Chapter 31
“While we’re still in business,” grumbled Drew. “Can someone pass me another slice with matzo balls?”
Since it was dinnertime, Angie and Miles had brought a selection of pizzas from Matzo-Rella, including another one of their blended family recipes. I’d been skeptical about matzo balls as a pizza topping, but then I’d tasted it. Enough said.
Angie reached into one of the boxes and, trying to keep her long nails out of the cheese, grabbed a slice. She was wearing a new set of press-ons—bright teal, this time—and for now, ten out of ten were present and accounted for.
“Old business being the new stadium?” asked Garth, getting us back on track.
“Exactly.” I exchanged a look with Xander, who was sitting next to me. He squeezed my hand in encouragement. “I have an idea for how we can fight it. And hopefully stop it.”
“Well, don’t be shy,” said Rita through a mouthful of mushroom and onion. “Spill.”
So, I spilled. I told them what I’d discovered about the original Miss America contestants having stayed here at the B and B.
And how I believed that was just the tip of the iceberg, with other notable people having spent time here over the years as well.
Then, I described what I’d come to think of as my George-Washington-slept-here strategy.
“I think we might be able to make the case that the Sunny Side Bed-and-Breakfast is historically significant,” I said. “And start the process to have it added to the New Jersey Register of Historic Places.”
Garth was already bobbing his head excitedly. “And if it’s a historic place,” he said, skipping ahead to the logical conclusion, “they can’t tear it down.”
Everyone took a moment to digest this.
“All right,” said Wills slowly. “I do see how that saves this establishment. But how does it benefit the rest of us?”
“Noooo, don’t you see,” said Paulette, picking a piece of pepperoni off Wills’s slice and popping it into her mouth. Since she didn’t do carbs, she just ate all the cheese and toppings off his pizza. “They can’t build a stadium around the bed-and-breakfast.”
Wills took a bite of his nearly naked slice, thinking. “So, if we save the Sunny Side…”
“We save the whole block,” finished Paulette.
“If it works,” chimed in Miles, “we save the whole neighborhood.”
“And they’d have to build the stadium somewhere else,” said Rita. “I love it.”
The change in the atmosphere of the room was palpable. There was a real sense of hope—joy, even—in the air.
But before the celebration went too far, I felt obliged to manage expectations.
“Well, just so you know, there’s no guarantee,” I said.
“And to make the strongest case possible for historic status, I’m going to need your help.
I’ve got over a hundred years of photos and guest registries to go through. And most of it isn’t digitized.”
“Then, pass the old guest books,” said Drew, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. “And let’s have at it.”
I assured everyone that I’d be sending them home with a stack of materials to review.
But first, I needed to make sure they really understood the enormity of the assignment.
“It’s not just about finding famous names,” I told them.
“I mean, if a movie star or a well-known politician or someone stayed here, that’s great.
But we really want to find connections to the Jersey Shore and its unique culture and history.
So,” I finished with an apologetic smile, “you’ll probably need to do a quick internet search on everyone who ever stayed here. ”
I looked around. The vastness of the task didn’t seem to dampen anyone’s spirits. On the contrary, they were all fired up and anxious to get started. I could practically hear my heartstrings zing. Maybe we really could pull this off.
“So, meeting adjourned?” asked Garth.
“Not quite,” I said. “There’s also, uh…new business.”
I looked at Xander. We’d already discussed this next bit, but I wanted to confirm he was still on board. “It’s your secret,” I said. “It’s your call.”
He nodded. Grinned. “I’m ready to share my tail with everybody.”
I grinned back. Not everyone in the kitchen got his play on words. But they would.
I turned to my friends. “Xander and I have a favor to ask,” I said. “But first, we have to show something to Wills and Paulette and Angie and Miles.”
* * *
A little later, the entire membership of the Atlantic Avenue Block Association—from now on, also known as Team Xander Watch—was back around the counter. After Xander had, well, initiated the rest of my friends out on the deck, I’d brought them in here for a full debriefing.
I offered to make coffee, but Wills suggested something stronger might be in order. So, I got the wineglasses down from the cabinet and uncorked a few of the bottles I’d purchased from his shop.
Then, with intermittent help from Drew, Garth, and Rita, I brought the newcomers to our exclusive little club up to speed on Xander’s backstory. As I got to the part about the hunters, the back door opened, and Xander—having dried off and dressed again—walked in to join us.
“You’re a merman,” said Wills.
“Yes,” said Xander.
“A bloody merman,” said Wills.
“Yes,” said Xander, sliding onto the stool beside me.
“And you two are together?” asked Paulette.
“Yes,” I said.
“Like, together together?”
I glanced at Xander and smiled. “Yes.”
Paulette frowned. She was clearly trying to puzzle out something. “Can I ask a personal question?”
“No,” said pretty much everyone.
“Okay, okay,” she said. “It’s just…when my uncle says someone is sleeping with the fishes, it means something else entirely.”
We all looked at Paulette. The surprises, apparently, just kept coming.
“But Xander,” said Angie, bringing us back to the revelation in question. “You walk just fine.”
“Thank you,” he replied.
“So, those fishermen fellas were wrong,” said Miles.
“‘Fishermen fellas?’” asked Paulette.
I quickly recounted how there’d been a trio of seamen asking about a “redheaded stranger”—one who might have trouble walking—and offering money in exchange for information about him. And how Drew’s father had overheard the same men, presumably drunk, talking about catching a merman.
Realization that these hunters were real—and a real threat to Xander—settled over the expanded group. The effect was sobering. And galvanizing.
“Absolute bollocks!” exclaimed Wills, for once dropping his British reserve.
“What he said,” said Paulette.
“So, how do we help?” asked Miles, putting an arm around Angie. “You said something about a favor?”
“Really?” I asked, my gaze sweeping around the counter.
“Honey, of course,” said Angie simply. “We may not be blood, but we’re family.”
Everyone echoed the sentiment.
I wasn’t the Grinch—not even close—but the sheer good will filling the kitchen made my heart, like the infamous holiday spoilsport’s, grow three sizes larger at least. I caught Xander’s eye across the counter, and I could tell he was feeling the same.
“Well,” I began, “I’ve got a bunch of guests checking in for the long weekend.
And if they’re constantly coming and going, it’ll be tough for Xander to maintain his strength by transforming in the hot tub.
But,” I continued, “if we knew that they were all going to be gone at a specific time each day for, say…” I looked at Wills.
“A wine tasting.” I turned to Garth. “Or a baking class.”
“Or a lunch special,” said Miles.
“With BOGO smoothies,” said Paulette.
“Yes!” I was getting excited. “We give them a daily offer too good to miss. And then, while they’re out patronizing your businesses, Xander can take care of his business.”
“It’s short notice,” said Rita, catching my enthusiasm, “but I might be able to get a local author into the shop to do a reading or a signing or something.”
Angie clapped her hands a little too enthusiastically. One of her press-on nails popped off, sailed across the counter, and landed in my wine.
“Hey!” she said. “I think I just invented a new twist on beer pong.”
Everyone laughed. As Miles quickly got up to dump my drink and get me a fresh glass, my friends continued to brainstorm bigger and better promotional ideas.
Between the plan that was currently coming together to safeguard Xander and the plan we’d be putting into action to save the Sunny Side, I dared to believe that everything was going to work out just fine.
* * *
After everyone had gone home, Xander helped me clean up.
Then, I grabbed my coat while Xander put on Casey’s leash for his nightly walk.
When the three of us headed out the front door, we found Drew standing by the curb with Millie.
This time, I managed to maintain control of the leash while the mutt bounded down the steps to say hello.
It wasn’t unusual to run into Drew or his husband with their dog at this time of night. But as Xander and I joined my BFF down on the sidewalk, I got the feeling this wasn’t a chance encounter. My bestie had been waiting for us.
“What?” I asked Drew, my anxiety spiking. “What is it?”
“Let’s walk and talk,” he said.
Casey and Millie were already scampering up the street together, so the three of us began to follow.
“We’re walking,” I said. “Start talking.”
Drew gave me a look before he complied. “I was helping my dad do some work on his boat today,” he said.
“The boat that’s docked next to the boat that belongs to the hunters?” asked Xander.
Drew shrugged. “Dad only has the one boat.”
“So, you saw them?” I asked. I was trying not to freak out until I heard where this story was going. “You saw the hunters?”
“Yeah,” said Drew with a nod.
“And?” I prodded.
“And, well…they were loading all this new equipment onto their boat,” said Drew.
“Equipment?” echoed Xander. “What kind of equipment?”
“That’s the question,” said Drew. “I mean, I know about boats, about fishing. But this stuff was way over my head. All I can say is, it looks like they’re installing some kind of advanced sonar equipment. To map the location of something under the water.”
“So, maybe they’re going to map a sunken ship,” I said, opting for the glass-half-full explanation. “Maybe they’ve given up on Xander, and they’re back to hunting undersea treasures.”
Up above, the seagulls squawked as if they were laughing at me, mocking my positivity.
Xander didn’t say anything. His silence was downright deafening.
“What?” I asked him, not sure I wanted to hear the answer.
“The portal to my home is under the water,” he said, his voice grim. “Maybe they’re hoping to map its location.”
That threw me. He was normally so upbeat. It was surprising to hear him take the glass-half-empty route.
“Come on,” I said, determined to stay optimistic. “Water the odds of that?” I grinned at my joke and jostled Xander, albeit a little desperately.
Xander didn’t respond.
Drew looked at me strangely. “Are you feeling okay, Han?”
I made a face at him. But the truth was, I wasn’t feeling okay. Not okay at all.
“I’m just saying,” I said. “The portal is magic, right?” I turned to Xander. “So, even if these guys have high-tech equipment, there’s no human tech advanced enough to detect magic. Is there?”
I watched as Xander thought about this. I didn’t like that he had to think.
“No,” he said finally, shaking his head. “I doubt their machines could detect any actual magic. But…magic leaves a trace.” He frowned. “So, there’s a small chance they could pick up on some anomaly in the ocean currents and crosscurrents. And if they were to investigate closer…”
We all walked on in silence, contemplating this.
“Well, I didn’t see the point of bringing it up earlier, in front of everybody,” said Drew as we arrived at the residential entrance next to the bakery. “But I just thought you two should know.”
Xander and I exchanged a look.
“And listen,” added Drew. “My dad loves complaining about these guys. It’s his new favorite pastime. So, when they make their next move, I guarantee you, I’ll hear about it.”
“And you’ll keep us informed?” asked Xander.
“Absolutely,” said Drew.
Did I nod? Did Xander? I wasn’t sure.
Drew tugged at his dog’s leash. “Say goodnight, Millie.”
Xander, Casey, and I watched as Drew and Millie disappeared inside.
“Hey,” I said, turning back to Xander. “The bottom line is, we have eyes on these guys. That’s a good thing, right?”
After a beat, he nodded. “Right,” he said. “And if they don’t yet know the location of the portal, I wouldn’t want to do anything rash that might draw their attention to it.”
“Exactly,” I said. “So, really, the safest thing to do—for you and for everyone back home—is to keep close tabs on the situation and just…wait and see?”
He looked at me, conflicted. Then, he reached up and gently brushed a stray hair off my face. “Yes,” he agreed. “For now.”
I breathed a small sigh of relief. He wasn’t going anywhere. He was staying with me.
For now.