Page 61 of The Magic of Sea Glass
“Good to hear.” Then he immediately switched gears. “We need to schedule a time to do your solo narration clips. We’ll want some close-ups with you, telling us how the preparation is going.”
Still not entirely sure she could make it through the wedding, which would mean that this pilot might go up in flames, Lauren stalled. “Could we shoot them all at the end?”
“Good idea. Maybe we can make a second visit for that.” Dave nodded to the crew, who immediately assumed their positions, the camera now rolling. “Carry on,” he said.
“Wait. Can’t you just take a break or something? I’m not even doing wedding planning at the moment.”
“What are you doing, then?” Dave challenged.
“I’m looking for Mary to give her a message.”
Dave cocked his head to the side, the camera still rolling. “About?”
“I’m just going to tell her when the designer is coming for the interior work.”
“Perfect,” Dave said, snapping his fingers to pull the cameras closer. “That’s preparing the venue. Something about the wedding is bound to come out.” He turned to the crew. “Keep rolling.”
With a deep breath, Lauren headed toward the front porch. When she found Mary, she was pointing toward the end of the street, directing a couple to town. They thanked her and walked down the steps to the parking lot. The seagulls screeched overhead while they flew back and forth in front of the sun, as if they were alerting them all to the summer heat that had already taken hold.
“Good morning,” Mary said, pacing slowly toward Lauren. “I was just out here admiring the beds. They’re so gorgeous.”
The camera panned around them while Lauren took in the desert blooms in pinks and yellows, with pampas grass and palm trees giving height to the space, all freshly arranged this morning. Everything was perfect next to the newly planted turf grass, which was edged in driftwood-colored beams.
“I wanted to let you know the designer’s coming. She’ll be here in about an hour.”
Mary’s smile widened with glee. “That’s exciting.”
“Yes.” Lauren stepped to the side to get out of the way of a crew member. “And I know we’re pushing it, but I’m having the parking lot repaved today as well,” Lauren said. “And the exterior painters will be redoing the inn in white with gray trim and painting the sign to match.”
“Exteriorpainters?” Mary gave her a surprised but excited look before eyeing the camera crew, clearly not wanting to speak of the cost, which was surely on her mind.
“Yep.” A fizzle of joy took hold at the idea of making Mary happy. “And I’ve got a conservation crew that will be bringing in sand to build up the beach. They say it’ll give you at least five to eight more years, but that change won’t happen until after the wedding. They want to wait until the end of the summer so they don’t disturb the vacationers.”
“Oh my goodness.”
“I also wondered if we could extend the back and include a closed, heated glass porch with a big stone fireplace to entice people to come in the winter months.”
“That would be amazing, but it’s awfully ambitious.” Mary wobbled her cane back. “Yours was a temporary position; I’ve only set aside pay for the next few weeks. Who will manage it all when you’re gone?”
“Well, I was thinking…” Lauren smiled at her new friend. “I wondered if I could stay on and help you.”
The initial excitement in Mary’s eyes was quickly clouded with uncertainty, and after seeing the books, Lauren knew why. The future of the Tide and Swallow wasn’t secure.Yet.
“I have plenty of money to live on,” she said quietly into Mary’s ear. “I wouldn’t take a salary unless we could afford it. But if you give me time, I think I can make you more money with this place than you’ve ever seen.”
Mary stared at her, hope evident in her eyes. Then she put an arm around Lauren and gave her a squeeze. “How could I say no?” Like she’d gotten accustomed to doing, Mary threaded her arm through Lauren’s. “It’s such a beautiful morning. I know we both have a lot to do, but walk me out to the back porch for a quiet moment.” She gave the crew a motherly once-over.
Dave rolled his eyes and cut the camera. “No wedding talk whatsoever,” he said.
“I told you,” Lauren called to him as she and Mary made their way to the porch. “I’ll let you know when you should come back. Take a break. Put your feet in the sand.”
Dave blew a frustrated puff of air through his lips and rounded up the crew.
Lauren guided Mary up the ramp to the house and around the corner by the hammock. The late morning air blew off the ocean in a salty mist.
“I know you’ve got a lot to do, and you don’t love the TV show people being here—I can tell. But you look so much happier than when you arrived,” Mary noted as they came to a stop in front of the cobalt-blue sea.
“I suppose I am,” she said. She’d expected to relax a little during her time there, but she never guessed she’d feel so at home. She was really settling in. And while she still had her struggles, in only a short time, life had begun to feel… normal.
