Ocean Beach Read Online Free Page B

her chin and silently dared him to argue, but inside she could feel the flutter of nerves.
Do Over
was more than a renovation project—way more. It was a lifeline for all of them. There could be no screwups.
    She gave him a last kiss and Deirdre gave him a hug. They both watched him climb back into his truck and driveoff, only wedging themselves into the Mini Cooper when Chase’s taillights had disappeared from view.
    She didn’t speak to Deirdre as they left Pass-a-Grille and turned onto the Pinellas Bayway. Nor did she waste a thought on how uncomfortable Deirdre must be with the travel case on her lap and the purse balanced between her feet. She drove onto the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, which soared high above Tampa Bay, lost in her thoughts. All of those thoughts were unsettling.
    She and her mostly merry band were headed to an alien city where they would be expected to renovate a house they’d never seen for an owner they knew nothing about. And they had to keep things interesting enough while they did it to convince the network that
Do Over
deserved to exist.
    Avery’s hands tightened on the wheel. She knew the sinking sensation in her stomach had nothing to do with the dizzying height of the bridge, but everything to do with fear of the fall.

    It was almost 7:30 P.M. by the time they reached the MacArthur Causeway, which would deposit them on Miami’s South Beach. Avery’s bare skin was sunburned. Her hair, which had already blown to smithereens hours ago, was heavy with dirt and barely moved in the warm salt-tinged breeze coming off Biscayne Bay. The sun was at half-mast as they caught their first glimpses of the docked cruise ships in the Port of Miami, then watched Palm, Hibiscus, and Star Islands whiz by.
    “Nervous?” Deirdre asked.
    “No, of course not,” Avery lied. They were at the corner of Fifth and Ocean Drive, facing the palm-tree-studdedbeach that bounded the Atlantic Ocean. It was time to call in for the address of the house they’d be renovating. In a matter of minutes, all her vague fears and worries could be put to rest. Or prove far worse than she’d imagined.
    She felt Deirdre’s eyes on her. “The call can wait a couple of minutes,” Deirdre said. “Take a left. We deserve at least a drive-by of the Art Deco District.”
    A text “dinged” in but Avery was already turning. She wouldn’t have been surprised to hear a celestial choir kick in as she spotted the first of the historic district’s famously restored hotels. She held her breath, drinking in the tropical Art Deco façades and details, many of which echoed the themes and shapes of ships at sea. She drove as slowly as she could past the Park Central, the Beacon, the Colony, the Clevelander, the Carlyle. For ten fabulous blocks she pushed both the worry and the anticipation aside.
    At a red light, she glanced down at the texts that had continued to ding in.
    We’re here. Where r u?
Like the sender, Nicole Grant’s text was direct and to the point.
    Madeline Singer, whose thumbs and her iPhone often seemed at odds, had sent one that read,
Ee rhrwre. Bit te plce is…‘awh7gfplndy’
    Kyra’s text arrived next. It sucked the air from Avery’s lungs.
    “What?” Deirdre asked. “What is it?”
    Avery held her phone out so that Deirdre could see.
Were you expecting film crew today?
    “Shit,” Deirdre said.
    “No kidding,” Avery said. She’d planned to have the weekend to get settled in and come up with some sort of plan.
    Camera is on us, not house!!!
Avery felt a flutter of panic at the exclamation points at the end of Kyra’s next text.
    Another text from Maddie arrived and Avery had a flash of Madeline, Kyra, and Nicole standing next to one another, fingers flying. It was an image that might have made her smile if not for the unexpected film crew and the near clarity of Maddie’s message. It read,
Uree pup!

Chapter Three

    Meridian Avenue was tree-lined and well maintained with a mishmash of single-family homes