Page 14 of Hideaway Reunion

He watched her transform, both her posture and expression, as she slipped into the middle-sister peacekeeper role.

Natalie was out of the car and rushing toward them. “Are you okay? Jess caught us up, but you didn’t answer your phone last night and⁠—”

“I’m fine.” Roni used her calm voice. “Come on inside,” she urged, entering the code at the kitchen door. “Why are you stressing out? You knew Brayden was here with me.”

Natalie’s gaze slid to him a second before she slammed into him with a big hug. “Thank you. Did you arrest that bogus survey crew?”

“I don’t⁠—”

“Hey, it’s quiet.” Natalie stopped talking, a slow smile brightening her face. “Did you run them off for good?” she whispered.

“Hardly,” Celeste answered, following them into the cool kitchen. She set down the pastry box along with what appeared to be a newspaper. “I’m glad to see you,” she said to Roni. “Yesterday was a lot.” Her serious smile flashed at Brayden. “Thank you for being here for Roni. For all of us.”

“We brought strudel.” Natalie opened the box from the Bread Basket, then went for plates. “We thought it would soften the real reason we’re here.”

Roni poured coffee for her sisters. “Then you’re not just here to ream me out over moving the Devaney family?”

“That was a brilliant idea,” Celeste said. “And before you stress about the money, we’re okay. And no, I’m not sugarcoating it,” she added, cutting off what must surely be a frequent question. “I’m more concerned with this.” She flipped over the paper, revealing the latest edition of the Brookwell Bugle, the island’s weekly newspaper.

“Can you believe it?” Natalie demanded. “Since when does this town cater to corporate greed?”

“It’s basically an ad for Indigo Reef,” Celeste summarized. “A feel-good piece about their intentions to become part of the community.”

Brayden smothered an oath, stepping closer to skim the article over Veronica’s shoulder: The headline was bad enough: LUXE DEVELOPMENT TO BRING MORE TOURISM TO BROOKWELL

The article, with a byline from Bugle editor, Holly Brooks, was undoubtedly a marketing ploy, with canned quotes from the developer about the benefits and impact for the island. Hardly a hard-hitting investigative piece.

“What a load of crap,” he muttered. “It’s a deliberate attempt to scare off or poach future bookings. Clearly, they greased some palms.”

“Not so fast,” Roni said. “Holly’s not like that. She has integrity and has proven more than willing to dig into the issues when necessary.”

“True,” Celeste agreed. “As much as I dislike the article, I’m not blaming Holly. She can only run with the info she has. Remember the whole lighthouse deal? Her persistence is why it’s been refurbished, the history preserved, and we have public access now.”

“All right.” Brayden held up his palms in surrender about the reporter. “So what’s your theory on this?”

Celeste sank into a chair at the breakfast table. “Holly may have run this in part so we can tell our side. Reveal the annoyances and overstepping and impact. This town values the people who are here already. We may not have gone to school here, but since Mom,” Celeste paused. Took a breath. “Since Mom’s illness and passing, the three of us have stayed here. Settled in. We’re already part of the community. I believe that’s important to Holly and the town in general.”

“Why don’t we all go over after breakfast,” Natalie suggested.

Brayden was about to agree when Roni shook her head. “Brayden and I are joined at the hip right now. If I go, he goes with me.” She aimed a sharp glare at Natalie. “Not the way you’re thinking. Not romantically,” she stated with such finality his heart sank.

So much for discussing that kiss.

“Just because of the ornery developers next door,” she continued. “Showing up at the Bugle office with a Guardian Agency protector looming behind us doesn’t send the right message, in my opinion.”

“But you have another idea.” Celeste nodded. “Share with the class.”

“It’s just a rough brainstorm,” Roni began. “Having agency folks in and out for training is great. But if we’re not hosting regular guests, what if we set up a cooking class, in person or remotely? We could also rent out the firepit for small groups.”

“Oh!” Natalie beamed. “What about some sunset shag classes? With the music festival coming up, everyone’s looking for a chance to practice their dance moves. We could do an evening sunset paint and sip class. Sharon Trumble would jump on that in a heartbeat and bring loads of interest.”

“Local artist,” Roni murmured to Brayden. “Celebrity, really.”

He filed it away for further research at a better time. “What’s the goal?” he queried. “Is it about raising money or something else?”

Celeste tapped her coffee mug. “Money’s great, but as I said, financially we’re not in dire straits no matter what Indigo Reef gets up to.”

“Well good.” Roni seemed surprised by that news. “Then why not add a fundraiser aspect? Doubles the impact, we stay involved, and it keeps people at the Hideaway. Positive activity, scheduled during low construction hours could really work in our favor, right?”