Page 63 of The Art Of Starting Over

“There’s a lot I need to figure out.”

“All in good time, my friend.”

“Right, time.” Devorah sighed. “What do you do for work?”

“Aside from still working the ticket booth at the drive-in?” Laila playfully rolled her eyes. “I own the travel agency on Main Street. What about you? What did you do in Chicago?”

“Aside from volunteering for the PTA and every other school or community function, I was—or still am—an estate curator. People hire me to sell off possessions, or the state would hire me to go in and recoup as much money as possible when a ward of the state died.”

“Is that like a professional yard seller?”

Devy hated that title, but that was exactly what her job was. “Yep. I have crazy organizational skills and an eye for valuable items.”

“That sounds like a fun job, Dev. Are you going to do it here?”

She shrugged. “I guess that all depends on whether or not we stay. I still haven’t made up my mind. I can’t believe your parents still own the drive-in.” Devorah needed to steer the subject away from herself and her indecision about where she planned to live. It was something that weighed heavily on her, and the pressure made her feel like she couldn’t breathe.

“They don’t. Link and I do,” Laila said. “My parents retired to Florida. My dad fishes all day.”

Devorah looked out the window, where she could see the bay. “That water not good enough?”

“That’s what I say.” Laila slapped the bar and threw her hand up. “Who leaves the water to retire at the water? My parents. Makes zero sense.” She shook her head. “So yeah, we own it and think about closing it every now and again, but it does a decent business.”

“I had fun there. It was very nostalgic.”

“Well, we appreciate you coming.”

A few seats down, a man rapped his knuckles on the bar. Devy excused herself and went to him.

“What can I get for ya?”

“Are you the babe on the wall back there? The Pearl of the Ocean?” He held his hands up in a dancing motion.

Devorah rolled her eyes. “Funny. Do you want to order?”

The man placed an order for a burger with fries and a pint of Colt’s house special. Devorah rang his order up, sent it back to the kitchen, poured his beer, and set it down in front of him. When she walked back toward Laila, she was smiling a bit too much for Dev’s liking.

“I knew it was only a matter of time.”

Devorah rolled her eyes.

“Listen, I have a proposition for you.”

“Yeah, what’s that?” Devy asked as she leaned on the bar.

“I’m the president of the Oyster Festival. I could really use someone like you on staff. Apart from planning, the Pearls could use guidance on their duties during the month.”

Devorah laughed. “Is my reign as Pearl of the Ocean finally becoming something? Wait until I tell Crow.”

Now Laila laughed. “Think about it. We meet once a week until it gets closer to the festival and then nightly for a couple of weeks.”

“Where do you meet?”

“Here,” she said. “Colt lets us use the room in the back.”

“Right along with the CC Club?”

Laila’s eyes widened. “Those gossip girls are the bane of my existence. But you know what, I’ll join them in five years and be just like them.”

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