Page 54 of Nightcaps at The Beach House Hotel

I ended the call and sat in my seat with a sigh. The woman irritated me no end. After what she’d done to Vaughn, I never wanted to deal with her again.

“What does she want now?” asked Rhonda.

I filled her in. “You know how you got a bad feeling about Everly? That’s how I’m feeling about Lily.”

“Oh my God! Do you think she’s going to die at the hotel?” said Rhonda looking aghast.

“What? No. Though I bet a lot of people would be glad to have her gone. Tina warned me not to let Lily get close. As if I would!”

“The Sabal Book Club is having their big luncheon here today. Let’s hope Lily doesn’t want to introduce herself to them for business purposes,” said Rhonda. “I’m going to talk to Bernie about it. Want to come?”

I shook my head. “No, thanks. I need to work on the financials for that event and the wedding to make sure everything is taken care of. Besides, I want to check with Lorraine to follow up on Lily’s request.”

Rhonda left, and I tried to focus on numbers. Instead, images of Lily interfering with the wedding plagued me. I finally got up and went to talk to Lorraine.

As I crossed the lobby to get to Lorraine’s office, I heard someone call my name and turned to see Lily rushing toward me.

“Wait right there. I need to get a photo of you for my website. It will be publicity for the hotel,” said Lily coming up to me.

Lily was a woman in her forties who looked as if the sun and alcohol, or maybe something worse, had taken a toll on her skin. She wasn’t a pleasant person. The way her lips curled with distaste even as she tried to smile at me made me hesitate.

I held up my hand to stop her. “Hello, Lily. I’m sorry but I’m busy.”

I turned to walk away.

She grabbed me by the shoulder and turned me around. “I know you didn’t like the little game the producer and I were playing, but it wasn’t meant to hurt you. I can help Vaughn, and you can help me.”

“Vaughn can handle himself,” I said. “I told you I’m busy, and I am.” I looked up to see Bernie closing in on us.

“Go along, Ann. I can take care of this,” he said, and I hurried away, thankful for his presence. I didn’t want to make a scene in front of our guests, but I was NOT going to allow Lily to pull me into her net, like a spider capturing a morsel in its web.

I entered Lorraine’s office and let out a long sigh.

“Everything alright, Ann?” Lorraine asked, giving me a look of concern.

“It’s just one of our guests, Lily Dorio. She’s the one I wanted to talk to you about. Did she by any chance get her seat at the head table at dinner?”

A look of distaste crossed Lorraine’s face. “No, she didn’t. The groom didn’t like it when she asked. He’s an older man who’s recently been divorced and he’s marrying the young woman he was seeing before his marriage ended. One reason he came to the hotel is because we’re known for being discreet and he wants to keep the news of his wedding quiet. He doesn’t even know Lily.”

“Did you speak to Lily yourself and make that clear?” I asked her.

She nodded. “I must say, she’s a very aggressive person. She’s trying to turn this wedding into something about her. Even the bride is disgusted with her.”

“Please talk to Annette about the situation, so she’s aware,” I said. “I’m very grateful to you, Laura, and Annette for handling these details. Rhonda and I are welcoming guests to the hotel for the bulk of people arriving this morning, but we’ll leave it to you pros to handle the dinner tonight and brunch tomorrow. As usual, Rhonda and I will observe the wedding.”

“We’ll do what?” Rhonda said, joining us.

“I mentioned that you and I will, as usual, observe the wedding,” I said.

“Oh, yes,” said Rhonda. “It’s very important that everything goes well, and weddings are usually so touching. We’ve had all kinds of weddings here. Each one is special.”

“For good and bad reasons,” I said, remembering a few terrible situations. “But, like Rhonda, I love weddings.”

We left Lorraine and went to the front desk to check on arrivals. Several people on the bride’s side were arriving in a group from New Jersey. At the sign of the two limos arriving with them, Rhonda and I stepped outside to the top of the stairs.

“How many times would you guess we’ve stood here like this?” said Rhonda.

“More than I can count. But I find it exciting to discover who’s arriving next. Standing here, I sometimes still can’t believe the hotel is ours.”

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