Page 4 of New Day at the Beach House

“It is. And frankly, I don’t want to just yet. Although it would be lovely to have my car.” Maybe she’d ask Conrad if he’d be willing to drive her back to Landry to pick up her vehicle and some more of her things. She was going over to his place to work on the book with him shortly. But there was something else she wanted to discuss with her daughter before she headed off to his house.

“Claire?”

“Yes?”

“About staying here…” Margo wasn’t sure how her daughter would react to Margo’s decision, but she wasn’t going to back down. “I will be here for a little while, but I’m eventually going to get my own place. I can’t go on sharing a room with Jules indefinitely, no matter how much I love her.”

“No, of course not.” Claire started laughing, reacting very differently than Margo had anticipated. “I totally get it, Mom. You want a place where you can entertain Conrad.”

“Claire.” Margo pursed her lips. “I don’t know what you’re implying—”

“I’m not implying anything.” Claire was still smiling. “You’re a grown woman and a consenting adult and if you want a place of your own to have your boyfriend over to, then by all means, you should.”

“He’s not my boyfriend.”

Claire got up as faint strains of music drifted down from the third floor. “So you haven’t kissed him?”

“The nerve of you asking your mother a question like that.”

Claire chuckled and nodded. “You have kissed him. You don’t blush about much, but your cheeks have definitely gone pink. Good for you.”

“Hmph.” Margo got up and strode off to her room, shutting the door behind her. Toby, Jules’s dachshund, was on the bed. He looked at Margo expectantly.

She shook her head. “I didn’t come in here because I’m taking you for a—” She stopped before she uttered the word “walk.” That would only get him all worked up. “This isn’t about you, that’s all I’m saying.”

She sat on her bed and texted Conrad. I’m ready when you are.

He answered so quickly he must have been waiting for her message. On my way.

She smiled as she got up and went into the bathroom to inspect her hair and makeup one more time. All good. She went back into the bedroom to get her purse, then out into the rest of the house.

Claire was nowhere to be found. Maybe in her room. Or maybe she’d gone next door to see Danny and tell him about her windfall.

Either way, Margo was glad for the reprieve. She didn’t want to talk about her relationship with Conrad any more than they already had.

She knocked on her granddaughter’s door. “Kat?”

“It’s open.”

Margo stuck her head in. Kat was on the bed, laptop in front of her. “Conrad’s coming to get me. Jules and Cash are upstairs, and I have no idea where your mother is. Will you keep an eye on Toby in case he needs to go out?”

She nodded. “Sure.”

“Thank you. Are you nervous about your interview?”

She nodded a second time, more rapidly than before. “Yes.”

“Do you know what you’re wearing?”

“I brought my tan pantsuit back with me from Landry. I’m going to wear that with a green top. Not sure about the accessories yet, though.”

“Anything you want to borrow of mine, you’re welcome to it.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re going to do fine,” Margo said. She was proud of her granddaughter for taking charge of her life. “Any company would be lucky to have you.”

Kat smiled. “I hope they feel the same way.”

---