have interrupted something between her and Henry.
