Page 80 of Bubbles at the Beach House Hotel

“I mean it,” I said. “You must know Will would never do such a thing. You have to believe that as part of our family. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” said Arthur meekly. “It’s something Reggie mentioned. It was about Will not allowing any of their clients to buy that stock.”

“Will is a very conservative investor, which is why his clients trust him,” said Vaughn quietly. “There isn’t a dishonest bone in his body.”

“I think his suspicions about the stock were what was eating him alive. He didn’t want this to become a family affair. None of us wants that,” I said with enough firmness to make it clear.

“You’re right,” said Arthur, rubbing a hand through his gray hair. “I still don’t have all the facts, and I feel like I can’t trust anyone right now. This should never have happened. The filings were supposed to be done.”

Vaughn clapped him on the back. “Come on inside. Lorraine’s already settling into the guest suite.”

“Thanks. I don’t know how long I’ll stay. I’m trying to get in touch with my partners in New York City. One of them is in the same situation.”

I followed Vaughn and Arthur inside.

Vaughn led him back to the guest wing while I stayed in the kitchen. I’d surprised myself by how strongly I felt about protecting Will and Rhonda. But my first loyalty, in this case, was to them, and it always would be.

There was no chance to talk to Vaughn about it because he returned to the kitchen with Lorraine.

“What can I get you?” I asked Lorraine. “Coffee, tea, lemonade, wine?”

“I’d love a cup of black coffee,” she said. “Thanks so much.”

Arthur entered the kitchen, and Vaughn said, “Hey, Arthur, want to come with me down to my boat?”

“That would be great,” said Arthur, looking relieved he wouldn’t be stuck talking with the two of us women.

After they left, Lorraine said, “I heard what you said to Arthur. The idea of Will Grayson doing anything like turning Arthur in is absurd. Even though I’m married to Arthur, Will is my personal financial advisor.”

“I’m glad to hear how you feel,” I said, handing her a fresh cup of coffee. “Let’s sit on the lanai. We’ll get a view of the men on Vaughn’s boat. There’s no better place to relax.”

We were sitting, not saying much, when I got a phone call from Angela.

I got to my feet. “Excuse me, but I have to take this.” I left Lorraine on the lanai and went into the den to talk privately with Angela.

“Hello, Angela. How are you?”

“Not well. My husband is distraught over what happened with his father. It seems Will recently told Reggie he didn’t like the idea of advising people to buy it, and now it’s become a nightmare for his father. He knows Will would never want to see his father hurt, but they have been so competitive ...” She stopped talking and took a deep, shaky breath.

My eyes widened at the implication. “Will almost died from the stress of holding back his concerns about this stock. He felt Arthur and others, too, might think of his negativity as a competitive thing between them. I’ve talked to your mother and Will about this. The reason he kept quiet was that he didn’t want it to become a family contest. But he understood he had a responsibility to advise his clients not to buy it.”

“Reggie is blaming himself for not talking to his father about it. But how could he? It was confidential business. What am I going to do? I must support both my husband and my father-in-law.”

“Andyour stepfather,” I said crisply. “Andyour mother. I’m disappointed in how you’re treating the best people I know. Perhaps it’s time to take a deep breath and think carefully, Angela. You’ve heard Reggie’s concern about what happened to his father, and subsequently, you have refused to take calls from your mother.”

“What should I do?” asked Angela. “I trust you to tell me your thoughts.”

“I think you should talk to both your parents to have a much clearer perspective from all parties. No matter what, nothing can change the fact that Arthur is caught up in something he shouldn’t be. No one wants this to become an issue that could tear the family apart. Lorraine and Arthur are staying with Vaughn and me, with your parents’ approval.”

“Really? They’d want you to do that?”

“Absolutely. You shouldn’t be surprised by their behavior. That’s the kind of people they’ve always been. There are no sides here, Angela. There have been no attempts from either party to do harm to the other. If Reggie feels guilty that he didn’t tell his father about his concern about his having inside information, it’s something he’ll have to work out for himself. I don’t think anyone is about to blame Reggie for his father’s actions.”

“Okay, I’m going to call Mom now. I ... can’t believe how I’ve acted. I wasn’t ready to talk to her, but now I am. Thanks, Ann. I love you.”

“I love you, too, Angela. You’re like my own.”

I heard sniffling through the phone, and the call ended.

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