“Started right before Rena left,” Leena observed. “At first I thought she was going to be the thing that perked him up after his grief from his wife passing, but apparently that wasn’t meant to be.”
“I wonder what really happened between them. They were such good friends. I thought they might become more.” Pearl’s voice was wistful.
“Oh well, water under the bridge now and so long ago that doesn’t excuse him for ignoring us and letting our friendship die out,” Leena said.
“True, but still, maybe we should make the first overture.” Rose’s thoughts drifted back two years before. All of them except Rena had lived in Shell Cove their entire lives, and they’d been close to Henry at one time.
Rena had moved in later, when she bought the Beachcomber after her husband died. It hadn’t taken her long to fit into the group of locals, though, and she and Henry had had a special relationship, or at least Rose had thought it was special. Now most of the old gang was gone, which was why it might be important to reconnect with Henry.
“That might be nice,” Pearl said.
“He’ll probably just tell us to beat it,” Leena said. “His pretentious Cadillac isn’t in the executive lot. Let’s go deposit our Social Security checks before he gets here. I’m in a good mood and don’t need him bringing me down today.”
Chapter Twenty
Maddie liked Cassie, so she stood at the counter to sip her coffee so they could chat. She wanted to get her take on the town and see if she had any ideas for events that could bring people back to Shell Cove.
Their chat was interrupted when a fortyish-year-old woman in a power suit came rushing in, barking into her phone. “How could they just pull the permit from us? We have a show to put on!” The woman frowned as she listened to the answer. “No, we need a seaside town. We already have the advertising paid for and lined up with graphics of oceans and beaches.”
Apparently, the woman was putting on some sort of event that needed a seaside town, and it sounded like she just had her venue canceled. Maddie was all ears.
The woman’s voice became more exasperated as she spoke. “It’s too late to get another town to take us on. You know how long it takes those boards to meet and decide.” She sighed, her eyes drifting about as she sniffed the air. “Though, this one does have a cute cafe shop and smells like decent coffee.” The woman glanced over at Cassie and mouthed, “Café Americano.”
Cassie got right to work.
“I don’t know. The town is a bit dilapidated. I don’t know the name of it. Shell something …” The woman let her voice trail off.
“Shell Cove,” Maddie supplied. “And it’s not really dilapidated. We’re in the middle of renovating it.”
The woman’s gaze flicked from the street to Maddie. She spoke into the phone. “I’ll call you back later, Evie.”
“Sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear.” Maddie stuck out her hand. “Maddie Montgomery.”
The woman responded with a firm handshake. “Marilyn Bryant.”
“Sounds like you have some trouble finding a town to host your event.” Cassie slid the cup of dark brew across the counter to Marilyn. “It’s on the house.”
“Thanks.” Marilyn took a sip and closed her eyes. “Delicious.” She opened them again and sighed. “I run theGreat New England Baking Contestshow. Maybe you’ve heard of it?”
Heard of it? Maddie was a big fan. “Yes, I watch it all the time. Oh, you’re having a contest here in a town on the coast?”
“Yeah, it’s called Pie in the Sky.” Marilyn laughed. “It’s about pies, naturally. Anyway, we were supposed to start filming next week in Birch Bay, but I’m suddenly finding out that something went wrong, and the town is not allowing the filming. We have everything set, our contestants lined up, and now no place to have the contest.”
“So you’re looking for another coastal town?” Maddie felt her heartbeat pick up speed.
“Yeah, well, one who can pull it together on short notice.” Marilyn took another sip of her coffee.
“We can,” Maddie blurted. “I’m in charge of event planning here in Shell Cove, and we can approve it really quickly.”
She glanced at Cassie, who was just staring at her behind the counter.
Marilyn looked out into the street, her expression doubtful. “Well, we usually set up somewhere more quaint.”
“Oh, we can be quaint. Don’t let those boarded-up windows fool you. Like I said, we’re in the midst of renovating, and that’s just part of it. We’ll have it all spruced up by next week. We could speed it up for your schedule, though.” Maddie hoped she didn’t sound overeager, but she couldn’t help the excitement bubbling up inside her.
That could be their big break. It was perfect. The event would attract a lot of people. The television show would put their name on the map, and they wouldn’t have to pay a dime for advertising.
“You can?” Marilyn took another sip of coffee and looked to Cassie for verification of Maddie’s claim.
