Page 85 of Life, Love and the Pursuit of Happiness

“Still, this is so exciting! I’ll have enough news to put out a special edition this week. Exactly how much gold do you figure the team has brought up so far?”

Delilah realized then that the news leak around town hadn’t been specific, so far, and she wasn’t about to be the confidential informant. “Gold? What gold?” She batted her eyelashes with innocence.

“What a kidder!” Laura said, but she wasn’t amused. She was in full-blown newshound mode. But then she smiled. “The whole town will want to be involved on Wednesday when the press conference is being held. It will be held over at Gabe’s mansion to accommodate the out-of-town crowd that will no doubt be here. All the major networks have called, and People magazine wants to do a cover story.”

On Wednesday? So soon? And publicity. I do not want to be involved in any publicity.

“The town council has already met. It would have been nice to have a parade and all that hoopla, but two days is just not enough time. Even so, we’re asking all the merchants in town to participate in some way. Banners in the windows. Products related to treasures or gold or shipwrecks. Anything you could do at the bakery, Sally?”

“Maybe gold dust sugar cookies. They make sprinkles now that look like real gold.”

“Great! Tony over at the Cracked Crab is going to put Shipwreck Spiny Lobster on the menu.”

Delilah groaned.

“What?” Laura asked.

“Nothing. I’m just not a fan of spiny lobster.” Anymore.

“Frank Baxter at Hard Knocks Hardware is ordering in more metal detectors. People always get the fever when any kind of treasure is found, even like that class ring found over by the sound last summer. You would have thought it was a Cartier creation.”

Delilah thought about the high-tech underwater metal detector that Merrill had bought and how his investment had paid off. The news media would probably love that angle on the story, and, yes, that would mean a rush on metal detectors everywhere.

“Too bad that neon Elvis of yours isn’t lit up yet,” Laura said to Delilah. “We could throw a gold lamé cape over him, which would be perfect. Betcha Stu and Barb over at Blanket-y Blank could scrounge up a length of lamé somewhere.

Delilah refused to rise to the bait. “Sorry. No time. Maybe next year, if Elvis is lit up by then.” Then, she thought of something else. “Won’t the storm be raging here by then? That should dampen the crowds coming to town.” Please, God!

“Hopefully, the rains should have stopped by then. The latest weather forecast says it might veer north by Tuesday night. Just in case, we’re having Father Brad over at Our Lady by the Sea and Pastor Morgan at St. Andrew’s hold an ecumenical prayer vigil tonight for good weather.”

“Isn’t that kind of materialistic to pray for weather to hold an event that would benefit the town merchants?”

Laura put a hand to her chest as if Delilah had stabbed her. “You have to live through a barrier island hurricane to know why people pray for good weather here all the time.”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to offend,” Delilah apologized, even though that’s not exactly what she’d said. A town praying for good weather in this case had nothing to do with hurricanes, but it wasn’t an argument Delilah wanted or needed to engage in.

Laura nodded an acceptance of her apology and went on, “There’s just so little time. We’re already discussing a bigger celebration for later this summer, maybe a Pirate Gold Day for the salvage treasure in combination with the Labor Day Lollypalooza. You and the Sweet Bells crew could dress up like pirates and all the gold you’ve discovered could be on display in a huge pirate treasure chest on the town square, and a ship resembling the Falcon could be brought into Bell Sound, where tours could be given, maybe even stage a fake battle between the Falcon and whatever Yankee ship shot it down, and . . .”

On and on Laura went with plans involving a private venture which had suddenly become the town’s venture, and what any of the Sweet Bells venture had to do with pirates was beyond Delilah’s understanding. She barely restrained herself from putting her face on the table and pounding her forehead, but then she noticed Sally grinning at her and realized that some things about Bell Cove just needed to be taken with a grain of humor.

How was Merrill reacting to all this hoopla?

She checked her phone. Still no messages.

After Laura left, Sally patted her hand and said, “Welcome to Bell Cove.”

Delilah and Maggie got all the laundry folded, most of which was put in laundry bags, which they dropped off at the warehouse before heading home. There was no one around the salvage side of Bell Forge, which didn’t surprise her. They were probably all hiding out, avoiding the press and nosy townspeople.

She stopped at the grocery store, where folks were emptying the shelves in preparation for the storm. Even though a major disaster wasn’t predicted, people took no chances. Delilah didn’t, either, buying more than she usually would, considering the size of her small fridge and freezer.

Rain started coming down just as they’d arrived in the parking lot back on the diner/motel property. Maggie ran ahead of her, giggling at the warm shower, while Delilah hurried with her heaping basket of clean, folded, soon-to-be-wet-if-she-wasn’t-careful sheets, towels, and clothing. Maggie was already chattering away to Gram about her new friends and burgers and fries and a wish for a bike, along with a dog, while Delilah ran out for a second trip to the truck to get the bags from Out of the Closet.

Through the now-pelting rain she saw two vehicles pull up to the motel, driven by Kevin and Gus, who had two beautiful women with them, who were so tall and slim and gorgeous they could be models. They all ran, laughing, for the second and third motel rooms. She assumed that Gus was using Adam Famosa’s room and that Adam was staying over at Ocracoke with Bonita.

None of her business.

Except that Merrill was not yet back.

And he didn’t come at all that night. She knew because a panel truck marked “Stella’s Wine and Cheese Bar, We Deliver,” pulled up about nine o’clock before the motel. About one a.m. there was a pizza delivery. Party time at Heartbreak Motel! For some people.