by Judith Keim
“I ... I think so.” Her hesitancy spoke volumes.
“She doesn’t have to make up her mind on that now,” said Troy. “Right, Tina?”
“If I ever go back to them, it will be without my mother around. I don’t want her in my life. That I know for sure.”
Tina jabbed a finger in my direction. “She’s doing this now to get back at you as much as trying to make me work again.”
“Me?” My stomach felt as if I’d swallowed a rock. “Why?”
“Because she knows I like you. You and Rhonda. She thinks you’re the ones telling me to quit acting.”
“But ...” I began.
“Bullshit,” said Rhonda. “I say it’s a guilty conscience buddying up to her greed.”
Mike held up a hand. “We can speculate all we want here, but it’s important to deal with the facts.” He turned to Tina. “At some point, you’re going to have to make a statement. But the three of us agreed that you needed more time to think things through.”
“I need to talk things over with Barbara. She helps clarify my thinking.”
“For now,” said Troy, “she’ll stay with my parents, away from the hotel, so guests here won’t be bothered.”
“Thanks.” I wanted to hug Troy for his common sense. “In the meantime, make yourselves comfortable here in the hotel, away from the other guests.”
“I have an idea,” said Rhonda. “The truck from Reilly’s Fish Market usually arrives at this time. We can arrange to have them drive you out of here and over to Troy’s parents.”
A grin spread across Troy’s face. “Wow! This is like the movies. Right, Tina?”
She gave Troy a weak smile. “Not exactly.”
“I’ll give the kitchen staff notice that they’re to let me know when the truck arrives,” said Rhonda, hurrying out of the office.
“I’d better get back to my office,” said Mike. “Let me know if anything else comes up.”
Troy checked his watch. “I’ve got to get back to the spa.” He turned to Tina. “See you later.”
Tina and I sat, facing one another.
I was wondering what to say to her when Rhonda stuck her head into the office. “Okay, Tina. Your ride is here.”
I walked her to the loading area behind the kitchen and watched as she climbed into the passenger seat and ducked her head. As the truck pulled away, I thought of the battle ahead of her and whispered, “Good luck.”
“We need to make this fiasco work to our favor,” said Rhonda, coming to stand beside me.
“The name of the hotel will come up in the news, along with pictures,” I said.
“How about this?” Rhonda gave me a devilish grin. “A new ad campaign. The perfect place to escape from the bitch in your life.”
I laughed. “Or this. The perfect place to hide out from the pigs in the press!”
The relief that came from joking around calmed my jitters. Bad publicity before the holidays and the wedding could hurt us.
“You know, Annie,” said Rhonda. “Maybe we should play up the fact that people can come here with a sense of privacy like we advertise. After all, Tina has been here for weeks without anyone finding out until today.”
“Good idea,” I said enthusiastically. “Let’s work on a little promo piece for the local newspaper. Maybe others will pick up on it. I’ll call our contact there.”
With a renewed sense of hope, I phoned the Sabal Daily News.
Terri Thomas was everyone’s idea of a gossip columnist. And she looked the part. Oversized, the elderly woman was known to make her way through rooms and around corners at any affair, seemingly led by her sharp, narrow nose. Her eyes, though appearing to be slightly red, seemed to see inside people, revealing their deepest, dark secrets. I, like most people who knew her, was uneasy in her presence.
“Ah, Ann,” she murmured when she picked up her line. “Such a shame that Valentina and her mother chose The Beach House Hotel for their battleground. It could ruin a good reputation, you know.”
My pulse stopped pounding and then went into overdrive. Stating a person’s fears was one way Terri used to get people to talk.
I drew a deep breath, trying to think of how best to approach the situation. “Terri, as you know, our Christmas Open House is coming up. We want to be sure you’ll attend.”
“Of course,” she said. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Such a good source of information. But, Ann, we need to talk about your present ... uh ... situation. This is a chance for me to be right at the peak of national news.”
I knew it was coming, but it still felt like a blow to my cheek. I hated this idea of quid pro quo. Scratching someone else’s back to achieve what I wanted sometimes felt so cheesy.
“Well, I had thought that working together on a piece might be good for both of us,” I said gamely. The truth was I’d do most anything to save the hotel.
“How about I come for an interview, and I’ll bring a photographer to showcase the place?”
“Fair enough.”
“Good. I’ll see you in about an hour,” she said crisply.
I hung up the phone and faced Rhonda. “It’s a deal.”
Following my interview with her, I ushered Terri to the front entrance. A pounding headache centered itself behind my right eye. Terri had quizzed me on my relationship with Vaughn, had her photographer take a picture of my engagement ring, and had pried as much information as she could out of both Rhonda and me about Valentina. Throughout it all, Mike had sat at our sides, acting as a mediator whenever Terri threatened to lead us down a dangerous path of conversation.
“Let’s hope Terri comes through for us,” said Rhonda when I met her in the lobby. “She sure is nosy.”
“At least we were able to shape the story somewhat.” I hoped that after helping Terri, she’d do the same for us. A trade-off that might work.
My cell phone jangled in my pocket. I lifted it out and checked caller ID. Robert.
I slid the phone back into my pocket. No way was I taking a call from him. I could well imagine what nasty thing he had to say about us being sued. The jerk could gloat on his own.
“I’m beat, and you look exhausted,” said Rhonda. “Let’s go home. The staff can take care of the hotel this evening. It’s a slow day.”
“There you are!” Holding up a piece of paper, Dorothy hurried over to us. “Calls are coming in like crazy. We’re booked solid for dinner, and people hoping to see Valentina are calling in for room reservations.”
Rhonda and I looked at each other and groaned.
Dorothy’s face fell. “I thought you’d be pleased.”
“We are, we are,” I said, thinking of the extra revenue while battling the headache of the century.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Like most moments of fame, ours soon faded, much to my relief, but Tina remained in the news. Lots of people wondered what her next move would be. Sadly, no one seemed to focus on the injustice done to her by her mother.
While all this was going on, Tina and I remained close, but I stayed in the background. I didn’t want to give Tina’s mother any more cause to attack us. And heaven knew we didn’t want bad publicity. The wedding might be a strange one, but we wanted it.
Tina walked into our office one afternoon. Her shoulders slumped, her eyes full of sadness, she resembled a rag doll who’d lost her stuffing.
“I’m leaving,” she said, sagging in defeat.
“Where are you going?” I asked, rising to my feet with alarm.
“You’d better not be going back to California,” warned Rhonda.
Tina sank down into a chair. “I’ve got to get this mess with my mother settled. I want my brother to be safe and with me.”
“What does she say to all this?” My mouth grew dry at the thought of Tina facing her mother alone.
A derisive laugh escaped Tina’s lips. “My mother thinks it’s all settled, that I’m giving in to her demands. But I’m not. My brother Victor is old enough to be able to choose to live w
ith me instead of her. Once I know he’s safe and with me, I can decide what I want to do with my life.”
I gathered her into my arms.
“You’ll always have a safe place here.”
Tina rested her head on my shoulder. “Thanks. I know.”
She turned into Rhonda’s bosomy hug and then, with a sob, she raced out of the room.
As I lowered myself into my chair, my thoughts turned to my daughter. As much as I didn’t like Liz staying with Robert, I knew he’d never intentionally be cruel to her. But Tina’s mother was way too eager to hurt her daughter.
Rhonda clucked her tongue. “I feel so sorry for her.”
“Me too. Hopefully, she’ll keep in touch.”
“By the way, Angela called last night,” Rhonda said. “She’s coming home right after our Christmas Open House. I was hoping she’d be here for the party, but she said she had a few things to take care of first.”
My stomach lurched. Was it about the baby?
“Has she heard from Reggie?” I asked.
“Apparently, he phones her several times a day, but Angela refuses to take his calls. She says there’s no point in trying to fit into his family after they were so rude to me. I don’t blame her. I only want her happy, ya know?”
I nodded my agreement. We all did.
Maternal feelings swelled inside me as I stood in baggage claim, waiting for Liz to meet me. At the sight of her blond head and tall, thin body moving confidently across the floor, I ran to meet her. “I’m so, so glad to see you!”
Laughing, Liz hugged me back. “I’m so, so glad to be here!” she said, mimicking me with a teasing glint in her eyes.
It still sometimes amazed me that this beautiful young woman was my child.
“You look...” we said together and laughed.
“Great!” I uttered.
“Wonderful,” she said. Grabbing my left hand, she lifted it. “Let me see your ring. Wow! It’s even bigger up close. When is it happening?”
I grinned. “Sometime in June. We haven’t set a date yet. Not with all that’s going on.”
Liz threw an arm across my shoulders. “Nice, Mom. I’m so happy for you. Vaughn is one of the good guys.”
Warmth filled me as I hugged her back. “Thanks, I think so too.”
Arm in arm, we walked over to the baggage claim belt.
As we waited for her bag, Liz turned to me with a troubled look. “I tried to talk Angela into flying home with me, but she never picked up my calls or got in touch with me like I asked. There’s something going on with her. I’m pretty sure it has something to do with Reggie.”
“She’s been upset since her visit at Thanksgiving. Reggie’s parents were awful to Rhonda and her .”
“I heard his parents were real snobs, but Reggie didn’t seem that way. Not after I got to know him.” She shook her head. “How could anyone be mean to Angela? She’s one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met.”
“Hopefully, things will resolve themselves nicely,” I said, not believing it for one minute. Liz’s suitcase appeared on the rotating conveyor belt, and to my relief, our conversation ended.
Liz rolled her bag to my Honda and loaded it in the trunk.
“Still using this car?” Liz said, buckling herself in.
I grimaced. “I can’t afford anything new. Not yet. And if I need something bigger, I can always use the hotel’s van or the limo.”
“Kandie’s van is real nice. I don’t know why she needs something different.” Liz shook her head. “She nags Dad all the time about everything. I don’t know why he even stays with her.”
I arched my right eyebrow at her.
“I mean it, Mom,” Liz protested. “He’s not happy with her. It’s plain to see.”
My shoulders rose and fell in an exaggerated shrug. I was not going to be drawn into that conversation.
As we pulled into my driveway, Liz sighed with pleasure. “Can’t wait to take off this heavy sweater. Is the pool heated? I woke with a stiff neck this morning and want to soak a bit.”
“I’ve got something you might like better. The spa is great, and Troy, who runs it, does a very good massage. Want to try it?”
The smile that crossed Liz’s face answered for her. “After I get settled and changed, I’ll walk over there.”
“Okay, I’ll call Troy and see if he has an opening. He’s still trying to build our business.”
While Liz unpacked and changed, I made the call and then put sandwiches together. BLTs were Liz’s favorite.
Liz emerged from her bedroom, saw the sandwiches, and gave me a grateful smile. “Thanks, Mom.” She glanced around with a mischievous grin. “OK, where are they?”
I laughed. “In a container. I’ll get them out.”
Chocolate chip cookies were another favorite of hers. I always tried to have them on hand for her visits.
We sat at the table chatting easily about events at the hotel.
“So Valentina is no longer here?” Liz said.
“To us, she’s Tina Marks, which is her real name. And, yes, she’s gone. Hopefully, she’ll be back soon, with her brother. We don’t know yet.”
“When is Nell coming?” Liz asked, after taking the last bite of her sandwich. “I’ve missed being with her in DC these past few weeks.”
“She’ll be here in time for Christmas. I’ll be anxious to see her. She didn’t come for Thanksgiving because she went home with her boyfriend. As you might suspect, Vaughn is very curious about him. You’ve met him. Is he nice?”
Liz grinned. “Clint is a good guy and a real hottie—the kind of guy you wish had a lot of brothers.”
It felt good to laugh together.
“Are you dating?” I asked, starting to clear the table. “You talked about a guy named Greg. Are you still seeing him?”
Liz shook her head. “There weren’t any real sparks between us. Know what I mean?”
I smiled at her. Oh, yes. Whenever I was in Vaughn’s arms, I knew all about sparks and the consuming flames that followed.
We chatted for a while longer, then Liz left for the spa and, I returned to the hotel to help with the finishing touches for our Open House.
As I walked into the hotel lobby, I stopped and stared at the tall Christmas tree we’d put up right after Thanksgiving. A dramatic sight for hotel arrivals, it rose from the floor of the entry hall to the ceiling. Round glass balls of every color hung from the branches and were tucked into spaces in between. Clear-glass icicles hung nearby on the tips of the branches, reflecting the colors of the balls like slivers of rainbows.
“Always so pretty, huh?” said Rhonda, walking across the living room to greet me.
“I love it. It should be a lovely decoration for the wedding.”
“Uh, about that.” Rhonda gave me an apologetic look. “I’m afraid I let that little secret out.”
“Rhonda ...”
She held up a hand to stop me. “I know we weren’t supposed to say anything about it, but when Terri Thomas called to get an update on the party, I ended up telling her about the royal wedding. I didn’t mean to do it, but you know how she gets you to say things you don’t want to?”
Terri was a clever reporter, and Rhonda was proud of the hotel. I just hoped Lorraine Grace at Wedding Perfection didn’t find out, or worse yet, the Hassels.
Rhonda twisted her hands together. “The Hassels didn’t want any publicity about it.”
I wondered how best to handle the situation and decided to let it go.
Tim joined us, holding a box in his hand. “The candles have arrived.”
“Great!” Rhonda clapped her hands. “Put them around. I want them everywhere!”
We left Tim and went into the kitchen to check on preparations for the party. With over two hundred people attending, it was essential to make and freeze what appetizers we could ahead of time. Consuela and Rhonda did a lot of the early preparation. On the day of the party, the entire kitchen crew would work together to prepar
e the fresh food.
Memories of last year’s party filled my mind as I stood in the kitchen, surrounded by the tantalizing smell of cheese puffs baking. It had been such an exciting time for us, working together to make our first Christmas holiday celebration wonderful.
Consuela looked over at me and smiled. Impulsively, I gave her a hug. Without her, I didn’t know what we’d do. Steady and centered, Consuela was the person we could always rely on. Sometimes, I felt as if she and Manny were the parents I never knew and still missed.
After things were settled at the hotel, I hurried home, eager to share a meal with Liz. It was so nice finally to have her home with me.
Liz was in the kitchen when I entered my house. “Thought I’d make something special for dinner. It’s a chicken recipe that Nell and I made a lot when I was with her in DC.”
My surprise must have shown because Liz placed her hands on her hips. “What? You don’t believe I can cook?”
“No, no, it’s simply that you seem so grown up and so independent. It sometimes catches me off guard.”
She laid down the knife she’d been using. “I am twenty-one. A real adult.”
I hugged her. “Of course, you are.” At her age, I was a married woman chasing a toddler around the house. Not a plan for her, I hoped. I wanted her to be able to fly on her own, free and easy, before becoming a wife and mother.
Liz’s eyes sparkled. “I had the best massage ever. Troy is really good.” Her lips curved. “And talk about hotties, why didn’t you tell me he was so hot? I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going out with him later tonight. He’s going to show me around town.”
I didn’t know how much to say and then couldn’t hold back. “Isn’t he sort of going with Tina?”
Liz shook her head. “I asked him if he was seeing anyone, and he said no, that he and Tina were simply friends, more like brother and sister.”
Dinner with Liz was a treat in so many ways. Good food, good conversation, and a good time filling my eyes with the sight of the daughter I loved so much.
I hid my disappointment when she rose from the table, ending our meal.
“I guess I’d better get ready,” she said. “As I said, Troy is a really nice guy. Can’t wait to see what he’s like on a date.”