She stood in the doorway of Ever-SOL-Pops. She’d opened that shop when she was in high school. Most people didn’t even realize that the Pops in the company name was a play on her nickname for her grandfather, since he’d funded the whole start-up business. They just assumed it was for the product; the scrumptious ice pop recipes she’d perfected over two summers without ever realizing she was building something that would go on to last for years.
She and Pops together had built the sign that still hung above the door too. She’d drawn up the design to look like it was made from giant Popsicle sticks. He sawed and planed and mitered boards to look just right and then used a router with expert precision to cut out the letters just as she’d drawn them. She remembered standing at his side as the wail of that router screamed against the wood, leaving the perfect image behind. It had been such an exciting time. She and Nana had painted the sign using colors as vivid as the sweet treats she’d be selling. Each year at the end of the summer, they applied a new coat of clear to protect it. She still had that task on the season-shutdown checklist for the kids who were awarded the use of the popsicle stand to earn money for school. It still looked bright and cheerful.
The sign over Nana’s shop, however, had broken free from its spot. The huge turquoise sign lay on the dock like it had passed out from too much to drink last night.
She lifted the edge of it with her foot then picked it up and leaned it gently against the side of the building. A part of the roof had peeled back over SandD’s Gift Shop. Too bad it hadn’t been the other way around. If the roof had been damaged over Ever-SOL-Pops, there wouldn’t have been any problem. The only things in there were two freezers, and those were kept unplugged and covered up during the offseason.
Mother Nature rarely played fair though.
Nana and Pops had met on this pier. Love at first sight. This old pier was as much a part of her family tree as her cousins were.
She went inside the gift shop, but Nana seemed to have already cleared out most of the ruined inventory. Her hopes for a bounty of goodies to fill a few shelves were dashed pretty quickly. She walked back outside and held what was left of the sign against her, hugging it like an old boyfriend. The old weatherworn teal plank had seen dozens of hurricanes and winter storms, even that fire back in 1979.
Her heart felt as dark as a cloudy night sky. She might have spoken out of turn when she touted that the shops on the pier would be repaired and reopened this season. From the looks of things, she had a much bigger job in front of her than she’d thought.
She carried the sign back toward the beach. Ducking under the caution tape, she slid the sign under and pulled it behind her, with it thump thumping thumping with every bounce against the uneven decking boards.
Once on the sand, it was easier to drag, but she was worried about the pier. Losing it would be like losing an old friend.
It seemed like everything she knew about Sand Dollar Cove had somehow changed. Some for the better, like Pam’s spa, but mostly not, and that was making her feel incredibly down. She really hadn’t expected to feel this way, but then she hadn’t expected to be faced with so much change either.
She dragged the sign behind her, like so many memories that she couldn’t bear to leave behind. For a moment she thought about all those years ago when she’d lain on the beach for hours a day just waiting while Holden surfed every wave.
The sound of someone jogging up behind her made her turn to say hello, but it wasn’t a jogger after all. It was Holden, like just thinking about the man had made him appear. And it wasn’t like he was dressed for a jog.
Damning herself for thinking about him, she pushed her hair behind her ear and forced a smile. “Hi, Holden. What are you doing down here?”
“Thought I might catch up with you.”
“Really.”
He shrugged. “You mind?”
“No.” That’s what Nana would call an outright lie.
“Let me get that for you.” He grabbed the sign and hoisted it under his arm like a surfboard.
That only intensified the déjà vu. “Thanks.”
“Too bad about the pier.”
“I didn’t realize it had suffered that much damage. I’d seen the pictures on television. I thought it was mostly the decking that had gotten swept away, but even the piling and beams are a mangled mess.”
He nodded slowly. “It’s substantial.”
“I started a Buy A Board campaign way back after the first storm of the season. I raised enough money to fix the damage to the stores and the railing at the ramp, but if the pier doesn’t reopen…what good will that do? It doesn’t look like they’ve made much progress.”
He seemed to be staring at her, like he hadn’t heard a word she’d just said, and that made her feel a little weird.
“It’s good to see you. You haven’t changed a bit.”
“Sure I have. That was a long time ago.”
“Not that long ago.”
She tried to play it off with a shrug and picked up her pace. But she’d be lying if she didn’t admit that she remembered everything like it was yesterday. Even the way his mouth had felt, tasted, when he’d kissed her the very first time under the moonlight near the second piling of the pier. She’d been nervous with her grandparents just above them in the shop. It had been like riding a wave on the morning of a hurricane. Risky, maybe even a little reckless, but exhilarating.
“You cut your hair. I like it.”
She touched her hair, remembering how he’d always run his fingers through it. “You always liked it long.”
“It suits you. So is your partner covering for you while you’re in town?”
How did he know she had a partner?
“People talk,” he said as if he could read her mind.
“He’ll cover me. I haven’t been down here in too long.”
“So, then you’re going to be sticking around for a couple weeks?”
“I think so. It’s time I helped Nana get moved into a smaller place that she can manage. The stairs are tough on her, and Lord knows there are way too many of them in that huge beach house.”
“Are you gonna sell the Sol~Mate?”
“We haven’t gotten that far. Could always rent it out, but then that old house is getting up in years too. Not going to be long before she starts requiring some significant updating.”
“True. Well, if you decide to sell we’ve been having pretty good luck moving properties lately. But I guess you know that. I heard you’re in real estate.”
“I am,” she nodded. “Still licensed here in this area too.”
“I’d love the chance to take you out to dinner.”
That seemed to have been lobbed from left field. She hesitated.
“We have an awesome new seafood joint just up the road now. I’m making a little more money nowadays than I was back before college.” He laughed. “I’ll take you for something better than a Tony’s Hot Dog.”
“I loved those hot dogs. He isn’t still open, is he?”
“Moved to the next town over to be closer to his mom, but hey, if it gets you to say yes, I’ll spring for the road trip for a hot dog instead the swanky restaurant.”
“I’ll take you up on the hot dog. Chili and cheese.”
“Just like old times.”
His perfect smile made her nervous. “I guess that means you’ll still be getting double onions.”
With a laugh he said, “You better believe it.”
Elli pointed to the old building on the cove that used to be her grandfather’s workshop. “Let’s put the sign over there.”
Holden followed her to the side door. “I remember an interesting evening or two here.”
She punched the code in the door, opened it and flashed him one of those watch-it-buster looks.
“What’s all this?”
“All the boards sponsored for the pier shop repairs. They just delivered them the other day. I told you I’d done pretty well with it. This is the h
aul. I’ve got someone here to start personalizing them with the names of the sponsors.” She walked over to the workbench. “This looks awesome.” She tilted the board up. “Look. This is going to be great.”
He set the sign down on top of one of the bundles of lumber then walked over to where she was standing. “How many of those do you have to personalize? Fifty? A hundred?”
She sputtered. “Try hundreds with an S. Nearly every one of these will be personalized.”
He blinked but didn’t say another word. Probably thankful she hadn’t asked him to help, and he sure didn’t look like he was getting ready to offer anyway.
“Thanks for carrying that.”
“My pleasure.” He followed her out, and she tested the door to be sure it had closed and locked then headed toward the beach.
“I forgot how great this part of the beach was.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and took a jump back as the tide licked up toward his shoes. “The cove was always the best part. Maybe because it was always shut down from the public.”
“To save the sand dollars.” She dug her toes in the sand, and no less than a half-dozen tiny young sand dollars surfaced. “Don’t need saving now. Look at ’em all.”
He stooped down and put one in the palm of his hand. “I bet most people don’t even know what a live sand dollar looks like. Heck, they might not know they were ever living creatures to begin with.”
She shrugged. “Possible, I guess.” She took the tiny creature from his hand and laid it back in the wet sand.
“I guess I’ll head back. It was really good seeing you.”
She watched him walk away. There were still a lot of emotions stacked up with that baggage.
CHAPTER FIVE
Elli had spent most of the morning working up the listing to put Sol~Mate on the market. The comps looked promising. At least that was going their way, only finding the perfect place wasn’t going to be easy. There weren’t that many places for sale in the cove. Especially not when you started trying to find something without a lot of stairs. But right now she and Nana were enjoying their time together as they sat side by side in massage chairs at the Carolina By The Sea Resort and Spa receiving pedicures.
“How’s that feel?” Pam stood in the doorway holding crystal flutes filled to the top with sparkling mimosas. “I brought y’all a little treat.”
“Oh, Pam. You are going to spoil us,” Elli said.
“That’s the plan.”
Nana took a glass and lifted it to her lips. “Delightful, dear.”
“You deserve it, Nana.” Pam sat down in the chair on the other side of Elli. “You too,” she said to Elli. “Wish I could spoil you into sticking around.”
“Must be nice to be able to sit in these chairs whenever you like.” Elli reached over and pushed the button to start the massage mechanism in Pam’s chair.
“You can. Just pop on in whenever you have time. I wish I had more time for it myself. I’m glad y’all took me up on a visit today. Monday is always our slowest day of the week. I personally think it’s nicer when it’s quiet.”
“But a bustling business is the sound of money,” Elli said.
“I’ve been really lucky. A lot of the other businesses around here are struggling. I would be too if I’d kept this to just a little day spa. It’s exhausting sometimes, but I knew it when I got to the point that I needed to go big or go home.”
“You need to hire more help.”
“I have. I’ve tripled my staff over the past five years.”
“You need more management staff so you can take some time off. If I know you, you probably have your hand in every single tick of the clock around here.”
“Guilty as charged.” Pam swiped the glass of champagne from Elli’s hand and took a sip, then handed it back. “I would hire someone if I could get someone like you to come work with me. Why don’t you move back and partner with me. We’d have so much fun, and you’re the smartest businesswoman I know.”
“I couldn’t stay cooped up all day. Not my style. Plus you wouldn’t want me working while on a mimosa buzz. I’d be a maniac.”
“Fine. Then come back and just rent a space from me for your office. You could work from here and just dawdle in the Charlotte market instead of vice-versa.”
“That’s a great idea, Pam. Listen to her, Elli. She’s one smart cookie.” Nana took another sip of the mimosa. “I think this is something anyone could get used to, Elli. Even you. Maybe we should look for a place at this end of the beach so I can treat myself to this once in a while.”
“Nana’s thinking of moving?” Pam’s look of surprise was probably the first of many that Elli would see as people found out they were going to sell Sol~Mate.
“We’ve been talking, and Nana thinks a little bungalow with no stairs will be the way to go for this phase in her life. If we sell Sol~Mate, she’ll have plenty of extra money for fun little getaways and spa days like this.”
“I’m going to like this very much,” Nana said with a tipsy grin. It looked like the mimosa was already tickling her. “I might become a frequent flyer here.”
Pam clapped her hands. “This is so exciting! I’ll give you a deal on a season pass. You can come as often as you like.”
“Sounds divine.” Nana wiggled her freshly painted toes. “I’m thinking with toes as pretty as these, it’ll be flip-flop weather year round.”
Pam’s eyes brightened. “You know, I might just have the perfect person to look at Sol~Mate. He was just in here the other day. He was here to meet someone for lunch, and we chatted while he waited for her. Said he’s been looking for a place around here. Something kind of secluded. Sol~Mate would be perfect. I don’t know what his budget is, but he was driving a pretty hot car. So maybe he can afford it. I’ll give him your number.”
“Do that. I’d love to start showing it as soon as possible. I figure we’ll have to move quickly if I want to use the summer rental option as a selling point.”
“Is he single?” Nana asked.
“Yes. I believe he is,” Pam said with a teasing glance in Elli’s direction.
“Good, then tell him about the house and about Elli. It’s about time Elli found a man and settled down. Preferably here in Sand Dollar Cove.”
“Whatever you say, Nana,” Elli said with a smile. And wouldn’t it be nice to be the age that you could pretty much do or say anything you like and get away with it.
Oh yeah, someday she’d be like that…but for now, she had a lot of things to deal with. The first being to start the hunt for a new place for Nana and getting Sol~Mate cleared of more than fifty years of accumulated clutter.
***
The next morning, Elli got up with the sunrise. Something she hadn’t done in months. Maybe years. Maybe since she’d lived here in Sand Dollar Cove. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and opened the curtains.
This view begged to be on a postcard. Every part of the day brought something a little different. The tide changed the very angle and landscape of the sandy beach, and this morning the sunrise was reflecting a thousand little sparkles back at her. It looked like she could walk all the way out to the fiery sun and ride it into the sky.
Mornings were always magical in Sand Dollar Cove, and there’d been a time when Elli couldn’t imagine starting her days anywhere else but here. Being here just a short while, she felt the pull of nature. This was where her heart was. It was where everything she’d ever loved had ever started…or stopped.
She poured a cup of coffee and tippy-toed past Nana, who was snoring softly on the couch. Nana looked pretty comfortable, but it kind of broke her heart to see her looking like a stranger borrowing a nap on the couch in her own house.
With the door pulled tight, she held the screen until it closed…quietly…and hiked to the beach.
The brisk morning air nipped at her nose. She pulled her hood up over her ears and plunged her hands deeper into her pockets, moving with ease through the sand toward the pier. Not for any partic
ular reason, except that it was what she used to do every morning. It had been her routine for years. Her shoes were already filling with sand, but she didn’t mind. It felt good to push her muscles; no treadmill would ever be like walking in the sand.
Dolphin played along the shoreline like a Zumba class tempting her to join in. Gulls squawked in their wake, boisterous, maybe hoping to share the fish the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin snacked on as they journeyed along the coast. Must be nice to eat and exercise at the same time.
Halfway to the pier her coffee was gone and her stomach was growling. It was a bit of a hike from the Sol~Mate to the Sunrise Breakfast Shop, but she’d been in the mood for one of their amazing breakfasts ever since she’d rolled into town. Since she was up early, why not treat herself? Once she passed the pier it was only another ten-minute walk.
She turned up from the shore to the beach road. The Sunrise Breakfast Shop was as busy as she’d remembered it. The sound of the metal utensils clanging against the cooktop sounded like an inviting promise of something Southernly and tasty as she took a seat at the counter.
A waitress placed a heavy white ceramic mug in front of her and filled it to the top with coffee without bothering to ask. “Know what you want, sweetie? Or you need a menu?”
“I’ll have the Cove Cadillac and orange juice please.”
The woman snickered. “You’re from around here. Don’t recognize you though.”
“You’re right. I’m Sandy Eversol’s granddaughter.”
“Elli? Oh gosh, you sure have grown up. How are your folks doing?” the waitress asked.
“Good. They’re still living up in Virginia.”
“Always did enjoy them. Glad to hear they’re doing well.” She scrawled on the paper. “They don’t call it the Cove Cadillac anymore. Someone came in and renamed everything last year. That’s the Beachcomber Breakfast now.” She flipped her pencil against the order pad. “Whatever. It didn’t change anything. Still two eggs scrambled with cheese, two strips of bacon below that and two biscuits for wheels, and the gravy road.”
“That’s it. As long as it tastes like it always did, I don’t care what they call it.”
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