“I have a little in savings that I could contribute.” Maddie glanced at Gina. Surely she had a ton of money and wouldn’t miss a few thousand if she invested it in the motel. But Gina remained silent, gazing out into the ocean as if she were oblivious to their financial situation.
Maddie turned to Jules and caught her watching Gina with a look of disgust. Jules had been wondering the same thing about Gina pitching in. Ugh. Maddie hoped that wouldn’t drive them further apart.
“I have some savings, too, I can pitch in,” Jules said. “Maybe we can pay ourselves back when we get the loan.”
“Another reason to hire Rose’s grandson. He’ll defer payment,” Gina said.
“Right. I’ll let Rose know.” Jules had put the three ladies’ contact information into her phone earlier. She pulled it out and messaged Rose.
“Thanks,” Maddie said.
“But eventually we’ll have to pay him.” Jules turned to Maddie. “So, what was your big idea to bring people to town that you were so excited about at the town meeting?”
Maddie’s spirits fell like a lead balloon. “That’s a bit of a problem. I don’t actually have an idea, yet, but I’m working on it.”
Jules patted her knee. “Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll think of something.”
Maddie was heartened by her cousin’s support. At first, she’d been afraid that their prior venture into motel running would make Jules not want to work with her, but she seemed to have let bygones be bygones, at least when it came to Maddie.
“Even when you do figure something out, it might not work. Not everyone seemed on board with fixing up the town,” Gina said.
“Some are skeptical, but I think we can change their minds.” Maddie refused to become pessimistic.
Jules’s phone dinged, and she looked at it. “That was Rose. Dex can start tomorrow if we want.” She looked up at her cousins questioningly.
Gina nodded. “Sure. Why not?”
Maddie shrugged, her optimism winning out over her caution. “Tell her to send him over first thing. What have we got to lose?”
Chapter Sixteen
Gina walked along the row of cars in the used-car lot and realized she had no idea what to look for in a car. Was she supposed to open the hood and check the engine? She just wanted one that was dependable and was at least somewhat as nice as what she was used to.
“Hello there. Can I help you?” A smiling woman in a black pantsuit was coming toward her from the door of the building.
Gina sighed. Hopefully she could talk her into taking her car and giving her some cash in return. “Hi.” Gina pasted a friendly smile on her face. “I was thinking about trading in my car for something less… flashy.”
The woman glanced back at the red Miata. “Nice car. I don’t know if we have anything up to that standard.”
“Oh, I don’t want anything flashy like that. I’d really just like something more practical.”
The woman gave her a quizzical look, as if puzzling out why someone would downgrade their car.
Gina leaned toward her, her expression serious. “Divorce.”
“Oh!” The woman’s right hand went to her left ring finger. She didn’t wear a ring, but Gina guessed she’d been divorced herself, judging by her reaction. “I totally understand. I’m Sheila Landry. You must be one of the women working on the Beachcomber.”
Gina stuck out her hand. “Gina Gallagher. Pleased to meet you.”
“Likewise. How are things going at the motel?” Shiela glanced out over the lot. “Uncle Bernie was at the town meeting, and he was excited about the changes in town. If we could get the people back…” She sighed and looked out over the lot. “Well, it would be good for all of us.”
“It sure would.” Gina hadn’t given much thought to the fact that an influx of tourists would benefit the other businesses in town. She’d mostly just been thinking about how it would help the Beachcomber, but she could see it was bigger than that. For the first time in a long time, she felt proud and hopeful to be a part of something that might impact others in a positive way.
“Anything here catch your eye?” Shiela gestured toward the rows of cars.
“I kind of like this blue one.” Gina didn’t even know what kind of car it was, but she liked the color, and the interior looked comfortable.
“That’s a Honda Accord, a really good car. It gets good mileage and is reliable.” Shiela spouted off some of the features of the car as she led Gina toward it. “It’s only two years old. It’s a really good buy.”
