Page 45 of Nightcaps at The Beach House Hotel

“I’d love some red wine,” said Abbie. She looked to Darryl. “What are you going to have to drink?”

“I’ll take a beer,” said Darryl and gave a thumbs up to Abbie.

Watching the interplay between them, I was charmed.

I went below and fixed a plate of cheese and crackers, added some chilled green grapes to the platter, and handed it up to Abbie. Then I handed drinks up to the others, including a beer for Vaughn.

It was a quiet time of day with the sun descending.

“Look for the green flash,” I said and explained to them when that might happen if all conditions were right.

I climbed into the cockpit and sat with a glass of wine, feeling the tension leave my body.

“Here’s to us!” I said, raising my plastic glass.

Everyone joined in with a cheer, and I leaned back against a cushion and listened to the hiss of the water as the hull of the boat sliced through it. I knew Vaughn’s eyes were on me and swiveled to return his smile. Sailing always seemed to bring us close.

“Tell me a bit about you,” I said to Abbie. “I know you have four older brothers. Where did you go to school? Did you always want to work as a trainer?”

“Before anyone can tease me, yes, I was the spoiled daughter with older brothers,” said Abbie. “But those very brothers teased and heckled me and forced me to be tough. I guess that’s why I don’t have any problem being tough on my clients.”

“I can vouch for that,” said Darryl flexing his arms.

Amid the laughter, Abbie continued. “I decided against sports medicine and studied instead to become a physical therapist and trainer. Believe me, I studied premed classes and have a solid background for the work I do.”

“It’s obvious you love the work,” I said.

“I do,” she said. “It’s fun to meet new people and travel to different places, but it can be difficult, especially when someone doesn’t want to follow the program. Darryl has been an easy client which makes it very nice. Other people aren’t always that committed.”

“I want to make some changes,” said Darryl. “I used to be in great shape and then I got involved with my show and all of my activities became centered around it. Now, it feels great to be physically active again.”

“One of my best students,” said Abbie, patting him on the back.

“What about you, Darryl? What made you get into comedy and then do a late-night gig on television?” said Vaughn.

Darryl gave us a sheepish look. “While Abbie was the darling of her family, I was the spoiled son in mine. My four sisters doted on me. When I was just a toddler, they used to dress me up and make me take part in their family plays. I’m told I liked it before I became aware of the fact that other kids didn’t do that kind of thing. Even now, my sisters are creative in their work and with their hobbies.”

“Rhonda and I watched a program of yours before you came to the hotel. You seemed almost embarrassed when a young actress talked about her sexy new love affair,” I said and then wondered if I’d gone too far.

Darryl’s face grew red, and his lip curled before he drew a deep breath and gazed at the horizon. He turned back.

“That’s one reason I’ve decided to try and get out of my contract. The network is pushing me to be more provocative with my guests without crossing a line. But the truth is, I’m tired of trying to do what the network thinks is going to sell the show. I want to be real, with some good laughs, and not worry about their crazy ideas. And I have another issue my agent is trying to handle. I’m here to stay out of the limelight, and to consider what I want to do next. My agent is dealing with the network and any other problems. That’s what he gets paid to do.”

“Whoa! I heard your show was very lucrative,” said Vaughn. “You’re giving it up?”

Darryl gazed at him and nodded. “Remember those four sisters of mine? They taught me to respect women. The network wants me to have more titillating conversations with my guests, to goad them into saying things they might regret. I’ve finally decided I’ve had enough. That’s not how I’ve been taught to live. In my stand-up routines, I mostly talk about funny things happening in a family or with kids. Good humor that’s not destroying anyone.”

“I admire him for that,” said Abbie. “We’ve talked about it.”

“I support you,” said Ann. “People have become cruel, intrusive.”

“It’s not necessary,” said Vaughn. “Humor that works is based on the unexpected ending. It doesn’t have to be crude or hurtful.”

“I don’t want to be seen on television in any way that depicts me in a bad way. I think of my sisters and what they’d do and say to me if I treated other people in a hurtful way or tore someone down just to get a laugh. I’m tired of fighting to do things my way. I want to be just me.”

“What will you do?” I asked.

“I’m not sure. I’ve got an idea for a project. And relieving the pressure to compete and continually being forced to watch my ratings will make life much better. I want to do something helpful with the money I’ve earned.”

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