Page 59 of The Glass Dolphin

“I heard the airport is short-staffed too,” Kristen said.

A hint of worry suddenly entered the group. They’d congregated several paces from the couches, and Robin took Jean’s little girl from her. Heidi smiled at her and waved her arms, and Robin let herself feel the magic that a baby always brought.

“This is why we need more people here,” AJ said with pure conviction in her voice.

Kristen and Jean exchanged a glance, and Robin quickly averted her eyes back to baby Heidi’s face.

“I think if there were less people,” Alice said carefully. “We wouldn’t have the needs here at the hospital or at the airport.”

“Are you saying you agree with the likes of Weston Bent?” AJ demanded. Behind her, her son squabbled, but she didn’t move a muscle.

“Of course not,” Alice said, holding her own with AJ. If any of them could go toe to toe, it was the two of them. Robin usually didn’t have any problem expressing her opinions either, but she stepped away from the huddle to go sit with Asher.

The group came with her, and Alice added, “I just think things should be done systematically. Carefully.”

“Thereisa system in place,” AJ said.

Alice stared at her, her dark eyes burning. “It’s been exploited.”

AJ sputtered as she stood at the edge of the couch. Everyone else had taken a seat, but AJ planted her hands on her hips. “If El was here, she’d agree with me. We need people to come to the cove to support our businesses.”

“I’m fine with summer tourism,” Alice said.

“We need local people living here to be able to support the tourism,” AJ said.

Silence draped over the group for a moment, and Robin met Alice’s eyes. She clearly told Robin to chime in, but Robin didn’t quite know what to say. “We haven’t had a problem supporting the tourism in the past,” she said carefully. “But it’s not tourist season yet. We shouldn’t have problems supporting our population in March.”

AJ glared at her, and Robin nodded to the other half of the uncomfortable couch. “Sit down, AvaJane.”

“You’re not my mother,” she barked. But she sat. “You need people to plan weddings for, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Robin murmured. “But I’m not getting hired by people coming here to get married. Five Island Cove isn’t a destination wedding locale.”

“What if it was?” AJ challenged.

Robin shook her head, hoping the conversation would change as El, Julia, and Clara came around the corner. El looked like she’d been crying, and Robin got to her feet. “Alice.”

Alice sat with her back to the hallway, but she twisted and then got to her feet. El said something to Julia, and then made a detour into the bathroom before Robin or Alice could say anything to her.

“What’s going on?” Alice asked as Julia and Clara approached.

“She’s just stressed about the inn,” Julia said.

“You guys want the cove to keep growing, don’t you?” AJ asked.

Clara blinked past Alice to the couch where AJ sat. Robin took her seat again, her chest vibrating with tension. Apparently, AJ wasn’t going to let this go.

“AJ,” Kristen said.

“No, I want to know,” she said. “We need to take a vote.”

“A vote?” Alice asked. “AJ, come on.”

“This isn’t going to accomplish anything,” Robin said.

“I want to know.” AJ put a determined look on her face. “My poll for the op-ed piece was simple. Two choices. Yes, the cove needs to keep growing at its current pace to support our livelihood and to ensure our communities don’t die. No, the cove government needs to slow down the rate of building to control the businesses and people who move here.” She lifted her chin, daring everyone there to defy her.

No one said anything, so Robin handed Heidi back to Jean, who immediately busied herself with the baby, her eyes down.

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