Page 26 of The Newcomer
“He doesn’t have kids?” Letty asked.
“No wife, no kids. I think that last girlfriend of his did a number on him. Too bad, because I really thought maybe she was the one.”
Ava shook her head. “Oh well. Let me show you my command center.”
She powered up the computer monitor and clicked on an icon, and the screen lit up. “This shows all our bookings by the day, week, and month. If you arrow over to the right, you can see next month’s bookings. We’re full up right now, which we almost always are this time of year, with all our regulars.”
Letty nodded.
“The Polaceks went back home to Pittsburgh yesterday,” Ava said, pointing to a square on the screen. “Earlier than usual, because their daughter is having a baby, and Dorothy wants to be there. So this afternoon, if you’re up to it, you can help Anita turn unit twelve. That’s the aqua one with the hot-pink door.”
“I’m up for whatever you need me to do,” Letty said.
“Good. Because Bill and Alice Sheehan are supposed to get in tonight from Boston. They usually stay in unit nine, but when I let them know the Polaceks were going home early, Alice jumped at the chance to get their unit, because it’s got that nice screened porch on the back.”
“All the units aren’t the same?” Letty asked.
“Oh no. The Surf only had ten units when it was built right after the war,” Ava said. “The Doughertys, the couple we bought it from, added onto it over the years. The original units in the north wing are pretty simple, a bedroom, kitchenette, sitting area, and bathroom.” She gestured to the office. “If you can believe it, this was where the Doughertys lived. This front room was the office, and the back, which I use for storage and supplies, was their living area. They raised two daughters in that little bitty space! But when the oldest was a teenager, Elsie finally got Dick to add the second story where we now live.”
“And the additional units?” Letty asked.
“Dick and his brother built those back in the sixties,” Ava said. “My understanding is, there was an old wood-frame house on the south side of the property. It got hit pretty bad in a hurricane, and the owners sold it for eight thousand dollars to the Doughertys, who then tore it down and built those other six units.”
“Eight thousand for a Gulf-front lot?” Letty asked.
Ava shrugged. “That was a lot of money back then. Anyway, all those units on the south side of the property have either a small screened porch or a little patio on the back. They have a proper dining area and the living room is big enough for a pull-out sleeper sofa, which our regulars love, because it means they can have their kids or grandkids come down for a few days, without paying for a motel.”
“I’ll bet those units are pretty popular,” Letty said.
“Well, the Gulf-view units on the west are the ones everybody wants. You better believe it. If I had ten more of the bigger units, I could keep ’em full year-round. As it is, I have a waiting list.”
“So, no check-ins until tonight?” Letty asked.
“That’s right. No checkouts, either. It should be a pretty boring morning for you. Just answer the phone, take messages, deal with the guests. I’ve got a dentist’s appointment at nine, and then I’m meeting an old friend for coffee after that. I should be back before lunchtime.”
“Got it,” Letty said.
Ava pointed to a stack of glossy colored flyers. “Our new brochures and rate cards. Just picked them up from the printer. The mailing labels are there too. If you would, insert the rate cards in the flyers, staple ’em closed, and stick the mailing labels on the front.”
She held out her hand. “Give me your phone. I’ll put my number in it, and if you have any questions or run into trouble you can give me a call.”
“Okay,” Letty said, and took a deep breath. “I guess Maya and I are on the job.”
“MOD,” Ava said.
“Huh?”
“Managers on duty. Good luck.”
10
THE CHIMES ON THE OFFICEdoor sounded. Her guest was an elderly man with a fringe of silver hair and an aggrieved expression on his suntanned face. He was dressed in one of those violently patterned terry-cloth beach jackets and matching trunks.
“You’re not Ava,” he said, looking over her shoulder.
“No,” Letty agreed. “Ava’s out running errands. Is there something I can help with?”
“Who are you?” He spied Maya, who was busy stapling together the pages she’d finished coloring.
