Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Zane left Tidewater, going down to the private dock he had been using the last few days.
The small fishing boat for two awaited him.
Thankfully, it had a motor attached, so he didn’t have to row all the way back to Driftwood Bay’s harbor.
He pulled the cord to start the motor and then took a seat, guiding the boat away from the resort and toward the mainland.
He had been productive in recent days. The rented ferry was now on its way to the Bay and would arrive by tomorrow afternoon.
He had worked with Kylie and her mother, securing five new employees through Zoom interviews to operate the ferries.
Including Danny, that would give them six men working the two ferries, and Mrs. Mayfield had other potential candidates waiting in line for when the third ferry arrived.
Kylie had been the one to draw up the schedules so the ferries would run seven days a week, but it would still give each operator adequate time off. He’d taken that schedule to Bill, and the general manager had drawn up when various staff members would ride to and from Tidewater.
Zane had put Emily on finding luxury motor coaches for Wagner Enterprises to purchase, and his assistant had found exactly what they needed in Houston.
Those two coaches were now undergoing refurbishment and would be driven to the Corpus airport this coming Monday.
She had arranged a nearby place to store the coaches between trips.
Emily was also working with Patti Perkins, a local realtor, to find living accommodations for both the new ferry operators and bus drivers.
The ferry operators would live in Driftwood Bay, while the drivers would have a choice of the Bay or Corpus as their home base.
He had also taken Kylie’s advice and asked Tyler to work with the head bartender to create a signature drink for the resort, one which could be served on the bus as guests headed to Tidewater after their arrival in Corpus.
Craig had his construction crew working double shifts, and they had poured the foundation and erected the open-air structure which would serve as the waiting room for the ferry.
It had been decided to leave it open for now, with a large doorway for easy access.
Ceiling fans were being installed, along with bench seating.
A company had been contacted to provide vending machines, and two, single-stall restrooms would be functional by this time next week, in plenty of time for Tidewater’s grand opening.
Kylie had asked Zane to listen to a pitch from her two sisters-in-law.
After listening, he had agreed they each could have a corner of the waiting room to sell souvenirs, fresh bakery goods, and drinks.
He thought that would be a nice touch, welcoming guests to Tidewater before they ever arrived.
Denise Mayfield had even suggested providing coupons to guests when they boarded the coach in Corpus, ones which would allow them one free cookie and one free drink, be it a bottled water, coffee, or tea.
Zane had called Price McMahon, the Mayfields’ attorney, and Price had written up a contract for that small enterprise.
He arrived at the harbor and tied up the fishing boat in the slot he had rented for a month, the shortest time available.
Having the boat to come back and forth to Tidewater had proven to be convenient since it allowed him not to have to follow the ferry’s schedule, which had one last run from Tidewater at seven each night.
With two ferries, those hours would soon be extended, so that Tidewater guests could go into the Bay for dinner and shopping and still be able to return to the resort without being rushed.
Although Kylie told him that she had mentioned to both family and friends that they were casually seeing one another, Zane still would have felt a little funny, wearing the previous night’s clothes he had worn on the ferry when he left Kylie’s and had her brother transport him back to Tidewater the next morning.
He was really enjoying his time with the vivacious blond.
Kylie was smart as a whip, and Zane thought she was wasting her time playing assistant to her dad on boat charters.
It wasn’t his place, though, to tell her that she had too much potential and should look beyond the Bay for employment.
If she ever did, he would immediately tell Wagner Enterprises HR department to hire her.
She was too bright and creative for them to pass on her talents.
He wondered if she would ever consider leaving the Bay—and what that might mean for them.
Zane had gone into their brief affair knowing it had a shelf life, but if Kylie could be enticed to come to New York, maybe they could continue seeing one another.
Then again, he believed he needed to be more objective about her.
Already, he felt his heart entangling with hers, despite the fact they both declared marriage and kids were not for them.
He moved along the pier, heading toward his grandparents’ house. Kylie wouldn’t return home for another two hours, and Zane had decided it was time to have a come to Jesus meeting with Gran.
Arriving at his grandparents’ house twenty minutes later, he rang the doorbell. Gran answered, beaming at him.
“Can I talk you into a slice of coconut pie and a glass of iced tea?” she greeted.
“You’re speaking my love language, Gran,” Zane teased, following her to the kitchen. “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”
She pulled the pie from the fridge and sliced them both a generous portion.
“Not at all. Your grandfather is out in his workshop, along with two of his buddies. One of them has decided he wants to make a hope chest for his wife for their upcoming fiftieth wedding anniversary. After a couple of days of those old goats getting nowhere, Neville emailed Sullivan for advice. That boy must have dropped whatever he was doing because twenty minutes later, he sent a blueprint for how to make a hope chest. It’s a beautiful design.
If those guys can ever stop yapping and drinking beer and get down to it, it’ll turn out nice. ”
Zane laughed. “I wish Gramps would do more things like this. Pursue a hobby. Visit with friends.” He eyed her carefully. “You, too, Gran.”
She placed glasses of iced tea in front of them and took a seat. “I figured that’s what this talk was going to be about. Hanging up our aprons and retiring from the Driftwood Diner.”
“Gran, you two are the hardest-working people I’ve ever met, but the time has come for you to enjoy life more. You are the key to Gramps saying it’s time to walk away.”
She sighed. “I’ve been ready to do that very thing for two years now, Zane, but your grandfather still seems to enjoy cooking for others so much. I didn’t have the heart to tell him I want to stop working.”
“He might be thinking the same thing, Gran,” Zane protested.
“Just because you retire doesn’t mean he’ll never cook again.
I know you’ve done the cooking at home all these years to give him a break, but he could step in and take that over to keep his skills sharp.
I also want you to come to Tidewater as guests.
Dad can’t make it for the grand opening on July first because he’ll be concluding business in Hong Kong, but he told me once it’s done, he’ll fly out and arrive on the third.
I know it would mean a lot to him if the two of you were guests at his newest resort.
Plus, if you weren’t tied down to the diner six days a week, you could travel to some other Wagner properties and see what your son has been up to all these years. ”
Gran took a bite of the pie, mulling over his words, and then she said, “I think I’ll tell Neville it’s time to say goodbye to the diner and hello to what’s left of our life. We’ve had a good run and contributed to this town.”
“If you want to sell the diner, I can help you with that endeavor,” he told her.
“I can also help you find your replacements. Actually, Emily is great at that kind of thing. Or you could even keep ownership of the diner and just hire someone to manage it for you. They could take care of hiring employees and keeping the books.”
She shook her head vigorously. “No. If we’re going to cut ties, they need to be cut all the way, Zane.
Otherwise, your grandfather would probably show up daily at breakfast and lunch, telling everyone what to do—or how they’re doing things wrong.
When we walk away, we need to walk away completely and enjoy our freedom. ”
He took her hand and squeezed it. “You are wise beyond your years, Gran,” causing her to chuckle.
“So, tell me what’s been going on in your world lately.”
Instead of starting with business, Zane said, “I’ve been seeing Kylie Mayfield.”
Gran nodded approvingly. “I told you that I liked that girl. Smart and pretty. Kind, too. She usually comes in once a week for breakfast before she goes out on a charter with Dave. Generous tipper, too.”
She paused, studying him carefully. “Do you see a future with this relationship—beyond the Bay?”
“Probably not,” he admitted to her, as well as himself. “I’m not sure Kylie would ever want to leave the Bay, especially for somewhere like New York. We’re just enjoying keeping company together during my time here.”
Gran pursed her lips, looking as if she wanted to say something, but she kept silent. That was Zane’s indication to keep sharing, and he told her about everything he had been doing.
“I’ve been training each morning since I’m planning to run in the New York Marathon this fall.
This morning, I met with the final two heads of departments at Tidewater.
Housekeeping and the spa. I’m really pleased with the staff we hired.
I also played a round of golf with Tidewater’s general manager, just to see the course layout. ”
“You approve of it?”