Ocean Beach (52 page)

Madeline looked over Kyra’s shoulder at the list as Kyra read the last entry aloud. It was “Kitchen Catfight.”

Maddie sighed in relief. “You’re good boys,” she said, giving Troy and Anthony a hug. “Thank you for everything.”

“Ditto,” said Avery, going up on tiptoe to give both crew members a hug.

“Yes, it’s very reassuring to know that we’ll only look marginally ridiculous,” Nicole said drily.

“Your tackle of Amherst was pretty impressive,” Anthony said.

“I agree,” Deirdre teased. “You’re a natural.”

“Great,” Nicole said. “If
Do Over
doesn’t get picked up, maybe I’ll give the NFL a go.”

“Rise and shine!” It was still dark the next morning when Avery felt a hand on her shoulder and heard Deirdre’s too-cheery voice.

“No. Not yet. I—”

“Come on, sleepyhead.” Maddie’s voice joined Deirdre’s.
The smell of freshly brewed coffee tickled her nostrils. Her eyes, the traitors, sprang open and she was staring into the lens of Kyra’s video camera.

“Jeez, really?” Avery groaned. “I thought the shooting was over.” She sat up and Madeline placed the cup of coffee in her hands. Dustin, who stood with one arm wrapped around his mother’s leg, offered her a sunny smile and watched her raise the cup to her lips.

“It’s not over until we lock the front door behind us,” Kyra said. “I’m not prepared to witness what may be my last sunrise on Miami Beach without a camera in my hand.”

“Just a few more sips,” Maddie said in her best mother voice. “I’ll add whatever’s left to a to-go cup. We’ve only got about twenty minutes before the sun comes up.”

“Have I mentioned that I think sunsets are far more civilized than sunrises?” Avery asked as she put a hand up to block the camera lens and climbed out of bed.

“Yes, I think you’ve made that clear,” Deirdre said. “And you’ll see plenty of them when we get to Bella Flora. I believe Chase already had a case of Cheez Doodles delivered. In a way it’s lucky that offer on Bella Flora fell through. It’s good to have a place to stay while we wait to hear what’s happening with the show. Seeing as how some of us are somewhat…homeless…at the moment.”

They left Andrew sleeping for one last hour and walked to the beach, where they settled on a blanket just in time to see the first exploratory rays of the sun ease up out of the ocean. Dustin toddled happily on the sand, plopping down occasionally before clambering back up again.

“There is something life affirming about witnessing the very beginnings of a new day,” Madeline said, her gaze fixed
on the golden ball rising in front of them. “It makes almost anything seem possible.” Although she spoke of hope, they could all hear the sadness in her voice.

“Maybe we should stop at Bella Flora for a while before we go home,” Kyra said. “How long will you and Deirdre be there, Avery?”

“I don’t know,” Avery said. “Chase and Jeff have invited us to work on the new development they’re building. I can help design the spec homes and Deirdre’s offered to handle the interior design. I’m not sure where Chase and I are really headed—he’s got so many other commitments—but it’ll be nice to be in the same place at least for a while. And there’s something kind of comforting about the idea of working with him in the business our fathers built.”

She looked at Deirdre. The fact that she was actually looking forward to being there with her mother was the oddest part of all.

“It’ll be great,” Deirdre said. “There’s a certain symmetry to being involved in the company that Peter started. I did my first design work on his starter homes.”

Avery suppressed the automatic remark about how easily Deirdre had left that with a long sip of coffee, and was rewarded with a smile of approval from Maddie. Maybe it was time to sign up for a course in daughter-hood.

“Why don’t you stop over in Pass-a-Grille for a while?” Avery asked Maddie, noting the resignation in her eyes and the resolute set of her mouth.

“No, we need to get back. I’ll have to get Andrew ready to go back to college. And there are things that need to be settled.”

They all knew she was referring to the absent Steve, but her tone made it clear that she was not ready to discuss it.

“Fine,” Nicole said, never one to be stopped by something as insubstantial as a tone of voice. “But once you kick his butt, I say you should take at least a vacation at Bella Flora while it still belongs to us.” She looked up at the sky, which had lightened to a pale watercolor blue. The ocean glittered with golden bits of sun. “Giraldi invited me to stay with him for a while.”

Avery saw her blush and had to bite back a laugh.

“But then I thought I’d head up to Bella Flora,” Nikki continued. “Maybe if it hasn’t sold yet, we could do Thanksgiving or Christmas there. I wouldn’t mind some moral support when we hear whether
Do Over
is going to continue.”

“I didn’t think the west coast of Florida was your style,” Kyra said.

“I’m not sure I
have
a style anymore,” Nicole replied.

Avery smiled again. Maybe this whole sunrise thing wasn’t so bad after all. “I must say, for a group of people who need money as badly as we all do, no one seems in any big hurry to see Bella Flora sell.”

There was laughter and the mood lightened. Together they’d helped Max fulfill his Millie’s dying wish, brought another spectacular house back to life, and in the process once again shored up their own lives. They sipped their coffees and turned their attention to the sky, watching it turn bright with promise. Like their friendship, the glowing sun warmed them.

Together they breathed in the new day.

READERS GUIDE

by Wendy Wax

1. During Madeline and Steve’s twenty-six-year wedding anniversary celebration, Madeline recalls how the past year and a half had been difficult and that “it had reframed an entire lifetime of memories.” Do you think that difficult moments in life can completely change how you remember the past? Are the difficulties something you work to forget or are they something that affects your future as well?

2. What do you think about Max and Millie’s relationship? How did the emotional prologue set the tone of the novel?

3. When Avery, Nicole, Kyra, and Deirdre arrive at Bella Flora to tape
Do Over
, they find themselves as part of a reality show instead of a show about a renovation. What are your opinions about reality shows? Do you think they have value in our society? Should those featured have the right to have “off-limits” areas?

4. Do you think Nicole made the right decision when she turned her brother in to Special Agent Joe Giraldi? Could you have done that? Do you think it was a conflict of interest that Joe romantically pursued Nicole after her brother went to jail?

5. How did you feel when Daniel Deranian was introduced? Do you feel like his feelings were genuine regarding Dustin and Kyra? Do you sympathize with Tonja at all?

6. Why did Deirdre ask Madeline to teach her how to be a real mother? Can someone be taught how to be a parent? How can one better prepare to become a parent?

7. Is there a correlation between renovating The Millicent and the characters’ personal lives? What role does Max’s character play in regard to their development?

8. Describe the changes in Avery and Deirdre’s relationship throughout the novel. Was the shooting the turning point or were there signs of change before that incident?

9. Prior to reading this novel, what did you know about cold case investigations? How long would you continue to search for someone you loved?

10. How did Aaron’s disappearance shape Max and Millie’s lives? How would their lives have been different if he had never disappeared?

11. Were you surprised when Steve said he wasn’t going to see his family after the shooting? What do you think his actual motivations were for not doing this? Was it because he never wanted Madeline to do the show to begin with?

12. When Aaron’s true identity was revealed, what was your reaction?

13. Imagine the lives of the characters after the novel. How do they unfold? Do Madeline and Steve stay married? Will Daniel come back into Kyra’s life? Do Avery and Deirdre continue to stay close? What happens with Nicole’s business?