Read Online Meet Me at the Beach (Seashell Bay) by V. K. Sykes - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: V. K. Sykes
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silence, the three friends contemplated what a big development on the Flynn lands could do to Seashell Bay. Every soul on the island would be deeply affected, some possibly for the better, but others definitely for the worse. It sure didn’t seem worth the risk to Lily, not with all the unknowns.
“I know it’s not as clear-cut for your families as it is for mine,” Lily said, “but you know how strongly we feel about that proposal. I’m going to keep fighting it with everything I’ve got, because I don’t have a choice. If the Flynns and Bay Island get their way, we won’t recognize this place in five years. It could even end up as some junior version of Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket. The Seashell Bay Island we grew up in will basically cease to exist.”
By the time she finished, she was starting to choke up. It made her feel sort of stupid, so she stared out over the trap lot toward the rocky shoreline until she regained control.
Morgan reached over and squeezed her hand. “You know I’m there for you, Lily, no matter what. Even if I have to go toe-to-toe with my dad, though I sure hope it doesn’t have to come to that. I’ve been working on him a little every day to come out for the no vote.”
Lily grasped her friend’s hand. It felt like a lifeline in a frigid, storm-tossed sea. “Thanks, sweetie. You know how much I appreciate it.”
She did, too, because she also knew how much Morgan hated disagreeing with her father. Ever since his wife’s death two years ago from ovarian cancer, Cal Merrifield had come to emotionally depend on his eldest daughter more and more. Cal continued to do everything he could to convince her to move back home, and Morgan felt tremendous guilt over her refusal to give up her teaching job on the mainland.
Morgan gave her hand one more squeeze and then let go. “But let’s forget about that depressing stuff for a while. It’s the Flynns I’m worried about and how they’re going to cheat to win the boat race. Aiden was always a stand-up guy, but Bram has been getting a little weird the last few years. And their no-good father…” Her mouth curled into a sneer, which expressed how they all felt about Sean Flynn.
Holly put her empty glass down on the wicker table beside her chair. “How the heck do you cheat in a boat race? Don’t the captains just open their throttles wide and blast straight down the channel to the finish line?”
Lily waggled a hand. “You’d be surprised at the lengths some guys will go to win, and there’s not much that can be done about it. The organizers here don’t go in for heavy-duty regulations and engine inspections, like they do inthe bigger races along the coast. It’s more of a friendly match atmosphere. The nine-hundred-horsepower superboats don’t bother with our little Blueberry Festival races.”
“If the Flynns want to soup up that old tub of theirs, Aiden’s got the money to do it,” Morgan said in a dramatically dark voice.
Lily had thought of that factor
after
she’d thrown out her challenge to Aiden. For all she knew, Aiden and Bram could even be on the mainland buying a powerful new engine for
Irish Lady
. Or contracting for some structural modifications, though they wouldn’t have time for anything major. Still, something like that might give them the edge they needed to win.
“They could,” she acknowledged. “But I haven’t exactly been resting on my laurels since I won my class last year. My boat’s in great shape. I had Josh do some fine-tuning last week, and he’s going to be at it again tomorrow.”
Morgan wagged a finger at her. “Fine-tuning, as in squeezing out every last ounce of horsepower your diesel’s got?”
“You know Josh,” Lily said, keeping it vague.
Josh Bryson wasn’t a marine mechanic—his specialty was motorcycles—but he could work miracles with almost any kind of engine from lawn mowers to big truck diesels. He worked on a few boat engines around the island, but most
“I know it’s not as clear-cut for your families as it is for mine,” Lily said, “but you know how strongly we feel about that proposal. I’m going to keep fighting it with everything I’ve got, because I don’t have a choice. If the Flynns and Bay Island get their way, we won’t recognize this place in five years. It could even end up as some junior version of Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket. The Seashell Bay Island we grew up in will basically cease to exist.”
By the time she finished, she was starting to choke up. It made her feel sort of stupid, so she stared out over the trap lot toward the rocky shoreline until she regained control.
Morgan reached over and squeezed her hand. “You know I’m there for you, Lily, no matter what. Even if I have to go toe-to-toe with my dad, though I sure hope it doesn’t have to come to that. I’ve been working on him a little every day to come out for the no vote.”
Lily grasped her friend’s hand. It felt like a lifeline in a frigid, storm-tossed sea. “Thanks, sweetie. You know how much I appreciate it.”
She did, too, because she also knew how much Morgan hated disagreeing with her father. Ever since his wife’s death two years ago from ovarian cancer, Cal Merrifield had come to emotionally depend on his eldest daughter more and more. Cal continued to do everything he could to convince her to move back home, and Morgan felt tremendous guilt over her refusal to give up her teaching job on the mainland.
Morgan gave her hand one more squeeze and then let go. “But let’s forget about that depressing stuff for a while. It’s the Flynns I’m worried about and how they’re going to cheat to win the boat race. Aiden was always a stand-up guy, but Bram has been getting a little weird the last few years. And their no-good father…” Her mouth curled into a sneer, which expressed how they all felt about Sean Flynn.
Holly put her empty glass down on the wicker table beside her chair. “How the heck do you cheat in a boat race? Don’t the captains just open their throttles wide and blast straight down the channel to the finish line?”
Lily waggled a hand. “You’d be surprised at the lengths some guys will go to win, and there’s not much that can be done about it. The organizers here don’t go in for heavy-duty regulations and engine inspections, like they do inthe bigger races along the coast. It’s more of a friendly match atmosphere. The nine-hundred-horsepower superboats don’t bother with our little Blueberry Festival races.”
“If the Flynns want to soup up that old tub of theirs, Aiden’s got the money to do it,” Morgan said in a dramatically dark voice.
Lily had thought of that factor
after
she’d thrown out her challenge to Aiden. For all she knew, Aiden and Bram could even be on the mainland buying a powerful new engine for
Irish Lady
. Or contracting for some structural modifications, though they wouldn’t have time for anything major. Still, something like that might give them the edge they needed to win.
“They could,” she acknowledged. “But I haven’t exactly been resting on my laurels since I won my class last year. My boat’s in great shape. I had Josh do some fine-tuning last week, and he’s going to be at it again tomorrow.”
Morgan wagged a finger at her. “Fine-tuning, as in squeezing out every last ounce of horsepower your diesel’s got?”
“You know Josh,” Lily said, keeping it vague.
Josh Bryson wasn’t a marine mechanic—his specialty was motorcycles—but he could work miracles with almost any kind of engine from lawn mowers to big truck diesels. He worked on a few boat engines around the island, but most
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