Page 17 of Starfish Cottage
“Oh yeah.. those two have become very close.” Dex glanced out at the ocean again but not before Maddie saw a strange look in his eyes. Longing? Did he long for what Nick and Jules had? Maddie had to admit feeling a pang of longing a few times herself upon seeing how happy Jules was since she’d gotten together with Nick.
“He seems nice.”
“He’s a great guy. Don’t worry. He’ll treat your cousin really well.”
“That’s good to know. Okay, well I guess I don’t need all that whisky hanging around the cottage, so it would be really helpful if Harley did take it.” Maddie made a mental note to pop into Sharkies and thank Harley. She’d only been there once before, and she wanted to start patronizing the businesses in town anyway. “I don’t want it to get ruined with the renovation going on, and I don’t see a museum in town to hold it for a display or anything.”
“There used to be a small one when I was a kid, but since tourists don’t come anymore…” Dex let his words trail off, and Maddie sensed his regret at the declining state of the town.
“Hopefully we’re going to fix that.” Maddie made a mental note about the museum. Maybe once things picked up, she’d see about reviving it.
Dex glanced at the paperwork spread all over the settee. “Is that what you’re working on?”
“Yes. I’m going to make a presentation at the town meeting. Do you want to see it?”
“Sure.” Dex stepped onto the deck, and she gestured for him to sit, turning the paperwork in his direction.
“I figure we’d stretch the event over a weekend starting on Friday. I have a potential timeline of events that happen throughout the entire weekend. Then there is a list of local businesses that might want to set up a tent, and a map of the town and where each tent could be placed.” Maddie was excited to show her ideas to someone. She pointed at each of the documents as she talked, her words tumbling out, hands gesturing animatedly. “I’ve only just started the list of supplies. Of course, then there’s advertising and cleanup and porta potties and…”
Dex held his palms up. “Whoa. Sounds like you have a lot planned out, but maybe it’s not such a good idea to have it so… detailed.”
Maddie’s excitement dimmed. Of course Dex would say that; he never planned a thing. “When you plan things thoroughly, it ensures that there are no last-minute surprises and everything runs smoothly. I think that’s important.” Did she sound childish?
“But what if something you didn’t plan for comes up that doesn’t fit in with your plans?” Dex had had that happen a few times in the past, which was one of the reasons he preferred to just go with the flow. The other reason was just that it was his easygoing nature. Maybe he shouldn’t have said that, though. The look of hurt on Maddie’s face had him regretting his words. “Look, I’m not saying it’s bad to plan. It’s just that sometimes if you get it stuck in your head that things should be a certain way, it makes it hard to pivot in a new direction.”
Maddie chewed her bottom lip. He had a point, but surely she’d thought of everything. “I guess you have a point, but I think I need to have some of this for the town meeting. People are going to want to know the scope of the event, especially since we’ll need money from the town budget.”
“Of course. It’s a great plan. And I love the map. It’s important because we’ll need to put up some structure and make sure the tents will fit.”
She watched as Dex pointed out various spots on the map and talked about some of the pitfalls they might run into with traffic flow. She hadn’t thought about that sort of thing, and his advice was welcome. He wasn’t so bad, and now she had a feeling she might need his help. He seemed just as excited about the event as she was, and she got a sense that he really did love Shell Cove. She felt a friendship forming despite the fact that they were so different.
“Are you coming to the town meeting?” Maddie asked once they were done discussing the plans.
“Oh, I don’t know. That’s tonight? My girlfriend is coming back from Portland, and she usually doesn’t like to go to the meetings.” Dex glanced down at the plans. “But this is important to the town, and the town is important to me. I’ll be there.”
Right. Dex had a girlfriend. She’d already known that. She was glad he was going to the meeting. He could help persuade people if they balked since he knew so much now. So why did she suddenly feel so disappointed?
Chapter Ten
Maddie felt oddly nervous when she walked into the town hall for the meeting later that night. Glancing anxiously at the food table, she made her way to the front of the room with her laptop. She’d spent most of the day making cost analysis presentations, maps, and charts with her project management software and hadn’t allowed any time for creating the signature dish for the meeting.
It was so unlike her to come unprepared, and she was a bit embarrassed that she’d only had time to dip some pretzels in chocolate and throw them on a plate. She’d tried to sneak in and quickly put the dish on the table without anyone noticing.
She took her seat, and Rose, Leena, and Pearl shot her encouraging smiles. That made her feel better.
Rose started the meeting, and they discussed a few mundane points of town business before she announced that Maddie was going to present her idea for the next town event. Now all eyes were on her as she hooked her laptop up to the projector and prayed that it worked.
Her screen showed up on the wall, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to the crowd. She’d only been in town a month, but already so many faces were familiar. Most of them were friendly. Her cousins were seated in the front, giving her the thumbs-up sign. Rose, Leena, and Pearl were on the edges of their seats, their faces eager.
Was that Dex in the back row? Her heart warmed knowing that he’d come even though he usually didn’t attend the meetings. His expression was encouraging; the beautiful blonde next to him, not so much. That must be Lorelei. She was all long legs and cascading honey-blond hair. Maddie supposed her face was pretty when it wasn’t set in a bored scowl like it was now.
She took a deep breath and started the speech she’d practiced for hours the night before.
“I’m sure you all know how wonderful it was to have a flood of tourists from theGreat New England Baking Contest.”
People nodded and murmured and smiled.
“And I’m also sure you’ve noticed that flood is dwindling to a trickle.”
