Chapter 5

five

I sabelle was removing her hanging clothes from her closet when her daughter called in the early afternoon on Thursday. "I can't talk right now, Kate. I'm in the middle of something."

"This can't wait, Mom. But I'll be brief."

Her daughter's serious tone got her attention, and she lowered herself to the edge of her bed. "What's wrong, honey?"

"Nothing's wrong . I'm hoping this will be a good thing. Shelby should be arriving at Magnolia Shores any minute. She needs a job, and you need help running the B&B."

"In other words, you're exiling her. What did she do to deserve such harsh punishment?"

Kate hesitated. "She's going through a difficult time. The change of scenery will be good for her while she sorts out her life."

Isabelle pressed her lips into a thin line. "Mm-hmm. So, there is something wrong. I don't have time to babysit your wayward child. And I certainly can't afford to pay her." Isabelle set the phone on speaker and placed it on her bedside table while she dumped the contents of her dresser drawers into canvas tote bags.

"You won't have to pay her. The B&B will cover her salary. I've already worked it out with Pritchard."

"I'm a seventy-five-year-old woman. What do I know about parenting a twenty-four-year-old girl?"

"Don't parent her, Mom. Just be her grandmother. Try to get through to her if you can. After all, you two are an awful lot alike."

Isabelle slammed a dresser drawer. "Oh really? In what way?"

"You're both stubborn and headstrong, and you both have chips on your shoulders. Keep an eye on her, and don't let her drive—at least for a while."

The sound of someone clearing their throat made Isabelle turn toward the door. "She's here now. I'll call you later."

Ending the call, Isabelle crossed the room to her granddaughter and gave her a stiff hug. "Welcome, Shelby. I was just speaking with your mother."

"I heard." Shelby pushed her away. "You can buy me an airline ticket back to Austin and put us both out of misery."

Isabelle's heart went out to her granddaughter. The poor girl's eyes were bloodshot and swollen from crying. "And risk the wrath of Kate? No thank you. Besides, our first guests are arriving tomorrow, and I could use your help."

"Help with what?" Shelby asked in a skeptical tone.

"Clearing out this room for starters," Isabelle said, making a sweeping gesture at the clothes on the bed.

Shelby glanced at the clothes and back at Isabelle. "I don't understand. Why are you kicking yourself out of your own room?"

Isabelle resisted the urge to snap at the child. Why did Shelby think Isabelle was vacating her room? "Because I need it for the guests."

"But where will you sleep?"

A sense of dread overcame Isabelle when she realized she and Shelby would be roommates. "With you in the caretaker's cottage. I'll show you." Isabelle scooped up an armful of hanging clothes. "Bring your suitcase and follow me."

With her suitcase bumping along behind her, Shelby followed Isabelle down the stairs and out the front door. They were crossing the courtyard when Shelby stopped short. "Wait! Can't I stay in the pool house like I normally do?"

Isabelle kept walking, calling over her shoulder. "Sorry. Every room on this property is booked for the next three months." She was exaggerating, but not by much.

Shelby caught up to her, nearly plowing her down with her suitcase. "This is the caretaker's cottage? I always thought it was a garden shed."

"Don't expect much. This is the only building on the property I haven't maintained," Isabelle said, struggling to open the door with her hands full of clothes. "At least it's clean. I had the new maids scrub it top to bottom this morning."

Shelby's face lit up. "Cool! We have maid service."

"Only that one time. From now on, we'll have to clean up after ourselves."

"Okay, I guess." Shelby brushed past her as she inspected the outdated room—kitchen circa 1970 and furniture upholstered in a scratchy green plaid fabric. "This is bad. Are you sure you won't buy that plane ticket for me?"

"Positive. You're stuck here for the time being." Isabelle nodded at the far corner door. "Your room is over there." She had staked claim to the queen-bedded room, leaving the one with twin beds for Shelby.

Isabelle took her armload to her bedroom, hanging the clothes in the tiny closet.

Through the Jack and Jill bath connecting the two rooms, she heard Shelby let out a squeal. "Ew, you mean we have to share a bathroom?"

"I'm afraid so. But don't worry, the fan works." Isabelle smiled to herself. She might enjoy having someone around to tease.

Isabelle and Shelby spent the next three hours moving her belongings from the main house to the cottage. By the time they finished, hanging clothes covered every surface.

"You have too many clothes, Izzy. Where will you put all this stuff?" Shelby asked, spreading her arms wide.

Isabelle tapped her chin, pondering the dilemma. "Good question," she said. "I may have to store some clothes in the attic." Then, with a sigh, she thought, Good heavens. I've become one of those women who brings her clothes out of storage every season.

With nowhere to sit, Shelby lay down on the floor, fanning herself with an old National Geographic magazine from the coffee table. "I'd forgotten how hot it is in the Lowcountry."

"No hotter than Texas," Isabelle said as she refolded a stack of colorful cotton T-shirts.

"Sure feels like it. What time are these guests coming tomorrow?"

"Check-in starts at four o'clock."

"Oh, good. I can spend most of the day by the pool, working on my tan," Shelby said, examining the skin on her arms.

"After we return from the grocery store."

Shelby crossed her arms over her chest, staring up at the ceiling. "If you give me your list, I can shop for you."

Isabelle chuckled. "Good try, but no chance. Your mother left strict instructions that you're not to drive. Did you get pulled over for driving under the influence?"

Shelby sat up straight. "No! I had a couple of drinks by the pool at the club. Hours later, I drove myself home. Unfortunately, Mom could still smell the rum on my breath."

With the flick of her wrist, Isabelle waved away the seriousness of her granddaughter's crime. "That's no big deal. I do it all the time."

"Because your club is at the end of your driveway, Izzy. I admit I made a mistake. But the punishment seems rather harsh, don't you think?"

Isabelle ignored the question. She would not take sides in a dispute between her daughter and granddaughter. "Speaking of clubs, why don't we get cleaned up and go to the Sandy Island Club for dinner? This might be our last chance to dine out for a while."

"Why not? Since there's nothing else to do around here." Shelby got to her feet, retrieved her suitcase, and disappeared into her bedroom.

* * *

The atmosphere in the Sandy Island Club's grill room was festive with large groups of members celebrating the arrival of Memorial Day weekend tomorrow. Shelby watched with envy as several kids her age laughed and carried on at a nearby table. She felt like a loser eating dinner alone with her grandmother. While Izzy wasn't the bubbly type, she was usually fun to be around. But tonight, her grandmother's sullen mood mirrored her own. The gloomy twosome stood out like a sore thumb in the cheerful crowd.

When one of her friends stopped by the table to inquire about the progress of the B&B, Izzy told her to mind her own business.

Shelby waited until the woman left to call her out. "Why were you so mean to that poor woman? She was just being friendly."

"Ethel wasn't being friendly. She was being nosy. Everyone in this town is talking about me behind my back. Poor Isabelle St. Clair's husband left her penniless, and now she has to turn her home into a boarding house."

Shelby didn't get that vibe from Ethel, but what did she know about old people? Kids in her generation didn't bother pretending. They were brutally honest with one another. "Is that what really happened? Are you broke?"

"Of course not, Shelby," Izzy snapped. "Your grandfather had a burning desire to share his beloved property with the world. Unfortunately, he died before he could make that dream a reality. So now he's dumped that responsibility in my lap. Am I happy about it? Definitely not." A flush crept up her neck. "In fact, I'm downright furious with him."

"Geez. Sorry I asked." Shelby turned her attention to eating her crabcakes, but she looked up when she felt her grandmother's eyes on her. "What?"

"Nothing. I'm still wondering why your mama sent you here. How is Luke? You're not pregnant, are you?"

Shelby's face warmed. "Izzy! Gosh."

"If you are, you should marry him. You're old enough, and he comes from a fine family."

Shelby tuned out her grandmother as she blabbered on about how wonderful Luke was. For many years, he had accompanied Shelby to the Lowcountry for her summer visits. He and Izzy had become fast friends.

With Isabelle's loud snores shaking the tiny cottage, Shelby slept little on her first night at Magnolia Shores. She placed a mountain of pillows over her head and stuffed cotton balls in her ears. But even listening to soft music on her earbuds didn't drown out the sound of the freight train in the next room.

As she tossed and turned, Shelby considered her options for getting out of this jail. She came up with only one viable option—she would convince Emily to loan her the money for an airline ticket. Unfortunately, once she was back in Austin, she would have no place to stay and no money to live on. Shelby's and Emily's moms were close friends. Loraine would never defy Kate's wishes by allowing Shelby to live with Emily.

Like it or not, Shelby was stuck in Water's Edge for now. But she would never survive without a social life. Over the years, during her summer vacations, she'd met some local kids while visiting her grandmother. But she didn't know them enough to reach out on social media. She had met her uncle Pritchard's new wife, Savannah, at their wedding two months ago. Savannah seemed okay, and her daughter, Harper, was seriously cool. Even better, Harper was only a few years older than Shelby.

Her mom explained that Pritchard and Savannah had dated in high school and that Savannah had gotten pregnant and had the baby. Shelby was still unclear why the baby was put up for adoption or why Savannah had disappeared to Washington State for thirty years. Even more mystifying was how Savannah and Harper simultaneously reappeared in Water's Edge last summer. There were missing pieces to this story, and Shelby was determined to find out what they were. At least it would give her something to do while she figured out a way out of this mess.