Page 27 of Nightcaps at The Beach House Hotel

“We don’t allow uninvited news cameras in the hotel, but from what we’ve read, Everly doesn’t mind publicity,” I said, hoping I was being tactful enough.

“She’s a real piece of work,” said Rhonda.

So much for being tactful.

Darryl let out a long sigh. “I’m here to get away from all the publicity about my wanting to cancel my contract on the show. There’s another matter I’m dealing with too. The last thing I want to do is meet my ex-wife here.”

“We’d arranged for her to stay here next week, not knowing how long you’d be staying,” I explained.

“This has been a productive visit for me,” said Darryl, glancing at Abbie. “I want to extend my stay to six weeks. Maybe longer.”

“We’ll work that out,” said Rhonda. “This is important. The two of you are getting along so well.”

Rhonda ignored the “cease and desist” look I was giving her and smiled happily at the two of them.

“Thanks for the tip about Everly,” said Darryl. “Believe me, I have no intention of either seeing my ex or having anything to do with the press for any reason.”

“That’s a relief to hear,” I said. “Now, we’re going to talk to Tina. We want to ensure that Everly’s presence does nothing to expose Tina.”

Rhonda and I left Darryl’s house and walked down the road to the most recent house we’d built. It was as attractive as the original house which had been mine until I sold it to the hotel.

As I knew she would, Rhonda nudged me. “Those two are very sweet together. I hardly have any work to do with this one.”

I shook my head at Rhonda’s idea of being a matchmaker, but I returned her smile. It made her happy.

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Tina answered the door wearing workout shorts and a tank top. “Hi, I’m glad to see you. We haven’t had any time together recently, and I’ve missed it.”

“We’ve had some people out sick with the flu, but I think everyone’s healthy again,” I said. “We didn’t want to expose anyone to it.”

“We need to talk to you,” said Rhonda.

“Come on in. I’ve been meaning to call you. I’m going to return to California for a couple of days and come right back here. Abbie will stay in the house while I’m gone.”

“What do you think of Abbie and Darryl as a couple?” asked Rhonda. “I think they’re perfect together.”

Tina stopped and put her hands on her hips. “Are you trying to be a matchmaker again?”

The three of us looked at one another and burst out laughing as Rhonda’s cheeks grew pink. “You know I’m excellent at it,” Rhonda said, defending herself.

“I must admit you’ve been right a couple of times,” said Tina, continuing to tease Rhonda.

I stood by, enjoying all of it.

“What’s taking you away from here?” I asked Tina.

“Victor has a school play he has a big part in, and I promised him I’d see it. That, some medical appointments, and a chance to have my hair cut and styled with Antonio. But, as I said, I’ll return. It’s going to be a fast in-and-out situation because I’m still not ready for the role.”

I couldn’t resist hugging her. “You’re beautiful, Tina. You always will be to me.”

“Cameras can be horribly cruel. Once the movie is over, I’ll relax a bit.” She frowned. “What did you want to talk to me about?” She indicated for us to have a seat on one of the chairs surrounding the kitchen table.

“Normally, we wouldn’t discuss anyone who’s staying in the hotel with any other guests,” I said. “But we feel you have a right to know that Darryl’s ex-wife is going to be staying in the Presidential Suite.”

“According to what we’ve read, she could cause both Darryl and you trouble if she somehow made it to the guesthouses or heard about you,” said Rhonda.

“We had to move her out of a stay in a house to accommodate Darryl’s longer one,” I said. “If Everly found out, it could be a problem because she’s already out to confront him on other issues.”

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