He wondered what Nick was telling her. Come to think of it, he had been acting a little secretive at the bank. Was Nick up to something? If so, Henry might have to pretend to be angry, but it wouldn’t last long. Because when it came down to it, he loved Nick more than anything, and he wasn’t going to let something like a silly loan put a rift in their relationship.
* * *
Gina stoodat the food table, plate in hand. Her gaze drifted over the bowls of salads, trays of appetizers, and plates of desserts. She’d never seen so much home-cooked food in one place. And the people seemed so proud of their creations, many of them oohing and aahing over each other’s dishes and exchanging tips and recipes.
She’d never really cooked when she was younger, and once she married Hugh, they’d had a personal chef. She got the impression she’d missed out, though. The proud expressions on people’s faces indicated that it was very satisfying to come up with a good dish.
Her gaze fell on the fruit kebabs she’d made with her cousins. They really did pale in comparison to the other offerings. Hugh’s hurtful words about her not having any skills ran through her mind. He wasn’t wrong. She couldn’t even cut fruit properly. But she could scrape paint off a house pretty well. At least she’d discovered that during their renovation.
“Those are some nice wheels you got there.” Rose came to stand beside her and picked a brownie off the tray. “I used to have one like that when I was young.”
They’d taken Gina’s Mazda to the town meeting, and the little red sports car was sitting in the parking lot, looking out of place among the Oldsmobiles and Toyotas. She did love that car, but unfortunately, she would have to sell it soon because her latest payments were past due. Maybe she could trade it in at the used-car lot in town for something much cheaper and walk away with a bit of cash.
“It’s a little much. I’m thinking of trading it in for something more practical now that we’re renovating the motel and everything,” she said to Rose, just so no one would think she had to sell it.
Rose nodded as she munched on her brownie. “How’s the renovation going?”
“Well, it’s funny you ask. We’re doing okay with the painting and scraping, but we discovered some rotted wood that made a big hole in the porch, and that’s a little bit beyond our skill set.”
“Oh, really? It just so happens my grandson is a very good carpenter. I could talk to him and see if he could take a look at it,” Rose said.
Gina frowned. “I don’t know. We don’t have any money to pay him.”
Rose’s gaze drifted to Jules and Nick, who were deep in conversation. “Well, it looks like you might be getting that loan soon. Besides, I’m sure Dex would be happy to defer payment.”
“Really?” Gina asked.
“Sure. He does it all the time for the townspeople, and this job is important.”
“That sounds like an option. I’ll talk to my cousins and see if they agree. When could he start?”
Rose looked quite pleased with the idea of Dex working at the motel. “I’m pretty sure he could start right away.”
Chapter Fourteen
Gina woke early the next morning to an email with another past-due bill for her car payment. She’d dreamt all night about making pies with her grandmother. She felt warm and comfortable cocooned in memories of rolling out the dough, making the filling, and adding the finishing touches. Not that she could do it on her own. She didn’t even know what ingredients to use.
Jules and Maddie were still asleep, so she made coffee and got settled in one of the wicker rockers on the front porch, carefully avoiding the big hole in the middle. The sun was shining. The birds were chirping. The coffee was adequate, though she much preferred the brew from the cafe in town. But sitting there on the porch, with the sun on her face and the waves crashing on the shore just below her, it felt like heaven.
The landscaping needed work, she thought as she sat rocking and sipping her coffee. Maybe some flowers in front, a few shrubs over by the stairs, and some bird feeders would really spruce the place up. People loved watching birds, and they would add a lively show. But she wasn’t going to be there that long. Eventually, someone would find Hugh, and she would get her money back. Wouldn’t she?
Except right then, it was the best place for her. It was free to stay, and her money was running out. She glanced at her car in the parking lot and wondered again how much she could get for it. Did used-car lots let people trade in a car worth more than the one they were buying?
She pulled out her phone to search but found herself looking at pies instead. She remembered yesterday when Jules had looked up recipes for the town meeting. Maybe she should look up recipes for pies.
The side door squeaked open, and Maddie came out. Gina put her phone facedown in her lap so Maddie couldn’t see what she’d been searching.
“Thanks for making the coffee.” Maddie slipped into the other rocker with her mug.
“You’re welcome. I wanted to go to the cafe, but I figured we wouldn’t have time. We should start working as soon as possible.” Gina stretched. Her muscles were a little sore, but it felt good to do real work.
Beside her, Maddie rocked silently, which was unusual because she was always chipperly chattering about something.
“Is something wrong?” Gina asked.
“Well, it’s just that I blurted out that bit about having an event in town that would bring people, and I really have no ideas on what that would be.” Maddie sipped her coffee and shrugged. “So I guess the pressure is on.”
Gina thought it would help to have an event that would bring people to town, but she didn’t have any clue as to what that might be. She probably wouldn’t even be there by then.
