Matt laughed and reached for the phone, dialing the number that was burned into his memory for all eternity, and ordered two large pepperoni pizzas, plus a garden salad, which he called the guilt eliminator.
Leaning against the counter, he decided on pickup instead of delivery, wanting to take in the town, see what had changed. But more than not, he wanted to see what remained the same. Maybe he was getting older or maybe he was sick of his LA routine, but Sea Blue Beach was beginning to feel like home again.
When he hung up from Tony’s, the phone rang. Cosmo.
“You’re still fired from the movie,” he said. “But never fear, I’m working some other angles.”
“Are you? Really?” Hollywood was a fickle town. One day you’re on top of the world, the next you’re begging for money by your star on the Walk of Fame. Was Matt losing his touch? His charm?
“Well, I’m trying,” Cosmo said. “Everyone thought you were doing the rom-com. Don’t worry, though, this town has the attention span of a gnat. Relax, enjoy Sea Blue Beach. You’ve earned some time off. You certainly don’t need money.”
True. Matt had managed his earnings well. But according to his shrink—who he’d not seen in ages—he had a high need for acceptance, which meant he never stopped working.
As he hung up the phone, Dad returned to the kitchen in a clean white T-shirt and a pair of shorts, his wet hair smoothed back.
“Who was that?”
“Cosmo. I got fired from a rom-com, and an action flick I wanted went to Bruce Willis.”
“Who?”
“Bruce Willis. The guy onMoonlighting.”
“On what?”
“Dad, do you watchanytelevision?”
“The Rockford Files.”
James Garner as Jim Rockford was undeniably appealing. “If I ever play a suave PI like Rockford, you’d better watch.” He glanced at the time. “I’m going for the pizza.” He paused at the back door. “Dad, are you going to side with the town council tonight? Are you for tearing down the Starlight?”
“I don’t feel the same about the Starlight as you and Ma.” He grabbed a broom and swept away some imaginary dirt. “Growing up, I enjoyed the perks of being the son of the owner, I won’t lie. But the Starlight and LJ were her favorites.”
“Which she would deny.”
“She relied on him to be the man when Pa wasn’t around. I got in my mind the darn place was more curse than blessing.” He returned the broom to the small utility closet. “It’s sad, but if it has to go to make room for a better Sea Blue Beach, then we’ll have to suck it up. Besides, what’s she going to do with the rink when she dies? Take it with her? I don’t want it. Do you?”
“Maybe.”
“Come on, Matt.” Dad gave him the all-seeing eye. “You have a career in Hollywood. Never mind you only come home once a year, if that. You can’t manage the Starlight two thousand miles away.”
“You make me sound shallow.” Which was probably true. “I wanted out of Sea Blue Beach, but so did you.”
Matt had heard Granny say it a hundred times.“Your daddy wanted adventure, tosee the world, but after the war . . .”
“I had an all-expenses-paid tour of Europe, thanks to Hitler,” Dad said. “Then the University of Florida.”
Dad graduated, married his hometown sweetheart, and waited ten years to have a son. When she drowned. . . end of story. Dad never left Sea Blue Beach for greener pastures. Never fell in love again.
“You know, Icouldkeep the Starlight.” Matt pulled his car keys from his pocket. “Hire a good management team, oversee things from LA. Come back a few times a year.”
Dad grabbed a beer from the fridge. “You’ll come back for a skating rink but not your Pa and Granny?”
“Maybe I’m rethinking my values.”
“Matt, even if it was an option for us to take over for Ma, the rink would still be up for demolition. This has nothing to do with Granny or this town’s history. It’s about the future. The Murdock offer is huge. Do you know what it takes to get development green-lighted? Between the architectural plans, environmental studies, state and county regulations, and surveys?”
“Dad, if they take the Starlight, you might as well dig Granny’s grave.”
