Page 22 of Nightcaps at The Beach House Hotel

Olivia said, “Me! Me!”

Laughing, I hugged each of them.

Liz and Chad appeared at the entrance to the playroom looking relaxed and happy.

“Thanks for watching the T’s,” said Chad. Tall with strawberry-blond hair, he was a computer whiz and had his own consulting company. That was a factor in buying their house. Space above the garage was turned into his office. And though he was often away on calls, it was nice to have him nearby.

“We appreciate it,” said Liz, looking adorable in a sleeveless, flowered dress that showed off her toned arms. “We’re going to grab lunch and then look for a new car for me. It’s time.”

“Have fun. Remember, I must leave here no later than three because I have a VIP wedding at the hotel. Rhonda and Lorraine have been sick, so Laura, Annette, and I are handling it together.”

“No problem,” said Liz. “Have fun with the kids.”

“Is it okay if I allow them to use the splash pool? That might tire them out before naptime.”

“Sounds like a wise idea,” said Chad. He left and returned with the kids’ swimsuits.

After putting fresh water in the pool, Liz hugged each child, said goodbye, and left with Chad.

I sat on the carpet with the kids and played with them. They loved to build blocks into towers and then knock them down. Soon though, squabbling began over ownership of the blocks, and I decided it was time for them to go outside into the splash pool.

I helped them strip down and then got them into their swimsuits.

Feeling like a mother duck, I led them into the kitchen and out the sliding door onto the covered patio where the plastic pool sat.

They ran over to the pool.

Noah was the first to step into it and sit down in the water. Not to be outdone, Emma and Olivia quickly followed, squealing with joy. Such a simple pleasure, I thought, reminding myself to enjoy the rest of the day.

“GeeGee, I want the ball!’ said Emma, indicating the rubber ball lying in the grass not far away.

I retrieved the ball along with two other pool toys. “Here you go. What do you say, everyone?”

A sweet chorus of “Thank you!” followed.

Not caring if I got wet, I sat in a chair beside them, watching them play. As always, I was interested in the interaction between them. They each had moments when they seemed to be in charge either by action or by word. I hoped they always remained as close and loving as they were.

When the children grew tired, I got them out of the pool, stripped off their bathing suits to deal with later, and went inside to get them dressed for their naps. At three, they still needed a nap in the afternoon.

Liz had toilet-trained the children, but I made sure each one went to the bathroom before I tucked them into their cribs. Liz had talked about the cute beds they had for children, and I’d quickly dissuaded her from moving too fast to get them into beds.

Now, as I gazed down at each sleepy child, my heart filled with gratitude for the children Liz thought she might never have. I, too, had struggled to have children and knew what a blessing each one was.

I kissed them and left to go to the patio to take care of the bathing suits and straighten up. No wonder Liz was exhausted every night. I told myself I could remain charming and helpful to the wedding guests and hoped I was right.

###

I arrived home to find Vaughn and Robbie down at the dock with what looked like a new dinghy. I hurried down the hill to check in with them before changing to go to the hotel.

“Success,” said Vaughn. “Robbie chose a great new dinghy forZephyr.

“It’s a beauty,” said Robbie, sounding and acting so grownup that it caught me off-guard after spending time with the triplets.

“It looks great. I’m off to the hotel to work a wedding, but I’ll be home as soon as I can.”

Vaughn came over to me and drew me into his arms. “Remember our wedding?”

“I certainly do. A reason I love seeing other people happily married. And though this couple has some problems to get past, I think they’re going to be fine.”

---