by Judith Keim
Vaughn nodded, smiling at me. “To be sure you’ll be happy there—with me.”
Alarm filled me. “But, Vaughn, I don’t want to live in New York. I’m happy here. I love you. I really do. Why should it be up to me to leave my home and business?”
“I can’t change the location of my work. Surely, you know that.”
I sat silently, wondering why things couldn’t ever be easy.
Vaughn rose and drew me up into his arms, tilting my chin so his lips could meet mine.
My body responded to his kiss even as my mind fought to make sense of the situation.
“I’ll tell you what,” Vaughn murmured in my ear. “Let’s just take it one day at a time and enjoy our week. We can come to some decision later. Okay?”
I nodded, still uncertain where we were headed. But we had a precious seven days, and I didn’t want to waste a moment.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Vaughn and I started our days off cuddling in bed and a whole lot more.
In an effort to keep physically active outdoors, Vaughn approached Manny about doing some light landscape work. When he told me about the surprising arrangement, Vaughn explained that he enjoyed gardening and liked the idea of doing something for the hotel.
It was amusing to me to see Manny and Vaughn working together—small, wiry Manny hopping around with the use of his cane, conversing with Vaughn in a mixture of Spanish and English. I caught glimpses of Vaughn as he trimmed bushes, planted fresh flowers in the wide flower beds surrounding the house, and helped Manny direct Paul and others to perform heavier labor. I loved the idea that Vaughn was a temporary part of something that meant so much to me.
Most days, I managed to meet Vaughn for a quick lunch. I marveled at the changes in him. His skin had turned a nutty brown. The worry lines that had creased his face upon arrival had disappeared. His body moved in a more relaxed way as he worked around the grounds, whistling and humming. He confessed to me he’d never felt better, even when he was forced to soak in the pool spa to relax sore muscles.
Too soon, Saturday arrived. The following day, Vaughn would return to New York.
At lunch, Vaughn announced he was taking the rest of the day off.
Planning a romantic meal in my head, I went back to the hotel. We’d opted to stay in for dinner. My house had become a haven for us. Neither of us wanted to change that.
As the sun began its descent, giving the sky a pink kiss, Vaughn and I floated in my pool and swam leisurely, encouraging our bodies to unwind from the busy day.
“Come with me.” Vaughn held out his hand. We climbed out of the pool, and still in our bathing suits, we walked out onto the sandy beach to watch the sunset. Standing with him, watching the bright red orb slip below the horizon, an overwhelming sadness enveloped me. I squeezed Vaughn’s hand. We’d become as close in spirit as any two people could.
Vaughn turned to me. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” I blinked back tears, wondering how I could bear to have him leave me. But I had no choice. My life, my work was in Florida.
I sighed, and we turned to go home.
Vaughn wrapped an arm around me. “I don’t want to let you go.”
I lifted my lips to him, needing another chance to store the touch, the taste, the feel of him in my memory for the time when he’d be gone.
We returned to the house and quietly got dressed, silently agreeing to make love later when nothing but morning stood in the way.
Fighting misery, I set the table on the lanai.
Vaughn came up behind me and kissed me on the nape of my neck, sending shivers of delight through me.
“I bought us a bottle of bubbly. Care to have some champagne?”
I turned and smiled. “It sounds lovely.”
“Have a seat. I’ll bring it out.”
Smiling broadly at me, he brought out a bottle of Dom Perignon nestled in an ice bucket and set it on the table. He expertly opened it, giving me a satisfied look at the soft pop the cork made as it came loose. I watched his every move, memorizing them for the time ahead when he’d be back in New York, and I’d be achingly alone.
He handed me a tulip glass of champagne and lifted his own to me. “Thank you for one of the best weeks of my life.” His resonant voice washed over me, filling me with deep contentment.
He pulled a thin, black leather case out of his pocket and handed it to me. I smiled at the look of excitement on his face. “This is just a small token of my love. I hope you’ll wear it close to your heart.”
With trembling fingers, I opened the case and gasped with pleasure. Nestled against the black velvet lining was a gold necklace that took my breath away.
“It’s beautiful!” I said softly, lifting the woven, gold chain out of the case. I stared at the pendant dangling from it. The right side of the letter A served as the left extension of the letter V, entwining them. A bar of five large, white, round diamonds ran horizontally across the middle, binding them together.
“It’s gorgeous! I won’t ever take it off!”
Vaughn held the pendant in his hand, studying it. When he looked up at me, love shone in his eyes. “I designed it. The five diamonds are for the family I want—you, me, Liz, Nell, and Tyrone. I want us to be a real family. I’m tired of being alone.”
“I am too.” My gaze caressed the man I loved with all my heart.
His mouth found mine and all doubt about the future melted away in the heat of his kiss. Somehow we’d find a way to be together. If we couldn’t, a part of me would die.
###
Vaughn went back to New York, and though the business of running the hotel kept my mind whirling as guests came and went with their own special demands, I ached for him.
A series of postcards arrived from Tahiti. The staff and I shared them with each other, laughing at all the exclamation points in Rhonda’s handwriting, emphasizing the good time she and Will were having.
I was in the midst of doing a food inventory with Consuela when Dorothy came to find me. “You have a phone call, Ann, and whoever it is, he didn’t sound too happy. He was actually rude to me.”
I frowned. A disgruntled guest?
I answered the phone. “Hello?”
“I need to talk to you, Ann. About money.”
My heart sank. Robert. “What about money?”
“Something’s come up, and I don’t have the funds to pay for Liz’s tuition.”
“What do you mean?” The blood in my veins turned cold. I waved Dorothy out of the office and took a seat at my desk. “We had that money invested. No one was to touch it. It was all set aside for Liz’s education. That’s what we agreed upon.”
“Well, I had to borrow some of it.” Robert’s tone was harsh, defensive. “If I hadn’t had to pay you off, that might not have happened. As it is, I had no choice. And now it looks like I won’t be able to pay it back. I’m calling you, so you can take care of it.”
“Me? How? You’re the one who’s supposed to do it. It’s all in the legal agreement we signed.” My breath came out in little nervous gasps. I didn’t have the money. My money was tied up in the business.
“I’m trying to tell you I can’t do it,” said Robert, sounding as if he was about to explode with anger. No doubt, in his twisted mind, he was blaming me.
Fury turned my clipped words to ice. I knew damn well who was at the bottom of this. “It’s because of the house, isn’t it? You and Kandie are building some huge place, and you used Liz’s money to help you do it. Maybe it’s time to sell the house.”
A tense silence followed. “Too late. The bank is taking it back.”
Shock coiled through me. What had he done? Had he lost everything? “What about the business, Robert? It was a solid business when I left. There must be money there.”
“You know what the economy has been like,” Robert snapped at me. “Can I help it if nobody is hiring consultants anymore?”
“Did you initiate some of the new marketing strategie
s we talked about two years ago? You didn’t want to hear it then, but I thought you might change your mind!”
Robert’s tone turned nastier. “You think you’ve got all the answers, don’t you?” he screamed. “Well, you don’t know a thing about my business anymore! So, don’t go blaming me!”
I was too angry to speak. My body burned with rage. This was an old argument. He was too proud, too vain to accept anyone else’s advice. It had always been that way. And now he couldn’t make things right.
“Ann? Are you there?”
I drew a deep breath. “I’m here.” My mind raced. How in the world could I come up with any money? There was no way I’d even consider asking Rhonda or Vaughn for it.
“Ann, you work out something. Your hotel is doing well. I hear about it all the time. You’ve got all that money. You take care of it.”
“Robert, that isn’t right, and you know it!” I said hotly. “I’ve had to start a business of my own, and that’s taken all my money. It’s not fair to leave it up to me. I’m not able to do it.”
“Come now, Ann, you’ve been very successful. I’m really disappointed in your attitude.” Robert’s words made my stomach turn. In the past, I hadn’t wanted to disappoint him or anyone else. But I’d broken away from that kind of manipulation.
“I guess it might have something to do with that actor friend of yours. Jilted again.” Robert’s tone was snide. “Kandie told me all about it. She saw it in one of those movie star magazines.”
I laughed bitterly. “You can’t believe everything you read, Robert. I’ve never been happier in my life.” I hoped the news would go straight to the core of his ego and hurt him as badly as he’d once hurt me. “Anyway, it’s no business of yours. We were talking about our daughter’s life, not mine. Obviously, Liz is not important to you anymore.”
I listened to his harsh denial, as I’d done so many times in the past. Now, I had no pity for him. Whatever I might have once felt for him was gone for good. My only concern was for my daughter’s welfare.
“The ball’s in your court now,” Robert said. “It’s up to you.”
Shaking with fury, I slammed the phone down. A part of me wanted to call Liz and tell her exactly what her father had done, but I decided to say nothing to her. She was already questioning her schooling. Fair or not, I was determined to try to come up with a way for her to continue. I wanted her to have a degree and to be able to do things on her own that I hadn’t been allowed to do. I wasn’t going to let Robert’s selfishness destroy my daughter’s future.
I punched in Syd Green’s number to let him know what had happened.
“I understand how angry you are, Ann, and I don’t blame you,” said Syd, after hearing me out. “Suing him probably won’t do you much good. I’ve heard rumors that Robert’s business is about to close down. Legal action at this time would probably not provide the results we want.”
My breath left me. “I didn’t know things were that bad. I guess you’re right. We’d get nowhere. Still, it infuriates me that once more Robert has cheated Liz and me.”
“As it should. I wish I could offer an easy solution, but there isn’t any. It’s good that you’ve done so well with the hotel. It was a big risk, but you made it work.”
We hung up with the promise to stay in touch.
Pacing the floor, I tried to think of alternative financing for Liz. When no new ideas came, I finally decided to wait for Will’s return. He knew more about my money situation than anyone else.
I was getting ready to leave the office when Liz called. “Hey ...” she paused. Her voice sounded strained. “Dad called and told me you’re going to pay my tuition this year. What’s going on? I thought you told me Dad was responsible for my college education.”
I clenched my teeth to keep from telling her that Robert didn’t know the word responsible, that he was a selfish man not fit to be her father.
“Mom?”
“I’m here, Liz. Somehow the money is gone, but I don’t want you to worry about it. Your tuition will be paid. I’m trying to make the arrangements now. You’ll be able to finish school.”
“It’s Kandie,” said Liz. She let out a snort of disgust. “I bet he took the money and spent it on that fancy house of theirs. Well, neither of you need to worry about it. I have some ideas of my own. Everybody’s pressuring me to declare a major, and I’m not sure what I want to do. I need some time to think.”
“Liz...”
“Wait, Mom. Hear me out. I want to take a year off from school to let me consider some options and decide what I want to do with the rest of my life.”
“Oh, Liz, no! Once you leave, it’s so hard to discipline yourself to go back to school.”
“Lots of kids are doing it, Mom. It’s what I want to do. Don’t worry. I won’t end up without a degree. It means too much to me. It’s my decision, Mom. I hope you understand. Dad’s silly games just make it easier for me to do it.”
I thought of all the hopes and dreams I’d had for her. “Liz, please don’t make a snap decision like this. Promise me you’ll do some more thinking about it before any final choices are made.”
“It’s not a snap decision. I’ve been thinking about it for some time. I’m not going to change my mind. I’ve already talked to Nell about finding an internship in Washington. I was impressed by what I saw there at Thanksgiving. If I like it, I might major in political science.”
“Think about what I said, and we’ll talk tomorrow. I love you, Liz, and want the best for you. I really do.”
“I know. Love you too.”
As we hung up, I shook my head. Life never seemed to work out the way you thought it would.
I clutched the pendant Vaughn had given me, letting the coolness of the metal soothe me with its promise of love and commitment. Our children were already coming together. How and when could we?
Later, talking to Vaughn about it, he calmed my fears. “Liz is a bright girl. She’s not going to want to live a life without choices of her own—good choices. Have faith in her.”
I took his words to heart.
Liz called the next day to tell me the dean was okay with her taking a year off, and that she’d be welcomed back.
Remembering Vaughn’s words, I succumbed to the idea. Liz would be all right. She was going to bunk in with Nell for a while. Nell even thought she might have found a job for her. Things had a good chance of working out. But inside, I blamed Robert for his willingness to harm our daughter.
Vaughn continued to be a source of comfort to me as we discussed the happenings at the hotel.
“So what’s the deal with your negotiations?” I asked him one night.
“Sorry, I can’t discuss them.”
There was a firmness to his response I couldn’t ignore. Telling myself he needed a sense of trust from me, I worked very hard not to pressure him. But I waited and worried.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Rhonda returned in a flurry of activity, with hugs and gifts for everyone. Tanned and beaming, she looked as lovely as I’d ever seen her.
“We had such a good time,” she declared, giving Will an impish grin. “But, Annie, I kept wondering how things were here. Will told me he promised you I wouldn’t call. Did you make out all right without me?” She gave me a warning look. “Don’t you dare say yes or I’ll be crushed!”
I laughed and told her the truth. “I missed you like crazy! We all did.”
She grinned. “Good.”
Later, Rhonda and I shared a cup of coffee at the little table in our office. “You look terrific, Annie. Now tell me about you and Vaughn.” She shook a finger at me. “And you’d better not leave anything out.”
I told her everything I could, including my worries that with him in New York and me in Florida, things might not work out.
Rhonda studied the pendant around my neck. “Are you going to leave The Beach House Hotel?”
I shook my head. “I can’t. This is my life now. Living here, sharing the
business with you.”
She clapped a hand over her heart. “Oh my God! I was so scared you’d say yes. If you walked out on me now, I’d die, Annie. This hotel is proof that I can do something right, and you? You’re the sister I never had.” Tears glistened in her eyes.
I patted her hand. “Oh, hon, I’d never let you down. We’re much, much more than business partners. Right?”
She nodded and rose to give me a hug.
###
Our days fell into a smooth routine, giving me a chance to catch my breath. Each morning started with a phone call from Vaughn, making it seem as if he were a part of my daily life. At night, we talked on the phone, making love with words.
“How are the negotiations going?” I finally asked, unable to hold back one of the questions that never left my mind.
“They’re coming to a close,” he answered. “I can’t say anything more about it.”
I remained silent, finding this test of trust next to impossible to endure. I was a planner, a doer, not someone who drifted along without a charted course.
When I complained to Rhonda about the situation, she gave me a pat on the back. “Hold on, Annie. Good things come to those who wait, and Vaughn Sanders is worth waiting for.”
After more agonizing days of wondering about the negotiations and how their outcome might affect our future plans, Vaughn called. “I need you to do something for me today.” I heard a lilt in his voice.
“Sure.”
“Watch the show. I know you can’t always view it, but it’s very important for you to see it today. I need to know what you think. Promise?”
“Yes. Can you tell me why?”
“Nope. I’ve got to go. I’ll call you right after the show.”
Puzzled, I shrugged. “Okay. Good-bye. Talk to you later.”
That afternoon, promptly at three o’clock, Rhonda and I curled up on the couch in my living room, waiting for the show to come on.
The theme music for The Sins of the Children came through the television, and I shifted in my seat.