by Rachel Magee
Would it be easier for her to take the generous offer his clients had put forward and start over? Or any one of the other two offers that he knew were on the table? Absolutely. There were several turnkey waterfront properties available that she could move into tomorrow, all well below the amount they were willing to pay her.
But Millie Leclair didn’t want a vacation home. She wanted to hold on to a legacy.
He just wasn’t sure it was a legacy she could hold on to.
“George Rodriguez said Ms. Leclair isn’t interested in selling. She’s not entertaining offers of any sort,” Braxton said. “Since she has decided to remain in the property, we will have to make a decision regarding her formal grievance. To do that, what information do we need?”
“Isn’t looking at the place enough?” Stan said under his breath, drawing chuckles from the end of the table once more.
Braxton shot him a warning look. Normally, Stan was a good guy. Loud at times and certainly opinionated, but good. What was his problem today?
“If her claim is that it’s always been operational, I guess we need proof that Mildred never closed the business aspect,” Jenna offered.
Braxton wrote that down on his pad. “That’s good. What else?”
“How long will the renovations take? And what are her plans for the inn once it reopens?” Lori added.
Braxton nodded as he jotted down the next two items.
“Does she have and can she obtain all the permits required to do the work she’s wanting to do?” Jose threw out.
“We could play a part in that.” Stan’s lip curled up.
“She’s hiring Gus Richardson as her contractor,” Sophia announced, glaring at Stan. “He’s done a lot of work in this neighborhood and is very thorough about getting the building permits he needs.”
Braxton looked across the table at her. “How do you know that?”
“I stopped by to drop off some welcome-to-the-neighborhood chocolates just as she’d finished meeting with him.”
“You took her chocolates?” There was a hint of disdain in Stan’s voice which Braxton didn’t care for. Apparently Sophia noticed it, too.
“And I had lunch with her yesterday.” Sophia focused on Stan, not trying to hide the irritation in her voice. “Welcoming someone to the neighborhood is polite. I did the same thing when you moved to town. It’s how I met your wife, who I now consider a close friend.” She shifted her gaze to the rest of the table. “Also, Mildred would’ve wanted us to welcome her family member with the same open arms she extended to each one of us.”
Braxton couldn’t have said it better himself. He gave Sophia a slight nod of appreciation.
“Exactly, which brings us back to the task at hand.” He tapped the list he’d made. “These documents seem like a good place to start. The actual vote has to be done at a general HOA meeting that is open to all the residents, but it might be worth it to have Ms. Leclair and her contractor show us their plans.”
“Seems like a lot of work for one vote.” Stan sat back in his chair, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
Braxton had to agree with him on this point. It was a lot of work, and he had his doubts that the vote was going to be favorable for Millie. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t the right thing to do.
“I’ll take care of gathering the documents, and we’ll go from there.” Braxton made sure to add a tone of finality to his voice as he closed out the subject. As long as he was president, they were going to do things right, which meant Millie Leclair’s case was going to get a fair review.
However, she would need all her i’s dotted and t’s crossed, because he had a feeling that the HOA board wouldn’t have much grace.
…
“What’s wrong with you? You seem grumpy,” Henry said as he made his next move in his daily chess game with Braxton.
“I’m not grumpy. I just have a lot on my mind today.” He moved his bishop to f5 which Henry promptly captured.
“Whatcha thinking about that’s making you grumpy?”
Braxton shook his head. Lately, Henry said whatever thought popped into his mind, whether or not it would offend someone. More often than not, at least where Braxton was involved, it made him discuss things he’d rather not talk about. “If you must know, I’m thinking about Seascape.”
Henry’s eyes had the same blankness that had become increasingly more standard these days. “What’s Seascape?”
“It’s the name of the property next door to me. It used to be an inn run by Mildred Leclair.”
“I know Mildred. She’s…” His voice trailed off and a flicker of recognition lit up his eyes.
“She’s what?” Braxton abandoned the game and focused on his friend.
Henry stared off for another second, still lost in the memory that brought life to his eyes. A hint of a smile tugged at his mouth and he returned his attention to the game board. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”
Braxton chuckled and made his next move. “Mildred’s niece now lives in her house and she wants to reopen the inn.”
It would’ve been easy to avoid telling Henry that he was struggling with the decision about Millie’s request to overturn the no hotels rule. But the truth was the topic made him uneasy and he valued Henry’s advice.
“Mildred’s inn is one of the nicest in town. I could tell you some stories.”
“I know, I know, but I’m not old enough,” Braxton finished. “The thing is, there are rules now about having a business on the beach, especially hotels. They aren’t allowed.”
The blank stare returned and Braxton picked up on the signs of Henry’s building frustration. “Everyone is always changing the rules. Why don’t people just leave them the way they were? How is anyone supposed to focus on anything when the rules are always changing?”
“Sometimes new rules make things better.”
“And sometimes they complicate things.”
Braxton considered that. Did the new deed restrictions make things better for the neighborhood or more complicated? Having rules to keep property values high benefited all the residents, didn’t they? Opening the door to add hotels and vacation rentals on the beach would only bring more traffic and pollution, right? It would be a lot harder to protect their beaches when the people using them were always coming and going.
“In this case, I didn’t make the rule. It’s just my job to uphold it.” And to protect the best interests of everyone in the community.
Henry made his next move. “Then you better make sure the rule is worth upholding.”
Chapter Six
Demo day.
After a week of picking a contractor, deciding on materials, then working and reworking her budget to get everything in, it was finally time to get started on the actual work. Task number one was to rip everything out, which also happened to be the first project on her list to tackle on her own.
Millie had been excited to get started this morning. Those TV home reno shows always made demo day look like fun. Walls, cabinets, and disgusting old flooring popped right out, and the homeowners blissfully carried it all to the dumpster waiting right outside their door, looking as fresh and as made up as they did at the beginning of the segment. By the next commercial break, entire houses were cleared out and swept clean and no one had even broken a sweat. Easy breezy.
She could now confirm they were a bunch of liars.
For starters, her dumpster wasn’t anywhere near her front door. To toss her debris, she had to walk all the way down her 207-foot driveway without tripping to the perimeter of her property because apparently if she was intending to redo the driveway, the dumpster couldn’t be anywhere in the way of it.
Also, per the safety instructions on the do-it-yourself video she watched, she had to turn off all the power to the house in case she accidentally hit an electrical line. Meaning she hadn’t
even swung a sledgehammer yet, but sweat was dripping down her face, her torso, and other places that made it really uncomfortable to move with her clothes sticking. She’d spent forty-five minutes trying to open every window in the house, hoping the coastal breeze would help with the rising interior temp.
Now, covered in the dust from windows that hadn’t been touched in years and already sticky from the humidity, Millie stood in the first bathroom and stared at the step-by-step directions on the phone in her hand.
“They say start with the vanity. ‘Swing the sledgehammer upward at the underside of the vanity where it meets the wall.’” She stared at the spot it suggested and shrugged. “Sounds straightforward enough.” Plus, she really felt like hitting something. “Here goes nothing.”
She slid her phone in her pocket and pulled her safety goggles over her eyes. “Stay out there, Bear.”
The dog remained in the doorway, his gaze intently on her. Millie widened her stance, grabbed the heavy sledgehammer in both hands, and swung with all her strength.
The vanity didn’t move. In fact, other than chipping one of the tiles, it didn’t appear as if she’d done anything. She let go of the tool with one hand, letting it fall heavily to her side, and tried to wiggle the countertop. Nothing. Not even a shimmy.
With a deep breath, she tried again, this time swinging it upward at a different angle. Still nothing. “Seriously? All the things falling apart in this house, and this hideous gold tile is the one thing that’s indestructible?”
She wiped the sweat beading on her forehead with her sleeve, frustration building inside her, and got ready to swing again. Maybe third time was the charm. Or maybe the frustration was enough to give her super strength.
“Knock, knock! Anyone home?” The familiar voice made her pause.
Confused, Millie stepped out of the bathroom and peered around the corner into the grand foyer. There, standing right in the middle, was Sophia dressed in worn overalls with a blue bandana holding her dark hair back. Tessa was next to her, wearing work gloves. Both were holding buckets full of cleaning supplies.
Bear trotted over to greet them.
“Sorry, we tried ringing the doorbell, but it didn’t seem to be working so we let ourselves in,” Sophia said.
Millie stepped all the way into the open foyer area. “What are you girls doing here?” She tried to counterbalance her confusion with a friendly smile.
“We heard you were doing some demo work today and thought we’d stop by and lend a hand,” Tessa said as casually as if someone had just asked why she was at the mall.
“You came to help me with demo day?”
“Of course. That’s what we do in this town. We help each other.” Sophia nodded at the platter in her hand. “And we bring snacks. I brought my famous chocolate chip cookies.”
Millie took the treats. The sweet scent drifted up, triggering memories from her childhood summers at Seascape Inn. Also, they reminded her she hadn’t eaten breakfast yet.
“That’s so kind.” Millie broke one of the cookies in half and popped it in her mouth. “Thank you.”
“Where do you want us?” Tessa asked.
Millie motioned at the bathroom as she swallowed the bite in her mouth. “I’m starting in there, but ripping out the vanity is harder than I thought it’d be.”
Tessa pointed at Millie’s sledgehammer. “May I have a whack at it?”
“Be my guest.” Millie handed her the tool, but before she could follow the two women into the bathroom, the front door swung open again.
“Yoo-hoo!”
Millie spun around just in time to see Bonnie sweeping through the door with two men Millie hadn’t met yet following right behind her. Of course, all of them were dressed to work and carrying an assortment of tools.
“We haven’t missed it, have we?” Bonnie stopped in front of Millie and leaned her broom against the wall.
“Miss the demo? I just started on the first bathroom and there are six more to rip out.”
“Oh good. We can start on the next one. Which way?” Bonnie asked.
“All the guest rooms are upstairs. I guess we should start with the first room on the right?”
“Perfect.” Bonnie held up the tray of brownies in her hand. “And where should I put these?”
“I’ll take them for you. They look delicious.”
“It’s Mildred’s recipe. They’re still a bestseller at the café.”
“How thoughtful!” Millie resisted the urge to eat one right now. No one needed a brownie and a cookie for breakfast.
She’d just returned from putting the trays of treats in the kitchen when the front door opened again. Her lawyer and two young men he introduced as his sons walked in followed by her contractor and his wife.
It continued like that until her house was full of people from the community. All seven bathrooms were being ripped out at the same time while other people hauled out old furniture and carpets. Millie raced from room to room answering questions, pointing people in the right direction, and trying not to slow down long enough to let her emotions catch up with her. Because if she even stopped for one minute to fully process the magnitude of kindness surrounding her, she’d be reduced to a mess of grateful and overwhelmed tears.
She was coming down the stairs when Sophia walked in with an empty wheelbarrow.
“One bathroom vanity successfully removed.” She beamed at Millie. “The toilet is up next. You want to help us bag it?”
Millie clapped her hands together. “How did you know that’s the part I’ve been looking forward to?” She hurried down and followed Sophia into the half empty bathroom.
Tessa was on the floor unscrewing the water line. “It’s all unbolted and ready to go.” She draped the rusted hose over the toilet bowl and stood up.
Sophia moved to the front of the toilet where she could lift it up. “Is everything in here original to the house?”
“As far as I can tell.” Millie grabbed a plastic trash bag and squatted next to the toilet to slide it under the bottom as soon as the girls lifted it up. “Since the house was built in the early fifties I’m calling them antiques. It sounds more optimistic than old.”
“I like it. Are we ready to move this antique commode?” Sophia asked.
“My grandmother’s neighbor had an old potty in her front yard with flowers planted in it. So you have options. We could skip the dumpster and plop this guy right in the flower bed,” Tessa said.
Sophia stared at her with a slightly horrified expression. “A toilet? In her front yard?”
Millie giggled. “The HOA would love that.”
“So that’s a no to the potty planter?” Tessa grinned as she twisted the toilet so she could get a grip on the tank side.
“I think this antique is dumpster bound.”
Together, the three awkwardly carried it out and tossed it in with the other debris.
“Can I ask you a question?” Millie asked as they were walking back to the house, the muffled sounds of banging drifting through the air.
“Sure.” Sophia rubbed her work-gloved hands together to get rid of some of the dirt on them.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m very grateful for the help. I just don’t understand why people would give up their Saturday to rip out my old toilets.”
Tessa wagged her finger. “Antique toilets.”
Sophia smiled. “Two reasons. One, it’s the kind of town we are. I know you got off to a rocky start with the whole HOA zoning thing, but I think you’ll find that, in general, the residents of Summer Island are one big family.”
Millie swallowed around the sudden knot in her throat. “I’m getting that picture. What’s the second reason?”
“There’s not one person in town who Mildred didn’t help or who doesn’t have at least one happy memory of this place. I think we’re all eager to
give back to it.”
“That’s the truth. My first kiss was here. Out by the pool at one of the Valentine’s Dinner Dances Mildred used to do.” Tessa got a wistful look on her face. “Jeffery Stevens in eighth grade. I wonder what happened to him.”
“I sat at that dining room table and cried because the bank wouldn’t give me a loan to open my first shop. Mildred made me tea and helped me figure out a way to make it work without it.”
Another wave of regret swept over her. Aunt Mildred spent so much of her life helping and encouraging those around her. Even now she was indirectly helping Millie by providing a house full of people to support her. And Millie had never found the time to come out and visit her in her later years.
She sucked in a deep breath to try to ease the guilt that gnawed at her chest. The past couldn’t be changed, but she could make it her goal to carry on Aunt Mildred’s legacy. “She was an amazing lady.”
Tessa nodded. “She was. And now it’s your turn to be the amazing woman.”
Millie squared her shoulders, more determined than ever to make her dream of reopening the inn work. No way was she going to stand by and let some dumb HOA rule prevent the world from experiencing the kindness and encouragement that had become synonymous with Seascape Inn. “One more question. How did everyone know about this?”
Sophia and Tessa both chuckled as they jogged up the steps to the front porch.
“Oh, honey. This is small-town living at its finest. Everyone here knows about everything,” Sophia said.
“Welcome to Summer Island.” Tessa grinned.
…
The rest of the morning went quickly. The residents of Summer Island made a great demolition crew, and they had gotten further by eleven o’clock than Millie had expected to get by the end of the weekend.
Words couldn’t express how thankful she was to these strangers, so she decided to use food instead. Although, ordering lunch for so many people with an hour’s notice was no easy task. Luckily, Via Marco, the local Italian restaurant, could put together a baked ziti and salad lunch for twenty-five in less than an hour and they didn’t even mind delivering it so Millie could keep working.