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Veteran Member
Chapter Forty-Seven
Bud ordered the sconces and had them shipped priority. While he waited for delivery, he headed to the gazebo and began taking precise measurements for the wiring runs. He picked up two used batteries and two used solar panels from Dan, then stopped by NAPA to buy taillight assemblies and bulbs so he could rewire the sconces himself.
After seeing the insect control systems John had installed around the marina, Bud ordered four Dynatrap electrical discharge units to mount on the gazebo’s four outside support posts. Mosquitoes and flies weren’t usually a big problem on the property, but where people gathered, they could become one. Bud already had one in his yard and another at the end of his dock; both worked so well that fish waited expectantly whenever he emptied the traps.
Until the sconces arrived, Bud avoided most of the store’s day-to-day work. He had no interest in folding T-shirts or hanging bikini sets. There was still plenty to do before the Labor Day grand opening, but the women had the retail side well in hand. Instead, he focused on cleaning and prepping the selected antique pieces for display and sale.
When Joe and Diana returned from their trip, Bud picked them up at the airport. They were tired but clearly happy to be home. Diana insisted on stopping by the store first. The moment she walked in, a wave of female squeals and laughter erupted. Joe grabbed a Nehi grape soda from the cooler and joined Bud on the porch under the ceiling fan.
“You all got a lot done,” Joe said, looking around.
“Yeah,” Bud agreed. “The women brought it all together.”
“I ran into Jay Cross down in Kingston,” Joe said. “He’s working as a security consultant now.”
“Nice cushy gig,” Bud replied.
“He seems to like it.” Joe took a long pull from his soda. “By the way, Patty put fresh dairy in your fridge yesterday.”
“Did she include ice cream?”
“I don’t know. Better grab a quart before we leave, just to be safe.”
“Beer?”
“There’s a six-pack in the fridge and the rest of the case is in the pantry.”
“Thanks. That Jamaican stuff is pure rat piss.”
Joe chuckled. “It probably would’ve tasted better if you’d drunk it here.”
“I don’t think so. I can still taste the skunky flavor in the back of my throat.”
Diana and the other women spilled out onto the porch, still buzzing with excitement. Joe slipped back inside, bought a quart of Butter Pecan ice cream and a pint of peach yogurt for Diana, and then Bud drove them down to the house before heading home himself.
The next day, Bud spent a leisurely afternoon washing his boat and plane. Meanwhile, the security crew finished installing the full system—cameras, upgraded door locks, strobes, and panic buttons. The wiring had been run during construction, so the installation went smoothly. Once they left, Bud and Joe made a few adjustments to the panic buttons and installed two narrow gun safe mounts under the counter. Pressing the hidden button on the top edge would open the safes, but after a ten-second delay, the doors would lock, a siren would screech, and the strobes would flash—hopefully enough to distract any would-be thief.
Bud built a mockup down at the range, and Joe and Don trained the employees on procedures and warning signs. Surprisingly, the women unanimously chose the Glock Model 43X as their preferred pistol.
The day before the grand opening, Bud drove to Food Lion and bought six icebox melons and four cantaloupes. He placed two cantaloupes and four melons in the drink cooler to chill.
Sharon found the Olivers a house in Belhaven. Moving out was relatively easy—they still had an entire bay in the garage filled with boxes they’d never unpacked from their previous move. When Don and Lili inspected the property, they bought it on the spot. Once again, Bud found himself helping with the heavy lifting, carrying in the individual pieces Lili had selected while the furniture store delivered the larger sets. Lili now wore a beautiful diamond on her finger, though no wedding date had been set. She had decided the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze; a life with Don—wherever it led—was better than what she’d left behind. The other women immediately overwhelmed her with wedding ideas. Lili laughed most of it off, until Bud teased her about villages in the Pyrenees that roasted donkeys for wedding feasts, guaranteeing everyone “a piece of ass.”
He ended up with a butter knife at his throat and Lili growling, “Stop it!” followed by a string of colorful Basque phrases that could blister paint. She made it clear she would handle the wedding when—and how—she wanted to. In the meantime, Bud’s enclosed trailer logged many miles between Columbia and Greenville helping Don and Lili move.
Bud and John decided to hire Amanda “Mandy” Howard, a former Machinery Technician (MK) who had served at the Fuel Farm on the Coast Guard base in Elizabeth City. The next most qualified applicant had spent three years at a county solid waste site. Mandy was built like she could play hooker on a rugby team—strong, solid, and no-nonsense. She tossed cases of STA-BIL 360 Marine fuel stabilizer around like they were bags of potato chips. She quickly helped Pete and John create an efficient billing system that allowed receipts to be scanned straight into the computer. The accountant was thrilled. Everyone welcomed her with open arms.
At first, Pete set up a used travel trailer across the ten-foot-wide canal and built a small bridge so she could get to work. He also began renovating the upper floor of a barn on the same side into a cozy efficiency apartment. Mandy could park her restored 1955 Chevrolet 3100 Stepside pickup inside the barn hall. Don pitched in to help Bud and Ben build a handsome arched bridge over the canal.
The grand opening of the General Store and Marina drew a big crowd—mostly locals, but with a healthy number of summer tourists as well. They nearly sold out of the screen-printed T-shirts and aprons with the General Store Logo and moved several copies of the church cookbook. Charisse made a mental note to stock more local cookbooks; it seemed visitors loved collecting them. She even wondered if she could talk Bud into putting together a cookbook of his own recipes.
For the next week, Charisse kept a daily tally of customers. They were averaging twenty-five to thirty people a day—folks running in for last-minute meal items or simply unwilling to drive all the way into Columbia. Even the manager at Food Lion stopped by one afternoon, jokingly complaining that they were stealing his night customers. Because of the increased traffic, the Sheriff’s department began keeping a patrol car in the area. More often than not, the deputy could be found sitting on the porch with a cup of coffee and a honeybun or moon pie.
Just before Mandy’s apartment was ready, Pete had the phone company run a landline extension from the fuel pier to the barn in case of late-night customers. Half the barn hall floor was already covered in jet ski parts—Mandy was rebuilding one in her spare time.
The cooler winds of fall only slightly reduced business. They were drawing more locals, and the marina had become an overflow fuel stop for fishermen who usually used Cypress Cove. Local boaters often stopped in to add fuel stabilizer and top off their tanks before winter storage. Bud, Ben, Don, and Joe spent a weekend at Billy Harrington’s for his annual fall hog hunt. They came home with full freezers. Over two nights, the twelve men involved killed nearly 250 adult hogs. Joe had equipped everyone with rifles, ammunition, and night vision from his private stash. The 6.8mm rounds proved brutally effective.
Patty was well into her “waddle” stage of pregnancy. Bud had to constantly restrain himself from hovering, though he did buy her a cross-body purse so she could easily carry her radio and cell phone. (She didn’t tell him she had also started carrying her pistol.)
As September deepened, the snowbirds from the northern states and Canada began arriving. There was a strong run on home-canned goods and novelty items. The store sold three antiques: a nightstand with a tin door, a vintage oak wall-mount phone with bells, an oak pie safe with nail-punched door inserts, and an antique wooden bread bowl. Now the search was on for more unique replacements. Snowbirds, it seemed, would buy anything.
Don and Lili had little work to do to get their new house ready. They had the same company that installed Bud’s hurricane shutters add them to their home, along with the same water filtration system. The rest of their time was spent selecting and acquiring furniture, including a trip all the way to Raleigh for larger pieces.
One Saturday evening, Bud and Patty invited Joe and Diana, along with Don and Lili, over for a special dinner. Bud spent most of the day in the kitchen with Patty’s help, preparing dishes Patty had never heard of before. When everyone arrived, they were served wine and allowed to enjoy the wonderful aromas drifting from the kitchen.
Finally, they were called to the table. Lili’s eyes lit up at the first course.
“Baked spider crab!” she squealed.
“Well, it’s crab stuffed into a shell,” Bud explained, “but the meat is blue crab. All the other ingredients are traditional. To me, it tastes the same.”
“What is baked spider crab?” Don asked.
“It’s a traditional dish from the Basque Country!” Lili explained excitedly.
Everyone agreed it was delicious, if different from the stuffed crab they were used to.
Next came Basque txuleton steak, served with Basque potato salad with green beans and eggs, and seeded baguettes. Bud kept the wine and water glasses filled, quietly watching his guests’ expressions. They were clearly enjoying themselves.
Dessert was a Basque burnt cheesecake with blueberry sauce.
When he finished, Don literally pushed away from the table.
“I don’t remember the last time I enjoyed a meal more,” he declared.
“And it was so authentic!” Lili added.
“I wanted to cook something special to welcome you both to the community,” Bud admitted.
“Tell me what else I can do to get more meals like that,” Don said.
Bud grinned. “I need to bale hay next week.”
Bud ordered the sconces and had them shipped priority. While he waited for delivery, he headed to the gazebo and began taking precise measurements for the wiring runs. He picked up two used batteries and two used solar panels from Dan, then stopped by NAPA to buy taillight assemblies and bulbs so he could rewire the sconces himself.
After seeing the insect control systems John had installed around the marina, Bud ordered four Dynatrap electrical discharge units to mount on the gazebo’s four outside support posts. Mosquitoes and flies weren’t usually a big problem on the property, but where people gathered, they could become one. Bud already had one in his yard and another at the end of his dock; both worked so well that fish waited expectantly whenever he emptied the traps.
Until the sconces arrived, Bud avoided most of the store’s day-to-day work. He had no interest in folding T-shirts or hanging bikini sets. There was still plenty to do before the Labor Day grand opening, but the women had the retail side well in hand. Instead, he focused on cleaning and prepping the selected antique pieces for display and sale.
When Joe and Diana returned from their trip, Bud picked them up at the airport. They were tired but clearly happy to be home. Diana insisted on stopping by the store first. The moment she walked in, a wave of female squeals and laughter erupted. Joe grabbed a Nehi grape soda from the cooler and joined Bud on the porch under the ceiling fan.
“You all got a lot done,” Joe said, looking around.
“Yeah,” Bud agreed. “The women brought it all together.”
“I ran into Jay Cross down in Kingston,” Joe said. “He’s working as a security consultant now.”
“Nice cushy gig,” Bud replied.
“He seems to like it.” Joe took a long pull from his soda. “By the way, Patty put fresh dairy in your fridge yesterday.”
“Did she include ice cream?”
“I don’t know. Better grab a quart before we leave, just to be safe.”
“Beer?”
“There’s a six-pack in the fridge and the rest of the case is in the pantry.”
“Thanks. That Jamaican stuff is pure rat piss.”
Joe chuckled. “It probably would’ve tasted better if you’d drunk it here.”
“I don’t think so. I can still taste the skunky flavor in the back of my throat.”
Diana and the other women spilled out onto the porch, still buzzing with excitement. Joe slipped back inside, bought a quart of Butter Pecan ice cream and a pint of peach yogurt for Diana, and then Bud drove them down to the house before heading home himself.
The next day, Bud spent a leisurely afternoon washing his boat and plane. Meanwhile, the security crew finished installing the full system—cameras, upgraded door locks, strobes, and panic buttons. The wiring had been run during construction, so the installation went smoothly. Once they left, Bud and Joe made a few adjustments to the panic buttons and installed two narrow gun safe mounts under the counter. Pressing the hidden button on the top edge would open the safes, but after a ten-second delay, the doors would lock, a siren would screech, and the strobes would flash—hopefully enough to distract any would-be thief.
Bud built a mockup down at the range, and Joe and Don trained the employees on procedures and warning signs. Surprisingly, the women unanimously chose the Glock Model 43X as their preferred pistol.
The day before the grand opening, Bud drove to Food Lion and bought six icebox melons and four cantaloupes. He placed two cantaloupes and four melons in the drink cooler to chill.
Sharon found the Olivers a house in Belhaven. Moving out was relatively easy—they still had an entire bay in the garage filled with boxes they’d never unpacked from their previous move. When Don and Lili inspected the property, they bought it on the spot. Once again, Bud found himself helping with the heavy lifting, carrying in the individual pieces Lili had selected while the furniture store delivered the larger sets. Lili now wore a beautiful diamond on her finger, though no wedding date had been set. She had decided the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze; a life with Don—wherever it led—was better than what she’d left behind. The other women immediately overwhelmed her with wedding ideas. Lili laughed most of it off, until Bud teased her about villages in the Pyrenees that roasted donkeys for wedding feasts, guaranteeing everyone “a piece of ass.”
He ended up with a butter knife at his throat and Lili growling, “Stop it!” followed by a string of colorful Basque phrases that could blister paint. She made it clear she would handle the wedding when—and how—she wanted to. In the meantime, Bud’s enclosed trailer logged many miles between Columbia and Greenville helping Don and Lili move.
Bud and John decided to hire Amanda “Mandy” Howard, a former Machinery Technician (MK) who had served at the Fuel Farm on the Coast Guard base in Elizabeth City. The next most qualified applicant had spent three years at a county solid waste site. Mandy was built like she could play hooker on a rugby team—strong, solid, and no-nonsense. She tossed cases of STA-BIL 360 Marine fuel stabilizer around like they were bags of potato chips. She quickly helped Pete and John create an efficient billing system that allowed receipts to be scanned straight into the computer. The accountant was thrilled. Everyone welcomed her with open arms.
At first, Pete set up a used travel trailer across the ten-foot-wide canal and built a small bridge so she could get to work. He also began renovating the upper floor of a barn on the same side into a cozy efficiency apartment. Mandy could park her restored 1955 Chevrolet 3100 Stepside pickup inside the barn hall. Don pitched in to help Bud and Ben build a handsome arched bridge over the canal.
The grand opening of the General Store and Marina drew a big crowd—mostly locals, but with a healthy number of summer tourists as well. They nearly sold out of the screen-printed T-shirts and aprons with the General Store Logo and moved several copies of the church cookbook. Charisse made a mental note to stock more local cookbooks; it seemed visitors loved collecting them. She even wondered if she could talk Bud into putting together a cookbook of his own recipes.
For the next week, Charisse kept a daily tally of customers. They were averaging twenty-five to thirty people a day—folks running in for last-minute meal items or simply unwilling to drive all the way into Columbia. Even the manager at Food Lion stopped by one afternoon, jokingly complaining that they were stealing his night customers. Because of the increased traffic, the Sheriff’s department began keeping a patrol car in the area. More often than not, the deputy could be found sitting on the porch with a cup of coffee and a honeybun or moon pie.
Just before Mandy’s apartment was ready, Pete had the phone company run a landline extension from the fuel pier to the barn in case of late-night customers. Half the barn hall floor was already covered in jet ski parts—Mandy was rebuilding one in her spare time.
The cooler winds of fall only slightly reduced business. They were drawing more locals, and the marina had become an overflow fuel stop for fishermen who usually used Cypress Cove. Local boaters often stopped in to add fuel stabilizer and top off their tanks before winter storage. Bud, Ben, Don, and Joe spent a weekend at Billy Harrington’s for his annual fall hog hunt. They came home with full freezers. Over two nights, the twelve men involved killed nearly 250 adult hogs. Joe had equipped everyone with rifles, ammunition, and night vision from his private stash. The 6.8mm rounds proved brutally effective.
Patty was well into her “waddle” stage of pregnancy. Bud had to constantly restrain himself from hovering, though he did buy her a cross-body purse so she could easily carry her radio and cell phone. (She didn’t tell him she had also started carrying her pistol.)
As September deepened, the snowbirds from the northern states and Canada began arriving. There was a strong run on home-canned goods and novelty items. The store sold three antiques: a nightstand with a tin door, a vintage oak wall-mount phone with bells, an oak pie safe with nail-punched door inserts, and an antique wooden bread bowl. Now the search was on for more unique replacements. Snowbirds, it seemed, would buy anything.
Don and Lili had little work to do to get their new house ready. They had the same company that installed Bud’s hurricane shutters add them to their home, along with the same water filtration system. The rest of their time was spent selecting and acquiring furniture, including a trip all the way to Raleigh for larger pieces.
One Saturday evening, Bud and Patty invited Joe and Diana, along with Don and Lili, over for a special dinner. Bud spent most of the day in the kitchen with Patty’s help, preparing dishes Patty had never heard of before. When everyone arrived, they were served wine and allowed to enjoy the wonderful aromas drifting from the kitchen.
Finally, they were called to the table. Lili’s eyes lit up at the first course.
“Baked spider crab!” she squealed.
“Well, it’s crab stuffed into a shell,” Bud explained, “but the meat is blue crab. All the other ingredients are traditional. To me, it tastes the same.”
“What is baked spider crab?” Don asked.
“It’s a traditional dish from the Basque Country!” Lili explained excitedly.
Everyone agreed it was delicious, if different from the stuffed crab they were used to.
Next came Basque txuleton steak, served with Basque potato salad with green beans and eggs, and seeded baguettes. Bud kept the wine and water glasses filled, quietly watching his guests’ expressions. They were clearly enjoying themselves.
Dessert was a Basque burnt cheesecake with blueberry sauce.
When he finished, Don literally pushed away from the table.
“I don’t remember the last time I enjoyed a meal more,” he declared.
“And it was so authentic!” Lili added.
“I wanted to cook something special to welcome you both to the community,” Bud admitted.
“Tell me what else I can do to get more meals like that,” Don said.
Bud grinned. “I need to bale hay next week.”
.