Maddie’s instinct was to say no. She didn’t need his disorganized mess and annoying personality. But would the old paint cause them to get bad reviews about how the motel was outdated? “Maybe.”
“I’m sure he’ll be happy to defer payment again.” Jules frowned. “But seeing as I haven’t heard anything about the loan, maybe we shouldn’t.”
Maddie unzipped her suitcase and started putting her clothes away.
“It’s going to be weird bunking together in here,” Jules said from the bathroom.
Maddie glanced in to see that she’d cluttered up the sink with a toothbrush, hairbrush, and various lotions and bottles.
Maddie sighed. She was used to living by herself, and having Jules as a roommate was going to be trying, but she decided to put a positive spin on it. “It will be a challenge, but kind of like when we were kids and would stay with Gram. That used to be fun.”
Jules sat on the bed, bouncing a bit to test it out. “Fun? We’re not kids. But I guess we’ll make do.”
“We won’t be spending much time in here anyway. I think we’re going to be very busy fixing up the motel and tending to guests.”
“Yeah, we should probably come up with a plan to make it run smoothly,” Jules said.
Finished putting her clothes away, Maddie zipped up her suitcase and stowed it in the closet, then sat on the other bed facing her cousin. “Remember how we did it at the Surfstone? That process worked well.”
At the other motel, they’d divided up the work to suit their skill sets. Maddie had taken care of social activities and events along with finances. Jules had taken care of customer relations, checking people in and answering questions, and Gina had figured out the back-end logistics like cleaning and making sure they were stocked with linens and so on.
Jules made a face. “I don’t know. Gina isn’t the same person she was back then. Being rich might have dulled her enthusiasm for work.”
“Maybe, but seems like she’s coming around. Don’t you think?” Maddie asked.
Jules tilted her head to the left, as if considering the question. “I guess so. She did apply herself to making the pies, but I don’t know. I get the impression she might not be as committed to this motel as we are.”
Maddie had thought so, too, at first, but she was sure Gina was having a change of heart. And she sensed that Jules had also seen it. The relationship between the two of them was changing as well. If Maddie could just do something to push it in the right direction, she could fulfill her promise to her grandmother. And it wasn’t just about the promise. Maddie wanted the cousins to get along.
“Come on. Let’s go see how Gina is getting on in the storage room. We need to come up with a plan for renovating these rooms in time for the guests.”
Renovating the rooms, that was the perfect activity. Getting them ready in time would take close teamwork, and Maddie had an idea on how she could force Jules and Gina to take the next step in healing their relationship.
* * *
Gina was justfluffing the pillow on her bed when Jules and Maddie appeared in the storage-room door. The pillows and sheets had all been sealed in plastic bags and were as fresh as new. Leave it to Gram to think of everything. Her foresight and care of the items at the Beachcomber had saved them time and money.
“Knock knock.” Maddie came into the room and looked around. “Well, this looks homey.”
Gina stood back and smiled. She’d pulled the bed over to one side under the only window in the storage area and had put a pretty comforter on the bed. She’d even arranged some old brocade pillows to lean against the headboard for good measure. She’d pulled one of the shelves along the side to make a divider. It wasn’t like anything she was used to in her elaborate houses, but somehow it felt a lot more cozy and comfortable.
“This doesn’t look half bad,” Jules said.
“Thanks. How are things working out in your room?” Gina hoped they didn’t get any ideas about moving in with her.
“Fine,” Jules said noncommittally.
“It’s going to be fun,” Maddie chirped.
Jules turned away, pretending to inspect something on the shelves, but not before Gina caught her rolling her eyes. At least they were in agreement on the fact that Maddie’s optimism could get tedious at times.
“Now that everything is moving forward, we need to figure out how to get this place presentable before the baking-show people check in. I was hoping we could talk about that tonight.” Maddie pulled two chairs from a stack that had been in the corner of the room and sat them beside each other.
“Now? You don’t have your day planner,” Jules teased.
“Ha-ha.” Maddie pulled a notepad out of her pocket. “Don’t worry. I did come prepared. I figured we could talk while Gina finishes setting up her room.”
“Okay, we do need to make a plan.” Jules sat in the chair next to Maddie while Gina foraged on one of the shelves. She still needed some accessories to complete making her room feel like home.
