A Haven on the Bay - Nicole Ellis Page 0,45
mere trickle. They both uttered loud sighs of relief, then looked at each other and laughed. It was a scene straight out of a comedy, but Tia was having a hard time finding the rest of the situation humorous. Even with Zoe’s best attempts to keep the water at bay with towels, she’d only captured about a third of it.
“What are we going to do?” Zoe whispered, her eyes wide as she absorbed the scene in front of her.
Tia took charge. She helped Zoe up off of the floor. “This is your big day. You are going to put on your pretty dress, then go out there and greet everyone who’s come to celebrate with you. I’ll wait for the plumber and see if I can get this mess taken care of.”
Zoe looked like she was about to protest, but had a change of heart. She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them. “Okay.” She shut the bathroom door halfway and reached for a garment bag hanging on the door. “Thank you, Tia.” She smiled slightly. “I feel like I’m already saying that a lot today. You’ve been a big help here at the Inn, and an even better friend. So, thank you—for everything.”
Tia had been about to duck out of the room to retrieve more towels from the linen closet, but Zoe’s words stopped her in her tracks. They meant a lot to her. She’d been in Willa Bay for almost half a year, but hadn’t made many friends. Her cheeks burned from the praise and she stared down at the floor. “Of course.”
“I’d give you a hug, but I don’t think you’d want that.” Zoe glanced down ruefully at her sodden clothing. “Your dress is gorgeous. I hope it’ll be okay.”
“It’ll be fine. For real, though, go get dressed. Someone has to mingle with the guests.” She gave Zoe a nudge, and followed her out the door.
Zoe ducked into one of the rooms to change while Tia hurried to the linen closet at the end of the hall. The spotless, fluffy white towels they’d purchased to create a spa experience at the Inn weren’t ideal for mopping up water, but they were nearby. Right now, availability counted the most. They had to get everything as dry as possible before the water leaked through the floorboards. An image of water dripping onto partygoers in the living room below flashed across her mind and she sped up her work.
Before Zoe left, she stopped in the bathroom to check on Tia. “I’m heading downstairs, but I’m going to put one of those quilt racks in the hallway to block off this part of the Inn. That way, people can still go in some of the rooms up here and get a feel for the place.” Her gaze swept over the bathroom. “Wow. You’re almost done. I mopped up the water in the hall, so I think we’ve managed to avert a bigger crisis. I hope the plumber comes soon.”
Tia eyed her watch. “They should be here in a few minutes.” She smiled at Zoe. “You look fantastic. I love all of these 1920s dresses.”
“Me too.” Zoe peered at herself in the bathroom mirror, adjusted the sleeves on her mauve wrap dress, then smoothed the top of three tiers on the skirt that fell just below the knee. “I could get used to dressing like this every day. I feel like a princess.”
Tia laughed and looked at her own reflection. The damp splotches on her red dress had paled now, and even in the harsh light, the bright fabric set off her dark hair nicely. Although she diligently applied sunscreen on a daily basis, her naturally brown skin glowed with an added layer of richness from the summer sun. She dabbed at a tiny smear of mascara next to her eyelid, then grinned at Zoe in the mirror. “This party is going to be amazing.”
Zoe put her hands on Tia’s shoulders from behind and leaned in, beaming. “We need a photo of us.”
Tia looked around. “Here? In the bathroom?”
Zoe laughed. “Yeah, why not? We’ll have formal photos later with Celia, Meg, and Shawn, but this is definitely something to remember.” She pulled out her phone and they carefully maneuvered around the soggy towels strewn about the floor to stand against the white subway-tiled wall. Zoe held her arm out long enough to take a picture of both of them, and said, “Say flooding!”
“Flooding!” Tia snickered, composed herself, and smiled at