“I know,” said Chris. “In fact, I’ve got a list a mile long that I’m sending to the state consumer affairs department. The final straw was when I discovered the garbage grinder in the sink was installed backwards.”

“No!” They were all shocked.

“I had the plumber fix it and sent Fred the bill, but so far I haven’t gotten a check.”

“Don’t hold your breath,” advised Willie, who had refreshed her plate and was starting on a new batch of cream puffs.

Lucy was so absorbed in getting all the details on Fred’s shoddy construction so she could give Bill a full report that she was disappointed when Pam tapped her cup with a spoon and invited everyone to sit down.

“I’m so glad you all came,” she began, smiling warmly. “I know Lucy has been eager to meet her new neighbors and we’re always happy to welcome newcomers to Tinker’s Cove, which a lot of us think is a little bit of heaven right here on earth. We have abundant natural beauty with the ocean right at our door, and our Main Street has been named one of the ten most beautiful in New England. We’re blessed to live in such a gorgeous area, but, unfortunately, for a number of residents, beauty doesn’t pay the bills.”

A few of the women nodded knowingly.

“That’s why a group of us started the Hat and Mitten Fund a number of years ago,” she continued. “The purpose of the fund is to provide warm clothing for the town’s less fortunate children, and it’s here that I’m going to give you a shocking statistic. Fully fifty percent of the children in the Tinker’s Cove public schools are eligible for the government lunch program.”

“I had no idea,” said Frankie. “I thought everybody in Tinker’s Cove was well off. I mean, the price of an average house is well over three hundred thousand now.”

“It’s a common misconception,” said Pam. “People see all these big second homes lining the shore but, believe me, if you follow some of the back roads into the woods you’ll find families living in extreme poverty. And that’s why, in addition to providing coats and mittens and hats, this year we’d like to be able to help our families buy school supplies for their kids.”

“How do you operate?” asked Chris. “Do you collect cast-off clothes?”