“Does that say—” I squinted to get a better read. “The Coxfire? What is that?”
Kendra joined me by the case. “The Coxfirewas the pirate ship of Bloody Mary Maul, The Scourge of the Dry Tortugas.”
“A lady pirate?” I asked.
A smile tugged at the corner of Kendra’s mouth. “Indeed. She became a very wealthy woman through revenge. Uma Maddux, the Mayor of Pleasure Point, found the treasure washed up on a beach after a hurricane. And that funded the town’s founding.”
Something tickled the back of my brain—the beginning of an idea that wasn’t quite ready to speak out loud. Instead, I asked Kendra to show us the rest of the way.
When we entered the multipurpose room, I instantly felt the weight of scrutiny pressing down on us. The overhead fluorescent lights were too bright, illuminating the space that resembled a high school gym, complete with polished floors and faded banners hanging on the walls. Unfamiliar faces filled the seats around round wooden tables, and I caught the curious glances of attendees, seemingly waiting for us to make our move.
The man who came with Mayor Maddux to Flamingo Cove, Bolt, waved at me from his table, only half full. I waved back at the same time as Kendra.
I turned to her. “You know Bolt?”
She smirked at me. “Something like that.” She grabbed my hand and tugged me toward Bolt’s table.
He stood next to a petite woman with grayish-blonde hair. The woman held out her hand toward me. “You must be Rowan. I’m Chloe, Bolt’s wife.”
“Pleased to meet you, Chloe.” We shook hands.
The woman then grabbed Kendra in a big hug and kissed her forehead. “It’s good to see you, sweetheart. I heard you got a new boat.”
I frowned at the women. “You two know each other?”
Kendra’s lips twisted to the side. “Yep. That’s my mom and dad. Bolt and Chloe Jarrett.”
“Ah.” The familiarity I felt when meeting Bolt a few weeks ago made sense. “I didn’t put together the last name.”
“Not sure I shared my last name with you, son.” Bolt winked at me. “I hear congratulations are in order for you two.”
I don’t know why I was surprised. Everyone was in everyone else’s business on this island.
“Dad, I was going to tell you.” Kendra blushed.
Bolt pulled her into a side hug. “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. We know you didn’t want to undermine Jesse and True’s big day. That’s why you kept it secret, right?”
Kendra’s mouth opened, and she looked at me.
“That’s right, sir. We didn’t want to upstage anyone,” I answered.
Kendra’s eyes softened, and she mouthed “thank you” as the senior hippie with the flyer grabbed the microphone, and it let out a squeal that hurt my fillings.
“Well, come. Well, come.Please take your seats. I’m Ziggy and will be yourmaster of seriousnessthis evening,” the man said.
There was movement in the back of the multipurpose room as Jesse and True slipped through the closing doors. They beelined toward our table. Kendra grabbed my hand and squeezed, tugging me into a seat. When the wanker and his bride arrived at our table, Jesse took the seat next to Kendra. True sat on the other side of him. He gave me a wink, then rested his arms on the back of both chairs.
I sent mental daggers his way.
When everyone settled, Ziggy picked up the microphone again. “We have a special edition of BIMBO this evening. BIMBO stands for Brides In Marriage Bind Opportunity, of course.”
“Opportunity,” Kendra whispered to me. “Exactly!”
She wiggled in her seat like fire ants were in her pants. I patted her thigh to get her to settle down, but she was making me nervous.
“Two groups ofloveturdswill be competing tonight. The dudes and dudettes will be parted and asked a series of questions. They’ll write the answer on a card, and when they return to the great room, allhellowill break loose when we see how well they know each other,” Ziggy explained.
“LikeThe Newlywed Game,” I murmured.
