Lunch at the Beach House Hotel

by Judith Keim

  “And I’ll be the first to test it out.” She wrapped her arms around her body, hugging herself. “Omigod! I can’t believe I’m having a baby! It’s a miracle!”

  I felt a grin spread across my face. It was such a wonderful thing to see her so excited. “Have you told Angela yet?”

  Rhonda shook her head. “I’m going to wait until I see her. I want to tell her in person.”

  “I talked to Liz last night. She said Angela and her boyfriend visited her in DC last weekend.”

  Rhonda’s eyes widened. “Boyfriend? Did she say who it was? I wonder if that’s why I haven’t heard from her. It’s so not like Angela.” She lifted the phone. “I’m going to call her right now.”

  I waited as Rhonda punched in Angela’s number. After a minute or so, Rhonda shook her head. “She’s not answering.” Worry lines creased her brow. “Oh my God! Maybe she’s hurt. Maybe she’s been in an accident.”

  Placing a hand on Rhonda’s shoulder, I spoke firmly. “Don’t even go there, Rhonda. She’s fine or was a few days ago. No doubt she’s busy at school. She’s always been a good student.”

  Rhonda drew in a deep breath and let it out. “You’re right. Angela’s a good girl. She must simply be busy, though I have to tell you, Annie, I don’t like it when my baby girl is too busy to call her mother!”

  I smiled in agreement. As parents of only children, Rhonda and I understood all too well how hard it was to help your child become more and more independent.

  “She’ll call soon. I’m sure of it,” I said.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  I’d just ended a conversation with Vaughn when Rhonda called.

  “Hi. I just spoke with Angela. She’s agreed to come here this weekend and bring that new boyfriend of hers. She says she’s sorry she didn’t call me back but, like you said, she’s been real busy.”

  “That’s great. I’m glad you two finally connected.” In truth, I was a little jealous of the forthcoming visit. I hadn’t seen Liz in several months.

  “Yeah, well, I’m not sure I’m going to like what’s going on with her boyfriend. His name is Reggie Smythe. What kind of freakin’ name is that? It’s just a fancy way of saying ‘Smith.’”

  “Now, Rhonda ...” I began.

  “I know, I know,” she said, “but Angela needs someone down to earth, someone real, someone who will see her as the wonderful girl she is. Apparently, Reggie’s from some high-society family in Newport, Rhode Island, and New York.”

  “He’s only a boyfriend, right?”

  “Yeah, but what if she’s really serious about him? What will I do then?”

  “You’ll be supportive,” I said firmly. “You haven’t even met him yet. Give him a chance.”

  “I know, I know, but there was a certain sound in her voice like I get around Will. You know what I mean?”

  “Yes,” I said, smiling. Rhonda’s voice softened whenever Will was around.

  “She wasn’t going to come home, but I told her, ‘If you’re traveling all over with him, visiting Liz and all, I want to meet him.’”

  “So she told you about going to see Liz in DC?”

  “Yes,” said Rhonda. “It’s gotta be serious if they’re traveling together. Did Liz say anything about their visit?”

  “She only mentioned it in passing because she called to tell me she wants to go back to school. We discussed it, and I’ve reluctantly agreed to talk to Robert about his need to finance it.”

  “That rat bastard? He’ll probably find an excuse not to do it. Like always.”

  “That’s pretty much what I expect. It’s so unfair. But, for Liz, I’ll make an effort to talk to him because I can’t pay for it, and I don’t think it’s fair for her to be burdened with student loans when he was supposed to cover those expenses all along.”

  “Good luck. Listen, I gotta go. I’m meeting with Consuela first thing in the morning to show a new hire the kitchen operation.”

  After hanging up, I leaned back against my pillow. If, as Rhonda said, Angela and her boyfriend were doing a lot of traveling together, it certainly did seem serious. Next time I talked to Liz, I’d ask her about it. In the meantime, I’d be busy with things at the hotel, but not too busy to stop worrying about putting heads in beds, as it’s known in the hotel business. And we hadn’t heard from Brenda yet regarding the wedding. A royal wedding would be perfect PR for the hotel.

  I awoke to the sound of rain hitting the glass of my bedroom windows with tiny pings. More than anything I wanted to stay in bed until my normal time to get up. But then I thought of Tina and forced myself out of bed. We wouldn’t be able to walk on the beach, but maybe I could surprise her by bringing her over to the hotel for a cup of coffee.

  After taking a shower and freshening my hair, I put on a pair of slacks, a tank-top, and a summer sweater and headed out.

  The rain had stopped, but drops of rainwater continued to slide off the palm fronds above me, dropping to the ground in a steady rhythm. Hibiscus blossoms hung their pink heads like scolded school children.

  I hurried across the lawn, leaving footprints on the wet grass.

  When I got to Tina’s room, all seemed quiet. I knocked on the door and then rang the bell. Several minutes later Tina came to the door dressed in short pajama bottoms and a tank top. She looked terrible.

  Stepping inside and drawing closer to her, I inhaled the smell of alcohol coming from her.

  “What do you want?” she said, shutting her eyes and clapping a hand to her forehead.

  “What’s going on? Where’s Jerry?” His door to the suite was open, but I saw no sign of him. And looking through the open doorway, I noticed he apparently hadn’t slept in his bed.

  “He went out last night with friends he met at the gym. He called to say he’d be back this morning.”

  I hid my surprise. “Get dressed. I have just the thing to help you get over whatever booze you drank last night.”

  Tina studied me a moment. “You’re kidding, right? You’re not going to scream at me?”

  “Not now,” I said, forcing a smile I didn’t really feel. “Maybe later, when you’re looking and feeling better, we’ll talk about it.”

  “All right. I’ll be out in a minute.” She staggered into her room and closed the door.

  When she returned to the living room, she had dressed in jeans and an over-sized T-shirt. Her hair was knotted on top of her head, and over-sized sunglasses covered her eyes .

  “Ready?” I asked.

  “I guess. Nobody will see me, right?”

  “We’ll go in the back entrance of the hotel, directly into the kitchen. Come on.”

  Tina trotted behind me, moaning now and then.

  We entered the back of the hotel and into the kitchen. “Go ahead and have a seat. I’ll fix you something for the hangover.” Rhonda had come up with a special remedy. Tina wasn’t the first guest with a hangover, and she wouldn’t be the last.

  I went to work putting together a smoothie of mixed berry fruit juice, banana, egg, a touch of lime Gatorade, and a small scoop of vanilla protein powder. While it was being whipped into a frothy mixture, I handed Tina two aspirins and a glass of water. “Better take these.”

  She swallowed the pills and eyed the mixture I was pouring into a large glass. “What’s that?”

  “Something some of our guests like. It may help you get rid of your headache and the alcohol in your system. That, and time.”

  Tina frowned. “Why are you so nice to me?”

  “As I said before, you’re our guest, and we want to help you.”

  The look she gave me was full of suspicion, but she drank down the mixture and then laid her head down on the table.

  “Here’s Consuela. She and Rhonda have been trying to come up with tasty low-calorie meals for you.”

  Tina lifted her head and studied Consuela. “Thanks.”

  “This is our guest in #102,” I explained to Consuela, amused by her startled expression. At the moment, Tina looked
as if she were twelve.

  Consuela smiled at Tina and went about putting on an apron. “Rhonda will be here soon. We’re showing one of the staffers how she can help me in the kitchen.”

  “All right, we’ll leave you. It’s time to get back to the room,” I said to Tina. “You probably want to rest.”

  She nodded and followed me out of the kitchen.

  When we returned to her suite, Jerry met us at the door. “Whew! I was worried when I found the suite empty. It’s too rainy for a walk.”

  Tina stumbled into her room, leaving me alone with Jerry.

  “I was surprised to find you gone,” I said. “We hired you to keep watch on Tina. She obviously did a lot of drinking while you were away.”

  We studied one another.

  I remained quiet, waiting for an explanation.

  Finally, Jerry said, “Yeah. I should’ve stayed here, but I met some friends last night.” He looked uncomfortable for a moment then said, “I’m sorry.”

  “You can’t leave Tina alone any time you want. We’ll need to work out a schedule, so you have some free time. Until then, you need to do the job we hired you for. Understand?”

  “Thanks. I appreciate that.”

  I’d no sooner returned to the hotel when Tim approached me. “One of the guests is accusing Ana of taking a pair of earrings from her room.”

  I pressed my lips together. Ana was as honest a person as one could meet. Hardworking, she wouldn’t jeopardize her job as a housekeeper by doing something so foolish.

  “Which guest are you talking about?”

  “Mrs. Pennypacker in #218. She’s traveling with her sister. Both swear the earrings were on top of the dresser when they went for breakfast this morning. Now they’re gone.”

  “Have you looked for the earrings yourself?” I said to Tim.

  He shook his head. “I’ve been busy with other guests.”

  “Okay, I’ll go up and speak to them,” I said, hoping for a quick solution. Along with offering our guests discretion, we wanted them to have complete trust in our staff.

  Isobel Pennypacker was a woman in her sixties who loved to come to Sabal every few months to get away from her demanding family in Palm Beach. She and her sister Rosie, a couple of years younger, were an interesting pair. Wealthy, married multiple times, Isobel enjoyed the privacy we offered. She and Rosie could often be seen sitting by the pool in their bikinis. I’d been a little shocked when I’d first seen their exposed bodies, but they didn’t seem to care what they looked like. They’d sipped their afternoon tropical drinks, laughing together over the magazine articles they quietly read to one another. In the evenings, the two sisters dressed up for dinner. As Isobel once told me, there weren’t many truly upscale places around like ours, places that deserved dressing in proper attire.

  Hoping to solve this issue of lost jewelry quickly, I tapped on her door.

  Isobel opened the door. “Ah, Ann. It’s terrible. I’m frantic. The diamond earrings my latest husband gave me are gone. I’m sure the housekeeper took them. The earrings were here; then they were gone.”

  “May I come in?” I asked. “I’d like to check for myself.”

  “Sure, but Rosie and I have looked everywhere.”

  She waved me inside.

  “Let’s start at the beginning. When did you last wear those earrings?”

  “Last night at dinner. Before going to bed, I put them on the bureau. And after Rosie and I came back from breakfast, I checked, and they were gone. The housekeeper had made the bed and cleaned the room, so I know it was the housekeeper.” Her face flushed with indignation.

  “Where do you keep the rest of your jewelry?”

  “In the safe, like we were told,” said Isobel, flashing me a blue-eyed look that barely hid her irritation.

  “Okay, let’s take a look. Sometimes people automatically place their jewelry there without thinking much about it.” Isobel had so many jewels I’d often wondered how she kept track of them.

  Isobel scoffed at me. “I’m not that old.”

  “No, of course not,” I said, “but let’s double-check.”

  Isobel opened the safe and withdrew a satin, zippered bag.

  I held my breath. As certain as I was about Ana not stealing, I knew artful hotel thieves could hide among respectable groups.

  Isobel unzipped the bag and spread her collection of jewelry on the bed.

  “Oh!” She clapped a hand to her cheek. “They’re here!”

  “I’m so glad you’ve found them. I would hate for anyone to accuse our dedicated staff of a crime they didn’t commit.” I kept my tone friendly, but it was upsetting to think how easily someone like Isobel could blame a hard-working housekeeper for something like this.

  Regret washed Isobel’s face. “I’m sorry. I really am.” Her expression brightened. “I’ll be sure to leave an extra big tip for her.”

  “That would be very nice. Anything else I can help you ladies with?”

  “Oh, no,” said Rosie. “We’re all set. We love staying here, you know.”

  “And we love having you,” I said sincerely, giving them each a hug.

  Isobel’s smile was sheepish. “Thank you again.”

  I left them and headed to my office.

  As I entered, Rhonda looked up from the paperwork on her desk. “Where were you?

  I told her about Isobel Pennypacker and said, “Do you think we need to add more security?”

  “No,” said Rhonda. “I suspect Isobel is a lot older than she tells her friends and us.”

  We laughed together.

  “How did the trial period for the new hire in the kitchen go?” I asked her.

  “I think she’s going to be fine. She was respectful of Consuela, and she already has worked with Jean-Luc. If she can work with that frustrating Frenchman, she can work with anyone!”

  “We can always find someone to replace Jean-Luc,” I teased, lying through my teeth.

  Rhonda’s eyes widened. “Of course, we can’t. Why do you think I let him try to boss me around in the kitchen?”

  I chuckled. Rhonda may get in verbal battles with Jean-Luc, but we both knew we could never replace him. And at this point, I didn’t want to replace anyone. I was already beginning to wonder what I’d do when Rhonda had her baby, and I had to take on even more responsibilities.

  When I got back to the office after having gone home for lunch and a break, I had a message to call Vaughn.

  I punched in his number, expecting to receive a voice mail message.

  “Hello?” he said in the deep voice that was his alone.

  Warmth surged through me. “Hi! What’s going on? Where are you?”

  “Here,” he said. “Or almost.”

  “Really?” My pulse sprinted with anticipation.

  “I’ll be there in a few minutes. I landed a short while ago. See if you can take the afternoon off. I’m here for only two days. I had to see you.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll find a way to get out of my commitments,” I said happily. “Can’t wait to see you!”

  I felt like a starry-eyed teen as I raced to find Rhonda.

  She was doing an inventory of sheets and towels in an upstairs closet. There was a discrepancy between our count and that of the commercial laundry we were now using.

  “Vaughn is here! I need to have the rest of the day off. Can you handle the dinner tonight? Sabine is due to come in, but I was going to help her with a business group.”

  “He’s here?” Rhonda beamed at me. “Sure, honey, I’ll cover for you.” She threw her arms around me. “It’s time you took a break anyhow. I’ll call Dorothy and ask her to come in early and to stay late to handle the phones. You go ahead and have fun.”

  “Thanks!” I turned and made a hasty getaway. I loved it when Vaughn surprised me like this .

  Outside, the sun had broken through the morning cloud cover. White puffs of clouds raced across the sky, which had turned the deep blue that normally followed our rain
storms. Drops of water sat like diamonds on the leaves of plants, as bright as the expectation bursting inside me.

  I stood at the bottom of the steps and watched with growing excitement as Vaughn drove through the gates and pulled into the front circle.

  He came to a stop and climbed out of the rental car.

  I ran toward him.

  He met me halfway and swung me up into his arms. At six feet two, he was a robust man who had been every housewife’s secret love on afternoon television. But now, he was the man I loved like no one else.

  “Ahhh, feels so good to be home, so good to have you in my arms.” His melodious voice surrounded me as powerfully as his arms.

  I looked up at him. Others might see only his handsome features—those dark, knowing eyes of his, the curly dark hair I loved to touch—but I saw beyond them into his heart.

  He lowered his lips to mine. I delighted in the taste and feel of them. Desire, as I’d never known with another man, filled my body. I hugged him tighter to me, loving the way we fit. From his reaction, he obviously did too.

  Face flushed, he pulled back. A smile curved his lips. “Guess you missed me, huh?”

  I grinned. “Oh, yeah.”

  “Let me pull the car around to your house,” Vaughn said. “I’ve been traveling for hours, and a nice, relaxing swim in your pool sounds great.”

  “To me also,” I said happily. “Let me tell Tim I’ll be gone for the rest of the day and then I’ll meet you there.”

  As he climbed into the car, I rushed inside the hotel to talk to Tim.

  Moments later, I hurried over to my house, my heart singing with happiness. My man had come home.

  Vaughn was unloading his suitcase from the trunk of the car when I got there. I opened the front door and ushered him inside, enjoying his presence as he moved into the master bedroom with me following behind.

  He grinned and peeled off his shirt, exposing the planes of his strong, lightly haired chest. “This heat feels good,” he said. “It was damp and cold in Ireland.”