Chapter 2
Chapter Two
DRIFTWOOD BAY, TEXAS
At thirty-one, Kylie Mayfield had never guessed she would be living at her parents’ house once again.
At least she had taken over the mother-in-law suite which had been built onto the side of the house when she was still a toddler.
Granny M had lived in it many years until she passed away a year ago.
Since Kylie was returning to the Bay anyway, her parents had offered her the use of the suite.
Knowing they could rent it out and earn extra income, though, she told them she would only take it if they allowed her to pay them rent.
The suite gave her a bit of privacy, having a separate entrance, yet she could still see her parents as often as she wanted.
She was a Mayfield once again, having reclaimed her maiden name after her divorce from Brady.
While she could be making a ton of more money if she’d remained in a big city, her personal crises had led her back to her hometown.
Once she got on her feet emotionally, she would most likely move back to a large, metropolitan area.
Anywhere except Dallas, though. She didn’t want to chance running into Brady or any of his family or friends ever again.
She had been in Driftwood Bay a year now, working for her family’s businesses.
Most of the time, Kylie worked for Mayfield Charters, which scheduled deep sea fishing trips and dives, with even the occasional sightseeing tour.
Though the bulk of her time was spent on the large fishing boat, she did pinch hit occasionally and helped with the ferry service.
The ferry was a shortcut between Driftwood Bay and a neighboring small town.
It also ran trips out to what had always been simply known as The Island, and those trips had increased dramatically in number because of Tidewater being built.
Wagner Enterprises was known around the world for their luxury hotels and resorts, and now they were bringing their brand to the Texas Gulf Coast. They had bought The Island and cleared much of its wild foliage, erecting a large hotel, as well as numerous bungalows.
Some of Kylie’s new friends were actually staying at Tidewater this coming weekend, helping to give feedback to those who ran the resort before it opened to the public in a few weeks.
Sullivan Shepherd, the architect of Tidewater, had invited her to be among those who stayed in the rooms, dined at the resort’s restaurants, and tested its amenities.
Kylie regretted having to turn him down because her dad had needed her to work charters on both Saturday and Sunday.
With it being high season in the Bay, tourists were everywhere, and they were booked solid through Labor Day weekend.
Kylie doubted she would have a single day off between now and the beginning of the September holiday.
She donned a fresh T-shirt and pair of shorts and slid her feet into flip-flops, heading to her parents’ house now for a family dinner and meeting.
The Mayfields needed to discuss the upcoming meeting with Zane Wagner, whose father was the founder and CEO of Wagner Enterprises.
Zane Wagner had a fancy job title, and he would be the one negotiating with her family regarding future ferry service.
That’s what tonight’s family meeting was about.
Kylie entered the house without knocking and found her mom making hamburger patties in the kitchen.
“Hey, Mom. What can I do?”
“Not a thing. I’ve got everything covered, honey. I know you have a lot on your mind since you’ll be our representative in these negotiations. You’ve got the smarts and the business degree. We’re happy for you to speak for the family.”
Dave and Pat were both fifty-eight and had operated Mayfield Charters for decades now.
The charter service had belonged to her dad’s family, and he had inherited the business.
Dad ran the charters, while Mom took reservations and kept the books.
Both were still fit and permanently tanned from their many years of being outside.
The doorbell sounded, and Mom said, “Go let in whoever’s there.”
She opened the door and greeted Danny. Her brother was two years older than Kylie.
Danny ran the ferry seven days a week and had been working extra-long hours, first taking construction workers to Tidewater and now workers staffing the resort.
He definitely needed help because he had a three-year-old daughter and another baby arriving in August.
“Hey, Kylie,” he said, carrying his daughter and helping his wife through the door. Denise owned Seaside Sweets, the town’s bakery, and carried a white bakery box in her hands.
“Just cookies,” Denise said. “I know Pat said not to bring anything, but I couldn’t help myself. This batch of oatmeal raisin cookies turned out especially good.”
“I can’t help myself either,” Kylie said, taking the box and opening it, inhaling the sweet scent of sugar wafting toward her.
“Can I have one, Aunt Kylie?” Amber asked.
She looked down at her niece. “Only after you’ve eaten a good dinner,” she told the little girl.
Her brother Karl and his family arrived next, and Kylie ushered them inside the house.
Karl was the oldest of the siblings, four years her senior, and he had never been involved with the family business.
He had taken a job as a retail clerk in high school at the local sporting goods store, alongside the owner’s daughter, Annie, whom he’d eventually married.
Karl had worked his way up from clerk and stocker to assistant manager and finally manager.
The store sold everything from fishing and camping equipment to guns and water sports equipment. It also carried footwear and team athletic gear for ball sports. Karl and Annie had inherited the store upon her father’s death, and they had changed its name to Mayfield Sports Center.
Annie had stepped away from the center to open Tidal Treasures, a place popular with tourists and locals alike. The store carried souvenirs, nautical items, and beach apparel, as well as towels, T-shirts, and a plethora of tourist items from key chains and magnets to mugs and seashells.
Their twins, Kevin and Keira, gave Kylie hugs, and Kevin asked, “When we can we go fishing again, Aunt Kylie?”
“Now that you’re out of school, maybe you can go on one of the charters soon, as long as your mom and dad say it’s okay.”
While Kevin cheered at that news, Keira said, “I don’t want to go fishing, Aunt Kylie. I want you to come over and play with me.”
She swallowed the lump which formed in her throat. “I would love to do that, honey. Maybe we can paint our fingernails and toenails.”
“Yes!” Keira exclaimed excitedly.
They ate outdoors under the covered patio. Dad served up burgers and hot dogs, while Mom added potato salad and baked beans to the meal. She’d also made both onion dip and queso, and Kylie poured a generous spoonful of the cheese dip atop her burger.
They talked as they ate, discussing town gossip.
Kylie had missed these times with her family when she was away at college and then married and living in Dallas.
Brady’s law studies had been year-round, and he didn’t want to take time away to drive down to the coast to visit her family.
She had only done so once on her own, early in their marriage, and Kylie wished she would have come more often.
Her parents had only come up to Dallas twice, once after she brought Amy Marie home from the hospital.
And then for her little girl’s funeral.
After dinner, the kids were each given a cookie and sent to play, heading toward the ancient slide and swing set which the Mayfield siblings had played on so many years ago.
Dad turned to her. “You’re our spokesperson in these negotiations, Kylie. Tell us where your head’s at.”
“We only have the one ferry and Danny as its only operator. I help out sporadically when I can, but that’s not going to be enough.
While the city has paid for us to run the ferry service to Renner Beach and The Island, the time has come when we need to add another ferry.
Possibly even two, thanks to Tidewater’s guests needing transportation. ”
“We can’t afford that,” Mom protested. “I keep the books and know what’s coming in.
You know how it goes. During high seasons we’re flush with cash, but then we have to hunker down the rest of the year and watch expenses.
Yes, we do book fishing charters during the year, mostly on weekends.
Kylie’s idea about advertising deep sea charters as bachelor parties has really caught on, but we don’t have the kind of disposable cash to invest in another ferry.
And two is out of the question. The one we have now needs more than the usual servicing because it’s aging, but we don’t have time to do so because of how often we’re going back and forth between the Bay and Tidewater. ”
“That’s where Wagner Enterprises will need to step up,” she said calmly, trying to ease everyone into the idea.
Kylie spent the next quarter-hour outlining the proposal she would present to Zane Wagner when he arrived in the Bay.
“I have a meeting scheduled with him in a few days.”
“We trust you to get it done, Kylie,” Danny said. “You’re the only college grad in the family, and you’ve always been a whiz with numbers.”
She hated how the rest of her family thought they were of lesser value than she was, simply because she had gone to college.
That wouldn’t have been possible if she hadn’t been named Driftwood Bay High School’s valedictorian.
The State of Texas had a program in which the top graduate in a high school class received free tuition and fees to any state university.
Still, it had been a struggle for her parents to send her to college because she still needed to cover room and board, as well as incidentals, such as laundry.