Read Online Meet Me at the Beach (Seashell Bay) by V. K. Sykes - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: V. K. Sykes
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her.
Because it had to be fine, didn’t it?
She forced a smile, determined to make the best of a bad situation. “Aiden might be a big old spider, but, darlin’, I assure you that I’m no fly. And may I remind you both that I do have some experience escaping his evil web of sin.”
Morgan laughed. “We know, but that was a long time ago. And he
is
Aiden Flynn, after all.”
“I’m hoping to find out more about what he’s thinking in terms of selling his land,” Lily said, changing tack. “I thought about asking him straight out last night but just couldn’t do it. It felt like coming at it that way might bring all the old, stupid feud stuff right out in the open, especially with Bram and Granny almost getting into it.”
Morgan flashed Holly a cockeyed grin. “The way Aiden was looking at her when they were playing darts, I figured I’d better hustle her out of the Pot as soon as I could if I wanted to preserve her virtue. I swear he had visions of laying Lily out on the pool table and—”
Lily thrust up a hand, palm out. “And we are
not
going there. I refuse to have that particular image rolling around in my head.”
Morgan laughed. “Rolling around, huh? A lot of women wouldn’t mind doing some rolling around with Aiden Flynn. There were more than a few ready to climb all over him last night—as you would have realized if you ever thought about something else besides your boat and Seashell Bay.”
Lily grabbed the lemonade pitcher as if to pour it over her best friend’s head. “Can we please talk aboutsomething else? And what’s wrong with worrying about Seashell Bay? Somebody’s got to do something, or pretty soon those idiot developers will end up destroying the island.”
Both Holly and Morgan turned serious.
“It’s getting clearer every day how much this development is dividing people,” Holly said in a worried voice. “My aunts say it’s pretty much all anybody’s been talking about at the store since Bay Island Properties started sniffing around. And all the rumors flying around lately have just made it worse. I’m not around much so I’m not sure what’s true and what isn’t.”
“Dividing us is right,” Morgan said. “A lot of the full-time residents are worried as hell about the impact on the island, though others want the business it would bring in. The people with vacation homes aren’t crazy about an influx of newcomers, but most are keen on having a car ferry, so you can’t depend on them to hold the line. At the B&B, our regular guests seem to be more or less split. Some like the island just the way it is and some think it would be great to have more development because it would bring some more stores and restaurants. According to that crowd, quaint is cute for a few days but a big bore after that.”
Morgan had summed up the situation pretty accurately. Just thinking of big-city developers ripping up their beautiful, serene island made Lily sick, almost as sick as seeing the nasty fractures that had started to form among the residents.
“That’s exactly what I worry about,” Holly said. “What would happen to our general store if the population doubles or triples? Would it bring more business formy aunts?” She shook her head. “Maybe, but you can also bet that some mainland retailer will want to set up a bigger store here at some point. Florence and Beatrice always put on a brave face, but they’re not making much money. It’s hard to imagine them having to compete with a chain store that would undercut their prices.”
“A bigger population and a car ferry could be good for the B&B,” Morgan said. “Dad thinks so, anyway.”
Holly shook her head. “Maybe, but a big resort with all the amenities could hurt your business too, couldn’t it?”
“Yeah, I worry about that,” Morgan admitted. “I’ve always thought our clientele prefers our home-style atmosphere to that of a resort, but who knows how it would all shake out in the end?”
In
Because it had to be fine, didn’t it?
She forced a smile, determined to make the best of a bad situation. “Aiden might be a big old spider, but, darlin’, I assure you that I’m no fly. And may I remind you both that I do have some experience escaping his evil web of sin.”
Morgan laughed. “We know, but that was a long time ago. And he
is
Aiden Flynn, after all.”
“I’m hoping to find out more about what he’s thinking in terms of selling his land,” Lily said, changing tack. “I thought about asking him straight out last night but just couldn’t do it. It felt like coming at it that way might bring all the old, stupid feud stuff right out in the open, especially with Bram and Granny almost getting into it.”
Morgan flashed Holly a cockeyed grin. “The way Aiden was looking at her when they were playing darts, I figured I’d better hustle her out of the Pot as soon as I could if I wanted to preserve her virtue. I swear he had visions of laying Lily out on the pool table and—”
Lily thrust up a hand, palm out. “And we are
not
going there. I refuse to have that particular image rolling around in my head.”
Morgan laughed. “Rolling around, huh? A lot of women wouldn’t mind doing some rolling around with Aiden Flynn. There were more than a few ready to climb all over him last night—as you would have realized if you ever thought about something else besides your boat and Seashell Bay.”
Lily grabbed the lemonade pitcher as if to pour it over her best friend’s head. “Can we please talk aboutsomething else? And what’s wrong with worrying about Seashell Bay? Somebody’s got to do something, or pretty soon those idiot developers will end up destroying the island.”
Both Holly and Morgan turned serious.
“It’s getting clearer every day how much this development is dividing people,” Holly said in a worried voice. “My aunts say it’s pretty much all anybody’s been talking about at the store since Bay Island Properties started sniffing around. And all the rumors flying around lately have just made it worse. I’m not around much so I’m not sure what’s true and what isn’t.”
“Dividing us is right,” Morgan said. “A lot of the full-time residents are worried as hell about the impact on the island, though others want the business it would bring in. The people with vacation homes aren’t crazy about an influx of newcomers, but most are keen on having a car ferry, so you can’t depend on them to hold the line. At the B&B, our regular guests seem to be more or less split. Some like the island just the way it is and some think it would be great to have more development because it would bring some more stores and restaurants. According to that crowd, quaint is cute for a few days but a big bore after that.”
Morgan had summed up the situation pretty accurately. Just thinking of big-city developers ripping up their beautiful, serene island made Lily sick, almost as sick as seeing the nasty fractures that had started to form among the residents.
“That’s exactly what I worry about,” Holly said. “What would happen to our general store if the population doubles or triples? Would it bring more business formy aunts?” She shook her head. “Maybe, but you can also bet that some mainland retailer will want to set up a bigger store here at some point. Florence and Beatrice always put on a brave face, but they’re not making much money. It’s hard to imagine them having to compete with a chain store that would undercut their prices.”
“A bigger population and a car ferry could be good for the B&B,” Morgan said. “Dad thinks so, anyway.”
Holly shook her head. “Maybe, but a big resort with all the amenities could hurt your business too, couldn’t it?”
“Yeah, I worry about that,” Morgan admitted. “I’ve always thought our clientele prefers our home-style atmosphere to that of a resort, but who knows how it would all shake out in the end?”
In
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