Page 10 of Nightcaps at The Beach House Hotel

“I’m hoping to come home in a week or so. Tell Robbie to have the boat ready. “

“I will.”

“Ann? Do you have any idea how much I love you? Having you waiting for me at home with our family means the world to me. You’re the anchor I need.”

“And you’re the wind I need,” I said, meaning it with my entire being. I hadn’t known real love until I met and married him.

He chuckled softly. “How about a private cruise on the boat so we can make love under the stars.”

“You know I love stargazing,” I said, teasing him.

We laughed together and then after catching him up on family news, we said goodnight.

I couldn’t wait for him to come home.

CHAPTER FOUR

One day, after dropping Robbie off at school for an early morning swim practice, I decided to go to the hotel and check on things there. Darryl had mentioned walking on the beach, and I wanted to see if he’d been able to do that. The exercise might do him good, provided he had the isolation he needed.

It was quiet at the hotel. I walked through it and out to the beach. I saw a couple holding hands walking together, an older woman looking for shells, and in the distance, a man I thought might be Darryl walking towards me.

I headed in his direction. Before he reached me, I noticed Abbie Hathaway jog by him. She stopped beside me as Darryl approached us.

“Good morning,” I said and waited to see how they’d react to each other. I couldn’t introduce them to each other and keep to a privacy policy.

“Nice to see you here, Ann,” said Abbie. She turned to Darryl. “You, too. I’m Abbie Hathaway, a personal trainer.”

Darryl smiled shyly. “Really? I could use one. Do you have any free time?”

Abbie studied him, and I noticed Darryl tighten his stomach. “Yes, I do have some free time.”

“Okay, great,” he said. “I’m Darryl, and I’m staying in one of the houses on the property. Maybe we could discuss setting up a schedule.”

“Fine. I’m staying in the other house. A little later, I’ll walk over to talk to you.”

“Okay, we’ll meet there.” Darryl walked away from us.

Abbie looked at me. “I didn’t dare tell him I knew who he was. I almost didn’t recognize him in that baseball cap. But Darryl Douglas is so well known that he’s going to have trouble going unnoticed.”

“Maybe after working with him, he won’t be as recognizable,” I said, not unkindly. “Where’s Tina?”

“I can be a tough trainer but even I know the importance of Tina getting rest. We start training at nine. And she can be stubborn. But I guess you know that. She told me all about her first stay here at the hotel.”

“It was touch and go for a while, but Tina settled down after we were able to trust one another. She was one of our first guests to require complete seclusion, but we’ve had a lot since then.”

Abbie indicated the space around us. “This is beautiful. No wonder everyone talks about The Beach House Hotel being very special.”

“Thanks. Rhonda and I try to keep that feeling going by insisting on a great staff eager to please. Bernhard Bruner manages the hotel for us, and he has a stellar reputation. We’re lucky to have him.”

“Guess I’d better go and get ready to work out with Tina,” said Abbie.

“Will it be a problem working with both Tina and Darryl?” I asked.

Abbie grinned. “I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.” She trotted away, and I thought maybe she wasn’t as shy as I’d first thought.

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When Rhonda arrived at the hotel, I filled her in on my meeting with Darryl and Abbie on the beach.

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