Page 68 of Nightcaps at The Beach House Hotel

“That’s very honorable,” I said. “I just hope it doesn’t ruin a beautiful, growing relationship. Abbie works with well-known people and knows how to handle herself.”

“Thanks for your concern,” said Emma. “I wish you two would talk to him. I’ve never seen him this happy with someone. He even talked about a future that they wanted together.”

“Okay,” said Rhonda. “When you’re ready to go back to the house, I’m going with you.”

“Me, too,” I said. When Rhonda got her mind made up about something, there was no use trying to talk her out of it.

We chatted for a while, answering Emma’s questions about running a hotel, and then she said, “I suppose I should head back. Darryl will be wondering where I am.”

“We’re going with you,” Rhonda said, rising to her feet.

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When we arrived at the house, Darryl and Rand were sitting on the lanai talking. Both men rose as the three of us approached them.

“Hi, there,” said Darryl. “Rand, I don’t believe you’ve met Rhonda Grayson, Ann’s partner.

Rand beamed at Rhonda, and as they shook hands, I noticed how her cheeks grew flushed with color.

“Nice to meet you. Welcome to The Beach House Hotel,” Rhonda said.

“It’s my pleasure to be here. As Darryl told me, it’s a perfect place to hide out and be able to be yourself,” said Rand. He glanced at Emma as she left the room.

“Darryl, can we talk?” Rhonda said.

Rand held up his hand. “Nice to meet you both. I’ll leave you to yourselves. It’s time for me to return to my house.”

As he left the room, my eyes weren’t the only ones focused on his butt before I faced Darryl. “We don’t mean to pry, Darryl, but Rhonda and I are concerned that you don’t want Abbie to come here to support you.”

“We and Emma know how she feels about wanting to help you, and we support you both,” said Rhonda. “What’s the problem?

Darryl ran a hand across his bald head and sighed. “Abbie is someone very special to me. I don’t want her name dragged into the mud along with mine. It’s going to get nasty. I want to protect her.”

“That’s sweet,” I said. “But we and your sister are concerned you’re pushing her away when you should be together.”

“I appreciate your concern,” he said. “Now, I’m ready for something to eat.”

He left, and Rhonda and I faced one another.

“That’s it,” I said. “We’ve done what Emma asked us to do. Now, we have to let it go.”

“Okay, but I hope he hasn’t ruined the match,” sighed Rhonda. “I could even envision a beach wedding for them.”

“That, my friend, is out of our hands,” I said, throwing an arm around Rhonda. “Time to get back to work.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

That evening as Vaughn and I watched the news on television I was astounded by how quickly many people either defended or trashed Darryl. Some from years back when he was just a kid. The ones who claimed he wasn’t as nice, as funny, or as kind as others said, seemed to have an agenda of their own.

The person I was most interested in was Darryl’s accuser. She was someone who others at the network didn’t like. The network had fired her before Darryl made his decision not to renew his contract. Some claimed she was after the money; others claimed she wanted her job and reputation back.

It hurt me to see this. I just couldn’t believe this claim to be true. And if it was judged to be false, this untrue claim hurt all women, not just one.

My cell phone rang.

“Hi, Tina, what’s up?” I asked her.

“What’s going on with Darryl and Abbie? She’s very upset that he won’t allow her to come to Florida. What happened? I thought they were much more than friends.”

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