“Only six rooms?”
“And the penthouse.”
“Gotcha.”
An open-air walkway connected the rooms, each of which appeared to have its own little balcony.
“We struggle sometimes because the big places have kitchens and laundry inside, and on and on. Our units have a bedroom, a mini fridge, and a bathroom. We’ve got doubles and singles, so a family could stay, but, well. Maybe bigger is better for some?”
“Bigger is more expensive,” Ali commented. Maybe that was the problem. They couldn’t charge much if they didn’t offer much.
“Here, this room is a good example of Sea Turtle Inn’s offerings.”
Didi used an old-fashioned key and opened the door to the room. It was odd, these days, to check in and have a key instead of a card. Ali hadn’t seen a hotel room key in years, she realized.
The room was warm, too warm.
“Oh darn it all.” Didi walked over to the wall where an ancient-looking air conditioner sat quietly.
Didi clicked the knob on and off and on. Then she hit the side with a surprisingly strong whack. The unit responded with a humming noise and a squeak that sounded as if the thing was powered by a hamster running on a wheel inside the panel.
“Why don’t I open the window?” Ali walked to the end of the room and opened the drapes, which were yellowed and out of style by at least fifteen years.
She pushed them open, and the gorgeous view took her breath away.
“Wow, just wow.”
The sun was high; the sky, pure blue, with not a cloud in sight. And the beach stretched out as far as she could see. There was a little balcony, enough for maybe two chairs and a coffee table, but there was nothing on it at the moment.
Ali stepped out and took the view in.
“It’s the money shot! All of the rooms have this view, which makes us unique. For some reason Jorge says I should not call it the money shot, something inappropriate. Anyway, itisthe money shot.” Didi laughed at herself, and Ali couldn’t help chuckling, too.
“You’re not wrong, it’s impressive.”
It was hard to believe that the place wasn’t completely booked all the time when you took into consideration that all six rooms were ocean view.
Ali scanned the outside of the building from this new angle. Was the roof in need of repair? She saw some water damage on the exterior of the building. She bounced a little on the balcony,all of a sudden wondering if the thing was safe. It didn’t give, not even a tiny bit. That made her feel a little better. There were things in disrepair, neglect even, but Jorge’s long convalescence explained a lot of it.
“I’m sure we could use some sprucing up.” Didi looked a little sheepish, but Ali felt an impulse to defend her. To bolster her.
“Nonsense, this place is charming! You’re doing a wonderful job.”
Ali had realized that now, technically, she was the boss. She didn’t want the elderly couple to feel bad about their work. Especially seeing as they’d had some challenges lately.
Didi smiled back at her and reached out to squeeze her hand. “You’re a glass half full gal, I like that. Me too.”
They finished the tour, and Ali saw the appeal, over and over, of the little hotel. But she also could hear someone like Ted complaining about modern amenities, as he often did when they took family vacations.
“Now, I love the hotel section, don’t get me wrong,” Didi gushed, “but the Sea Turtle Beach Cottages? Oh, they’re my favorite.”
Didi continued to list the attributes of the Sea Turtle Resort, and Ali listened. She peppered the older woman with a question now and then, but mostly, she let Didi regale her with stories.
“There’s a story that Frank Sinatra stayed in the penthouse once. And someone has a picture of it. But, of course, that’s just a fun story.”
“Wow. Okay.” Ali could almost see the place back in the ‘50s or ‘60s. Too bad it was shellacked over with the ‘80s. The rooms were simple but all you needed. The vacation was outside, not in.
Didi continued. “One year, when Hurricane Hamish came through, this was a little lake. But don’t worry, we, guests included, baled and baled, and within the week, we were back inbusiness! That’s the thing, people who stay here come back. It’s their oasis away from home. Or, well, it was.”
