Sally reached across the table and squeezed Winnie’s hand.Her fingers were warm and slightly sticky from the scones.“You’ll help them figure it out.You always do.”
“I’m not sure they’ll listen to an old woman’s advice.”
“Old woman.”Sally snorted.“You’ve got more sense in your little finger than most people have in their whole body.And they know it.Why do you think everyone ends up on your porch eventually?”
She smiled.“Because I make good tea?”
“Because you see people.”Sally leaned back in her chair.“You see what they need before they know they need it.Always have.”
The compliment sat awkwardly in the room.She’d never been comfortable with praise.Easier to deflect and move on.
“Another scone?”she offered.
Sally laughed.“Nice try.But I’m serious, Win.Those two are lucky you’re watching out for them.”
“I’m just a landlord.”
“You’re family to half this town.Don’t pretend you’re not.”
She looked down at her tea.The surface rippled slightly.Her hand wasn’t as steady as it used to be.Getting old was a series of small betrayals.The body giving out in increments.Yet, some days she looked in the mirror, surprised the forty-year-old Winnie wasn’t looking back at her.
“Linda told me something else,” Sally said.Her voice had shifted, more careful now.“George Morton was in town again yesterday.He was asking questions about the festival.Wanted to know what the attendance numbers were like.”
Winnie’s spine straightened.“Really?Poking around town?”
“He seemed very interested in whether the festival was financially viable.”Sally’s eyes narrowed.“You know what that means.”
“It means Oceanside Development is still circling.”
“Like sharks.”
She set her teacup down.The china clinked against the saucer.“They’ve been after this property for years.The answer is still no.”
“I know that.You know that.But if they can prove the festival isn’t sustainable, they’ll use it as evidence that the whole waterfront needs to be redeveloped.”Sally’s mouth pressed into a thin line.“They’ll go after Bryan’s dock, then the other fishing families.Before you know it, Starlight Shores will be nothing but resort hotels and yacht clubs.”
“Not while I’m still breathing.”
“That’s my girl.”Sally grinned.“But it means Cassidy and Bryan need to make this festival work, for more reasons than they realize.”
She nodded slowly.The stakes were higher than a simple community celebration.This was about survival and keeping Starlight Shores authentic in the face of developers who saw only profit margins and property values.
“Does Bryan know?”Winnie asked.
“About Morton?Probably.Word has it Morton has already talked to Bryan.But he’s got so much on his plate already.”Sally sighed.“That boy needs to let someone help carry the load, even if it’s someone he doesn’t like very much.”
“Surely he doesn’t dislike Cassidy.”
“Could’ve fooled me after yesterday’s fireworks.”
“He’s afraid of her,” Winnie said.“She represents everything he thinks he’s failed at.”
Sally considered this.“And what’s she afraid of?”
“Herself.What she might become if she stops running.”Winnie reached for another scone.“She’s afraid that if she slows down long enough to feel, she’ll realize how empty she is.”
Sally shook her head.“You really think they can find their way through all that?”
“I think they don’t have a choice.The current’s already pulling them together.They can fight it, or they can learn to swim.”
