Page 42 of Smuggler’s Cove (Twin Lights #1)

Chapter Sixteen

Making Preparations

M adison thought she would get a good night’s sleep, considering she hadn’t the night before.

Unfortunately, and much to Mario and Luigi’s dismay, Madison was all over the bed.

At three a.m., she decided a hot shower might help.

She didn’t know why she had the jitters.

Her date with Viggo wasn’t for another two weeks.

She convinced herself she had been in overdrive, and the adrenaline was having its way with her. By four thirty, she was sound asleep.

The buzzer at her door jolted her upright. It was nine o’clock. Her brother and Olivia would be waiting. She bounded out of bed and looked at her cats. “Why of all days did you not wake me?” They yawned in response.

“Coming!” Madison called out. Even though Olivia and Lincoln had keys, Madison always put the safety chain on, so they were not able to get into her apartment. “Coming!” She was breathless when she got to the door.

“Did I wake you?” Olivia asked her.

“Yes, you did.” Madison stepped aside for Olivia to enter. “Last night and the night before, I could not sleep. I took a shower in the middle of the night and finally fell asleep around four.”

“Well, shake a leg, sister. We have a ferry to catch.”

“I’ll be right with you.” Madison dashed into her bedroom and pulled on a pair of jeans, a wide-striped turtleneck, and her new pair of navy-blue skimmers.

“Well look at you, all nautical,” Olivia teased.

“I could get used to dressing like this every day.”

“Ha. I doubt that,” Olivia balked.

“I am serious. Remember that conversation we had last week?” She tied a cashmere scarf around her neck. “The one about my disguise?”

“Yes, and you still haven’t answered my question.”

“Now I am. I told you it can be exhausting keeping up this fashion facade. I am going to make a much bigger effort at taking time for myself. I have spent too many weekends at the office, wearing my white uniform.”

“What do you plan to do?”

“If it is totally necessary for me to go to work, I will wear whatever pleases me. What do you think about that?” She blew kisses at her kitties, grabbed her tote, and locked the door behind her. “Before I forget, here is a check for the rental.”

Olivia blinked. “Lincoln phoned the bank yesterday and asked for an equity loan, and we have enough to cover the check for now.”

“Please, just take this. We can square up once all the finances are secured.”

Lincoln was waiting in a taxi for the two of them.

When they got into the car, Lincoln tapped his watch. “You look like you just got out of bed.”

Olivia chuckled. “She did.”

Madison dug into her bag and pulled out a mirror. She fussed with her hair until she was satisfied that she was a bit more presentable. She turned to Olivia. “Better?”

“Yes. You could use a little blush.”

Madison dug further. “No such luck,” she muttered, but she used a timeless hack and dabbed a little lipstick on her cheeks and smoothed it into her skin. “Passable?”

“Yes, you pass,” Lincoln teased.

The taxi got on the West Side Highway, where they met a major traffic jam. “Oh no!” Madison groaned. “What if we miss the ferry?”

Lincoln laughed at his sister. “I never thought you would be so excited to get to Smuggler’s Cove.”

“Shut it, baby brother.” Madison hated being in a situation where she had no control.

The cars moved slowly as they passed the Staten Island Ferry terminal.

They were a block away from Pier Eleven and could see the ferry at the dock.

The taxi pulled next to the curb, and they scrambled out as a horn sounded the one-minute warning.

The same crew member from the other day was standing at the gate and recognized them.

He called out to the boat captain, “We gotta a couple of runners!” He waved for them to move faster, and they certainly did.

All of them were out of breath as they puffed up the gangway. They thanked the young man with gulps of gratitude as the boat pulled away from the dock. They wobbled toward a booth and flopped into the seats. “People do this every day?” Madison asked a rhetorical question.

“Thousands,” Olivia reminded her.

“I could use a bottle of water,” Madison announced.

“I suppose you want me to get it for you?” Lincoln asked sardonically.

“Of course,” Madison said, grinning.

Other passing boats were causing wakes in the harbor. Lincoln hadn’t yet found his sea legs and used the seats to help steer himself to the bar area.

Olivia elbowed Madison. “Such a rookie.”

The forty-minute ride blew by quickly, and soon they were docking in the Highlands.

Lincoln recognized Charlie’s truck, and then wondered where everyone was going to fit.

It hadn’t occurred to him to ask Charlie about the seating capacity.

As soon as Charlie spotted the three of them, he immediately solved the problem.

“Hey! Welcome back! I’ll take the girls over to the house and come round and fetch you.

Won’t take but a couple minutes.” Charlie may speak and walk slower than what they were used to, but he was as sharp as a tack.

As they passed Huddy Park, Charlie mentioned that it was the main area where the seafood festival would take place.

He went on to explain that it was named after a revolutionary war hero, Joshua Huddy, murdered in 1782, at the hands of Captain Richard Lippincott, a British Loyalist. At the time, it was not unusual for the Patriots to render retaliation by executing a Loyalist of similar status.

So Washington wrote a letter to General Moses Hazen, commander of Lancaster Prison Camp, ordering that a British officer of equal rank be hanged.

Hazen left the matter to chance and required thirteen prisoners to draw from a hat.

The word unfortunate was printed on the paper pulled by Charles Asgill, a nineteen-year-old heir to an English fortune.

Asgill’s mother began a fervent letter writing campaign that landed in the hands of the French Foreign Minister, who intervened by approaching Congress.

It was decided that hanging Asgill would create unnecessary and irrevocable tension in the delicate balance of peace between America and England.

Lippincott was never held accountable and moved to Canada, and Huddy became a Revolutionary War hero.

Madison listened with interest. “There truly is a lot of history here.”

“Yes indeedy,” Charlie answered. “You oughta get yourselves up to the Twin Lights one day.”

“Irene gave us a little background on the lighthouses,” Olivia said. “I would like to take my daughter there. She is a European History teacher, but I am certain she would find it interesting.”

Charlie proceeded up the road that climbed into the hills. “Here we are. Anything you need?” he asked.

“I think we are fine. Thank you,” Madison answered, and dangled the new set of keys. “See you later. And, Charlie, keep a keen eye on my brother. He likes to shop for tools as much as I like to shop for clothes.”

Olivia laughed. “Except he doesn’t know how to use any of them!”

Charlie was still laughing as he drove off to fetch Lincoln.

Before they entered the house, Madison took a long look at the view. “You did a great job finding this.”

“It wasn’t that hard. I’m happy it was available.”

“To quote Charlie, ‘yes indeedy.’” The women linked arms, walked to the double doors, and flung them open. “I know I am going to enjoy this.”

Olivia suggested they start with the kitchen. Floor-to-ceiling cabinets flanked one wall. The two women began opening them and taking notes. The inside panels of the doors had lists of inventories. “This makes it easy to keep track of everything,” Olivia noted.

There were place settings for eight people, a full set of pots, several frying pans, baking dishes, and drawers filled with utensils.

Another cabinet housed three different styles of wineglasses, champagne glasses, highballs, tumblers, and martini glasses.

Madison turned to Olivia. “I like the way these people think.”

“You mean drink .” Olivia chortled.

There was a cabinet just for spices, and another for the multitude of appliances. “It seems as if these people like to cook,” Olivia noted.

“We should make a list of dry goods we might need. Flour, sugar, pepper, spices.” Madison snapped her fingers. “You can teach Hannah how to make bacalaitos! She can add fried cod to the menu.”

“As you say, let’s not get carried away.” Olivia knew Madison was enthralled, but there was a lot to do before anyone started cooking for the masses.

“Okay, but you have to promise me you will make mo-fongo.” Madison hesitated. “I wonder if you can get plantains nearby.”

“We are not out on the prairie. I am sure there is a Whole Foods or ShopRite within driving distance. Which makes me think we should buy all the necessities, like soaps, laundry detergent, fabric softener, and household cleaners locally. It will probably be cheaper than buying it in the city.”

“Excellent point. I’ll ask Irene where we should shop.”

An hour later, they decided to take a short break and sit on the patio. It was breezy but pleasant. “I think we should plant an herb garden.” Madison pointed to an area on the side of the outdoor kitchen.

“Look at you, getting all domesticated,” Olivia kidded.

“And I just might plant some geraniums, too.” She clasped her fingers behind her head and rested it on the back of the lounge chair. “This is like being on vacation.”

“I don’t know why we never thought about renting a summer house. I know you would go out to the Hamptons for a long weekend, but this place is ours, at least for the next four months.”

Madison’s thoughts ran to something more permanent. But that would have to wait. Wait to see if they liked the area. Wait to see if she could balance her work and play time. Wait to see if she enjoyed the company of the local people—one in particular.

“Shall we inspect the bathrooms?” Olivia asked.

“I suppose we should. I am going to check with Linc and see how far along they are.” She dialed his cell.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

“Yes. Why?”

“You. Olivia. Alone. Together,” he ticked off the usual joke.

“Ha, ha. So far, we’ve managed to stay out of trouble. And you?”

“Yes, Charlie has been keeping a close eye on what I’m piling in the cart. They’re giving us a twenty-thousand-dollar line of credit. That should cover the first round of materials. The home equity loan should be in our account in two weeks, so we’re covered.”

“Excellent. You do good work,” Madison teased. “What about Nana and Pop’s?”

“Working on that. The tenants were happy to accommodate us and took the free rent.” He paused. “I gave them a full month.” He knew his sister would approve. She wanted to get that show on the road as quickly as possible.

“Good. And the real estate agent?”

“I have to meet her sometime next week. She’s going to speak with the tenants to arrange for a walk-through and get their schedules in order to make it as convenient as possible.”

“Fabulous.” Madison felt a surge of elation. “When do you think you and Charlie will be back?”

“We are wrapping it up now.” He said to Charlie, “When will we be back at the house?”

“Twenty minutes.”

Madison heard Charlie’s voice in the background. “Okay. Good. We are finished for now. Can you text me Irene’s phone number? I want to ask her about where we can shop.”

“Shopping? Already?” Lincoln teased.

“Food. Supplies. Duh.” Madison clicked her tongue.

Lincoln laughed. “See you in a few.”

The women did a final once-around. Madison added kitty litter, litter pan, liners, and toys to her list. “They are going to love basking in the sun.” Madison noticed a patch of warm rays flooding into a corner of the screened porch.

“I want to come back as one of your cats in my next life,” Olivia joked.

“Me too,” Madison added.

A short time later, Lincoln and Charlie pulled into the driveway. It was obvious they had become fast friends. Lincoln quickly rattled off what was going to be delivered and when. “Crusty is going to work with Charlie, and Josh will work the dock.”

“Josh? I thought he was on a fishing boat.”

“There was a strong storm further out, and they decided to head back. They didn’t want to pull an Andrea Gail .”

“Who?” Olivia asked.

“The Perfect Storm,” Lincoln answered.

“Wasn’t that a movie with George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg? What does that have to do with it?” Olivia prodded.

“The movie was based on a true story.”

“I guess I missed that part.” Olivia snickered.

“I think you fell asleep in the middle of it.”

“It was a dreadful story. Can you blame me?”

Lincoln kissed his wife on the forehead. “No.”

“Hey, you two, wrap it up. We have to get back to the city so we can shop, and I don’t want to miss the ferry,” Madison prodded.

Charlie had to make two trips again to get them back to the ferry, but he didn’t seem to mind.

“Thanks for everything, Charlie. We could not do this without you,” Lincoln said sincerely.

“Glad to help. Kirby would be proud.” Charlie wiped a tear from the corner of his eye and pretended it was a speck of dirt.

On the ferry ride back, Madison asked, “What did you offer to pay Charlie?”

“At first, he refused to take any money from me. I told him that was unacceptable, and I would pay him thirty-five dollars an hour.”

“Is that enough?” Madison had no idea what construction foremen got.

“He said it was more than enough, so I didn’t argue with him.”

“And Crusty?” Madison had to resist giggling every time she spoke or heard his name.

“He’s happy with twenty, and Josh will get fifteen, plus whatever tips customers give him.”

“Look at you, the entrepreneur!” She gave a little clap of applause.

“I am going to have to come down here every weekend to check on the job.” Lincoln did not appear to be bothered by that idea.

“You might need a chaperone,” Olivia said, smirking.

“I think two chaperones,” Madison added.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Lincoln smiled.