Murder Checks Inn - Tim Myers [43]
“What did you have in mind?” Elise asked.
“I can patch the splintered part with new wood, reinforce the whole thing with longer screws, and tighten it up in heartbeat. Alex, do you still keep your tools under the reservation desk?”
“Yes, but I don’t want you to have to work tonight.”
Mor shrugged. “Nobody’s dancing with me; I think they’re all afraid of Emma, even if she is a couple of hundred miles away. This won’t take long.”
Alex nodded. “Let me grab my tools, and we can fix it together.”
Mor said, “I can handle this, buddy. Go on out there. Everybody’s wondering where you moseyed off to.”
“Thanks,” Alex said.
“All part of Mor or Les’s service, Alex. You and Elise go on now. I’ve got this covered.”
Alex and Elise walked out onto the porch and watched the crowd spinning around on the makeshift dance floor. He looked up at the lighthouse and watched as the beacon spun silently around again. It would be lit for another half hour, and there were no signs the party would break up any time soon after that. Whoever had broken into Alex’s room had soiled his inheritance by pawing through it, but Alex wasn’t going to let the burglary spoil Jase’s farewell. The lighthouse, shining in all its glory, seemed to cleanse the anger from his heart. This wasn’t the time to track down thieves and killers.
This was Alex’s last chance to say good-bye to a man who had meant the world to him.
Alex considered asking Elise to dance as the music started up again, then changed his mind when he thought about how hard it would be for him to hold her in his arms, especially if it was for just one dance. Most likely it wouldn’t mean anything special to her, regardless of what Tony had said, but he couldn’t say the same thing about his own heart.
Shantara was by the punch bowl, so Alex excused himself from Elise’s presence and walked over to her. “Can I cash that rain check for a dance?”
Shantara smiled, “I’d be delighted.”
As the two of them danced, Alex asked, “You aren’t even going to give me a hard time about saying no before?”
“I figure you’ve got enough on your mind,” she said. “Besides, I knew you couldn’t resist my charms all night.”
Alex laughed, in spite of the way he felt. He and Shatara had been friends since kindergarten, and she was the closest thing to a sister that he’d ever had. She always knew how to make him laugh.
After the song was over, Sandra came over and joined them. “Since the self-imposed ban on dancing seems to have lifted, I believe you owe me a dance, sir.”
Alex nodded. “You’re absolutely right.”
As Alex and Sandra started dancing to the next song, Shantara caught his attention and gestured to the porch. Elise was there, watching every move. Maybe he’d ask her to dance after this one was finished, despite the rumblings in his heart.
Sandra asked, “How are you holding up?”
“I’ll be okay. It’s tough going, though.”
Sandra rubbed his shoulder gently. “If you need me, my offer still stands. You know you can call me anytime.”
“Thanks. I might just take you up on that.”
Though the music kept playing, Sandra suddenly stopped dancing and said, “I can’t believe it.”
“What’s wrong?” Alex asked. “I didn’t step on your foot, did I?”
Sandra gestured toward one edge of the crowd. “Julie and Amy are here. I told her to stay away from Hatteras West until we cleared this mess up.”
“You can blame me, Sandra. I invited them myself,” Alex said.
“You shouldn’t have done that, Alex, and they never should have accepted. I’m going to take care of this right now.”
Alex followed closely behind. Before he could welcome them, Sandra said, “Julie, I told you yesterday, this isn’t a good idea.”
Julie said, “Sandra, I’m not going to bury my head in the
sand because of the way other people act. I have every right to be here, certainly as much as they do.” Though she was speaking to her attorney, her glare was locked on the Trask: clan, hovering near the punchbowl and as yet unaware of her