By the time the last customer left a little after 4:00, Connie couldn't decide if she was more excited at the success of the grand opening or exhausted from having pulled it off. But even after a long afternoon, an ear-to-ear smile lingered on her face.
After her friends helped her clean up, she fed Ginger, who had loved the attention she received throughout the day, and ordered pizza for everyone. Gallagher was also able to get away from the restaurant at that point, so he came back across the street to join them. When they sat at the table to eat, Connie heard a text come through on her phone.
"It's your niece," she said to Gertrude. “She says, ‘Stay at the store. We'll be there in a half-hour. We have really big news.’"
Chapter 22
Zach returned to the store before Elyse, Josh, and Emma arrived. "Josh just texted me and told me to meet him here. He said he had some news."
"Yeah, Elyse texted me, too. We're all waiting. Do you have any idea what it could be about?" Connie asked Zach, handing him a paper plate with a slice of pizza.
"I know the local police up in Jordan's area arrested him this morning for his parents' murder, and Josh took a drive up to talk to them about something. But he was all secretive, so I know it wasn't official police business," Zach said.
Connie had been so absorbed in the grand opening that, for the first time all week, she hadn't thought about Natasha, Jordan, or New Light.
"Jordan agreed to plead guilty in order to avoid a death sentence," Zach said. "Although there are no charges against him in relation to Natasha's murder, he did admit to putting the needle in the bushes out back to make it look as though Natasha had a drug problem."
"I'm glad that's cleared up," Connie said. "That will put an end to any rumors floating around that could harm her good name. Now nobody can doubt that she truly did everything possible to give her daughter and herself a fresh start."
Just as everyone was finishing up their pizza, the door chime sounded, and their attention shifted to the front of the store. Walking behind Josh, who entered first, was Emma with her arm wrapped protectively across the shoulders of a little girl, who looked to be about three years old, followed by Elyse.
Elyse bent down and scooped up the child as everyone came over to see what was going on.
The little girl looked around the store, knitting her brow as she studied her surroundings. The child's blond curls framed her round face, and her blue eyes settled on Connie, who had bent over to say hello.
"And who is this little princess?" Connie asked.
"That's Victoria," Penelope said, taking the child into her arms and sobbing. "I never thought I'd see you again."
Victoria smiled, and her reaction showed that she recognized her old friend.
Elyse was beaming with joy. "Josh and I are hoping to adopt Victoria."
Connie felt as though time stopped. She stood in shock as the rest of the group congratulated the new family of four.
"May I?" Connie said to Penelope, holding her arms out toward the child.
Penelope placed Victoria in Connie's arms, and she kissed the child's chubby cheeks.
Josh and Elyse stood next to each other, holding hands.
"When I heard yesterday that Jordan was pleading guilty and that he didn't have any living relatives," Josh said, "I knew Victoria would be put into foster care."
Elyse continued the story where he left off. "Josh and I talked and prayed about it all day and evening, and we decided to move forward. Victoria needs a family, and all three of us have so much love to give, so we decided get the process started."
As Connie held Victoria, Gallagher kissed the child's forehead. "Natasha would be thrilled," he said. "She wanted her daughter to be raised in Sapphire Beach, and if Natasha couldn't raise Victoria herself, she would be so happy to know she found her way to such a beautiful family."
While everyone took turns welcoming Victoria, Connie followed Gallagher to the couch, where he had asked to speak with Josh and Zach.
"What will happen to the members of New Light?" Gallagher asked. "Some of them are in a pretty fragile state."
Josh nodded. "They have been given access to psychological counseling," he said, "but some of them have a long way to go, and the police up there can't force them to accept help."
"If there's anything I can do, please let me know," Gallagher said.
"What about Tiffany Peterson?" Connie asked. "Did you hear anything about her?"
"We notified Tracy after Jordan's arrest, and she immediately drove up to try to convince her sister to come back to Sapphire Beach with her. I had a chance to speak with Tracy while we were up there, and when she learned that Elyse and I wanted to adopt Victoria, she gave me a substantial check. She said that even though she only took money from Natasha's business to save her sister's life, she wanted to make it right. It's rightly Natasha's money, and now Victoria's, so we are going to put it into a savings account for her."
"I'll give you Tracy's phone number," Connie said to Gallagher. "That way you can reach out to her and offer your help for Tiffany."
"I'd like that."
Grace's animated voice came bounding across the store. "Come on, you four. It's time for the Wall of Fame."
"Let's go," Connie said to the others. "She's been waiting for this moment all day."
Penelope had finished printing the photos she took at the grand opening. They would pick out a few of the best and hang them on what Connie and Grace had dubbed the Wall of Fame. The wall, which ran the length of the oak table, would be the Just Jewelry family album, visible for everyone to see.
Connie had purchased twenty-five frames of various shapes and sizes that would lend elegance to the collage. The plan was to start with about seven or eight and build as time went on.
Grace had already made a discreet pencil mark to indicate the center of the wall, and it was a given that Concetta's photo would be in the center. Without Concetta leaving the condo to Connie, none of this would have been possible, so with Grace's help, Connie had chosen the perfect picture. Since Concetta had been an actress for most of her adult life, the photo was of her on the set of one of her last movies.
The next to be hung captured Connie with her first friends in Sapphire Beach - Grace, Stephanie, Zach, Elyse, Emma, Josh, and Gertrude. It had been taken at Connie's condo on the night she signed the lease for the shop. Without good friends, this new adventure Connie was embarking on wouldn't be nearly as sweet.
Above that was a picture of Connie's parents, sister, brother-in-law, and twin niece and nephew back in Boston. They would always be a part of everything she did, no matter where Connie found herself.
Then she hung a picture of Natasha, Victoria, Gallagher, and Penelope, because they were a part of the store's history, and Connie hoped the latter three would be part of its future, as well.
Next to that was a picture of Victoria as a toddler in the store, courtesy again of Penelope.
Around those, Connie scattered various pictures from the grand opening, since the store would be non-existent without its customers. Connie was sure to include among them one with Fr. Paul, since one of his homilies helped her to make the decision to open the shop, and one of herself with Gallagher, Penelope, Ruby, and Emily, the owner of Friendly Scoops. She knew the support and encouragement of other area business owners would prove to be important, as well.
When the last photo was hung, Connie went out back to the refrigerator and returned with a bottle of champagne and some glasses she had brought for the occasion. She smiled at Zach as she handed him the bottle to do the honors.
While Josh and Gallagher handed out champagne, Connie watched Elyse, beaming with pride at her two girls. It was hard to believe that only three months before, she and Elyse were standing in that same shop, and Elyse was planting the idea in Connie's heart to turn it into a jewelry store.
As Connie reached for her glass, she caught a glimpse of Gallagher's tattoo, and the words of Natasha's diary came flooding back. He go
t a tattoo of a majestic eagle to remind himself of how we soared above so many challenges.
In their own personal way, everyone present was doing just that.
Connie raised her glass. "To new beginnings."
"To new beginnings," they responded heartily.
The End
Surf, Sand and Skeletons
(Book 2)
Chapter 1
With throbbing feet and sore arms, Connie Petretta plopped down onto a metal folding chair to give her aching body a rest from scrubbing clean every inch of the eight-hundred-square-foot shop that would soon be the home of Just Jewelry, her handmade jewelry business. She was exhausted, but the satisfaction she felt from the hard work was reminiscent of the long days she spent volunteering in Africa after college. Like then, the job was tiresome, but her passion for the work carried her through.
That, and the knowledge that in a few short hours she would be spending the evening overlooking the Gulf of Mexico with friends in the beachfront condo she had recently inherited from her aunt and namesake Concetta Belmonte.
Since her return to Sapphire Beach a few days before, Connie had been counting down the minutes to when she could catch up with her cherished friends. It had only been three months since they were last all together, but it seemed like a year.
Relocating from Boston to southwest Florida was a bold move, but she couldn't wait to begin living her new dream of selling Fair Trade jewelry and her own handmade pieces to the residents and tourists who flocked to picturesque downtown Sapphire Beach. She had the urge to pinch herself to be sure she wasn't dreaming, but her weary body assured her she was well-grounded in reality.
"I think I'll join you, honey," Grace Jenkins, her only employee and one of the friends who would be coming to dinner, called from across the shop. Grace had been Concetta's best and most loyal friend, never leaving her side during her brief battle with cancer.
Connie pulled open another metal folding chair for Grace before going out back for a couple of glasses of iced tea. She was glad she thought to have a refrigerator delivered first thing upon her arrival.
"Grace, you have been here well beyond the twenty hours per week I'm paying you for," Connie said, handing her a glass and easing back into the chair.
Grace held up her palm to Connie and turned her face away. "You know how much I believe in this store," she said. "I wouldn't dream of being anywhere else."
The caffeine in the black tea, which she had brewed extra strong that morning, knowing it would be a long day, was kicking in nicely. Connie put her empty glass on the floor and retrieved her laptop from the circular counter in the middle of the store, which would soon serve as the checkout area.
She opened the flyer she had been working on for the grand opening and felt a surge of excitement, which magnified her caffeine boost. She couldn't wait to show off her shop to the Sapphire Beach community.
"I scheduled the grand opening for the first Saturday in April, a couple of weeks before The Great Lexodus," Connie said, the expression causing a smirk to push its way onto her lips. The Great Lexodus, as Aunt Concetta had explained one time, was when the snowbirds headed north, many in their luxury cars, to return home in time for Easter and to escape the brutally hot summer months in subtropical Florida. "That will give me the slower summer months to restock inventory in time for their return."
After all the packing and unpacking, Connie was looking forward to spending those hot and humid summer days creating jewelry in the comfort of the air-conditioned shop. But for now, her focus was on the grand opening and all the preparations that had to take place in the two weeks and three days between now and then.
In addition to getting the physical store set up and all the advertising that had to happen, there was her website to think about, online venues, and photos for social media. With so many tasks swirling around in her mind like an ocean whirlpool, she constantly had the feeling she was forgetting something.
The sound of the door chime pulled them from their conversation. It was her contractor, Steve, a dark-haired man wearing jeans and a white polo shirt. With him was a woman who appeared to be in her early thirties, her shoulder-length blond hair tied back with a lime-green bandanna. Connie had hired Steve to oversee the renovations while she was back in Boston selling her condo and training her successor at Feeding the Hungry, the non-profit where she had worked for the past twelve years.
Connie stood to greet him. "Everything looks fabulous, Steve."
"I know we've talked extensively over the phone," he said, "but I wanted to stop by now that you're back in town to be sure you were happy with the work and to introduce you to one of my carpenters, Brittany. She's been working on another job, but she'll be helping me knock off the final punch list."
"It's great to meet you," Connie said, shaking Brittany's hand. "I'm thrilled to be working with a female carpenter. You don't see that often enough."
Brittany smiled warmly. "A good friend and mentor helped me to see that I am capable of accomplishing anything I set my mind to."
Steve took a quick walk around the store. "I can't believe you got this place cleaned so quickly. I thought you'd want to hire someone to take care of that."
"Absolutely not," Grace interjected, putting an arm around Connie's shoulders. "There's no need to pay for something we can do ourselves."
Connie was pleased with the finishes she had chosen. The fresh coat of baby-blue paint against the driftwood accent wall gave the interior of the store a beachy vibe, while the hardwood floors, freshly sanded and stained, still held some of the nicks and scratches from years of wear and tear. Connie had elected not to replace them because of the history and character they contained. And the brushed gold and crystal chandelier above the circular checkout counter added a touch of elegance. Connie had dubbed the style 'beachy-glam.'
Of course, any remodel, beachy-glam or otherwise, was expensive. Fortunately, she had the money from the sale of her condo back in Boston to get her started, while she got everything off the ground. And she would be eternally grateful to her aunt for leaving her the beachfront condo mortgage-free.
"You did an amazing job, Steve. Every time I look at those empty shelves, I feel like a child on Christmas morning. I can't wait to stock them with jewelry and for the furniture to arrive tomorrow."
"There's just a small punch list left," Steve said. "Brittany or I will be in before the end of the week to complete it. Just be careful. There are a couple of loose floorboards out back in the storage area," he said as they were leaving.
By the time Connie and Grace finished cleaning the last few spots, not even the afternoon sun streaming through the windows could find a speck of dirt. They gave each other a tired high-five and decided to call it a day.
Connie stayed behind to snap a few pictures for her social media pages that showed the store’s progress to her growing number of followers.
"I'm going to head out, honey, and take a hot bath before dinner tonight," Grace said. "What can I bring?"
"Nothing. Everything is taken care of. Just come."
After Grace left, Connie wandered out back to the storage room to look through some of her inventory. Metal shelving wrapped around the ten-by-ten room, where, in addition to product, she stored beads, pliers, tweezers, and other jewelry-making tools and supplies.
In addition to showcasing her talent for making stunning jewelry, a skill that Connie learned while volunteering and living in Kenya after college, Just Jewelry would also bring much-needed work for women in developing countries through the Fair Trade portion of the store. It was the perfect way to combine her love of jewelry-making with her passion for humanitarian work.
In choosing artisans to supply her jewelry, Connie had started with the communities in Africa where she already had connections. Her former boss, Sam O'Neil, also connected her with some of his associates in South America, where he had spent a year before leaving a successful corporate career to found Feeding the Hungry. The boxes of bracelets,
necklaces, and earrings had arrived safely by way of Grace's apartment and sat tucked away and unopened in the storeroom.
In addition, between everything else taking place back home in Boston, Connie had been hard at work every spare moment creating jewelry over the past few months and shipping items that she had already made. Some of the more intricate necklaces had taken her more than thirty hours to create, while other smaller pieces, such as earrings, had taken less than an hour. It was no small feat getting the store stocked and ready for the grand opening. Fortunately, the initial rush wouldn't last too long, and she would have the summer to restock, hopefully with a better sense of what sells in Sapphire Beach.
As she looked at the boxes, Connie couldn't contain herself. She just had to open at least one or two. She got a key from her purse and cut through the packing tape on one of the boxes from Kenya. Hidden among the one-of-a-kind necklaces, earrings, and bracelets was a note from her longtime friend, Dura, whom she had met while serving in Kenya. Dura was her own age, thirty-four, and was the first person to teach her how to make jewelry. She was also instrumental in identifying local artisans for Connie's new venture. Warmth spread through Connie's chest as she read Dura's note: Praying for you and your important venture, my friend.
The second box was filled with a colorful array of jewelry from Ecuador. The blue, green, yellow, and orange hues took her breath away. They would be a perfect contrast to the earthier tones of the Kenyan jewelry. Connie carefully rewrapped them until she could properly display them on her shelves, and after a few minutes of further exploration, she put back the boxes and forced herself to leave. She still had dinner to prepare for company that evening. There would be plenty of time admire each piece as she stocked the shelves.
On her way out, Connie absentmindedly stepped on one the loose boards that Steve had warned her about, stumbling across the storeroom. Good thing nobody was around to see that graceful move.
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