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they’re calling for seven days of sun.”
    “Perfect,” Jenny said thoughtfully, ignoring Devon’s look of consternation, though it was obvious by his glower that he did not like to be ignored, and, more importantly, he did not like being usurped.
    Miriam found the number, dialed it, then passed the phone to Jenny. In the most pleasant voice imaginable, Jenny introduced herself and mentioned that she was calling on behalf of the Riverview Hotel. Danny instantly bristled, awaiting a confrontation and threats, but Jenny spoke softly and in sultry tones, outlining the proposed job. She then stated a price ten percent lower than Devon quoted. Danny was interested.
    “Let me be quite frank,” she added, glancing at the others with a twinkle in her eyes. “Mr. North is investing a lot of resources in this business and he wants to hire you because he heard you’re a fantastic worker. That’s why he specifically asked me to call you, Mr. Goodwin.”
    Devon raised his eyebrows at her. She ignored him and asked if Danny could bring a couple friends and start the scraping first thing in the morning.
    “We’ll be there,” Danny promised, seemingly excited at the thought of some income.
    “Thanks, Danny. Mr. North will meet you here at eight….Right….Good bye.”
    Miriam nodded at Jenny’s brilliance and her eyes gleamed. She then gathered her things. Devon, whom Jenny was sure would be pleased, had a scowl on his face. He reminded her of an owl she had once seen in a children’s book. All solemn, cold faced, humorless.
    How’s that for gratitude, she thought.
    “If they do a good job,” Jenny said to Devon in a businesslike way, “give Danny the extra ten percent for doing so well. Tell him it’s for exceeding expectations, or make some comment along those lines. It will create good vibes. Positivity.” She looked hard at him. “Those things are important, right? You want people to have a positive attitude toward you and the Riverview Hotel, right?” She smiled falsely at him and said, almost as if in challenge, “Right?” Before he could answer, she smiled genuinely at Miriam and Henry. “I think I better go to my room.”
    “Leaving so soon?” Devon asked, apparently miffed by the way she had taken control. “We’ll try to function without you.”
    Jenny had had enough and turned with the look of a gunfighter at high noon. “Thank you for stopping on the road and helping me, Mr. North,” she snapped angrily. “You found me in a time of need, and maybe if you’re in need someday, someone will repay you in kind. But just because you did one good deed does not give you the right to act like some kind of imperious turd with me!”
    He straightened up, apparently shocked that she was firing with both barrels. Miriam and Henry watched in tight-lipped shock, glancing back and forth at each other.
    “I’m tired of being persecuted for no apparent reason,” Jenny continued, “especially by someone I don’t know, who does not know me, and who I have no intention of getting to know. Quite frankly, sir, I’ve had it up to here”—she flattened her hand and tapped her chin—“with your attitude, so kindly go take a long walk off a short pier!” She turned to Miriam and Henry with a sweet smile. “I’m going to my room now.”
    Miriam, stunned by Devon’s attitude toward the pretty young woman, and shocked by Jenny’s rebuttal, looked dumbfounded. “Yes, of course, dear.”
    Devon said nothing as Jenny walked past him. She refused to look into his eyes, but she could feel his scorn, his suspicion, his dislike. Why? From where was all this negativity originating? Jenny stopped for a moment. She wanted to battle him again, to put him firmly in his place, but she took a deep breath and ignored the loathsome creature.
    “Miriam,” she said, pretending Devon did not exist, “I’m exhausted, but if I sleep in tomorrow, could you get me up before Danny and his friends come? I’d like to talk with