Page 8 of The Magic of Sea Glass
She hadn’t realized that she’d fallen asleep until something pressed hard against her face, pushing into it uncomfortably and causing her to swim out of her state of unconsciousness. On her side, she moved her arm that had been propping her head up and rubbed her skin, feeling an imprint. She’d been sleeping on the string of sea glass around her wrist. She sat up and peered down at her new gift. It was truly beautiful. The sight of it still reminded her of Mason, but after her nap it made her feel as if he were there with her—maybe itwasgood luck.
A knock at the bedroom door that opened to the porch gave her a start. Running her fingers through her long waves, she blinked, trying to focus through the bright light as she pulled back the curtains. Brody stood on the other side. Lauren unlocked the handle and opened the doors, the North Carolina humidity instantly overtaking her.
His attention went to the marks on her face from the bracelet before he met her eyes, that interest she’d seen before flickering in his gaze. “I’m replacing the boards of the porch for Mary, and I’ve gotten to the ones by your room. I’ll be working along this side for the next few hours, so I wanted to let you know that it’ll be loud while I’m cutting and hammering.”
“Oh, okay,” she said, still slightly disoriented from her nap, her conversational skills limited. “I was going to go down the hall to see Mary anyway.”
“That’s probably a good idea.” He flashed that smile, his sandy-brown hair darker with perspiration. Then he turned away and got to work.
Fiddling with her bracelet for strength, she pulled the door shut and walked through the suite, headed for Mary’s office.
“I enjoy spending time with the guests,” Mary said, once Lauren had gotten to her office. “But bookkeepingisn’tmy strong suit, and I just cannot figure out how to get this schedule straight.” Mary leaned over the desk next to Lauren in the cramped, cluttered office. The one saving grace of the small space was that it had the same view as Lauren’s suite that extended past the porch to the deep blue Atlantic and its golden beach.
Brody was still outside, replacing the boards. Lauren kept catching glimpses of him through the window, obstructing the ocean that shined like a bed of diamonds in the late afternoon sunlight, and then he’d disappear. Out of nowhere, the hammering would start once more.
Wondering how Mary could get any work done with that view within reach, Lauren tore her eyes from it to take a look at the spiral-bound paper calendar full of penciled-in duties, reservations, and events. The edges of the book were bent, with some pages folded and others barely attached to the spiral casing, with sticky notes and arrows drawn across the page. Mary had all her personal appointments written in the same place as the cleaning crews’ schedules, bills that were due, and meetings.
“Can you think of any way to sort this out?” Mary asked.
Lauren turned the page to find another grid full of writing. “Have you ever thought about putting all this into a computer program?”
Mary shook her head. “I don’t even own a computer. My husband, Frank, used to do it all for me and when he passed away, I was left with it.”
Lauren nodded. She knew firsthand what it was like to be left with a life that had once been filled by someone else. “How long has it been since…?”
Mary smiled, understanding her question. “Three years.” Mary’s gaze shifted to the ceiling as if Frank were there. “But we were together for forty-seven.”
“That’s incredible.” Lauren was unable to imagine what it would be like to lose Mason after forty-seven years together. It was hard enough after four.
“It’s not so incredible when you love someone as much as I loved Frank. It was easy. It’s being able to live without him that’s incredible.”
Lauren offered a melancholy smile, knowing exactly what she meant.
“My friend Joe helps me, though. I’ve known him since we moved here. He and Frank became fishing buddies, and he was always around. When I lost Frank, Joe stepped in. He helps with the loneliness.”
“That’s good that you have someone,” Lauren said, wondering if things would be easier if she had someone like Joe. She wasn’t sure. To avoid thinking about it any further, she got back to the task at hand, looking down at the calendar.
“So, what do I do without a computer?” Mary asked.
“Well, I applied for this job through a digital form online, and you have a website. How did you dothat?”
“I hired a lady to do my website for me and she took care of the form,” Mary replied.
“Could she help you get all this loaded into a program?” Small slips of paper with dates scratched on them fluttered to the floor when Lauren lifted the book to try to make out what was written in there.
Mary grunted as she bent over to pick them up. “She doesn’t work for me; I just paid a one-time fee. I don’t have the budget for it.”
“So how did you get my email about the job?” she asked, trying to ascertain what Mary had and what she lacked in the way of technology.
“I got it on my phone. I do know how to use that. I had to learn if I wanted to keep the inn running in this day and age, but it’s all getting away from me—moving too fast and leaving me behind.”
“I know what you mean,” she said.
“And even if I could keep up, I can’t physically meet all the inn’s requirements by myself. It needs repairs. I’m scheduling maintenance while I’m checking guests out, managing the upkeep and who’s coming in and out of the inn, keeping the crews up to date on numbers—there’s just so much.”
Brody popped into view again, wiping the perspiration off his forehead, and suddenly it was clear. He was helping Mary, most likely because she didn’t have the money to pay for a new porch. A tickle fluttered over her wrist where his hands had been. She swallowed, realizing the tickle was just the bracelet. She’d have to get used to wearing it.
With a deep breath, she turned to Mary. “You know, for my other job, I had a program that would run all this for you and give you a daily agenda with everything you have to do that day, separated by category,” she said. “It can even pay your workers for you. I still have it on my laptop.”
