Page 44 of Beaches, Bagels & Babes
Candace
T here was no doubt about it.
Candace was not a good person. If she were, she would never have gotten herself into this position. She would have stayed on her side of the boardwalk and left Daisy DeMarco alone.
Instead, she kept getting closer.
After visiting Norman, their not-date ended as platonically as any outing could. They were just two sexually compatible adults who happened to sleep in the same bed. Candace was fine with that; glad, even.
She could not bring herself to be honest about what she saw at the meeting about Daisy’s parents, or Bagel Bombs!
imminent doom. She needed more information before she let herself take the bait Daisy so deliciously dangled before her.
For now, visions of Daisy licking that ice cream cone— of long, lieth curves atop her bed cast in neon glow—would have to be enough to satisfy her.
And yet, Candace was greedy.
As they returned to their separate lives, Daisy and Candace went back to texting at their old frequency.
Maybe more, as her phone did a vibrating dance every couple of minutes from its place atop her desk.
The rusted, hollow metal made an impossible-to-miss vruuuuum sound each time, catching Janice’s ire.
The woman huffed, saying, “You kids and your cell phones. Always stuck in your screens, never in the real world. Don’t you know there’s a hurricane heading this way?!”
“Really? I thought we were just doing a little cleaning.”
Hurricane Mandy was due to make landfall within the next day.
Uncle Perry planned to keep the park operating as usual until the evacuation order went out.
No concern for the employees he forced to work or the park-goers he tempted.
Presently, Candace and Janice were in the midst of packing away the office area’s non-essential computers along with a stone-faced IT person.
Janice glared at Candace with a puckered lip.
“After the stunt you pulled the other day, running out on that meeting, I can’t believe your uncle was so forgiving. You should really be taking this job more seriously.”
“Of course, yes. Everyone knows that fun piers are serious business. My uncle is a saint for putting up with me.”
At least, that was how the Solid Rock Group saw it. Her ‘tantrum,’ as her uncle called it, made the investors more sympathetic to him. The man continued to fail upward. She, meanwhile, had her eyes on the prize.
With a mock salute, Candace went back to packing. Janice muttered under her breath about ‘ungrateful, spoiled girls.’ As soon as the woman’s back was turned, Candace swiped up her phone and checked her messages.
Daisy: Ask the IT guy if he’s been to the Matrix. I’ve actually seen that one!
Candace: Just x1000 more things until you’re caught up ;p
And he’s more of an Agent Smith-type than a Neo
How’re things at BB?
Daisy: Not sure
I asked Tina to come in early today
Candace’s heart skipped a beat as she re-read Daisy’s text. Was something wrong? That afternoon, while Candace struggled through yet another bowl of jambalaya, Daisy looked fine in all senses of the word as she watched her across the boardwalk. She’d been texting since then like normal.
Candace: Is everything okay?? Are you alright? Where are you?
Daisy: Aw you *do* care
I’m peachy
What time do you think you’ll be able to escape that death-trap?
Candace: Soon. Why?
Daisy: Come to my house after and let me know when you’re on your way. I’ve got something I need to show you
From there, Daisy stopped responding when Candace asked what was going on. It was cruel.
How was Candace supposed to focus with that thread left dangling?
With fumbling hands, for the next hour or so, she followed along with what she was supposed to be doing. She might as well have been sleepwalking with how little she paid attention. More than once, the IT guy or Janice had to fix her shoddy work. But she did not care.
Daisy DeMarco had something to show her .
Once Candace became enough of a liability, Janice decided they were better off finishing without her. She bolted before they could change their minds .
Outside, Candace took a moment to re-tie her hair as a gust whipped it into her face.
The tempestuous August air was heavy with pressure from the impending storm.
Clouds had been churning overhead all day, fighting with the sun.
A discerning person could sense the ominous weight of destruction on its way.
Yet, the pier was packed as ever. Candace had to press her back against the souvenir shop window as a group of kids ran past. It was the end of the main summer season, with the shoobies and locals alike getting their last bit of fun.
Her uncle—and the rest of the boardwalk entrepreneurs—were happy to give it to them.
Candace wondered what kind of fun was in store for her.
The drive to Daisy’s house was over before it began. Candace knew she followed the rules of the road to a robotic T, but she could not describe a moment of her route. However, once she arrived, she found the place empty.
And, a piece of paper taped to the front door.
It was a treasure map. In stylized, scratchy ink strokes, Daisy drew Wonderwood with a dotted line from the bungalow to an unknown destination. In one corner, she scrawled a poem:
Sea glass sugar
Sweet and bright
Would you dine with me tonight?
- D
It was impossible to say how many times Candace re-read the words in front of her. Enough that her eyes began to blur from ping-ponging back and forth. The fact that instead of marking the treasure with an ‘X,’ Daisy drew a heart meant nothing. She was being sarcastic, as usual.
Dinner , Candace told herself. That’s all. She wants to celebrate the end of the season.
Shoving down the intrusive thoughts, Candace returned to her car and set to following the sudden side quest. The journey was easy thanks to Daisy’s map accuracy.
While things were not exactly to scale, using landmarks and street names, she was able to find her way.
It brought her to a secluded car lot outside of a thick copse by the island’s northside bay.
A few cottages with bold DO NOT DISTURB signs posted on the trees were visible through the surrounding evergreens.
There was a state park trailhead marker beside a sandy, pine needle-covered pathway that led into the copse.
Walking closer, Candace found a single daisy tucked into the plexiglass cover.
Her heart kicked up to a steady pound. She plucked the flower free and started on her way.
The sun was beginning its descent. Beneath the tall pines, oaks, and spruces, it was so shaded that it was almost dark. Candace hugged herself tighter, wishing she had worn something warmer than a halter dress.
It was a less conservative article she would not normally wear to work at the pier, as much to avoid Janice’s scrutiny and the leering looks of teenage boys. Still, on the off chance she saw a certain someone...
Deep royal purple, it fell mid-thigh with a flared, side-split hem.
Like most halter styles, the front of the dress clinched up and around Candace’s neck with a thin collar.
However, it bore a distinctive split down the middle that gave an eye-catching view of her cleavage.
Without sleeves, her toned arms (along with all the chaturangas Demi queued during Vinyasa class) were on full display.
Candace thought—no, knew —she looked incredible.
Even so, a shawl would have been a smart inclusion.
Damn layering weather…
By the path’s end, her teeth were chattering from her nerves and the chill. Then, as she stepped out from the shade onto a beach, she warmed right back up. Not thanks to the sun, but the sight that greeted her.
The spot was a hidden gem. It was clear that the place did not see the same kind of traffic as the main boardwalk beach.
This one had no amenities and the bare minimum landscaping, with tall, difficult-to-navigate reeds and driftwood clumped by mystery sea greens all around.
There were no shops or pier, just the dilapidated, soon-to-be-driftwood remains of an old dock, and a rock jetty down the way.
The beach was not that large, either. At high tide, it seemed the bay might reach all the way up to the treeline.
Now, it was about twenty or so paces away, lapping lazily closer with each slip against the shore.
On the horizon, the setting sun cast the storm clouds overhead aglow, turning them to cotton-candy pink and orange.
The water beneath was a veil of shimmering fire, so bright it was difficult to look at.
But Candace stared nonetheless. She had never seen the sky cast with so many colors, a spectrum of hues with the most subtle and dramatic differences that vibrated against the land and sea.
No, this beach was not a tourist spot. It was a gorgeous piece of the Jersey shore’s natural wonder, made even more special by the woman who brought her here.
Multi-colored lanterns, lit by tiny, electric tea lights, were placed with haphazard artistry. They were planted within grass clumps, hung from driftwood, and nestled atop sand piles. Candace’s gaze followed the path they laid out, towards the woman who waited for her.
Daisy sat beside a picnic spread that would have made Martha Stewart proud. A big red blanket was weighted down by lanterns in each corner. It was set with a traditional wicker basket and two serving sets, each including a fluted champagne glass.
As Candace slowed her approach, Daisy sprang to meet her.