“Right. We don’t want to be the only ones.”
“Might not matter after what we discovered.” Jules’s reference to the hole Maddie had made when she’d stepped too hard on the boards on the front porch elicited a sinking feeling.
“Don’t worry about that,” Maddie said, determined to put up an optimistic front, even though she wasn’t quite feeling that way on the inside. “A little rot is to be expected, and we’ll be getting funds to fix it soon anyway.”
Jules looked skeptical, but then her gaze drifted to something behind Maddie. “The welcome-wagon ladies are here. I suppose we should go in.”
Maddie turned to see Rose waving at them from across the parking lot. She was cradling an old-fashioned bowl with blue stripes in her arms. Pearl and Leena were beside her, Pearl with a cake container and Leena with a deviled egg plate similar to the one Maddie remembered from old family cookouts.
“Hi, girls! What did you bring?” Pearl rushed over, her focus on the tray in Maddie’s hand, which Maddie wished she could hide.
“Fruit kebabs.” Maddie tried to infuse pride into her voice.
Pearl’s smile faltered. “Fruit kebabs? Well, I suppose fruit is good for you.”
All three of the welcome-wagon ladies were standing there, looking at the plate with various expressions of disappointment. Maddie couldn’t blame them.
“Let’s go in. I want to get things started.” Rose led them toward the meetinghouse. It was an old building, typical of New England meetinghouses, with dozens of layers of white paint, tall windows flanked by green shutters, and a double-door entrance.
Maddie guessed it dated to the mid-eighteen hundreds and still had its original charm. The creaky wooden floorboards were full of scrapes and scars. The ceiling soared twenty feet above them. Metal folding chairs were arranged in neat rows, and a series of folding tables covered in white paper tablecloths were set up in the back. People were congregating around the tables, where one woman was directing the food placement.
Maddie surveyed the food table with its assortment of salads, baked goods, and finger sandwiches all on fancy plates and wrapped in Saran Wrap. She slid the plate next to a tray of chocolates and stood back.
The welcome-wagon ladies introduced Maddie and her cousins to some of the townspeople. Many of them had known Gram, and Maddie appreciated their condolences and kind words about her grandmother. Maddie had a hard time keeping track of all the people. Cassie, the owner of Ocean Brew, which made the fantastic coffee, Deena from Saltwater Sweets, Belinda from the town hall, Lorna, who owned the garden shop.
Maddie noticed Jules wave to a handsome man on the other side of the room.
“Who is that?” Maddie asked.
“Who? That guy?” Jules shrugged. “That’s just the guy from the bank. His name is Nick.”
“You didn’t tell us he was hot,” Gina said.
“I didn’t notice.” Jules feigned indifference, but Maddie could tell from the way she was blushing that shehadnoticed.
Up at the podium, Rose clapped her hands. “Everyone, find a seat. It’s time to get started!”
Murmurs of conversation were replaced by the sound of scraping chairs as everyone took their seats.
“First, I’d like to welcome Maddie, Jules, and Gina to town. Most of you have met, I think. They’re Rena’s granddaughters, and they’re going to get the Beachcomber up and running.”
Some turned and smiled. Others nodded.
“Won’t help. No one comes to town anymore,” a man with thick white hair grumped from the back.
Leena twisted around in her front-row seat to address the man. “We’re fixing to change that, Dwight. Stop being so negative.”
“He does have a point,” Deena from Saltwater Sweets piped in. She wasn’t nearly as grouchy as Dwight, though, and her soft, sweet voice didn’t sound as negative. She looked apologetically at Maddie, Jules, and Gina.
Maddie guessed her to be in her early sixties, though her blond chin-length bob gave her a youthful appearance.
“I don’t want you girls to be disappointed,” Deena continued.
“Yeah, but touristscouldcome here,” Cassie said. “Our town has potential. It’s not that far off the main highway, and the scenery is gorgeous.”
“Not the main street. That’s a dump.” The comment came from a purse-lipped woman who Rose had introduced as Constance Harbinger.
Maddie seemed to recall the woman presided over some sort of committee in town. Hopefully she wouldn’t ever need her approval for anything to do with the motel.
