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“Well, enough about the lodge,” she said. “This is supposed to be all about the town and what’s changed. And I didn’t think you could fit everything in just those suitcases. What are you going to do about the rest of your stuff?”
“One of my former coworkers is holding onto it for a day while the moving company gets everything ready to travel,” I replied. “I told them to wait a day so that I could at least be sure I had a place before they got on the road. Now, I know exactly where I’ll be staying, and I can give them the all clear…”
I pursed my lips as I pulled my phone out of my pocket.
Once that information had been passed on, I turned my focus to what had changed here in Waterfront. The only thing that I noticed right off the bat was a small bus waiting in traffic beside us. There were a few logos of local businesses pasted on the side of the shuttle.
“Bailey… that shuttle…?”
“That is indeed new,” she replied. “We actually have public transit now, if you count the single shuttle that basically does constant rounds around town. It’s free of charge, meant to help those who can’t afford a car to get around. The grocery store isn’t the only place it stops. I know there’s a stop in the downtown area so that you could go look at some of the other shops, and there’s a stop at the lodge. Some of the families who don’t get a rental car use it to get around Waterfront and see the town while other family members are out fishing.”
I nodded slowly. Since my car would be a few days, that sounded like the perfect solution for getting around and picking up whatever I needed in the meantime. That may have also included some food for myself to cook in the kitchen, depending on what Mr. Delaney decided to do about my complaints.
I didn’t think I could actually survive a summer of just making sandwiches. There was a reason I hadn’t applied to a Subway.
Bailey took me around, but honestly, the bus was the only thing that had changed. The downtown area still was small, and most of the stores were ones I recognized from when I was last here. A few of the clothing stores had changed, but they were still clothing stores. The candy store was still open, as was the small theater on Main Street, too.
“Well, I say we stop at the candy store to kill some time before returning to the lodge,” I said. “What do you say, Bailey?”
“I think that sounds like a great idea, actually,” Bailey said. “I remember doing this last time with you, and it was fun then. Perhaps they have some new candies to enjoy.”
With that, Bailey found a place to park, and we walked towards the bright pink and white awning over the glass front door. It was exactly as I remembered it, with the same kinds of candies and the same layout. There was even a good selection of sodas along one of the walls, which was fun to see.
“It’s like it hasn’t changed,” I said as we examined some of the small baskets that had a whole bunch of loose, individually wrapped candies.
We took about an hour in there and came out with a decent amount of sugar each. Since some of it was imported, it was more expensive. I found some sparkling lemonade from France that I was excited to try, and since I was celebrating a new job, I thought it would be worth the splurge.
I had to smile to myself. With my current budget, a $5 soda now qualified as a ‘splurge.’
After this, we took the car back to the lodge. Bailey walked with me up to my room to check out my new home. The room was small but cleaner than the kitchen with a window that looked out behind the lodge.
“I think I’ll leave you to get properly settled in,” Bailey said after we’d thoroughly explored the room, closet, and small bathroom. “You have my number if you need anything from me.”
“Thanks, Bailey. I’ll let you know if I need anything when I know for myself, and thank you for all that you’ve done for me. I know not everyone would have dropped everything to drive a three-hour round trip just to pick someone up from the airport.”
“Of course!” Bailey smiled.
With that, I lugged the rest of my stuff into the room and let the door shut behind me. Like the doors of a hotel, these doors would close automatically unless something propped them open. I made a mental note to keep close track of my key.
I started to unpack my suitcases and hang up my clothes. Just because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to stay in this job didn’t mean it would be a waste to unpack my suitcases. My boxes, on the other hand, might not get unpacked just yet when they arrived.
As I unpacked, I had to wonder why Mr. Delaney seemed to be okay with everyone else but was closed off around me. He had grinned widely at the guy named Rick and had even given Bailey a soft smile before she left. But he was so unwelcoming with me. I wondered if it was just because I hadn’t grown up in Waterfront. Then again, Bailey hadn’t grown up here either.
Maybe it was just because he knew Bailey better than he knew me right now.
Whatever the case, I was going to make the best of this situation. To do that, I decided I would at least give Mr. Delaney a list of appliances and groceries that would make my job easier. Surely that would be a good place to begin.
Chapter eight
Luke
I needed to talk to Miss Pennington.
The more I’d talked to Rick, the more I realized that she might actually be onto something in terms of improving the quality of food at this place. I hated admitting it, but chicken and pasta did sound pretty good every now and then. Even so, I also wanted to make it very clear that I still wanted visitors to have the same grab-and-go options as before. And simple sandwiches were obviously the crowd favorite in that regard.
In fact, they were the majority.
I walked up to room two-twenty and knocked on the door.
