Sunset on Moonlight Beach - Sheila Roberts Page 0,72
chin. Maybe he thought it made him look more masculine. It only made him look scruffy. He wore a red tie-dyed shirt with a flag pattern on one shoulder and jeans. On a young buff guy that shirt would look good. Winston was not a young buff guy.
His wife, Kelly, had slimmed down and was wearing some very short shorts and a tank top to show off her new figure. She’d acquired some stylish new glasses as well. She’d put her hair in a sloppy bun but it still looked stringy. A visit to Waves would do wonders. Of course, Jenna was hardly one to talk. She needed to schedule a visit to Waves herself.
Winston Junior, known as Win-Win, had gone from an obnoxious three-year old to a pudgy little boy with a sullen frown.
“Well, cousin,” Winston greeted Jenna. “Here we are, ready for a good time. Hey, Win-Win, look. Cookies.” Winston gave his son an oatmeal cookie and grabbed two for himself. “You got our room ready? Can we check in early? We’re anxious to get out and look around.”
Interesting. No mention of being anxious to see Aunt Edie.
“Sure,” Jenna said. The sooner she got him checked in the sooner he’d go away.
He leaned an arm on the counter and surveyed her domain. “The place looks better than the last time we were here.”
“We’ve done a lot with it.”
He nodded, taking that in. “How’s Aunt Edie?” he asked, and stuffed half a cookie in his mouth.
“She’s fine.”
“Still going strong?” he asked without bothering to swallow first.
His question didn’t sit well. What did he mean by that? Was he hoping she wouldn’t be? “She is,” Jenna lied, what little warmth she’d been able to inject into her voice vanishing.
“Lucky for you,” he said, his jealousy of her favored status ill-disguised.
“Lucky for all of us,” Jenna retorted.
At that moment Mel came back into the office with a fresh supply of cookies.
“Hey, Aunt Melody. Remember me?” he said to her. “It’s Winston.”
How could she not? On his family’s last visit when he was twelve he’d broken the Dresden figurine that Grandma Jones had given her mom and then hid the broken figurine under the sofa bed.
“How are you, Winston?” she replied.
She had a smile for him and a hug. All grace and kindness. Unlike her daughter, who wished he’d get swept away by a sneaker wave.
“Doing great,” he said. “And Kelly’s selling makeup now. She’s a natural.”
Right on cue, Kelly produced a booklet filled with bargains. “Let me know what you’d like.”
Mel took it. “That sounds like a fun job,” she said, not making any promises.
But Jenna knew her mom. Mel’s middle name was Softie. And she did like her bath oils and lotions.
“So, what’s the family rate?” Winston asked Jenna and started on another cookie.
“The rate you saw on the website.” She was aware of her mother, Ms. Sweet and Proper, standing next to her and forced her lips up at the corners.
Winston’s didn’t mirror hers. “Jeez, you’d think you’d give family a break. Thought maybe you’d have a free room for us.”
“I’m sorry, Winston,” she said. Maybe he’d go away.
“We are kind of on a budget. How about we stay at the house?”
Like that was going to happen. “There’s no room. Honestly, Winston, you’re already getting a bargain. We’re not the most expensive place in town.”
“Or the best,” he sniped. “But we wanted to give you some business.”
Her last remark magically brought about an attitude adjustment. “Family is important,” Winston said. (He must have been talking to her mom.) “And we did want to see Aunt Edie, didn’t we, Kelly?”
Kelly nodded. “Sure.”
“I want another cookie,” Win-Win whined.
Winston gave him a couple. Then he took another two for himself. They were locusts.
“I guess we’ll have to suck it up,” he said and sneaked a look in Melody’s direction.
Oh, no. Don’t even think it. “Mom’s got a houseful, too,” Jenna said, wishing Mel had left Uncle Arthur off the list when she’d announced her new address. “Come on, Winston, it’s not that much. You just said you were doing great. And you know we’ll all buy cosmetics from Kelly.” That much she could do.
“Okay, fine,” he said, his voice a mixture of irritation and resignation.
Jenna gave him his room key and shooed him off before he could devour every last cookie on the plate.
“You’re right. He is obnoxious,” Mel said as she thumbed through the catalog. “But that’s family. Some are