Page 45 of Starfish Cottage
“Did you just say ‘long term plan’?” Maddie looked at him sideways.
Dex laughed. “Yeah, well I guess you could say I didn’t have one. But working with you must have rubbed off. You showed me that sometimes just going with the flow isn’t a good idea.”
“So you’re coming around to my way of thinking,” Maddie teased. She was flattered that he’d remembered some of her advice about planning.
“Don’t get too smug about it. I still plan to fly by the seat of my pants most of the time.”
Maddie laughed. “Well, since we’re confessing, you taught me some things too.”
His left brow quirked up. “Really?”
“Yep. And I do agree that sometimes having a rigid plan can be detrimental. If I hadn’t relaxed my strict thinking about my plan, the event might not have come off as good as it did. I needed to be able to let go of the vision I’d planned to be able to see another way to set things up. So thanks for that.”
“You’re welcome.”
The warmth in Dex’s smile made her heart flip. “But don’t you go getting too smug either. I’m still going to plan things like I usually do. I’ll just be a little more open to changing.”
“Well, then with your planning skills and my ability to pivot quickly, sounds like we might make a good team.” Dex leaned in toward her, and Maddie felt herself drawn to meet him halfway.
“It sounds like we would.” And then she leaned just another inch forward and kissed him.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Two weeks later….
“That should do it for the painting. What do you think?”
Maddie looked up from her task of arranging cheese and crackers on a plate. Dex stood in the living room, paintbrush in hand, admiring his handiwork on the wall which he’d just painted a cool light gray.
“Looks great.” Maddie scanned the room. Over the past two weeks, they’d managed to finish ripping down old wallpaper, paint the walls, and install new flooring. The wall between the kitchen and living room was down, and the place looked gorgeous. Maddie still had to work on the cabinets, but she was pleased with the progress.
She still didn’t have any furniture, but now that it was painted and the flooring was in, she could have the store deliver the dark-gray sofa and light-blue accent pillows she and Dex had picked out together. Not that Dex was living there. It was way too early for that. But there had been a few dates, and even more important, they were friends and she trusted his opinion.
Nick’s car pulled into the driveway. “Nick’s here. Why don’t you two grab the ice bucket and some beers and sit out on the deck while I finish this cheese tray? Gina and Jules should be here any minute.”
“Sounds good.” Dex washed the paintbrush in the sink and then filled the ice bucket. His lips brushed her cheek just as Nick knocked on the slider door.
Dex opened the door, and Nick poked his head in. “Hey, Maddie!”
“Hi, Nick. I’ll be right out. You guys go ahead.” Maddie turned back to the cheese with a smile. There was nothing she liked better than having her family and friends over, and since her duties with the event were finished, there had been a lot of time for that during the past two weeks.
She finished up the cheese and laid it in the middle of the tray. Then she spread some crackers on one side of the tray, added some grapes on the other, and grabbed a bottle of wine just as Jules and Gina arrived.
Gina had brought a peach pie, and she grabbed some dessert plates out of Maddie’s cupboard. They all settled on the outdoor sectional shaded from the hot summer sun by a giant umbrella Jules and Gina had bought her as a housewarming gift. Since Starfish Cottage was off the beaten path and not near any public beaches, the long stretch of golden-white sand in front of them was empty except for a few sandpipers running along the edge of the surf. A slight sea breeze stirred the air.
“Here’s to Shell Cove and good friends.” Nick raised his beer, and they all leaned in to tap each other’s drinks.
“Things have really picked up since the Marco Rosone event.” Jules held up crossed fingers. “Let’s hope it stays that way.”
“It’s all up to word of mouth now.” Nick put his arm around Jules’s shoulders. “We’ve had a few merchants coming in for loans now that business is picking up. That’s a good sign.”
“This pie is amazing.” Dex had set aside his beer to focus on the pie. “You should open up a shop, Gina.”
“Huh?” Gina looked up from her phone. Maddie had noticed that her cousin had been getting a lot of texts lately, and she’d been acting quite secretive about them.
“He said you should open a pie shop, like I’ve been telling you to do,” Jules said.
“Oh, well, I don’t know if I’m ready for that yet, but thanks for your confidence.” Gina glanced down at her phone again then turned it over so no one could see the screen.
