by Judith Keim
“No, Tim and Julie will handle things here. And I’ll make sure Jean-Luc and Sabine are set for the rest of the evening.”
Will and Rhonda left, and I wandered out to the kitchen where I found Tina eating a plate of spaghetti.
She glanced up at me and ducked her head.
“Is it good?” I asked.
“Yes, and I’m eating all of it. So there.” She shot me a challenging look.
I shrugged. “Your choice. Remember?”
She slammed down her fork and stomped out of the room.
I was sitting in my office when Tina came in. She sat down in Rhonda’s chair and crossed her arms. “I want to go home.”
“Fine. Call your agent and tell her. We can make arrangements to get you to the airport anytime.”
She pounded a fist on the desk. “Why are you doing this to me?”
I gave her a steady look. “Doing what? Making you responsible for yourself?”
She let out a long breath and got to her feet. “I’ll let you know when I’m leaving.”
“Okay. See you at my house. I’ll be there soon.”
Tina left, and I leaned back in my chair. Mothers and daughters. Women and girls. I had to admit, it was sometimes a crazy world.
Seeing my house lit in the dark, a warm feeling went through me. Tina had turned on the outside light for me. Maybe, I thought, beneath the bratty exterior was a heart that was kinder and softer than I knew.
I stepped inside the house and called out, “Tina, are you here?”
She came out of the bedroom, holding a notebook.
“What’s that?”
She sighed. “The script.”
“Oh? How’s it going?”
She shrugged. “Okay, I guess. I’m not going home yet. I’ll wait a few more days and then decide.”
“Okay. It’s such a pleasant evening, do you want to sit outside with a cup of coffee or tea?”
“I guess so. Coffee sounds nice.” She gave me an impish grin. “With a lot of sugar.”
“I’ll get the coffee ready. You add what you want.”
She frowned. “You’re no fun!”
Determined not to get sucked into her game, I said, “Some people don’t agree with you.”
“You mean Vaughn Sanders? How’d you ever land him?”
I gave her a warning look. “Nice. Remember?”
She rolled her eyes. “All right then. How’d you two meet?”
“Let’s get our coffee and I’ll tell you all about it.”
A few minutes later, I led Tina out to the lanai. We took seats facing one another. The cooler night air was refreshing after the heat of the day. My shoulders relaxed. All was going smoothly at the hotel. I swallowed the hot liquid and sighed with contentment. It was one of my favorite times of the day.
Tina took a sip of her black coffee and leaned back in her chair. “So tell me about Vaughn. No matter what happened with my mom and me, I still think he’s a cool guy.”
I told her about filming The Sins of the Children at the hotel and how I’d met his children. I explained that after some time, the two of us decided we’d try to make our relationship work, even with his crazy schedule and appearances and my commitment to the hotel.
“That’s real nice,” said Tina. “I never knew my father.”
I knew I might be treading in dangerous territory but I felt compelled to say, “Has your mother always been part of your stage life? Did you go to regular school? Was she always pushing you?”
Tina’s body grew stiff, and I wondered if I’d gone too far.
Then Tina pulled her feet up onto the chair, wrapped her arms around her knees and lowered her face to them.
I watched silently, unsure what if anything I should do or say.
When Tina lifted her head, I saw something like despair on her face and waited for her to say something.
“My mother’s the one who wanted to be a star. I was happy to be just a kid, but my mother told me I had to bring in money, that she couldn’t do it.” She scoffed. “My mother can’t act on screen, but she sure can put on an act with men, lots of men.”
“So then she made you help with that too?” The thought turned the coffee I’d swallowed into acid.
Tina looked away from me.
“There are people you can talk to,” I said gently.
Tina jumped up so fast the little metal table next to her chair flipped on its side, shattering her coffee mug into sharp pieces that scattered across the floor.
“Damn you!” I watched the play of muscles in her throat as she worked to swallow. “Why would I want to talk to anyone about it?” Tina shouted. Without waiting for an answer, she ran into the house.
I rose and followed her to Liz’s room. “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Tina pulled her suitcase out from under the bed.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“I’m going home. You can’t stop me.”
“You do what you want. I’ll help you in any way I can.”
She looked at me with such sadness I automatically reached for her.
Tina stepped back from me and then rushed forward into my arms.
Tears rolled down my cheeks as I held her shaking body close.
After a few moments, Tina pushed me away. “I’ll decide later when I’m going home.”
“I hope you’ll stay,” I said, my voice breaking with emotion.
She turned her back to me. “I will. For a while longer. Now I need to be alone.”
I shut the bedroom door behind me and leaned against it. The sigh that escaped me held such pain that I moaned.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The sky was a soft gray when I awoke. Pink fingers of sunlight grasped the day with uncertainty, appearing and then hiding behind clouds in a game of peekaboo.
I climbed out of bed and went to check on Tina. She was sound asleep, sprawled across the bed like a little girl.
I shook her gently. “Hey, sleepyhead, do you want to go for a walk?”
She rolled over and groaned. “Don’t you ever give up?”
“Just checking,” I said, injecting a cheerful tone to my voice. “I’m leaving in a few minutes. If you want to join me, better get up.”
She groaned again but climbed out of bed.
I left her to get dressed. Tina had to make her own choices, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t try to make it obvious for her. Exercise would make it easier to lose the additional weight she needed to shed.
In the kitchen, I looked out at the patio and pool. I’d cleaned up the mess of her broken coffee mug, but in my mind, I still saw the pain on Tina’s face. I wouldn’t mention speaking to a professional again, but I was glad I had at least planted the seed of that idea in her head.
As we headed out to the beach, the wind sent a stormy message. I realized I hadn’t heard any weather news for a few hours and wondered about Nancy, the latest hurricane to form. Last I heard she was down in the Caribbean near Puerto Rico.
We stepped onto the sand and watched as the waves washed onto shore for a quick kiss and rolled back to reach for more. Gulls cried and soared in the air , letting the wind carry them in whirling circles of white.
“Ready?” I said. We wouldn’t walk too far. I wanted to get to the hotel early.
Our feet pounded the beach as we walked at a steady pace. The vigorous exercise felt good to my desk-bound muscles.
Tina walked beside me lost in her thoughts.
I stopped and stood to look at the water playing with the wind. Tina moved to my side and nudged me with her elbow.
“Here’s that Brock guy, coming our way.”
“Crap,” I muttered.
She gazed at me with curiosity. “Why don’t you like him? He’s good-looking and rich. So what’s the problem?”
“We’ll talk about it on the way back to the hotel,” I said, bracing myself to greet Brock. He was trotting toward us, blocking our way back to the hotel.
&n
bsp; “Hey, there! Why didn’t you come to my party, Ann?” He eyed Tina. “I thought you were going to be neighborly. What happened?”
“It’s been real busy at the hotel,” I said. “In fact, we have to be going now. I’m worried about the weather.”
“Guess that Hurricane Nancy is going to pay us a visit, after all. They thought it would die down, but it hasn’t.”
Sensing my dislike of him, Tina tugged on my hand. “C’mon, Ann. We have to go.”
We entered the hotel through the kitchen. I grabbed a cup of coffee and went into my office to see what I could find out about the storm on my computer.
The whirling mass of gray on the computer screen looked alarming. And as Brock had said, it was heading our way. Rhonda and I would have to put a safety plan in motion. Uneasy, I left Tina in the kitchen with Consuela and trotted back home to change.
“Bad news! Hurricane Nancy is heading our way,” I said, returning to the office. At the sight of Rhonda’s red-rimmed eyes, I came to a halt. “What’s the matter? Are you okay?”
Rhonda shook her head. “I’m dealing with a storm of my own.” A sob escaped her. “Oh, Annie, it’s awful. Angela is furious about the baby. Do you know what she said when Will and I told her?” Rhonda took in a deep breath and then in a shaky voice she continued, “She said, ‘You and Will? A baby? At your age? How could you?’ I tried to speak to her, but she left the room before I could stop her. Will said to let her be, but, Annie, you know that’s not like Ange.”
“Yes, I do. What’s the matter with her?”
“Will you speak to her, try to find out what’s going on? She’ll listen to you.” Rhonda blew her nose. “It’s all Reggie’s fault. I just know it.”
“We can’t be sure of that,” I said calmly, though I couldn’t think of another reason for Angela’s reaction. “If she and Reggie come to the hotel, I’ll try to find out what I can.”
“Good, because I can’t talk to her, not with a broken heart.”
I went over to Rhonda and hugged her . “I’m sorry, Rhonda. I really am.”
She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue and then sighed sadly. “Maybe if I keep my focus on the hotel, it won’t hurt so much. What did you say about a storm?”
“Have you checked a weather forecast lately? They’re saying Hurricane Nancy is heading for Cuba and the Gulf of Mexico.”
“The last one was pretty bad,” said Rhonda. “Guess we need to check all the lanterns and go over emergency procedures with the staff.”
“Yes, and lay in a supply of water and dry food items in case we need them.”
The phone rang.
Rhonda picked it up. “Oh, hi!” A look of panic crossed her face. She waved me over to her side. “Yes, Tina is doing fine.”
“She’s exercising and studying the script,” I prompted.
Rhonda relayed that information and listened for a few minutes. Then I heard her say, “No, I don’t know why she isn’t picking up. She might be busy. Yes, I’ll ask her to give you a call.”
She replaced the phone. “Wow, is Tina’s mother pissed. She sounds like a real tough broad. No wonder Tina’s the way she is. Her mother is really harsh.” She gave me a worried look. “So, how’s it going with Tina at your house? Getting better?”
I shrugged. “She’s threatened to leave a couple of times, but at least she started studying her lines. That’s a good sign.”
Later, as I was checking on supplies we’d stored, I noticed Angela and Reggie lying out by the pool. Remembering my promise to Rhonda, I crossed the Oriental carpet in the lobby and went out to the pool deck to Angela.
She looked up at me and frowned.
“Can we talk a minute?” I said to her.
Her lips thinned. “My mother sent you, didn’t she?”
“She’s upset, and I wanted to talk to you anyway. I haven’t seen you for a couple of months, and I’ve missed you.”
“All right, we’ll talk, but not here.” She got to her feet and turned to Reggie, stretched out in a chair next to hers. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“Okay.” He waved her off.
We walked over to the wooden deck under the palm trees next to the beach and took seats in a couple of the chairs we kept there. No other guests were around.
I studied Angela a moment. “What’s going on with you, Angela? You seem so cross with your mother. You’ve hurt her feelings.”
She slid her sunglasses to the top of her head so she could see me clearly. “Oh, Ann, I’m so sorry. I love my mother, but I’m very confused.” Her eyes teared up. “I love Reggie so much. It’s never happened to me before. Not like this.”
“Why would that make you upset with your mother?” I said, trying to understand.
“It’s his mother. She’s so proper, nothing at all like Mom. Reggie and I want the parents to meet. In fact, I was going to ask Mom if they could come to the hotel for Thanksgiving. I think Reggie’s mother would like it. They’re always traveling some place, but they haven’t been here.”
“It’s a busy time at the hotel, but I’m sure we could work something out. Why would your mother’s being pregnant be a problem? It sometimes happens between two loving people, you know.”
Angela made a face. “Reggie’s parents would never have a baby at their age. His mother would think it’s gross.”
I hid my surprise. “How old are they?”
“About the same age as Will. They don’t understand how it is between Reggie and me. They told him to be careful, that I wasn’t meant for him. We’re trying to change their minds about me.”
A thread of apprehension wove through my body and knotted in my stomach. I studied the pain on her sweet, dear face. “They don’t think you’re good enough for him?”
She shook her head. “Not really.”
“What does Reggie say about this?”
“He told me to forget them. He doesn’t care what they think. They’ve never been that close as a family.”
“Oh, Angela.” I grabbed hold of her hands. “Life isn’t that simple, honey.”
Tears filled her eyes. “It’s got to be. I think I might be pregnant. I haven’t told anyone else. Not even Reggie knows. I’m very irregular, so it could be just nerves. The test wasn’t positive, but I was so upset I’m not sure I did it right before I was interrupted.”
My breath released in a drawn-out sigh. “Oh, my! Maybe we’d better plan that Thanksgiving weekend.”
“Promise you won’t tell? I can’t let my mother know until I’m sure. Especially now.”
I stared at Angela’s pleading look and reluctantly nodded. “Okay, but now you have to do a favor for me. You need to talk to your mother. It’s one of the most exciting times of her life, and whether Reggie’s parents would approve or not is of no consequence. It’s none of their damn business. Understand?”
Tears spilled down Angela’s cheeks. “You’re right. I’ll go talk to Mom now.”
She left.
I stared out at the water, wondering how life could be so unpredictable, so wonderful, so painful.
Knowing all of that and more lay ahead, I prayed I’d be able to help my dearest friend.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“What did you say to Angela?” Rhonda asked when I met up with her in the kitchen. “She’s more like her old self. Guess I surprised her with the baby news, huh? She says she didn’t mean to be so awful, but she was totally shocked.” Rhonda chuckled. “Not as much as Will and me, of course.”
I gave Rhonda a hug, happy she and Angela had worked out a few things. But I couldn’t help wondering how Rhonda would feel if it turned out that Angela was pregnant too. I hated being forced to keep such news secret.
After a busy morning, I headed to my house, needing some time alone to think. I’d made a call to the interior designer who’d helped us with the renovations of The Beach House. Now that the idea had come to me, I thought turning Tina’s two-room-suite into an upscale, bridal suite would be a very good marke
ting tool. But, naturally, I wanted to work on figures to see what the payoff could be.
As I walked into my house, I saw Tina out by the pool, talking on the phone. I went out to the patio to let her know I was home and heard her say, “Okay, Brock, you win. I’ll see you tonight.”
The blood left my face. “Tina, what are you doing?”
At the sound of my voice, she whirled around. “What are you doing, sneaking up on me like that?”
“I didn’t mean to scare you, and I didn’t mean to overhear your conversation. But, Tina, what are you doing with Brock?”
“Not that it’s any of your business, I’m meeting him for dinner. He’s taking me to a fancy hotel down the beach.” At my look of dismay, she shook her head. “You can’t stop me!”
I forced a deep breath in and out, trying to control the anger I felt for Brock calling her at the house.
“You may not like him, but he’s not so bad. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a man drool over me like that. I’m bored. I want to get dressed up and go out.”
“But Brock is no gentleman,” I protested. “He’s a pig who’ll do anything to get his own way.”
Tina shook her head. “They’re all pigs, but I need a night of fun.”
“Listen to me. He’s more than a pig. He tried to force himself on me. Understand? You have to make your own choices, but when you place yourself in a dangerous situation, I can’t sit by idly and watch that happen. I’m sorry, Tina, but if you choose to go out with him after all I’ve told you about him, you’ll have to leave my house.”
She stamped a bare foot on the hard surface. “But you said everything would be up to me, that I could choose what I ate and whether I stayed or not.”
“That’s right. You can choose whether to stay here or not.”
“Why are you doing this? I only want to have a little fun with the guy.”
“Didn’t your mother ever make it clear that you deserve some respect? That you don’t need to go out with someone like Brock, even if he has money and thinks he’s a bigshot?”
Tina’s face flushed a pink that might have been pretty in another situation. Tears filled her eyes. “No! Dammit! My mother taught me to use men for pleasure! Screw them and leave them with a promise of something better! But then you wouldn’t know anything about that kind of life, would you?”