all over the world.”
“Never heard of that before,” Maryn admitted. “Maybe I should check it out. I’m looking for a place to stay around here for a couple weeks.”
“Good luck on that. I think things get booked up around here pretty early. Ellis booked our house months ago. Of course, that’s when we were planning to have five people instead of only three.”
“This was sort of a last-minute decision,” Maryn said, shrugging. “Guess I’ll maybe look for a place in Elizabeth City. Although the idea of a Motel 6, that’s kinda grim. I was hoping to find something on the beach.”
Maryn returned her attention to her sandwich.
And Dorie had an idea. Her bedroom—the one she and Stephen were to have shared on the top floor, was lonely. She’d felt isolated with Ellis and Julia on the second floor, so she’d moved down to the room that would have been Willa’s.
She eyed the blonde warily. She was expensively dressed, well groomed. Was it crazy, this idea taking root? She’d been obsessed with money worries since arriving at Nags Head. Maybe, just maybe, it wasn’t such a crazy idea.
Dorie cleared her throat. “Um, don’t take this the wrong way, okay?”
The blonde turned and raised her sunglasses. Her eyes were a clear cornflower blue. “Yes?”
“Look,” Dorie said, blushing a little. “I had an idea. You’re looking for a place to stay at the beach, and as it happens, we’ve got an extra bedroom and bath.…”
“Oh,” the blonde said. “Well, I don’t know.…”
“It’s pretty private,” Dorie went on. “You’d have the top floor of the house. My husband and I were going to stay there, but he couldn’t come at the last minute, and then my sister canceled too, so we’ve got all this extra space.”
The blonde stared at her, as though she were inspecting a head of cabbage at the supermarket. Dorie felt herself blushing again. What the hell was she doing? Inviting a total stranger to move in with them? The girls would think she’d gone nuts.
“I could use the kitchen?” the blonde asked.
“Uh, yeah. I mean, of course,” Dorie stuttered. “You can have access to the whole house. We’re pretty casual, it’s just the three of us. I’m a schoolteacher, and my friend Julia is a model. And Ellis works at a bank. Or, actually, she used to work at a bank.”
“How much?” Maryn asked.
Now it was Dorie’s turn to stare back. The blonde’s clothes looked expensive. And her jewelry looked even more expensive. She wore a hugediamond solitaire on her right ring finger and a diamond tennis bracelet on her left wrist. The handbag she balanced on her lap was white ostrich skin, the size of a small dog. The zipper pull bore a Prada nameplate. And the gold letters on the sleek tortoiseshell sunglasses perched on her head spelled out DIOR. Dorie was no expert, but the pocketbook and the sunglasses looked like the real thing to her.
She did the math in her head, adding an extra five hundred-dollar cushion, and named the price.
“Hmm,” the blonde said. “I wasn’t thinking anywhere near that much.”
“It’s the nicest bedroom in the house,” Dorie pointed out. “With beach access. And off-street parking.”
“Is there a garage?” Maryn asked eagerly.
“Yeees,” Dorie said, though she had no idea if the garage guy would be willing to let somebody else park in it. Maybe if they offered to throw some of this woman’s cash his way, he’d agree to share.
“Does it have a private entrance?”
Dorie bit her lip. There was an outside spiral staircase leading up to the third floor, but it was narrow and scary-looking, and none of the girls had even thought to try going up it. Still, it was technically a private entrance. And this woman was anxious to have a room with a garage and a private entrance. And she obviously had the money to pay for both.
“It has a private entrance,” Dorie said, nodding for emphasis. “But if you want to park in the garage, that’ll
“Never heard of that before,” Maryn admitted. “Maybe I should check it out. I’m looking for a place to stay around here for a couple weeks.”
“Good luck on that. I think things get booked up around here pretty early. Ellis booked our house months ago. Of course, that’s when we were planning to have five people instead of only three.”
“This was sort of a last-minute decision,” Maryn said, shrugging. “Guess I’ll maybe look for a place in Elizabeth City. Although the idea of a Motel 6, that’s kinda grim. I was hoping to find something on the beach.”
Maryn returned her attention to her sandwich.
And Dorie had an idea. Her bedroom—the one she and Stephen were to have shared on the top floor, was lonely. She’d felt isolated with Ellis and Julia on the second floor, so she’d moved down to the room that would have been Willa’s.
She eyed the blonde warily. She was expensively dressed, well groomed. Was it crazy, this idea taking root? She’d been obsessed with money worries since arriving at Nags Head. Maybe, just maybe, it wasn’t such a crazy idea.
Dorie cleared her throat. “Um, don’t take this the wrong way, okay?”
The blonde turned and raised her sunglasses. Her eyes were a clear cornflower blue. “Yes?”
“Look,” Dorie said, blushing a little. “I had an idea. You’re looking for a place to stay at the beach, and as it happens, we’ve got an extra bedroom and bath.…”
“Oh,” the blonde said. “Well, I don’t know.…”
“It’s pretty private,” Dorie went on. “You’d have the top floor of the house. My husband and I were going to stay there, but he couldn’t come at the last minute, and then my sister canceled too, so we’ve got all this extra space.”
The blonde stared at her, as though she were inspecting a head of cabbage at the supermarket. Dorie felt herself blushing again. What the hell was she doing? Inviting a total stranger to move in with them? The girls would think she’d gone nuts.
“I could use the kitchen?” the blonde asked.
“Uh, yeah. I mean, of course,” Dorie stuttered. “You can have access to the whole house. We’re pretty casual, it’s just the three of us. I’m a schoolteacher, and my friend Julia is a model. And Ellis works at a bank. Or, actually, she used to work at a bank.”
“How much?” Maryn asked.
Now it was Dorie’s turn to stare back. The blonde’s clothes looked expensive. And her jewelry looked even more expensive. She wore a hugediamond solitaire on her right ring finger and a diamond tennis bracelet on her left wrist. The handbag she balanced on her lap was white ostrich skin, the size of a small dog. The zipper pull bore a Prada nameplate. And the gold letters on the sleek tortoiseshell sunglasses perched on her head spelled out DIOR. Dorie was no expert, but the pocketbook and the sunglasses looked like the real thing to her.
She did the math in her head, adding an extra five hundred-dollar cushion, and named the price.
“Hmm,” the blonde said. “I wasn’t thinking anywhere near that much.”
“It’s the nicest bedroom in the house,” Dorie pointed out. “With beach access. And off-street parking.”
“Is there a garage?” Maryn asked eagerly.
“Yeees,” Dorie said, though she had no idea if the garage guy would be willing to let somebody else park in it. Maybe if they offered to throw some of this woman’s cash his way, he’d agree to share.
“Does it have a private entrance?”
Dorie bit her lip. There was an outside spiral staircase leading up to the third floor, but it was narrow and scary-looking, and none of the girls had even thought to try going up it. Still, it was technically a private entrance. And this woman was anxious to have a room with a garage and a private entrance. And she obviously had the money to pay for both.
“It has a private entrance,” Dorie said, nodding for emphasis. “But if you want to park in the garage, that’ll
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