Winter at the Beach
USA TODAY bestselling author Sheila Roberts takes readers on a wintry trip to the harbor in her latest holiday novel...
The town of Moonlight Harbor needs to convince tourists that the beach is still the place to be—even when the sunshine goes south for the winter. Jenna Jones, new proprietor of The Driftwood Inn, has the perfect idea: a holiday festival called Seaside with Santa.
Jenna is happy to throw herself into planning the event. With all the decorating, preparation and extra reservations at the inn because of the festival—and with two wonderful but very different men hoping to claim more of her time and her heart—Jenna is busy. Busy, but happy. Even with her troublesome ex in the picture, life feels as close to perfect as she’s ever known.
Until the weather turns her festival into a farce. Suddenly Mother Nature is not only raining on Jenna’s parade, the old bat’s trying to blow the floats and their princesses out to sea. Soon everyone is without power and the road out of town is blocked. And Jenna has a full motel.
After the generator conks out, she’s not so sure she and her guests will make it through to the New Year in one piece. But with a little pulling together and a lot of holiday spirit, everyone might find that life—and Christmas—is always good at the beach.
Praise for the novels of Sheila Roberts
“The beginning entry in this hopeful series will win over readers looking for a comforting escape.”
—Library Journal on Welcome to Moonlight Harbor
“[A] delightful story of family, friendship and new beginnings. The vividly drawn coastal Washington setting comes alive.”
—RT Book Reviews on Welcome to Moonlight Harbor
“The plot takes several unexpected twists and turns on its way to a delightful ending.... Can’t wait to see what life has in store for Jenna in Moonlight Harbor.”
—FreshFiction.com on Welcome to Moonlight Harbor
“Welcome to Moonlight Harbor will be sure to capture your attention as well as your heart.”
—HarlequinJunkie.com
“Sheila Roberts makes me laugh...and come away inspired, hopeful and happy.”
—Debbie Macomber, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“A lovely blend of romance and women’s fiction, this insightful holiday treat hits all the right notes.”
—Library Journal on Christmas in Icicle Falls
Also by Sheila Roberts
WELCOME TO MOONLIGHT HARBOR
Life in Icicle Falls
CHRISTMAS IN ICICLE FALLS
STARTING OVER ON BLACKBERRY LANE
THREE CHRISTMAS WISHES
HOME ON APPLE BLOSSOM ROAD
CHRISTMAS ON CANDY CANE LANE
A WEDDING ON PRIMROSE STREET
THE LODGE ON HOLLY ROAD
THE TEA SHOP ON LAVENDER LANE
THE COTTAGE ON JUNIPER RIDGE
WHAT SHE WANTS (also published as ROMANCE ON MOUNTAIN VIEW ROAD)
MERRY EX-MAS
BETTER THAN CHOCOLATE (also published as SWEET DREAMS ON CENTER STREET)
Look for Sheila Roberts’s next novel
in the Moonlight Harbor series,
THE SUMMER RETREAT,
available soon from MIRA Books.
SHEILA ROBERTS
WINTER AT THE BEACH
For Cheron and Christi
Dear Friend,
Thank you so much for spending some of your valuable time with the gang at Moonlight Harbor. If you’ve ever made plans only to have them go sideways I’m sure you can identify with the adventures of Jenna Jones and her family and friends.
I’ve planned some big events in my time and let me tell you, it’s stressful. I still remember the day my hairdresser informed me that she’d discovered a bald spot at the back of my head. Thankfully, the hair grew back but... Yikes. Just. Yikes! And power outages? Oh, yes, we’ve gone through that. My kids always thought it was a big adventure. “We get to have a fire in the wood stove and tell stories,” my son would say. And then stumble around in the dark and huddle around that stove to stay warm and go crazy because... “I CAN’T USE MY COMPUTER!”
Ah, but it’s these little challenges that bring us closer together. And in retrospect we can always find something to reminisce or laugh about. I hope you’ll find a few things to laugh at in this tale and come away with a smile on your face, maybe even a little encouraged. If you do, then I’ve done my job.
I got creative with the calendar in this story, jumping ahead to a year that worked for my purposes. I’m sure you’ll forgive me though, right? Because after all, this is fiction.
I hope your winter is warm and cozy and that the storms in your life are few and short. Thank you for loving books and supporting writers. Without readers, what would we do?
Sheila
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Holiday Recipes from your Friends at Moonlight Harbor
Aunt Edie’s Fruitcake Bites
Patricia’s Rock Cookies
Annie’s Hungarian Kiefles
Courtney’s Potato Chip Cookies
Cindy’s Whipped Shortbread Cookies
Nora’s Holiday Drop Cookies
Acknowledgments
Chapter One
Life at the beach was good. It was even better when you ran a motel and had people staying in it.
Lately life at the beach hadn’t been quite so good for Jenna Jones, manager of the Driftwood Inn in the beach town of Moonlight Harbor, Washington. Her great-aunt, Edie Patterson, the current owner, had offered Jenna both a home with her and a job after her divorce. Jenna had been grateful for the new start and Aunt Edie had been grateful for the help as the place had fallen into disrepair after the death of her husband, Ralph. Jenna would eventually inherit the motel, which offered her financial security.
It had been a win-win deal, and Jenna had whipped the place into shape, decorating on a shoestring, giving the rooms a different theme, depending on what color bargain carpet and what kind of thrift store décor she’d been able to find. The Driftwood Inn was now, if she did say so herself, a charming beach retreat. But she needed more heads in beds.
After Labor Day, when summer fun ended and families got busy with school and football season, reservations became scarce. Now, in October, well, if you were looking for a cute vintage motel to stay in, the Driftwood Inn had plenty of vacancies.
This was a problem because Jenna had mouths to feed, people depending on her, including her ex-husband, struggling artist Damien Petit (who wasn’t struggling nearly as much as he deserved to be, thanks to the transitional spousal support Jenna paid him every month). More important, she was responsible for her daughter, Sabrina, and her great-aunt.
When she wasn’t in the office with her friend and right-hand woman, Courtney Moore, or helping their lone maid, Coral, clean rooms, Jenna was working the kinks out of sore muscles. It was a good thing she’d been a massage t
herapist B.M. (Before Motel). It would give her something to fall back on while money was tight. And it sure was. The next summer’s tourist season seemed a long way off.
But today was Monday, the beginning of a new week, and this week looked promising. She had clients booked for massages Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and the Driftwood Inn had guests arriving on Friday afternoon.
Which meant they had a reservation for one room in a motel with twenty. That left seventeen to fill as two were permanently taken. And of those two they were only getting money for one.
Pete Long, the useless old coot who pretended to be a handyman, paid nothing and did as little as possible to earn his keep. The other room was occupied by Seth Waters, who had proven to be a lot more handy.
Unlike cranky old Pete, Seth paid for his room in addition to helping out, and Jenna was glad to have him around. Gorgeous, with muscles growing muscles. Smart and a hard worker, he was also a good listener.
And a great kisser.
But not so good at commitment. Jenna supposed it was understandable considering his past. A rash but noble decision had landed him in prison and he was easing back into his life with leery caution.
Which was just as well, Jenna kept telling herself. After her disastrous marriage to the artist who’d made an art out of cheating, she didn’t need to rush into love. Although if ever there was a man who made a woman think about rushing, it was Seth.
Or Brody Green, successful Realtor and the other man in her life.
As a friend. A friend who’d like to be friends with benefits.
And she could easily imagine the benefits Brody could offer. Yes, she’d kissed him, too, thanks to too much to drink at dinner, followed by a sunset on the beach with Mr. Suave.
Both divorced, both with kids, they had things in common, and Brody was fun to hang out with, but she needed to focus on managing the motel. Which was a heck of a lot easier to manage than her love life.
Except it currently had seventeen rooms that needed filling.
Things were bound to pick up, Jenna assured herself as she walked across the parking lot from Aunt Edie’s house, where she and her daughter, Sabrina, also lived, to the motel office.
There was plenty to do on a Monday. Catch up on paperwork, post some new pictures on Instagram, add a new Aunt Edie culinary creation to the Facebook page. Blog about the great weather they were having down at the beach. It’s still sunny. Come one, come all.
She’d just gotten into the office when Coral pulled up in her dad’s truck. Coral was only working part-time. Very part-time. More like barely any time since they didn’t have any reservations. She was a sweet girl, nineteen and trying to earn money for college. Jenna wished she could give Coral more hours, but it looked like they were stuck limping along until summer.
“Hi,” she greeted the girl. “This is a surprise. I didn’t expect you in today.”
“I know.” Coral bit her lip.
Uh-oh. “What’s up?” As if Jenna couldn’t guess.
“I’m giving my two weeks’ notice. I’m sorry,” she added, looking as if she’d just confessed to shoplifting. “It’s just that, well, I need to be making more money.”
Didn’t they all? “I understand,” Jenna said. “I wish we had more work for you.”
“Me, too.”
“I’ll be happy to give you a good reference.”
“Oh, you don’t have to. I already have a job.”
“You do? Where?”
Coral’s cheeks turned red as a stoplight. “The Oyster Inn.”
Which was booked solid pretty much all year long. Jenna nodded and forced a smile, told herself not to be jealous of Patricia Whiteside’s success. The woman had been in business in Moonlight Harbor forever, and she’d worked hard. She’d gone slightly more upscale with her establishment and it had paid off. The Oyster Inn was as charming as its owner. It boasted a small restaurant and a boutique shop, in addition to great views, and catered to visitors who wanted to enjoy a stay in someplace more high-end.
“Well, good. I’m glad,” she said. For Coral anyway. For herself, not so much.
“I wouldn’t have left, really. But...”
“I know,” Jenna said. “I get it. No worries, okay?”
Coral bit down on her lip again, nodded and then bolted out of the office.
Jenna watched her go and sighed. Oh, well. The glass was still half full, right? Now she didn’t have to pay someone to clean the rooms. She could probably get by without anyone until spring, and that would save money.
Darn it all, she didn’t want to save money. She wanted to make money.
The phone rang. Someone wanting to make a reservation! She picked it up and sang a cheerful, “You’ve reached the Driftwood Inn where it’s beach time all the time.” (Her own clever slogan!) “This is Jenna. How may I help you?”
“We have a reservation for this weekend,” said a female voice. “Smithers?”
Maybe they wanted to reserve another room. Extend their stay. Ms. Smithers could be calling for any number of reasons. Please don’t let it be...
“I need to cancel.”
Jenna’s right eye began to twitch. “Cancel?”
“Yes. Something’s come up, and we’re not going to be able to make it.”
It was all Jenna could do not to say, “Are you sure?”
“You haven’t dinged our credit card yet, have you?”
“Oh, no. That’s only to hold the room.”
“And we’re giving you more than twenty-four hours’ notice.”
“Yes, you are.” Good for you.
“Thanks.”
“I’m sorry it didn’t work out. I hope you’ll be able to come another time,” Jenna added, but by then she was talking to dead air.
She scowled and left the office to take a walk on the beach, her favorite go-to place when she needed to cogitate. She only had to share it with the seagulls this morning. At eight thirty on a cloudy fall day, no one else was out. There was a serious nip in the air. Hardly surprising, considering the time of year.
October, and the scene remained the same. Water, sand and wind. The one difference was the color of the sky. Not that Jenna minded. She loved the beach, loved the constancy of the waves, loved hearing the sound through her open bedroom window of the steady lap of the tide coming in at night. It was all so comforting, so relaxing...
So stressful when no one was calling to reserve a room.
If only Moonlight Harbor had more deciduous trees. Business owners could lure people to town with the promise of seeing the changing colors like Icicle Falls over in the Cascades did every fall. But there was a preponderance of evergreens, both in Moonlight Harbor and on the state highway leading to it. And moss. A lot of moss hanging from trees. Sadly, it didn’t change colors. Darn it all. Where were those changing colors when you needed them?
She sighed and turned back to the office. Time for another Groupon offer. And time to tell Aunt Edie to start getting creative with stretching the grocery budget.
* * *
Jenna wasn’t the only one frustrated with the tourism slump after the busy summer season. A lack of visitors appeared to be a common lament among the various business owners in town, and was a hot topic with the group of girlfriends who gathered at Aunt Edie’s house for their regular Friday night get-together.
“We did well this summer,” said Cindy Redmond, who, with her husband, Bruce, owned Cindy’s Candies. “But it’s going to be a long winter.”
“We do get some people in to storm watch over the winter,” Patricia Whiteside reminded her.
“Some, but not enough,” Cindy said. “There’s really not much to lure people down here until March when they come for the razor clam festival. That always brings them in.”
“Maybe we need something in between,” Jenna said thoughtfully.
“There’s got to be something,” Courtney said. She’d been selling her women’s clothing creations at the little boutique in the Oyster Inn’s lobby and also had a website, but she wasn’t making enough to live on yet. Helping Jenna at the reception desk evenings and weekends not only kept her supplied with fabric, it also kept her supplied with groceries. Another mouth for Jenna to feed.
“We’ll just do what we’ve always done,” Aunt Edie said. “Hang on until summer. Summer will be here before we know it.”
Dear, sweet Aunt Edie. Always optimistic.
Always clueless. If they hung on any tighter they’d break their fingers. Courtney was right. There had to be something else they could do.
“Anyway, it’s nice to take advantage of the lull,” said Patricia. “Travel, go see family and friends.” Which she did every November. Patricia had a sister in Arizona.
Patricia also had a healthy bank account and plenty of staff to cover for her. But what about the business owners who weren’t in such good shape financially?
“We’ll have to hunker down and stretch the money,” Jenna’s friend Tyrella Lamb said to her later as the party was breaking up. Tyrella owned Beach Lumber and Hardware. She, at least, could be sure of customers all year long. “Or come up with a brilliant idea,” she added.
A brilliant idea. No problem.
Jenna waved goodbye to the last of their guests and returned to the living room to find Aunt Edie seated in her favorite seashell chair, twisting the agate ring on her finger. That ring was her aunt’s worry stone.
“We’ll be fine,” she told Jenna. Then added, “Won’t we?”
“Of course, we will,” Jenna replied. After everything they’d gone through to bring the motel back to life, no way was she letting it go out of business simply for lack of a few winter visitors.
She gave her aunt a hug and patted the covered cage where Jolly Roger, the parrot, was asleep for the night. Then she went upstairs to say good-night to her daughter, who’d been camped out on her bed, texting with her friend Marigold about the new “older man” in her life. Tristan Van Cliburn was a nerd. A very cute nerd, tall and skinny with glasses decorating a face waiting to fill out, along with the rest of him. He was a senior, and Sabrina was only a freshman, a big age difference when you were in high school.