Down the stairs and out the front door, she shouted to the night. “I found it! The deed! The deed. Matt, Dupree! Tuesday! Everyone!”
She ran back inside for her favorite running togs and sprinted toward Dupree’s.
“Matt, hey! Booker? I found it. The deed. I have the deed. Dupree!” She banged on the door, then took off toward the diner. “We’re saved. We’re saved.”
SEA BLUE BEACH
THE STARLIGHT IS SAVED. MAYBE.
This is better than Christmas morning. Everyone in town is reading theGazette, huddled together in front of the Blue Plate or outside of Sweet Conversations, and gradually making their way to the Starlight.
From what we gather, the deed to the Starlight was no ordinary deed but one linking it to the Royal House of Blue in Lauchtenland under a Royal Charter.
Sort of like a little piece of their kingdom on our earth. The moment was worthy of a Hollywood soundtrack.
Bodie Nickle is talking. “As far as I can tell, the rink and the rock do not belong to the town. Harry, you’ll have to buy the rink and land from them if you want to clear this area for progress. If not, you could risk the wrath of two state departments. The print on the bottom of the deed is clear. Tuesday is the caretaker until she gives it to someone else. Even then, she’ll need a new document with a royal seal.”
There you have it. The Starlight belongs to another kingdom, and Tuesday believes Immanuel knew all along.
TUESDAY
When all was said and done, Tuesday Knight had few regrets. She’d loved her husband, her sons, her friends, her town, and her Starlight.
Well, she regretted one thing.
When Matt returned with the contents of Leroy’s safe-deposit box—a cashier’s check for a ten thousand dollars and the most stunning diamond engagement ring—she wished she’d trusted Immanuel more.
Use the money to buy your gall dern electric stove. Wear the ring to remember Leroy Knight keeps his promises.
After a bit of rigmarole and posturing, Harry deflated like a stuck balloon. “Well, I wondered what was going on when we couldn’t find any records of the deed. I’d heard rumors about the royal family owning the place, but it seemed rather outlandish, and since we’ve not seen a Royal Blue on these shores in my lifetime, I figured it was a fairy tale.”
Then Rachel Kirby delivered detailed findings about Murdock’s crooked ways. “I think we dodged a bullet, Mayor Smith.”
Dupree offered to sell the town some land he owned toward the west with Knight Construction as head of development.
The Starlight officially reopened the first of October. With the windfall provided by Leroy—that man kept speaking from thegrave—and the generous gift from the Brandley’s, Tuesday paid Dup and his crew to redo the floor, fix up all the benches, remodel concession for Spike, and buy all new equipment since he already fitted out his food truck. She upgraded the sound system, painted over the scuff marks, mended the balcony railing, updated the bathrooms, and bought a whole new stock of brownies.
This Friday was the first All-Night Skate at the refreshed and updated Starlight.
Spike’s Concession ran at full tilt, with Simon Caster at the helm until Spike closed up his food truck for the night. Even Harry Smith came by to shake hands and put on a pair of brownies. On the house, of course.
Matt announced his future plans. “I’m running for mayor of Sea Blue Beach.” He started campaigning, even though elections weren’t until next year and he had a new movie to shoot. Booker reminded him he had to film one on his ranch too.
Harlow sat at the ticket booth for a while, going through a couple of bridal magazines sent down by her mother.
Now, as the sun rose over Sea Blue Beach, Tuesday made her way to the office exhilarated but exhausted. Maybe she’d let the kids handle the next all night skate.
At her desk, she reached for the velvet ring box and inspected her once-young fingers that were now covered with spots and wrinkles. Yet it was the hand Leroy held and kissed.
“Are you going to wear it?”
She looked around to see Dupree at the door. “You should go home. Get some sleep.”
“I’m taking you home first. And you didn’t answer my question.”
“The ring is lovely, but the moment I put it on, Leroy will have spoken his last. Why didn’t he just give it to me? Get down on one knee and slip it on my finger?”
“You’re asking why Pa wasn’t traditional, Ma?”
