Page 56 of Bubbles at the Beach House Hotel

I used to like to have things properly planned, but with the uncertainty of our job requirements, I’d learned long ago to roll with whatever happened.

###

Ifound Rhonda in theemergency waiting room, pacing the floor. I hurried over to her and gave her a hug. “Any news?”

She nodded. “They’re scheduling him for stent surgery.”

“Were you able to see him?” I asked her.

“Yes, but he was already on his way into surgery, so I could only say how much I loved him.” Rhonda’s voice shook. “They said the blockage was pretty severe.”

“What brought this on?” I asked her.

Rhonda sighed. “The first night we were there, we had dinner and relaxed in our cabin. We agreed not to talk about business until we both had a chance to unwind. The next day, we read and relaxed on the beach, took naps, and ...” Rhonda’s cheeks turned red.

“And dinner?” I asked before Rhonda could say anything more.

“We ate an early dinner and kept it fairly light.”

“When did you get him here?”

I woke up around six this morning, and Will was out of bed, just sitting in a chair. I knew something was wrong. After speaking to him, I called the front desk for help. We made the water crossing and got here to the hospital in record time. They said the surgery usually takes from thirty minutes to two hours.”

Rhonda continued, “The hotel keeps a doctor on call, and when he heard the symptoms, he said to get him here as fast as we could. A staff member from the hotel accompanied us.”

“That was important, something we’ve done at our hotel. But it’s probably time for another training session for our staff.”

“Yes, I thought of that too,” said Rhonda.

“What can I do to help? Would it relieve your mind if I checked you out of the hotel and packed up your things?” I asked.

“Yes, maybe you can go there with me after the procedure,” said Rhonda. “For now, I need you here.”

I hugged her. “Not a problem. How about breakfast? Can I get you some coffee and something to eat?”

Rhonda rubbed her stomach. “Actually, yes. I’ve been too upset to think about food, but it sounds good now that you’re here. We can go to the surgical waiting room. That’s supposed to be more comfortable than here.”

“Okay, let’s go.” I took her arm, and we followed directions to the elevator and up to the surgical floor.

When we went into the ladies’ room, Rhonda looked in the mirror at herself. “I didn’t realize I was such a mess. I just threw on the same caftan I wore yesterday and didn’t realize I’d spilled something on it. I’ve got a comb in my purse.”

“You’re fine. No one cares. I’ll leave you to this and get us some coffee and something to eat.” I left Rhonda and went to the café, where I bought coffee and two sweet rolls.

“You’re an angel,” said Rhonda when I handed her a cup of coffee and a cinnamon treat and then sat down beside her.

“The sweet rolls can’t compare to Consuela’s, but it’s something to eat,” I said.

“Nothing can compare to hers,” said Rhonda before taking a sip of coffee.

After we finished eating, I sat quietly with Rhonda. I knew her well enough to know when she was ready to talk, she would.

“I’m not sure what’s going on with Will. He said he’d discuss a concern with me and then backed off, telling me it was nothing for me to worry about, that he’d taken care of it.”

“Will’s so competent; I’m certain that if he told you not to worry, he meant it,” I said.

Rhonda gave me a thoughtful look. “But I don’t think it’s something that just happened. He’s been unusually quiet about work. Not that he can share any confidential information. Angela said Reggie’s been preoccupied lately. Maybe it has something to do with that.”

“Both Will and Reggie are straightforward men. If there were anything either you or Angela should know, they would tell you.”

---