The Cove Conundrum Read online

Nate gave him all the specs and Hal let us know how he worked. I was really impressed. He even had a budget for us with a bottom line price and a contract for us to review with our lawyer. I couldn't help but gaze at both of them admiringly. Madison's buddies certainly didn't have their act together like this.

  "Well, I'll have my people look this over," said Nate, gathering up the paperwork. "And then call your people, but I'm pretty sure that we'll be seeing you shortly."

  "Pleasure to hear that," said Hal, standing up. "Figure next week?"

  "Totally doable," said Nate.

  "I'll start putting out some feelers and get things lined up. It's a pleasure doing business with you." He stood up and put some cash on the bar. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I wanted to walk around the island a little. Get a sense of the people and the area."

  He headed out the door as a rough voice sang a song about the Old Man of the Sea over the speakers.

  "I really like him," Nate said.

  "He reminds me of my dad," said Johnny. We both looked at him and Johnny clarified, "On his good days. When things were good."

  "Yeah, I've got a good feeling about this, too," I said, giving Nate's arm a squeeze. "I think this is going to turn out great."

  Suddenly, the door opened and a dark silhouette filled the frame.

  "Oh, honey, there you are!" my mom called, stepping into the bar.

  So much for brighter days ahead.

  Chapter Nine

  "Good to see you again Johnny and Nate," she said as she walked over to us.

  Nate got up and offered her his bar stool.

  "No! No!" she said. "I'm not staying. Just wanted to talk to Paige about packing and moving and all that fun stuff."

  My mouth grew dry remembering the conversation Granny and I had in the kitchen. "Um..."

  "What is it, honey?"

  "You didn't talk to Granny?" I asked.

  Mom's brow furrowed. "No. Is there something wrong?"

  I had hoped that Granny was going to break the news to mom instead of leaving it to me, but I guess that wasn't the case. I scrambled. "Well, we... Nate and Johnny and I... we just talked to a filmmaker who is going to make a documentary on the island. And I was hoping I could have a chance to help get everything put together and be a part of it."

  Mom seemed taken aback. "Oh. Well. And when is this documentary being filmed?"

  "Next week, Ms. Comber," said Nate. "We found that time capsule and want to make sure it is opened to great fanfare. You know, since it was lost for so long." He looked at me. "I suppose we also need to figure out what we're going to put inside of it for future Seaside residents."

  "Is this why your grandmother said you wanted to stay a few weeks more?" Mom asked.

  So Granny had talked to her. I was so grateful. At least this wasn't out of the blue. "Yeah. It just happened. We found the capsule a few days ago. No one saw this coming. I’m so sorry..."

  Mom chewed on her bottom lip. "You don't think you'll have time to pack?"

  "It's going to be a really, really big project," I said.

  She took a deep breath. "Okay. Well... Okay. Just... call me when you're ready. I came all the way out here and took time off of work... It's fine. Just... It's fine." And then she turned and walked toward the door. But she paused to throw a little grief my way. "Listen, I don't get a lot of vacation days and this week is going to blow through at least half of them and I don't appreciate it." And then she left, her emotional guilt trip out for me to choke on.

  I cringed. "Oh, that was not good."

  "What?" said Johnny. "She didn't yell at you or anything. I'd say that was pretty good."

  Nate took my hands in his. "You don't have to help with this documentary," said Nate. "I totally understand if you need to... start getting ready to leave."

  I could see he wanted my reassurance that everything was going to be fine and I had a plan. I didn't. Just Granny's promise that I could stay and we would figure something out. "It'll be fine."

  "Like your mom said!" chirped Johnny. Then suddenly his face fell. "Oh man, I totally forgot it was the end of the summer and you had to go home, Paige! We, like, didn't get to hang out near enough."

  "I'm going to be here for at least the rest of the month," I said, sneaking a look at Nate to try and judge his reaction.

  "Rocking!" said Johnny, holding up his hand for a high-five. "Best after summer ever!"

  Nate slid his arm around my waist. "I'm glad you're thinking about staying."

  There was so much weight behind that simple sentence. I wanted to blurt out that I wanted to stay here on the island with him forever. A doleful accordion began to play. I brushed it off. I just needed a little more time to figure out my plan.

  "Well, I couldn't leave you high and dry now," I laughed, trying to keep things light. "Someone needs to make this documentary crew some coffee!"

  Chapter Ten

  The bell over the Bitter Beans' door rang and I looked up.

  "Paige! Great to see you!" said Hal, walking in. Behind him were two of the guys from the first crew, which was really weird.

  "Oh hey, Hal!" I said, and then gave a smile to welcome in the others. "And Aidan and Carter, right? Just visiting the island?"

  "You know each other?" asked Hal with amusement.

  Aidan and Carter were trying really hard to avoid eye contact with me.

  "Oh... yeah..." I said, not sure the etiquette of letting the guy you hired know that the two people standing behind him were people you had interviewed for his job. "They're a mutual friend of a... Madison. We met in Trevor's bar last week."

  But the awkwardness was just about to begin.

  Hal raised his eyebrows. "Reunited and it feels so good, huh?" He laughed at his own joke and clapped Aidan on the back. "Madison introduced me. Said they were the finest line producers and camera crew she knew and that Nate wanted them on the team. Worked for me. Contracts are all signed and we are ready to go!"

  I couldn't believe the gall of that woman.

  "Yeah," stammered Carter, his cool, director vibe gone. "We really appreciate Nate having our back and stuff."

  I really wanted to blurt out that he had nothing to do with this, but things were what they were. But speak of the devil, the bell over the door of Bitter Beans rang again.

  "Yoohoo!" Madison picked her way inside the shop, practically tiptoeing in her stiletto high heels. Today, she was wearing a shocking pink mini skirt and matching jacket. Her blonde hair was curled and fell over her shoulders. She took off her sunglasses and perched them on the top of her head.

  Hal managed to catch my eye and express without a word that he and I were on the same page about this party crasher.

  "There you got to!" Madison said, resting her hand on his arm, while simultaneously firing off a text message and pressing send. "I was looking everywhere for you."

  "Just trying to get through our list of residents to get them to sign release waivers."

  Aidan pulled out a sheet and pushed it across the counter at me, and then clicked a pen and pushed that my direction, too.

  Madison wrinkled her nose as she tried to pull the film crew away. "Oh. No. Not her. Paige is just here for the summer. She wants to be a baker or something. She'll be leaving soon. No need to put her on tape."

  It was like a throw down, and it made me sick to my stomach that Madison could be here on Seaside longer than me. Even without the existential threat of my future potential looming over my head, it felt like ceding territory to the enemy.

  "Really?" asked Hal. "Well, that's an interesting angle that we haven't captured yet. Mind if we interview you, Paige? Just a couple questions about an 'outsiders' view? Should take about twenty minutes."

  "Oh," I said, realizing that I was sporting my 4 AM look and Hal was wanting to tape me. "Um... could I put on some makeup or something?"

  "We don't have time," insisted Madison.

  Aidan raised his finger and pulled out his clipboard. "Actually, I have the schedule right her
e—"

  She pursed her face at him. "Actually, I lined up several other people for you to interview today, so Paige is just an extra that we have to squeeze into an already packed schedule and it is either now or never."

  "Aw, don't be like that, Madison," said Hal. He motioned to Carter who, I'll give him credit, was already scrambling to set up the camera near the potbelly stove and checkerboards. "Light is perfect in here. Great ambiance. Nice and quiet. It'll take us no time at all."

  She groaned. "UGH. Well, I'll go tell everyone else they have a twenty-minute break." She pulled out her phone and shot another text. "I mean, I have everything set up in Trevor's bar and everything."

  "We have a lot of footage in there, Madison," Aidan informed her. "We need a different backdrop for visual variety." He looked into my display case of baked goods. "Is that a four-layer red velvet cake?"

  I smiled and nodded. I figured that if I was even contemplating not pursuing Le Cordon Bleu, I needed to see how far I could get on my own. I had watched a YouTube video and picked a new recipe that I thought might sell. My instincts must have been right. "Yes, it is!"

  "Ooo!" said Hal, leaning in. "My favorite!"

  "This'll be great for local color," Aidan added, waving Carter over. "Could you get some b-roll footage of this case?" He looked at me. "And maybe you'd let us try a little so that we fully can appreciate what you offer to the island?"

  He was acting like he thought he was so smooth. But I cut them each a slice for effort. "On the house. Let me know what you think."

  As they surged forward to get a piece, Madison rolled her eyes. "Shouldn't we get some makeup on her or something to make her face not terrible?"

  Hal shut her down. "She looks great. We have a little powder to take off the shine." He snapped his fingers and Aidan ran forward with a powder puff. "You've got an authentic feel, Paige, and people want the real deal. Not some dolled up broad—"

  As if on cue, he was cut off as the door opened.

  "I'm ready for my close-up, Hal," said Wanda, striking a pose.

  Granny's posse entered. They were dressed to go for their walk, but had all fixed themselves up, and I could see what Hal had been getting at.

  Wanda had coated her eyelids with blue eye shadow to match her spiky hair and a garish color of pink lipstick. I'd never seen her like that in my life. Holly's hair was actually down, and her mousy, cotton candy locks hung down below her waist. And Marnie had given her hair the opposite treatment, taking her silver braid and turning it into a crown around her head.

  "Aw! Ladies! I am SO sorry!" Hal apologized as he hooked up the boom mic. "There was some confusion with the schedule. I'm filming in Bitter Beans this morning."

  "Oh, you can go—" I started to say. But Aidan gave me a warning glance as he turned his back on the posse and shoveled the cake into his mouth.

  "Let's say I catch up with you later this week during one of your walks," offered Hal.

  The three ladies' spirits fell. "Any idea which day?" asked Wanda.

  "I'll surprise you," he promised, steering them toward the door. "Maybe if I finish up with Paige really quick, I can catch up with you on your walk."

  "Oh... well, we can wait," Wanda offered.

  "There's always noise problems with extra people in the room, and then we have to do reshoots. I promise there's more opportunity for me to catch up with you if I move quickly here. Now, get on with you!" He waved as they started out onto the street and then turned back to me and cringed. "Really nice ladies. I like them a lot. But everyone wants to turn this into some opportunity to be a star instead of just letting me share their true spirit with the world."

  I squinted at him. "Is that why you just happened to pop in here today with no notice? Wanted to catch me at my 'authentic' best?"

  He held up his hand. "Guilty as charged! As great of a makeup artist as Wanda is, I didn't want to see you in blue eye shadow, Paige. It would have broke my heart."

  I laughed. "Okay. But just this one time."

  The guys finished their setup as Madison continued to check her phone with annoyance. I sat down in one of our wooden chairs as Carter focused the lens on me. Aidan raised his hand. "Any chance I could get a cup of coffee?" he asked.

  "Oh, sure! Help yourself! We have some in the carafe."

  He disappeared behind the counter.

  "Hey, Aidan!" Hal called. "How about backing off of the craft services and coming over to hold this boom mic for me?"

  Aidan finished pouring himself a cup and his face hardened. "Yeah. I'll be just over. Do you want a cup?"

  "No," said Hal. "I'd like to get this interview knocked out before the sun goes down."

  "I could hold the mic if you needed me to," offered Madison grudgingly.

  "Nope, that's why we brought along your friend, Aidan. Aidan? Let's get some hustle on!"

  "Coming!" he said, wandering back over. I could see he wasn't happy. He and Madison exchanged exasperated looks. I could see there were secret alliances and coups already starting to form.

  Hal finally got Aidan to hold the mic. Carter did something with color balance where he had me holding up a piece of white paper. Then, Hal took a place standing to the right of the camera. He gave me a reassuring smile, like this was just par for the course in his workday.

  "Comfortable, Paige?" he asked.

  I shifted in the hard seat. "Probably as comfortable as I'm going to be."

  "We've got sound and rolling," said Carter.

  "Pay no attention to all the stuff going on, Paige, just talk to me like the camera isn't even there. Let's start with a softball question before the grilling." He gave me a wink to let me know he was joking. "Just state your name and where you work, just so we have it when we're editing."

  "I'm Paige Comber and I work for the Bitter Beans coffee and bookshop."

  "And how long have you been working here?"

  "Oh, since about June."

  "High stress?"

  "No. Just busy sometimes."

  "Tell me a little about your job."

  "Well, I work for my Granny at this coffee shop... Bitter Beans." I motioned to the display of pastries. "I'm known for my cinnamon rolls."

  "Have you ever heard about hidden treasure here on Seaside?"

  It was such a bizarre question. "No. No hidden treasure here on Seaside."

  He laughed with me, but there was something a little hollow to the sound. "You sure? Because I think you all found a hidden time capsule..."

  "OH!" I said, realizing he had been trying to get me to talk about the time capsule. "Yes! There was a time capsule. I was in Holly's shop. She wanted to fix it up and Wanda pounded on the wall, and suddenly we realized there was this great big hole behind the paneling."

  "What do you think will be in it?"

  I shrugged. "Well, we know that the time capsule was created in 1899."

  "By your boyfriend's family, right?"

  "Oh, yeah. He's an Edward and the Edwards own the island."

  "How do people feel about having one man own all the land?"

  "It's not just him. There's also Johnny, who owns the dive shop­—"

  "We've got the mic in the shot," interrupted the cameraman.

  Hal turned to Aidan, who had picked up his cup of coffee. He guiltily put it down. Hal didn't jump all over him for it. All he did was say, "Aidan, remember that we are going to need to go down to the dive shop." He then turned back to me. "Which of them is going to own the time capsule? Do you think Johnny and Nate are going to fight over it?"

  "Who, them?" I laughed. "They're best friends. They'd never fight."

  "You sure? Might be something special in there. Money and treasure can change a person."

  Again, it was just an odd thing to say. I wondered if Hal was trying to create some sort of tension that didn't exist. "No, I think whatever's in there, they'd split 50/50."

  "Well, this island sure is lucky to have leadership like that," Hal remarked. He reached over and turned off the
camera.

  "That's it?" I asked.

  "That's it!" he proclaimed. "We'll be back after the time capsule is opened up to find out what you think about it. See if it lives up to everyone's expectations. But in the meantime, I'm going to help myself to some of your coffee, too."

  He got up and wandered behind the counter, but he paused at the bookshelf. He picked up a history of Seaside. "This for sale?" he asked.

  "Yep," I replied.

  He pulled out his wallet. "This is great. I've heard so many things about this island, and it'll be nice to have a guide to set me straight on what's real and what's not."

  "What's real?" I asked.

  He clammed up. "We'll just see what that time capsule contains. I have a bet that I don't want to lose. If it turns out my hunch is wrong, I promise to come tell you. Deal?"

  "Um... Okay. Deal."

  "Can we leave now?" chided Madison. "We have a lot more to do."

  Aidan gathered up all of his paperwork and ran out the door after her. He didn't even bother to put his dirty dishes in the busing station. Meanwhile Carter helped Hal get everything put away. As jerky as he had played it in the interview with Nate, I could see he actually cared about filmmaking. It sucked that he had listened to Madison, and I think he figured that out.

  He gave me a little wave as they headed out the door.

  Chapter Eleven

  The distant sound of the band marching let me know that it was time to get over to the town hall for the official opening of the time capsule. I smoothed my hair and slicked some gloss on my lips. Not that I was anyone special, but it was a big day and I wanted to look nice. Granny had already left to work the concession stand, and had texted me a list of all the refills she needed.

  Mom shuffled around. "I don't understand why you don't just close up shop. Everyone's going to be over at the meeting," she grumbled.

  I bit my tongue. I don't exactly know why Granny decided Mom should be stuck here. "Gotta ask the big boss," I said, taking off my apron. "I just work here."

  Mom sighed. "Me, too... I thought I escaped this place twenty years ago."