Chapter 22

By November, the cooler weather had arrived, and the pace slowed down to a crawl everywhere. I thanked Leonard and Sheila for their hard work, and said I’d see them in the spring. Leonard shook my hand and left. He’d lined up a job at the grocery store. Good for him.

Sheila hugged me and invited me over for Thanksgiving dinner later in the month. I told her I’d think about it. When they were both gone, I went for a long walk on the beach. The motel had no occupants, and it was unlikely that anyone would call in. I forwarded calls to my cell phone, though, just in case.

A bit of fog had come on shore, so it was gray and bleak. I was lost in thought, remembering my brief encounter with Maury as we’d almost bumped into each other on the sidewalk yesterday.

He’d been surprised to see me, but had offered a quick hello and a brief smile before asking how things were going at the motel. He looked really good, the bright green turtleneck he wore the perfect foil forhis blond tresses.