Page 46 of Nightcaps at The Beach House Hotel

My thoughts spinning, I served more drinks and prepared to dish out the dinners. Rhonda had several charities she worked with. I wondered if she could come up with some ideas for Darryl.

The sun had gone down and the wind had eased a bit, making it pleasant for eating our meal. The boat rocked softly as we quietly dined, and I imagined we all were thinking of Darryl’s dilemma.

After dinner, I rinsed the dishes below and chatted with Abbie as the men talked.

“I admire Darryl’s decision,” I told her.

“Me, too,” she said. “He’s a wonderful man. We’ve done a lot of talking. About everything. I’m not sure where it’s going, but we both want to see if our relationship can grow. We’ve only met recently, but I’m hoping he’ll come to California for a visit.”

“Rhonda will be thrilled,” I said. “In her mind, she had the two of you paired off from the beginning.”

Abbie laughed. “Really?”

“Oh, yes. Rhonda considers herself a talented matchmaker. Just so you know.”

“I love it,” said Abbie. “I’m going to believe this relationship of Darryl’s and mine can work out because of her.”

We smiled together, and I realized how much I liked her.

“How about some nightcaps?” Vaughn said. “It’s been a great evening, and it would be nice to sit and talk and enjoy a dessert wine.”

“Sounds fine with me,” said Darryl glancing at Abbie.

“Thanks. That would be enjoyable,” Abbie said. “Tomorrow, we’ll work doubly hard to work off these calories.”

Darryl groaned, and we all laughed.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

That night, lying in bed with Vaugn, I told him about my conversation with Abbie.

“I like them both. Darryl seems like a super guy, not like some other self-absorbed comedians I’ve met,” said Vaughn. “And I admire his decision to quit the show. It takes guts and faith to walk away from a successful career.”

“They’ll be staying with us for a few more days,” I said. “Then they’ll go back to the hotel. Tina should be arriving soon to complete her stay. She had to go home to take care of some personal things.”

“It’s not a problem to have Darryl and Abbie here as guests.”

“While I’m at work, do you mind entertaining them?”

“No problem. Darryl and I have already made plans to go sailing again tomorrow. He wants to learn what he can, and I figure nobody will bother us on the water. Abbie told us she might take time to do a little shopping. I shouldn’t have to worry about her.”

“I’ll talk to her in the morning and ask if she’d like to meet Rhonda and me for lunch.” I nestled up against Vaughn, pleased to have him home. Life always seemed much better with him around.

He wrapped his arms around me and gazed down at me with a tender smile. “This, you, are why I can’t wait to come home.”

He lowered his lips to mine and a familiar longing filled me. Soon, we were able to show each other how important it was for both of us.

###

The next morning at the hotel, Rhonda was already at her desk when I walked into the office. “I can always tell when Vaughn is home,” she said to me. “You look so happy.”

I chuckled. “It makes life better when he’s around. How about a walk on the beach? I want to tell you about a conversation I had with Abbie. And I’ve invited her to have lunch with us today. We need to decide when and where.”

“Okay. I want to tell you something I heard about Brock,” she said. “And the best place to do that is on the beach where no one can hear us.”

We headed out. I loved early morning walks with Rhonda. We did our best thinking there.

After wiggling our toes in the sand, we walked to the edge of the water and stood a moment breathing in the salt air. The soothing sound of the waves kissing the shore and pulling away in a shy dance filled my ears and I couldn’t help smiling. If only running the hotel was as peaceful. But then, the business remained interesting by having different guests arriving and departing like the waves in front of me.

---