“Sheila was so scared,” Letty said. “I felt helpless, and I know she did too.”

“I’m gonna go on home and do a little homework,” Isabelle said. “You still want me to watch Maya tonight, right?”

“Unless things change, yes,” Letty said. “I promised your mom I’d help out with the food and the bar at the tournament tonight.”

Ava bustled around the food tables in the rec room, bringing in foil chafing dishes of pigs in blankets, potato salad, and chicken wings. There were bowls of chips and pretzels and a supermarket fruit and cheese platter. The centerpiece was an enormous platter of cookies.

“Wow, that’s a lot of food,” Letty commented. “How many people are we expecting?”

“We usually get fifty or sixty people,” Ava said. She pointed toward the kitchen. “Can you get the bags of ice and dump them into the cooler? I’ve got white wine and beer to go in there. And there’s a jug of iced tea on the counter that you could bring out too.”

Letty was icing down the jug wine and beer when she heard tapping on the front door. She looked up to see three older women, standing expectantly on the doorstep.

“Here we go with the early birds. Not even five o’clock yet,” Ava said, rolling her eyes. She turned to the door. “Sorry, ladies,” she said loudly. “We’re not ready for you yet.”

Letty followed her into the kitchen to bring out paper plates and cups. “Seems like a lot of excitement for a Ping-Pong tournament.”

“It’s not the Ping-Pong they’re excited about. It’s the all-you-can-eat buffet for five bucks and wine and beer for a buck,” Ava said. “Plus, like I said before, it’s kind of a tradition. A lot of our folks know the regulars at the other motels. They go to church or do water aerobics at the community center or play golf or shuffleboard together. It’s a real community, you know?”

“I’ve been meaning to ask, what happens when the snowbirds fly back north in the spring? Does your business see a big drop?”

“Not really. We fill up with families over spring break and Easter. There’s a little bit of a lull until school gets out, then we stay busy all summer long until September. That’s our slow time, ‘shoulder season’ we call it, until things pick up again close to Thanksgiving.”

“Interesting,” Letty said. “What do you want me to do now?”

Ava pointed to a folded-up card table. “You can put that outside by the door. I’m gonna let you sell tickets tonight.” She glanced up at the clock. “Joe should be here any minute with the folding chairs, and you can help set them up before it’s time to man your post. We’ll open the doors at five thirty.”

“Did you find someone to take Harry’s place in the tournament?”