Page 5 of Starfish Cottage
“Schedule?” Dex made a face. “Not really. Some of the jobs do need to be done in a certain order, though.”
“Right. So we can figure out how long each will take and schedule when the next one will start.”
Dex made a face again. “That sounds like a lot of work.”
“Not really. If you know where you’re going to start and what order you’ll do them in, at least we can estimate.”
“That might be a little restrictive. I usually just move to the next job as I see fit at the time.”
“You don’t plan it by date? You just go with the flow?” Maddie wasn’t surprised given what she knew about the way Dex worked from his jobs at the Beachcomber, but the thought of just going forward with no plan gave her anxiety.
“Renovations on old houses like this can’t really be planned out exactly. Sometimes things come up that necessitate a change in plans, and I’ve found that can be disappointing to homeowners. How about we don’t make a strict plan, see how it goes?” Dex looked at her as if he knew that the only thing worse for her than not having a plan was changing the plan they’d made.
She sighed. “Fine. I guess that could work.”
Rose’s car pulling in interrupted any further conversation.
Pearl Flannery jumped out of the passenger seat, a giant wicker basket loaded with food in her arms, and Leena McCain unfolded herself from the back with an agility that belied her age. “Welcome wagon!”
Maddie laughed. She’d met the energetic senior citizens who had been friends with her grandmother the first night she and her cousins had come to the Beachcomber. They’d arrived unannounced with a welcome wagon basket. Apparently they considered it their job to greet all newcomers, and since they’d been friends with Gram, they took special interest in Maddie and her cousins.
“I’m not exactly a newcomer.” Maddie took the basket as Dex kissed Rose’s cheek. Rose beamed, her blue eyes sparkling as she patted her halo of gray curly hair. The affection between grandmother and grandson was heartwarming and a sweet reminder of her relationship with her own grandmother.
Maddie brought the three ladies into the cottage and gave them the short tour. “Have any of you been in here before?”
“I was many years ago.” Leena stood in the living room and looked around, her hazel eyes assessing every detail. Shorter than the other two, she made up for it by spiking her short white hair up a bit on top.“It seems a little different.”
“I think it had some work done over the years.” Maddie had seen signs of more modern renovations, but she was hoping to restore as much of that as possible.
“I’m glad you’re fixing it up.” Pearl peered around the basket she was still holding, her white pixie cut making her look like a charming elf bearing gifts. “It’s a great property and deserves to shine again.”
Maddie relieved her of the basket and herded them toward the kitchen. “I couldn’t have done it without you guys persuading Henry to loan me the money.”
“That didn’t take much persuading. Henry has really softened up. He’s committed to seeing that Shell Cove thrives again, and part of that is making sure the properties are kept up.”
“Henry’s softening up might have something to do with a certain guest at the Beachcomber.” Pearl’s blue eyes sparkled mischievously.
“Aggie? I didn’t know they’d become friends.” Maddie set some of the cookies that had been included in her basket on a plate and took out some tea bags. The basket was a welcome gift; she didn’t have much on hand. She thanked the ladies as she unpacked boxes of tea, cereal, spaghetti, ketchup, and even some cleaning products.
“Aggie seems like a fun character. Maybe we should invite her for coffee,” Pearl said.
“That’s not a bad idea.” Rose helped Maddie with the refreshments, and they all sat at the table.
“What’s this?” Leena pointed to the copies of the pictures of the cottage that Maddie had gotten from Deena.
“I found an old recipe in one of the drawers.” Maddie explained her trip to visit Deena and how she’d been kind enough to make copies of the photos. “She and Chuck seem so happy.”
Leena nodded. “They do. It’s nice to see that.”
Rose patted her lips with a napkin. “Now let’s talk about the event.”
Maddie’s spirits dimmed a tad.
“What are your ideas?” Leena looked at her expectantly.
Maddie reached for her notepad and flipped it open to a page with line items that were mostly crossed off. She’d brainstormed ideas but eliminated almost all of them.
“I was thinking we should tie it in to the beach. We have such a lovely beach here, and it’s summer,” Maddie said.
