Book 23 Blackout After Dark #4
Mac laughs at his blunt assessment. “We could do something about that. Imagine the potential. We could turn the far side of the barn into an industrial-quality kitchen and the loft into a wedding-night suite for the happy couples. There could be a stage for bands, and the outbuildings could be used for wedding-party prep. We could put a bar over there and string lights in the trees and set up long, wooden, family-style tables for outdoor dining. I think it could be really cool.”
“You’ve given this a lot of thought, son.”
“I was out here to plow last winter and have been thinking about it ever since. We were too busy with the Wayfarer to take on anything new initially, but with that up and running and producing outstanding results, I thought maybe the family might want to take on another challenge.” They walk to where the land meets the coast. “Imagine the wedding photos that could be taken here.” He gestures to a rusty tractor that’s been nearly consumed by weeds.
“Just what every bride wants is a rusty tractor in her wedding photos.”
“That’s the thing. People who like the laid-back, relaxed vibe of this place would love to have the rusty tractor in their photos.
It’s a whole other demographic than we see at the Wayfarer or what Lizzie gets for the Chesterfield.
I think there’s a market for this kind of venue.
I got with Nikki about some numbers the other day, and she told me that for every bride she books at the Wayfarer, she turns away ten others because we’re at capacity.
Lizzie reports similar stats at the Chesterfield.
People want to get married here, but there are limits to what’s available. ”
“It’s an interesting idea, I’ll give you that, and the view is phenomenal. That’d be a big selling point.”
“Do you think the others would be interested in another project?”
“Based on the results at the Wayfarer this summer, I imagine they’d be intrigued. What’s it listing for?”
“One point eight million, but I think we could talk them down. The main building would need to be almost completely rebuilt, and some of the other buildings are in pretty rough shape, too.”
“And you’d want to take on the renovations, I presume.”
“Correct.”
“You guys are booked solid with the reno at the hotel this winter.”
“I was thinking we could tackle this after the hotel with a goal of opening the summer after next. I’m super excited about the possibilities here.
Maybe in the fall, we do a harvest fair or something with pumpkins and apples, pony rides, hayrides and face painting.
Just thinking out loud, but I think we could make it something fun and profitable. ”
They walk back toward their vehicles, and Big Mac leans against his.
“I love the idea, and more than anything, I love that you love it. However… And don’t take this the wrong way, son, but you’re about to welcome twins who’ll make you a father of five.
You’ve already got a lot on your plate, and this would add a whole other wrinkle. ”
“I’ve thought of all that, and of course you’re right that a twin bomb is about to go off in our lives, but I can rely heavily on Luke, Shane, Riley and Finn.
Any one of them can step in for me as needed.
And not for nothing, I do need to keep them all employed year-round, and this would take care of that for another couple of years. ”
“True.”
“If we don’t snatch this place up, someone else will, and they’ll build yet another fancy big house on the coast. We need something like this. Not only is it tied to the island’s history, but it also brings something we don’t have now.”
“I really like the idea a lot.”
“Yeah?”
“Hell, yeah. How about we run it by the family and see what they think?”
“Sounds good to me.”
Victoria Stevens delivers a healthy baby girl for Jessie Morgan, a single mom who came to the island to work for the summer.
Victoria learns that Jessie doesn’t have anyone to help her.
Concerned with a new mom returning to the Beachcomber employee housing with a newborn and no support, Victoria reaches out to Lizzie James.
“You mentioned once that I should call you if I encountered someone who could use some help. I have a young single mom at the clinic. She came out to work for the Beachcomber this summer and just had a baby. I don’t think she has anyone or anything—”
“Say no more. I’m on it.”
“You’re the best. She’s a bit overwhelmed, to say the least.”
“I can only imagine. We’ll take care of her.”
“Thank you so much, Lizzie.”
“Thanks for calling me. I’ll come by the clinic this afternoon to see her.”
While David takes care of things at the clinic, Victoria sneaks out to grab lunch with her boyfriend, Shannon O’Grady.
His parents and aunt are talking about coming to visit him on Gansett and meet the woman he’s fallen in love with.
“So I was thinking, as long as my family is going to be here, maybe we could, you know, make our arrangement a little more… you know, official.”
Confused and charmed by his stumbling words when he’s usually the king of elocution, Victoria looks up at him just as he stops walking and drops to his knee right there on the sidewalk in downtown Gansett. “What are you doing?”
He takes her hand and brings it to his lips. “I had this whole thing planned for tonight, but I can’t wait another minute to ask you…” He looks up at her with gorgeous green eyes filled with love and the hint of sadness that will forever be part of who he is now.
“Ask me what?” she asks, breathless.
“Will you marry me, Vic? Will you—”
“Yes!”
Smiling up at her, he says, “I wasn’t finished, but ‘yes’ is a good word.”
She reaches for him, tugging him up and throwing herself into his arms.
“If you’d let me finish, you would’ve heard about how much I love you and how completely you saved my life by loving me back.”
“I love you just as much, and I can’t wait to marry you. Thank you for asking me.”
He gazes down at her, smiling as big as he ever does. “Thanks for saying yes. When we get home, I’ll give you the ring I got you.”
Lizzie gets ready to go to the clinic. Her husband, Jared, is worried about her and her big heart. They’ve just experienced another disappointment with fertility treatments. All the money in the world, and Jared can’t give her the one thing she wants more than anything else—the chance to be a mom.
“You’ve been so strong, but the last thing you need is to be involved with a newborn.”
“Maybe it’s just what I need, to see that life goes on even when I’m disappointed and heartbroken. I promise you, if it’s too much for me, I’ll arrange what she needs and come home. I promise.”
“All right.” His phone chimes with the tone he’d set for his brother, Cooper, a farting noise that always makes them laugh.
“Leave it to Coop to break the tension,” Jared says as he releases her to fish the phone out of the pocket of his cargo-style bathing suit.
“What’s he up to?”
As Jared reads the text, his eyes widen. “He says he’s coming out on the three o’clock boat, so he can be here for Quinn’s wedding. I can tell him this isn’t a good time for us.”
“No, let him come, Jared. He’s always fun to be with, and we could use some comic relief around here.”
He gives her another tight hug and walks her to the car. “Drive carefully,” he says as he closes the door on her silver Land Rover.
She waves and heads for town, hoping she can handle this mission.
Jenny and Alex Martinez take their son George for a ride in the AC.
Jenny tells Alex that she dreamed about her late fiancé, Toby, who wanted her to go with him, but she couldn’t leave Alex and George.
Alex assures her that Toby would never make her choose.
His one and only wish would be for Jenny’s happiness, and he would never ask her to choose between the past and the present.
They drive to the lighthouse and notice the new lighthouse keepers, Oliver and Dara, moving in.
Jenny introduces herself and exchanges phone numbers in case the Watsons need anything.
When she returns to the car, Paul calls Alex, telling him to come to their mother’s room at the senior care facility immediately.
Paul Martinez is afraid to breathe. The mother they’d lost to dementia over the last couple of years is fully lucid and her old self in almost every possible way. With Scarlett on her lap, Marion absorbs every detail of the granddaughter she’s met many times before now, but this… This is different.
“She’s so beautiful,” Marion says, her eyes tearful. “Why haven’t you brought her to see me before now?”
“I have, Mom.”
Marion’s brows knit with confusion. “No, you haven’t. And you’re married! Why don’t I remember the wedding?”
“We eloped, Marion,” Hope says, glancing at Paul in amazement.
“And there’s a boy. I remember a boy.”
“My son, Ethan. You and he are special friends.”
“Where is he?”
“He had a sleepover with friends last night, but we’ll bring him to see you soon.”
“I like him. He’s a nice boy, like my Alex and Paul always were.”
“Thank you,” Hope says. “We’re proud of him.”
“Is he your son?” Marion asks Paul.
“He’s my stepson, but I’m hoping to adopt him. I love him very much.”
“I can’t believe everything that happened while I was away,” Marion says. “Where’s your brother?”
“He’s on his way.”
“I don’t understand. Where am I?” She looks around the room that Jenny and Hope had helped them decorate to look homey and cozy for Marion. “This isn’t my home. I need to get home and get back to work.”
“You’ve been unwell, Mom,” Paul says gently. “For quite some time now.”
She raises the eyebrow that used to convey a wide range of emotions, before her face became flat and expressionless. Watching her raise that brow hit Paul like a shot to the heart. “Unwell in what way?”
Paul isn’t sure what he should say. Should he tell her the truth? He doesn’t know, so he looks to Hope, a nurse who probably knows better.