Page 53 of Beaches, Bagels & Babes

Ted interjected, “I let the Coast Guard know we may have people still trapped on the island. If we figure out where she is, they can send a rescue boat out for her. The best thing we can do is stay put, and…”

Candace nodded as Ted went on. Yet, the textbook platitudes went in one ear, out the other. The chant of denial that filled the space was not much better .

Nonono…

This was a nightmare. But she was awake, and, as always, she needed a plan. Candace sucked in a breath while she surveyed the faces around her. So many people gathered to help, offering encouragement. Except for one.

Spying on them from behind a bleacher, Janice tried to hide and only made herself even more obvious.

Candace charged. Thanks to backup from Rio, Katina, and the linebacker-sized Panopoulos cousins, the woman could not slip away.

She trembled in her ugly floral sweater as Candace greeted her with a feral grin.

“Hey there, office buddy. Texting my uncle?”

Without waiting for a response, Candace plucked the woman’s phone from her hands. She confirmed her suspicion and sent out a quick “fuck you” before handing the device back. Janice scowled.

“You need help, Candy. Mr. Perry is a good man. He only wants what’s best for you.”

“What’s best for me?” Candace laughed at the complete conviction before her.

It was all she could do in the face of such upsetting ignorance when she knew nothing would change the sycophant’s mind.

Instead, she clapped back, “What’s best for me is a tall, tanned, gorgeous grump of a woman who bakes like a goddess and fucks me better than any man ever could. So unless you know where Daisy is—”

The way she showed emotion, Janice would have made a fabulous stage actor. With her eyes bulging outside her thin rectangular specs, face white as a sheet, and mouth pursed tight, she was the personification of guilt.

“Spit it out. You’ve seen her, haven’t you?”

“T-that woman,” Janice sputtered, “she’s trouble, always has been. It’s about time Mr. Perry ended her lease. Bagels... Too much carbs will make you fat, you kn—”

Candace slammed her palm against the bleacher. “Where. Is. She?”

“It’s her fault! She came barging in right as we were evacuating and demanded that I tell her where you were. Of course I wouldn’t! Then pier security came, and—”

Realization crashed into Candace.

“You left her there.” Growling, shaking the woman, Candace repeated, “You fucking left her at the pier!?”

“There was a lot going on, and…”

While Janice continued spouting excuses, Candace turned to Demi and the others.

She was as hopeful as she was devastated.

Daisy was locked in the fun pier offices, trapped where drunks and mischievous teenagers were held until the police could deal with them.

If the place was not flooded, or worse , it would be soon.

“I’ll call the Coast Guard.”

Pulling his radio from its holster, Ted power-walked to the adjacent corridor. Candace followed. She listened to his conversation with the very distracted-sounding Coastie, biting her tongue until the end. Then, palm up, she put her hand out in front of him.

“Hm?”

“Keys. The roads are flooded, so I need to borrow your boat.”

Understanding dawned on the man. He shook his head, saying, “NO… Not a chance, Candy. I can’t let you do that for so many, many reasons! That’s a terrible plan.”

Demi, Rio, and some others filtered in from the gym. They waited off to the side while Candace threw the tantrum of a lifetime.

“I don’t give a damn! Right now, a terrible plan is all I’ve got. You heard the Coast Guard, they’re dealing with a million other catastrophes. How high do you think Daisy is on their list? They won’t find her in time, but I know exactly where to go. I can save her! It has to be me.”

“But my boat—”

“I swear, even if I have to claw my way back from a watery grave, I’ll buy you a new boat! The freaking Taj Mahal of boats! Ted, please… I love her. If something happened to her because of me, I’d never forgive myself. And now it’s on you, too, so give me your keys.”

Candace could see the waver in his conviction. If nothing else, Ted understood fighting for the person he loved. Shaking his head, he muttered something about her being a spoiled, heroic brat as he fished the keys from his pocket. “The far boathouse.”

However, before Ted could hand them over, Ed Cando’s familiar voice called out.

“Now, son, you can’t let a little lady go off and get herself hurt.” Ed sauntered between Ted and Candace. Hands on his hips, he scolded, “Candy, this behavior is why your uncle is so concerned. Let the good people from Pleasant Meadows evaluate you, that’s all he asks.”

“Have them evaluate you, you prick,” Demi spat. She threw out a rude gesture, which prompted Rhonda Moss and some of Peter Perry’s Wonderwood Works political friends to jump to Ed’s defense.

“There’s no reason for insults! Aren’t yoga teachers supposed to be calm?”

“We’ve been calm for too long,” Theia Thea chimed in. She stood beside Demi, proud and firm. “Peter Perry has treated this town as his personal toy box for years, putting good people out of business by being a bully and a cheat—with help from people like you. ”

It was a sight to behold. Two sides of the shore community devolved into passionate arguments. Candace was caught in the thick of it all, with Ed Cando and others blocking her way.

“Babe, catch!”

Ted threw his keys to Maddie. She caught them with ease and feinted around her father-in-law-to-be. “Sorry, pops. Girls’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do!”

Thanks to Maddie, Demi, and a few others, Candace managed to break out from the swell of people.

She booked it for the exit. As she threw the door open, Demi’s call for her to be careful could barely be heard over the storm’s roar.

It was an impossible promise to make, so Candace settled on blowing a kiss.

Then, she was in her stolen Land Rover once more, gunning for the Cape Crest Marina.

Hold on!

This time, Candace was running towards Daisy, and there was no time to lose.