The Summer Retreat

by Sheila Roberts

  Rian LaShell, the owner of Sandy Claws, was appropriately feline, sleek with taupe-colored hair and charcoal eyeliner that accented the exotic catlike tilt of her eyes. She was wearing white capris and a dark, clingy top and she cocked a questioning eyebrow as Celeste entered the store.

  “Can I help you?”

  “I found a dog,” Celeste explained.

  “Ah,” Rian said and nodded. “You look familiar. Have you been in here before?”

  “I’m Jenna Jones’s sister.”

  “I think I saw you on the Driftwood Inn float at the Seaside with Santa festival,” Rian said, her smile more impish than sympathetic.

  “That would be me,” Celeste said. “The woman freezing her mermaid tail off.”

  “Some ideas work better than others,” Rian murmured. Then, all business, she said, “So the dog you found, boy or girl?”

  “Boy.”

  Rian picked up a shopping basket from the pile near the door and handed it to Celeste. “Did he have a collar?”

  “Not even a flea collar,” said Celeste, and Rian led them over to the collars.

  “Talk to the vet about your options, but meanwhile, this will work.” She selected one of the higher-priced flea collars from the display and dropped it in the basket. An equally expensive dog collar went in next, followed by a leash. “You’ll need that when you take him to the park.”

  But not when they were on the beach, Celeste vowed. Dogs needed to be able to run free to chase waves.

  Next came a rawhide bone. “Good for their teeth,” Rian explained.

  A squeaky toy was needed for keeping dogs entertained—a much better option than chewing up socks. Celeste also bought a brush so she and Nemo could do some serious grooming. As for the dog dish, that was too cute with all those little black paw prints all over it. Nemo deserved something cute.

  Celeste needed to develop stronger powers of resistance, she decided later as Rian rang up her purchases. She’d already spent an arm and half a leg, and she hadn’t even gotten him chipped, caught up on shots or purchased a dog license yet. This new relationship could wind up being very costly.

  She considered the high price she’d paid in the end for her last human relationship and decided Nemo the dog was a much better emotional investment.

  * * *

  Jenna was surprised when she and Brody walked into Sandy’s restaurant for lunch and found Tyrella and Nora seated at the table, waiting for them. Not that she didn’t enjoy eating lunch with her two best beach buddies, but when Brody invited her to lunch he usually planned on lunch for two.

  “Hey, ladies,” he said, pulling out a chair for Jenna.

  So this was planned. Jenna looked questioningly at him. “Is it someone’s birthday and I don’t know about it?”

  “No, we just thought it would be fun to get together,” Nora answered airily.

  Yeah, because they never saw each other. Only every Friday evening in her aunt’s living room and once a month at the Chamber of Commerce meetings. Not to mention church and any time Sabrina had a hankering for ice cream. It was an easy practice drive with a reward at the end—a win-win for mother and daughter.

  “Something’s going on,” Jenna said suspiciously. She caught a conspiratorial smile flashing between Brody and Nora. Yep, something was definitely going on. “Okay, you guys, give.”

  “Let’s order a drink,” Brody said as Annie Albright approached them. “Annie, you’re looking especially lovely today,” he greeted, making her blush. “Can you bring me an iced tea?”

  “Sure,” Annie said. To Jenna, “Lemonade?”

  She needed to branch out. She was becoming predictable. “Make it a raspberry one.” Walking on the wild side.

  Annie nodded and disappeared.

  “The shrimp louie looks really good,” Tyrella said.

  “Never mind the shrimp louie. What’s going on?” Jenna demanded.

  “Not much,” Brody said. “Just meeting to catch up on the local gossip.”

  Which meant there was local gossip. “Who’s embezzling?” Jenna kidded.

  “Me,” Nora said with a grin. “I robbed my cash drawer again. I swear, I wish Elizabeth and K.J. had never opened that craft store in town. It’s dangerous.”

  “I won’t turn you in,” Jenna promised. She, herself, was fast getting addicted to the MacDowell sisters’ shop. “What else is going on?”

  “Rick Rogers is calling it quits this fall,” Tyrella said casually. “His wife is tired of never seeing him and she wants to travel.”

  “So Position Three on the city council will be open,” Brody added just as casually.

  “Have you thought about running?” Jenna asked him. “Everybody in town likes you.” Including her.

  “Right now between my business and the chamber, I’ve got my hands full.”

  “What about one of you?” Jenna asked the other two.

  “Bill would hate it,” Nora said. “We’re too busy with the business and the family.”

  “And I’m too busy with the hardware store and church,” put in Tyrella, and they all looked at Jenna.

  “I’m a little busy, too, guys. I’ve got my massage business and the Driftwood and Sabrina and Aunt Edie.”

  “Yeah, but you’re young and you’ve got energy,” Nora argued.

  “Not that much energy. I’m sure someone else will run.”

  Nora’s mouth turned down at the corners. “Someone’s already talking about it. Susan Frank.”

  “Susan?” The walking rain cloud. “She has no vision.”

  “She has no anything,” Nora said. “But she’ll get elected if nobody opposes her.”

  Which was, of course, where Jenna came in. She held up a hand in protest. “Oh, no. I’ve never held public office.”

  “You’ve got a kid. I bet you’ve been on a few school committees over the years,” Nora said.

  “And you know how to run a business,” added Tyrella.

  “And look what you’ve accomplished with the Driftwood,” Brody said. “Plus, you have vision. No one else thought of having a winter festival.”

  “Which was an abysmal failure,” Jenna reminded them.

  “No, which turned out to be great for all of us,” Tyrella corrected her. “You could do a lot for this town.”

  “Yes, remember your idea about building a convention center? If you were on the council, you could propose that,” Nora said.

  They made it sound so easy. But... “I’ve got too much on my plate. I’m sure someone will step forward.”

  “You’d better pray it’s someone other than Susan,” Nora told her.

  Annie arrived with Jenna’s and Brody’s drinks and took their lunch orders. Once she left they turned the conversation toward the upcoming Fourth of July celebrations, and Jenna breathed an inward sigh of relief. Bullet dodged.

  Unless Susan did decide to run for Council Position Three. Ugh.

  Even if she did, someone else would have to bring her down.

  * * *

  Shopping done, Celeste got busy with Nemo’s bath. The day was balmy, promising a long, sunny summer, and perfect for giving a dog a bath. And getting drenched.

  Which happened very quickly. Nemo wasn’t all that excited about being bathed and Celeste was struggling to keep him in the giant aluminum tub of water when Seth Waters walked by with his paint supplies, ready to tackle another portion of Aunt Edie’s house.

  Of course, the dog had to jump out of the tub and gallop over to greet him.

  “What’s this?” he asked, stopping to help put Nemo back in the tub.

  “This is the newest guest of the Driftwood Inn,” Celeste informed him. “We’re going to see if we can find his owners.”

  “Did you check to see if he’s been chipped?”

  “Took him to the vet this morni
ng. No such luck.”

  “Then I’m betting you’re the new owner.”

  “I can live with that,” Celeste said. “He’s better company than most of the men I’ve dated.”

  Seth gave a snort, wished her well and went on his way.

  The man was a walking piece of art. And he seemed to fit with the Driftwood Inn. Was he a fit for her sister?

  A little later as Celeste worked to get the tangles brushed out of the dog’s fur, she couldn’t help watching as Jenna paused to visit with him when she got back from lunch with Brody. There was definitely a connection.

  Brody, on the other hand, had shown no desire to hang around and visit with Seth. Instead, he’d frowned and zoomed off in his sexy red convertible. There was also a connection there. Two smart, decent, sexy guys. How was her sister ever going to decide?

  “Seth’s making it easy. His attitude has cooled considerably,” Jenna said later as the two of them sat on the front porch, nursing glasses of pop, Nemo sitting between them, looking doggy-dashing with his clean, brushed coat.

  “The way he looks at you is not exactly frosty,” Celeste pointed out. “Show up at his room in nothing but a towel and invite him to go skinny-dipping in the pool after it’s closed for the night and see what happens.”

  Jenna shrugged. “If something’s going to happen it’ll happen. I don’t have to be in a hurry.”

  “Yeah, you do. You’re not getting any younger,” Celeste teased.

  Neither was she. Suddenly, that crack wasn’t so funny. She needed to do something about her own non-love life.

  Could she do something with Paul Welch? He was friendly and smart, and the fact that he was also hot enough to be on a book cover didn’t hurt. Not that looks mattered, Celeste reminded herself. Gorgeous on the outside was useless if the inside was rotten.

  Nothing rotten about Paul, though, she thought as she sat next to her sister in church on Sunday, half listening to his sermon. It was hard to concentrate on what he was saying when her mind kept wandering to happy future scenarios. The two of them walking down the beach, hand in hand, Nemo racing ahead. Going with Brody to look at houses. Paul down on one knee, holding open a ring box like a hero in some sappy, old movie.

  She’d never met her father, but the way her mother always talked about him, he had to have been someone special—loving, kind, considerate. Oh, how she wanted that. Surely, now she was looking in the right place.

  “What do you think?” Paul asked from the pulpit.

  Think? She pulled her attention back to the sermon.

  “When you see someone who looks...a little scruffy, a little scary, maybe. Do you think, ‘That person isn’t my kind of person’ and move away as fast as you can? Or do you ask yourself, ‘What would Jesus say to this person?’ If you see someone driving a nice car or wearing expensive jewelry, do you automatically think rich and selfish? That rich person might give a lot of money to good causes and that scruffy person could be a man who lost his job and his family. Someone who seems cold and unfriendly might really be shy. We all tend to make judgments about people, but remember that while people look at the outside, God looks at the heart. Let’s try to focus this week on seeing the best in other people.”

  Willing to see the best in people. Oh, yeah. How could you go wrong with a man like that?

  The service ended and the congregation drifted out into the foyer for coffee and cookies. “You guys are gonna sign up to work the booth after the Fourth of July parade, aren’t you?” Tyrella prompted them as they grabbed their coffee.

  “Sure,” Jenna said, answering for both of them.

  “What do we have to do?” Celeste asked.

  “Dish up strawberry shortcake. It’s for a good cause.”

  Strawberry shortcake, yum! “Free samples?” Celeste asked.

  “No,” Jenna scolded. “If you let her have free samples, she’ll eat up all the profits and nobody will be going to summer camp,” she said to Tyrella.

  “Don’t worry,” Tyrella said to Celeste. “Sign up to work when I’m there and I’ll make sure you get some strawberry shortcake.”

  “All right. It’s a deal,” Celeste said.

  “You shouldn’t indulge her,” Jenna said to Tyrella.

  “We have to keep our volunteers happy.”

  “Which is more than someone I know does,” Celeste put in. “My sister’s sticking me on a float again and what am I getting out of it?”

  “Fame,” Jenna retorted.

  “At least you won’t freeze this time,” Tyrella consoled Celeste.

  “No, this time she’s threatening to put a white wig on me and make me look like Martha Washington.”

  “It is the Fourth of July,” Jenna said. “And besides, Aunt Edie has a costume readymade.”

  Tyrella’s mouth quirked up. “I wonder if it smells like mothballs.”

  Mothballs? “What?” Celeste demanded.

  “Inside joke. Don’t worry,” Jenna said, linking arms as they made their way to the sign-up table. “Nobody will be able to smell you way up there. And Sabrina and her girlfriends and Aunt Edie will be with you.”

  “What will they smell like?” Celeste asked, still hung up on the whole mothball thing.

  Jenna ignored her, leaning over the sheet of paper with rows of available time slots. So far only a few had been filled in.

  Hyacinth was in charge of the table. She managed a weak smile for the sisters.

  Oh, wait, what was this? All of a sudden a genuine smile? Celeste turned to see who rated such a sunny welcome. Of course. Pastor Paul.

  “How are the sign-ups coming?” he asked.

  “We’re working on them,” said Hyacinth, beaming at him.

  “You just got two more victims,” Celeste informed him. “Jenna, because she’s noble. Me, because Tyrella promised me free strawberry shortcake.”

  He chuckled. “I like your honesty.”

  Not everyone did. Celeste was aware of Hyacinth’s frowning at her.

  Paul drew Celeste a little distance away. “What do you say to dinner tomorrow night?”

  Oh, yes. “I say sure.”

  He beamed. “Great. Can I pick you up around six?”

  “You can.”

  “See you then,” he said.

  He gave her a parting smile that made her heart jump like a fish on the line, and moved off to talk to other members of his congregation.

  “Did he just ask you out?” Jenna asked as Celeste turned back to the table.

  “He did.”

  Jenna smiled approvingly. “Smart man.”

  Hyacinth, on the other hand, looked anything but approving.

  * * *

  Smart man? Hyacinth thought. More like stupid, taken-in-by-a-pretty-face man. What was Paul thinking? Had he paid no attention to his own sermon?

  A new person stepped up to the table to volunteer for the food booth on the Fourth. Hyacinth forced herself to smile. This was wrong. Really, really wrong. Paul wasn’t looking at Celeste Jones’s heart. He was being...a man, only looking on the outside.

  Yes, outside, Celeste Jones was all pretty and bubbly. But Hyacinth knew the type. She’d encountered it often enough when she was a teen. The outside appearance was like a candy wrapper, enticing and promising delicious things. Inside was a selfish woman who would break a man’s heart, a woman who only wanted a good time. Once the good time ended, she’d be gone.

  Hyacinth watched as the sisters moved through the post-service crowd, Celeste making her way toward the door with a smile and a laugh. She didn’t have to ask what Paul saw in the woman. She knew. A pretty face, a great body, a flirty smile. Men, even the spiritual ones, the ones who should know better, were all alike. So easily deceived. Like Samson with Delilah.

  The Bible taught that you should pray for each other. She intended to pray for Celes
te. She was going to pray that the woman went far, far away. Celeste was obviously looking for love, and Hyacinth hoped she found it—someplace nowhere near Moonlight Harbor.

  Chapter Seven

  After lunch Celeste cleaned the rooms the guests had checked out of, and visited the others to make beds and clean bathrooms. Henry Gilbert’s was the last one on her to-do list. Then she was free for the rest of the day. She wasn’t looking forward to encountering him and making good on her threat to roll him out of his bed, so she was relieved to see the Do Not Disturb sign on his door.

  Okay, do not disturb meant do not disturb. He could just stay in his room collecting dust on his glasses and writing his heinous story. And using dirty towels.

  She did find herself wondering how that story was coming along. What made a person decide to write about serial killers anyway? It was so...creepy. So was he. She was glad to wheel her cleaning supply cart past his room. She stuck a load of sheets in the washer in the laundry room, then went to fetch Nemo for a beach walk.

  Sabrina was with her dad for the weekend, and Aunt Edie was taking a nap. But Jenna was ready for a break, so the two sisters set off down the beach, Nemo loping ahead of them.

  “No response from Facebook and no calls from the posters I put up,” Jenna reported. “I have a feeling he’s yours.”

  “I have a feeling you’re right,” said Celeste. “But that’s fine with me. At last,” she joked, “a man who’ll be loyal.”

  “You have more than one option down here when it comes to that. By the way, Victor will be at The Drunken Sailor tonight.”

  “I am not falling for another cop.”

  “That isn’t even logical,” Jenna argued. “You got one loser. You know they’re not all like that. In fact, who wouldn’t want a cop? They’re noble and self-sacrificing and sexy, and they all have handcuffs.”

  “Okay, you go out with him.”

  “He’s not interested in me.”