“Really? All the hotels have white bedding now. It looks chic and is easy because it’s the same for every room.” Gina wondered why she’d said anything.
Jules made a face. “But we don’t want to be like the other hotels. We want a theme. That’s what Gram always had.”
“Well, I don’t think we have enough money for a theme. White is crisp and easy.” Gina felt herself getting angry. It was always the same thing with Jules, her way or the highway. That was exactly what had happened before and, in Gina’s opinion, was one of the reasons why they’d gone under at the Surfstone.
Jules was getting angry too. She crossed her arms over her chest. “We’re not sacrificing quality and our brand to save some money. Those are the kinds of things that people will talk about to their friends, and that brings more business into the motel.” She huffed.
Gina took a deep breath, ready for the usual argument.
“You guys, we can do both! Jules is really good at picking out the items, and, Gina, you’re good at figuring out where to put them.” Maddie, ever the referee, tried to smooth things over. “Let’s not argue about it now. We don’t even know what we have to work with. Speaking of which, I made a list of some tasks. I think we should prioritize them. A lot of them will just require elbow grease, and we can get started right away.”
Elbow grease? Gina wasn’t used to that. She hadn’t done much manual labor in years. She wasn’t really good at it. Just like Hugh had said, she didn’t have many skills. But still, Maddie had just said she was good at figuring out how to arrange rooms. Was that true, or had Maddie just said that to stop the argument from escalating?
It was best to just play along. Hopefully she wouldn’t be there long enough to have to do any of the work. She was much better at luncheons and day spas, not painting or kitchen work. Her eyes strayed to the rolling pin. But since she didn’t have the money for luncheons and day spas, it might not hurt to try her hand at some more practical endeavors.
Chapter Seven
Jules sat in the passenger seat of Rose’s old Dodge Dart. She’d offered to ride in the back, but the welcome-wagon ladies had insisted that guests sat in the front.
Rose, Pearl, and Leena were dressed more casually that day in capri pants and cotton shirts. It was a hot day, and the sun beating through the window heated up the car, but the older ladies seemed to enjoy the warm temperature, so Jules didn’t ask Rose to blast the air conditioning.
As they drove down Main Street, Rose pointed out the various businesses.
“This one over here is Saltwater Sweets shop. That’s owned by Deena Walters. Been in her family for generations.” Rose pointed to one of the few shops that was open.
Jules could see someone inside making a purchase at an old-fashioned cash register. The window had a haphazard display of chocolates, and the exterior looked like it needed some attention.
“Poor Deena. She lost her husband a few years back, and as you can see, the business has been going to ruin.” Leena pressed her lips together and shook her head.
“I heard she got a new boyfriend.” Pearl sounded optimistic.
Rose glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “Really? I saw her at the market with a tall, thin guy. She was smiling. Guess that must be him.”
Pearl nodded. “I did too. They seemed quite smitten with each other. Though there may be trouble with her daughter, Samantha.”
Leena’s left brow quirked up. “What kind of trouble?”
Pearl waved her hand. “Oh, you know, Samantha doesn’t trust the new guy. Same stuff everyone goes through at our age. But I heard he might invest in the business, so he can’t be that bad.”
“You’d think Samantha would be grateful about that.” Rose turned to Jules. “The business has been going downhill a bit, like most of the stores here.”
“They’re not that bad though, right, Jules?” Pearl asked. “The market still looks nice, and the garden store down at the end is bursting with lush plants.”
“You’re right. It’s not quite as bad as I thought at first,” Jules said. Even though some businesses were boarded up, many of them were still open. A lot of them did need a fresh coat of paint and new awnings. She felt hopeful that there was potential. “Maybe some flowers in the window boxes under the shop windows and the planters on the street would help.”
“I think we can make a lot of improvements,” Rose said. “Cassie at the coffee shop was just saying that the other day.”
Jules looked in the direction Rose pointed to see a cute little coffee shop. It had bistro tables set outside and, unlike many of the other businesses, looked as clean as a whistle with a bright-turquoise awning, sparkling windows, and a line of customers inside.
“She does quite a business,” Leena said. “Makes the best latte in the county.”
“But what about the businesses that are boarded up? What happened to them?” Jules asked.
“Those are the ones that relied on tourists. Others, like the coffee shop, the restaurants, and the garden center, can rely on business from the folks in town. Saltwater Sweets is lucky because people have been coming from all over for their candy for generations, so they get some outside tourist traffic.”
“And the corner diner down on Ocean Ave. gets business from the fishermen that frequent the pier.” Leena gestured toward the long wooden pier that jutted out from the town beach.
There were several men fishing from the end of the pier and what looked like an abandoned store just on the edge of the pier near the parking lot.
