by Judith Keim
He laughed. “You’re the best, properly naughty.”
Satisfaction filled me. He’d freed a sensuous part of me that had been hidden for years and I ... well ... I liked it.
Serious now, I pulled away from him and gazed up into his face. “What did you want to talk to me about?”
“Sit down. I’ll be right back. I’ve got to get something.”
I poured myself a second cup of coffee and sat down at the kitchen table, feeling my nerves tighten.
Vaughn returned to the kitchen with a sheaf of papers. He took a seat opposite me. After clearing his throat, he said, “Things haven’t gone as well as I thought they’d be on this visit.”
My heart stopped beating and sprinted ahead. “What do you mean?”
“With you here at the hotel, we never seem to have quality time together. Your mind is always on your work.”
“Yes, of course. It’s my job, my livelihood.”
“But married to me, you wouldn’t need a job. I can support us in whatever style you wish.”
I felt the blood leave my face. “Are you asking me to give up the hotel? You know I could never do that!”
Vaughn reached across the table and gripped my hand. “Hold on, Ann. Listen to me.”
I focused on him, aware of his worried expression. “What are you saying?”
“I can’t keep going on like this.”
I felt my heart drop to my shoes. I gripped my hands together, squeezing them as I tried to get a grip on the dismay that tore at my insides. “Are you saying you want to break up?”
“Not at all. What I’m saying is I don’t want to live being in a constant battle for your attention. I’m willing to share top billing with another star, but I’ll be damned if I’m hardly mentioned at all.”
“What do you mean?”
“I go out of my way to be here as often as I can. Sometimes when it isn’t even easy for me to do so. And when I’m here, I expect some of your attention. More than you’ve been giving me lately.”
“But ...”
“I understand your fear of being left with nothing after Robert pulled his dirty tricks. And I understand your unwillingness to turn to Rhonda or me to bail you out financially. But I think it’s time you had a little more faith in yourself and the future so you can relax and enjoy what success you have. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
I let out a long breath, seeing myself in a whole different way. I’d allowed the expectations of others to override my need to have a life of my own. A life I wanted to share with Vaughn, the man I loved like no other.
“My god! I’m so sorry. Vaughn, I’ve been so selfish ...”
“No,” he said. “You’ve been dedicated to your job. Now it’s time to dedicate more time to us—to our life together. What do you say?”
I fought to hold back tears. “I say I love you more than anything in the world. I say I would do anything to make you happy. Understand?” The tears that had been stinging my eyes blurred my vision.
He put an arm around me. “Hey, honey, we’ll work it out. I have an idea you might like. Here.” He pushed papers at me.
I glanced down at a number of real estate listings. “What are these?”
“I want to buy a place that’s just for you and me, away from the hotel.”
My mind stuttered. “But I live and work here.”
“Of course, you do. But we need to have private space, like Rhonda and Will do. That’s all I’m saying. We each have our own careers. I get that. But I want you to understand that I need at least a piece of you that’s just for me. I can’t be expected to continue to live this way. I don’t think that’s unreasonable. Do you?”
My heartbeat slowed as I took in what he was asking. It wasn’t unreasonable at all. In fact, it was a good idea. “Okay,” I said. “Let’s take a look at what you’ve found.”
He got up out of his chair and moved behind me. Leaning over my shoulder, he pointed out the different features of five different properties in town. Each one was more spectacular than the other.
“What do you think?” he asked.
“I think I love you very much,” I said, awed by the beautiful properties he’d selected. “You make me feel like a princess with a beautiful castle.” The thought of what he was willing to do for us filled me with joy.
His lips spread into a wide smile. “You deserve everything I can give you. Which one do you like best? We can make an appointment to see it anytime you like.”
Excitement coupled with awe. I held up a sheet showing the smallest of the estate-like homes. I knew the house. I’d once been in it for a party for charity. Situated alongside a tiny, private bay, it was the perfect choice for our family. When all the kids came home, there’d be plenty of room for them and yet, it would be quite comfortable for only the two of us.
“Vaughn, this is beautiful. I’ve been inside it. It would be perfect for us.”
He sat down on a chair and faced me, his look of relief obvious. “I’m so glad you see my point of view. I know how important the hotel is to you, but I need a part of you too.”
Tears came to my eyes. “You have no idea how big a part of me you are. Let’s make this work. It’s good timing. Rhonda and I have already talked about hiring a general manager. That will give both Rhonda and me more personal time.”
“Great, that’s settled then. I’ll call and make an appointment for us to see the house.”
The more I thought about living off-property, the more I liked it.
Between lunch and dinner hours, Rhonda’s family and mine gathered in the small dining room at the hotel for our private New Year’s Day dinner. We were in so many ways one family, I thought, as I took a seat at the table. Opposite me, Reggie and Angela held hands even as they sat down next to each other. With Vaughn on one side of me and Liz on the other, I felt whole. Rhonda and Will sat at either end of the long table, completing the sense of family.
Jean-Luc had prepared a roast of pork with a special ginger and brown sugar glaze, a recipe he’d picked up from one of the islands in the Caribbean. In deference to Southern tradition, black-eyed peas and a leafy green salad accompanied the roast, along with a mélange of other vegetables.
“So tell me again, what do the black-eyed peas signify?” Liz said to me.
“They’re for good luck. And the green leaves of the salad are for prosperity in the New Year. It’s a lovely tradition.”
“Let’s hope it works,” Liz murmured, glancing at Angela and Reggie, who had eyes only for each other.
I squeezed her hand. “Yes, we’ve got to hope it all works out.”
We were finishing dessert—apple tarts in pastry so light it simply flaked—when my cell phone rang. I checked caller ID. Tina.
“Well, hello, stranger,” I said. “How are you? We’ve been playing phone tag for a while now.”
“I’m doing fine,” said Tina, her voice lilting happily. “I have custody of my brother, and my new agent has found a film for me. Something very different, almost sweet.”
“How wonderful! Though I guess that means you won’t be coming back here.” I couldn’t hide my disappointment.
“Actually, I’m thinking of buying a house there after my next film.” She chuckled. “If my financial manager approves.”
I laughed. “I’m sure Will can find a way to make it work. He’s a very clever financial manager. Trust me.”
“Ann, I wanted to thank you and Rhonda for all you did for me. I wouldn’t be in this good situation without your forcing me to see things as they were. And by the way, one of the agreements I made with my mother was for her to drop the lawsuit. So you won’t have to worry about that. Thanks and Happy New Year to everyone there. Love you all.”
She hung up, and I turned to the others and told them about the call.
“That’s one happy ending,” said Rhonda. “Let’s hope there are more.”
Reggie gave her a sheepish look. “My parents should be back from Europe tomorrow.
I’m going to give them the news then.”
There was a moment of silence, and then Angela said, “We can face anything together. Right, Reggie?”
A smile broke across his face. “Right, sweetheart. Together.”
Rhonda and I exchanged worried glances.
The next morning, I awoke with a fresh sense of purpose. Vaughn and I were meeting the real estate agent that afternoon to tour the house we both loved. Now that the idea had been raised, I couldn’t wait for the time when I wouldn’t be so accessible to the hotel. I’d seen what a difference it had made for Rhonda, and I was ready to make the change.
With the holidays behind us, I wanted to work on final details for the wedding, so all would be prepared for the Hassels. They were due to arrive the next day.
Rhonda and I were at work in the office when the phone rang. I picked it up. “Hello?”
“Ann, is that you? It’s Lorraine Grace at Wedding Perfection. I have terrible news. Charlotte Hassel just called me. She was practically hysterical. Her daughter has run away with another man. Needless to say, the wedding here in Florida is canceled.” Her voice broke. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with all the things I’ve ordered for the wedding—fresh flowers, hundreds of them, and all sorts of special requests they made of me.”
“Can you cancel the orders?”
“Not all of them,” she said. “I should’ve made them pay for everything up front. That’s what I usually do. But I was carried away by the sound of royalty. Now I’m ruined.”
“Surely they will pay you.” My heart sank at the idea of getting stuck with any extraneous costs. And now we’d have to see about filling empty rooms at the last minute. My mind raced. “Lorraine, can we call you back?”
“Sure,” she sighed. “I’ll be here, trying to cancel as much as I can.”
I hung up and turned to Rhonda. “The wedding is canceled. The Hassels’ daughter has run off with another man.”
“You’re kidding!” She gave me an incredulous look. “What are we going to do about the rooms? And all that special veal we ordered for their Wiener Schnitzel?”
“I’ve got an idea,” I said, unable to hide a smile.
Before I could tell Rhonda what I had in mind, a knock came at the office door. The door opened, and Angela and Reggie entered the room, holding hands. Angela was in a pretty green dress and Reggie was wearing a white shirt and gray slacks.
“Hi, honey! What’s up?” Rhonda said to Angela.
A pretty pink spread across Angela’s cheeks. She glanced at Reggie.
“We have something to tell you,” he said, looking nervous.
“We’re married,” cried Angela. She held up her left hand. A gold band wound around her ring finger.
“Whaaaat? When? Where?” Tears filled Rhonda’s eyes. “You went ahead and did this without me?”
“Hold on, Mom,” said Angela. “We only wanted to make sure no one would come between us. I know you’ve always talked about a nice wedding for me, but this is what we needed to do.”
“Without me?” Rhonda’s wail was full of pain.
Angela went to her mother and hugged her. “Oh, Mom, I’m sorry, but if we hadn’t done this, Reggie’s parents would have tried and tried to force him to change his mind.”
“I’m sorry too, Rhonda,” said Reggie. “I love Angela and always will. I agreed to do this to protect her, not to hurt you.”
Rhonda sat back in her chair. “Oh, my! What a surprise.”
“I have an idea,” I said again.
The three of them turned to me.
“We’ve just received news that the royal wedding has been canceled. With everything in place, let’s make it a royal wedding for the two of you.” I turned to Reggie. “I suspect a nice wedding here at the hotel would please your parents more than having you two sneak off to get married. In many countries, there is a civil ceremony and then a fancy wedding.”
Reggie’s expression brightened. “I think you’re right. My parents can attend or not.”
Angela beamed at her mother. “And then you can have the wedding for me you’ve always wanted. What do you say?”
Rhonda straightened in her chair. “I say we do it. We’ll have the sweetest damn wedding Reggie’s mother has ever seen. Let’s get to it.”
She stood. “Come here, you two.”
Wrapping her arms around Angela and Reggie, she hugged them close. Tears leaked from her eyes. “Oh my! Now I have a daughter and a son.”
Seeing the joyful expressions on their faces, I felt my own eyes sting with tenderness.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
To give Rhonda time alone with her children, I quietly left the office. I had a sudden need to see my daughter.
I opened the front door to my house, anxious to tell Liz the good news. She was sitting in the kitchen with Troy, sipping coffee. I stared at the dress she was wearing, the white shirt on Troy.
“I guess you know about Angela and Reggie,” I said, realizing what had happened.
Liz smiled. “Troy and I stood up for them.” A dreamy expression filled her face. “It was the sweetest thing ever. They love one another so much.” Her soft sigh was laced with romance.
Vaughn came into the room in his bathing suit, his hair wet from the pool. “What’s going on?”
“A lot,” I told him. “Angela and Reggie got married. But they’re going to have a second wedding here at the hotel for family and friends. The Hassels have canceled the royal wedding because their daughter eloped with another man. So we’ll exchange one wedding for the other.”
Vaughn shook his head. “Whew! Love sure does complicate things sometimes, huh?” He pulled me to him. “Guess we’d better try to keep things simple.”
“What does that mean?” I asked playfully.
He grinned. “It means when we have our wedding in June, it will be exactly the way you want it.”
Liz turned to Troy and said in a stage whisper, “They’re like this all the time.”
Troy laughed. Standing, he said, “I guess I’d better get to work. I have an appointment in a little while.”
Liz showed him out and returned to the kitchen.
“So, Mom? Will I be part of the hotel wedding too?”
“I suspect so. You’d better talk to Angela. Things are moving in a hurry. All the stuff Lorraine ordered for the royal wedding will probably be used for this one.”
I turned to Vaughn. “I’ve got to get back to the hotel. See you after lunch for the house tour.”
“What’s this?” Liz said.
“Have Vaughn show you what we have in mind, and if you want to join us, that would be great,” I said, giving them a wave goodbye.
When I got back to the office, Rhonda was on a call with Lorraine. I sat at my desk, reviewing the reservations chart, wondering how we could fill empty rooms.
Rhonda hung up. “Lorraine is thrilled to help us out. ’Course I knew she would be.” She clutched her hands in a prayerful pose. “I want this to be perfect. For Angela and Reggie, and for me and Will.”
“I’m sure it will be. The Beach House Hotel is known for putting on perfect weddings. Have you talked to Sabine?”
Rhonda shook her head. “I’ve sent her a text. Angela and I are meeting with her this evening. Angela is very happy she’ll have a nice wedding after all, and Reggie is okay with everything.” Her eyes filled. “He really does love her, ya know?”
“I know. It’s very clear to see,” I said. “Has he been in touch with his parents?”
Rhonda grimaced. “He called them right after you left. They were shocked, then angry. But they’ve promised to come to the wedding to make a proper appearance.”
“Oh, dear. That doesn’t sound easy. But we’ll all help you to get through it.”
“Angela is going to ask Liz to be her maid of honor. And I think Reggie is going to ask Troy to be his best man. Angela doesn’t want a big wedding, just a nice one.”
“What about a dress?”
“That sounds good,” said Ann.
Rhonda let out a little yelp, and then a grin lit her face. “The baby just kicked. Busy little rascal.” She shook her head. “Everything is happening so fast; I can’t believe it. It wasn’t too long ago the two of us were wondering what to do with our lives. Remember, Annie?”
I laughed. As Rhonda would say, it had been one helluva ride.
Liz joined Vaughn and me for a tour of the house Vaughn was thinking of purchasing. I was pleased to see her take an interest in it because I hoped she and Vaughn’s kids would always feel free to spend time with us, and when they had children, they’d bring them to us.
The house was as I remembered it—elegant but not ostentatious. Five bedrooms, four and a half baths, a large kitchen, and a huge lanai were the features I liked best. Liz naturally went for the pool and spa. Vaughn, typical guy, loved the three-car garage. Outside, a lawn led to a private dock where a small day sailboat was tied up. The tiny bay, more like an inlet, had only eight other houses edging it, giving us a great sense of privacy—something that was important to Vaughn.
Liz and I wandered around outside while Vaughn talked to the realtor. When he emerged from the house, he grinned at us. “I’ve made an offer that the agent is pretty sure will go through. I couldn’t take a chance on losing it.”
“It’s wonderful, Vaughn,” I said.
He swept me up in his arms. “As soon as we’re married, we’ll add your name to the title.”
A shiver traveled down my back and grabbed hold of my body. Robert had made such a promise and then not kept it.
Vaughn’s eyebrows drew together. “Are you all right?”
I took a deep breath and reminded myself Vaughn was no Robert. He’d already proved it to me in so many ways.