Joetta was a zombie. She didn’t fight Belinda’s plan and she didn’t rage against her husband’s edict not to see the girls.
She showered when Belinda told her to shower, she wore what Belinda laid out, she sipped coffee when it was in front of her, and she got on the plane.
Belinda didn’t know this person. This person was so far away from the vibrant baby sister she grew up with that it terrified her.
She didn’t say any of that to Joetta. Joetta was used to being dictated to these days. She was used to not taking charge of anything, it appeared.
Joetta slept the entire flight from Toledo to Tampa.
Belinda did not. Belinda silently rehearsed what she was going to tell their parents.
She had stuck up for Joetta to get the lawyer, and that was just the beginning. The era of Joetta being abroad was over. Joetta was coming home. And their parents were going to help. Even if it only meant opening a checkbook, not their hearts.
Twenty-Nine
Ali
She’d prepared a little send-off. Ali knew the Hafners and the Nobles were hitting the road at 9 a.m., so she made five “go bags” of coloring books and treats. She’d also printed out a couple of photos of the family frolicking on the beach that she’d snapped and put them in little frames. She made a note to check on getting custom frames with the Sea Turtle Resort logo on them.
No, Ali, bad Ali, that’s not what someone who’s going to SELL does.
It was hard to not plan improvements or stop her brain from coming up with hospitality ideas. That had been her career, and this place was tailor-made for her to do what she loved on a way more personal scale than Frogtown.
She found the Riveras back to work, doing their best to keep up. Jorge was supervising as Didi got to work on washing the linens for the next round of guests.
The booking calendar showed that they had two families again headed for the cottages, and Didi said they had fourfamilies booked for the next week, which was spring break for a lot of people.
“Unless?”
Didi knew that Patsy Gleaner had toured the resort.
“Look,” Ali reassured her, “I know we’re selling, but I wouldn’t dream of ruining a family’s hard-earned vacation.”
“That makes me so relieved. The Fromer family has been here every year since the pandemic. We’re so fond of them.”
“Of course. But the cottages, are they all up to snuff? I need to do an inventory to be sure they’re ready.” Ali had stepped into managing the resort almost seamlessly. She realized she wanted to be sure the guests were well taken care of—in a place she didn’t even know she owned until a few weeks ago!
“Have you considered staying?” Didi asked. “You’re good at this! Look at you, making sure they all have treats.” Didi pointed to the go bags Ali had made.
“Oh, I think it’s a lovely life here, but no. It’s not just me involved. My sisters are equal owners, and this is a lot of money to turn down.”
“I understand, I do. But you know, everyone who stays here becomes a member of the family. It will be tough to see that end.”
Didi looked a bit deflated at Ali’s answer, but other than that wistful moment, she didn’t push. It was clear that even if Ali hadn’t come along to sell, Jorge and Didi were going to have to really retire soon. It was too much to manage at their age. They’d done enough.
By nine a.m., Ali stood in the parking lot to help see off the Hafners and Nobles. She’d earned hugs from the little ones and gratitude from the moms for all the things she’d done to make the place special.
The moms had become her new friends in the short time they were here. Didi was right about that.
“I really hope you don’t sell,” Kerry Hafner said.
“You too? How’d you hear?”
“It’s Haven Beach gossip that you’ll sell. If so, it will probably be our last trip down here. There’s nothing this cute or affordable unless you book in July. But uh, July?”
She laughed. Ali figured the summer months would be a bear, weather-wise.
As she said goodbye to their guests, she was immediately caught in another hug.
