Page 22 of Bubbles at the Beach House Hotel

I couldn’t help chuckling, and she joined in. “I love having fun with our guests.”

“Well, we’d better start thinking of how we’ll have fun with them if Hurricane Marlene keeps heading our way. I’m starting to get worried.”

Rhonda shook her head. “You know how those weather reports go. It’s all a bunch of excitement until it fades away with a false alarm.”

“True, but as always, we must prepare for the worst and hope for the best,” I said. It was a nuisance, but when the time came, we all had to pitch in to protect the hotel and our own properties.”

“What else is going on? Are you going to handle the governor’s group dinner tonight?” asked Rhonda.

“Yes, I promised Annette I’d take care of it. It’s her night off.” I sighed. “Vaughn was planning to leave tomorrow, but he’s leaving this afternoon instead. So, Robbie and I will be alone once more.”

“How’s my favorite godson doing?” Rhonda asked. “I want to make it to one of his swimming meets.”

“Robbie is doing fine. He’s such a thoughtful kid. He told me he wants to be a doctor when he grows up and that he wants to help old people like Stephanie and Randolph Willis.”

“That’s so sweet. Stephanie wouldn’t like the old part, but she’d be touched by the thought. From hotel guests to family. That’s the best part,” said Rhonda.

A couple of years ago, Stephanie and Randolph had an issue with their room reservation and ended up spending Christmas at my house with Vaughn and Robbie. Instead of being an inconvenience, it had cemented a beautiful relationship between Robbie and them. With all of us, really.

We went over the budget for our annual Thanksgiving celebration at the hotel and then prepared to meet with Bernie and Jean-Luc. It was easy to attract people to our fantastic Thanksgiving buffet, but we wanted to get guestrooms filled for the event. By offering a variety of packages, we were able to do a satisfactory job of it.

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As soon as the meetingwith Bernie and Jean-Luc was over, I headed home to spend some time with Vaughn before he left for Canada. It was always difficult to say goodbye, but I did my best not to show it because I didn’t want him to feel guilty about leaving us.

Cindy didn’t rush to greet me when I walked into the house. I stepped onto the lanai, and as I’d suspected, she was sprawled on Vaughn’s lap, staying close until he left. She’d miss him as much as Robbie and I did.

Vaughn patted the empty seat on the couch next to him, and I sat down and leaned against him as his arm came around me.

“I should be home for Thanksgiving,” he said. “I saw that Hurricane Marlene might be heading to New Orleans. They’re already warning people to get ready for it.”

“Rhonda and I already talked about it. When we know for sure if and where it will land, we’ll take care of the hotel. I’ll clear the pool area here at the house and use the electric hurricane shutters if necessary.”

“Thanks. It’s great that we have those shutters,” said Vaughn. “Using them saves a ton of work.”

“I hope it doesn’t come to that. Our special group of women in the guesthouse didn’t bargain for a hurricane.”

“Just so everyone is safe,” said Vaughn.

“Amen,” I said. “It can be such a stressful time.”

“I hope you understand that I’m not in charge of the shooting schedule for the film,” said Vaughn. “I won’t be able to help except to give you encouragement.”

“Of course. You have your job to do. Robbie and I will miss you, but we’ll be all right. Cindy, too.”

Cindy’s ears perked up, and she wagged her tail as if to say that we’d be okay without him. However, the dog and I knew the days ahead wouldn’t be the same as we faced new challenges.

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