Page 7 of Nightcaps at The Beach House Hotel

“Hm-m-m sounds like fun. Do we get to stay at the hotel and test it?” asked Liz, giving me a teasing grin.

“Not exactly,” I said. “But you know I’m willing to take care of the triplets overnight any time Vaughn is home. The two of us can handle them nicely.”

Liz chuckled. “I get it. I don’t know what I’d do without my part-time nanny. Want something cold to drink? Iced tea? Lemonade?”

“Lemonade sounds delicious,” I said, laughing when Olivia tugged on my blouse and said, “I want up.”

I lifted the little girl into my arms and nuzzled her neck. I’d wanted lots of children but had only been able to have Liz. And then, even with the unusual circumstances surrounding it, I now had the joy of being Robbie’s mother. Still, there was something special about grandchildren—as if I had most of the fun and not all the work.

While we sipped our lemonade, Liz and I sat outside on her patio and watched the children run around the yard.

“Mom? You won’t give up on Angie and me having a growing part in running the hotel, will you?”

I studied Liz’s look of concern. “Absolutely not. I understand how frustrated you might be staying at home raising the kids. But we’re already relying more and more on your handling of social media advertising and coming up with creative ideas. When you think about it, the hotel is almost as much a part of your lives as Rhonda’s and mine.”

“Thanks for understanding,” said Liz. “I adore my children, but I want some outside stimulation.”

“I get it, and, believe me, Rhonda and I will be anxious for you and Angie to take over for us when the time is right. Vaughn and I will reach the point where we’ll need to settle down to a more normal life.”

“Is he still working on the movie?” she asked.

“Yes, I miss him but know how important his work is to him.”

Emily started crying and soon all three children were crying. Liz and I jumped to our feet to see what had happened. Olivia and Noah held big rubber balls.

“Where’s your ball, Emily?” I asked, picking her up to soothe her.

Emily pointed to a bush by the fence. “In there.”

“Why don’t we help you get it, and you can stop crying,” I said, giving her a loving squeeze before setting her down on the ground.

Moments later, with the three of them each holding a ball, Liz and I headed back to the patio. I checked my watch. “I’ve got to go. It’s time for Robbie’s swim meet.”

“Wish him luck for me,” said Liz, hugging me. “Thanks.”

“Love you,” I said, hugging her back, realizing how important it was for Liz to feel part of the hotel operation.

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Sitting in the bleachers watching Robbie swim the American crawl, my heart burst with pride. He was an excellent swimmer who loved being active and part of a team. He’d been a toddler when he became ours, but I felt strongly that spending time with Vaughn had helped Robbie learn about going after challenges and being a sport when he didn’t succeed. They spent hours together on Vaughn’s sailboat. Time well spent. Vaughn’s two children, Nell and Ty, had families of their own and lived elsewhere.

Stephanie Willis turned to me. “He won again!” She clapped a hand to her chest. “I’m so proud of him.”

I gave her a quick hug. Stephanie and her husband Randolph were longtime guests of the hotel and had become close to my family. Observing Randolph clapping his approval, I was filled with satisfaction. Since Rhonda and I opened the hotel, we’d brought a lot of people into what I called “our hotel family.” Maybe that’s why many of our guests continued to come back year after year.

My thoughts turned to Darryl Douglas. He was due to arrive in two days.

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Even though Darryl was going to be secreted away in one of our guesthouses, Rhonda and I stood at the top of the stairs at the front of the hotel ready to greet him.

At the sight of his limo driving through the gates of the property, I nudged Rhonda. “Okay, here we go.”

“For better or worse,” she grumbled. Wearing a blue silk caftan, she made me think of a bluebird, my favorite, as her sleeves flapped as she hurried down the steps beside me. In a pale-blue linen dress, I felt plain beside her.

The white limousine pulled to a stop beside us.

We waited for the driver to come around the car and open the door for Darryl.

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