Page 82 of Bubbles at the Beach House Hotel

“Thank you for saying that,” said Lorraine. “I’ve done a lot of thinking about it, and I won’t let anything come between my friendships with the two of you.”

“I appreciate it,” said Rhonda. “After reading more about the situation online on the local TV website, Will thinks Arthur may be able to work something out. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one whose purchase wasn’t reported to the SEC by the stockbroker.”

“I hope that’s the case because Arthur is devastated. He has many big clients whom he’d hate to disappoint.”

Lorraine and I sat, and we formed a little circle.

“Naturally, I’ve been thinking a lot about this, and I’ve concluded that nothing should come between us,” said Lorraine. “We are three smart, successful women who love our spouses, families, and friends. Whatever happens, we can move forward.”

“I’ve thought about that too,” said Rhonda. “I know Arthur was disappointed that Reggie chose to go into business with Will. I understand. I get that Will wants to prove to Arthur that his business is successful, but this incident has pointed out how foolish it can be. We should simply want the best for everyone.”

“I appreciate your show of support by being here, Lorraine,” I said. “I honestly believe everything will work out however it’s supposed to.”

“Me, too,” said Lorraine. She studied Rhonda and me, then blinked back tears.

Seeing her so emotional, Rhonda and I looked at one another with blurred vision. Women were strong. Even stronger when helping one another.

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The day was as exhaustingas other Thanksgivings and as equally gratifying as requests for rooms and functions grew for the future. But for me, after all the work of providing meals for our guests, it was a time to be together with my hotel family and my own for a quiet late evening.

It was also the day before one of my favorite events of the year—decorating the hotel for Christmas. In those early mornings following Thanksgiving Day, Manny and his crew erected a large, live tree in the front hallway. Then, the decorator we hired would sweep in with her team, along with some members of our staff, to decorate the tree and fill the nooks and crannies of the public rooms and dining rooms with touches of holiday decorations. The timing was important. We wanted as many of our guests as possible to awake to a completely changed décor.

Each year was a bit different. This season, Rhonda and I chose “The Wonder of the Sea” as a theme. I couldn’t wait to see how it would all turn out.

The decorator and her team were due to arrive at eight o’clock.

Though the thought of lingering in bed was enticing, I left Vaughn still asleep and quietly left the house. Lorraine had already gone before me.

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When I arrived at thehotel, the decorator’s van was already parked behind the hotel. As I pulled into a parking space, the staff from Tropical Fleurs, the florist we used for most occasions, pulled their van next to me. They’d worked with the decorator for years and were part of our annual Christmas project.

“Glad to see you,” I said to the gentleman who emerged from the van.

“It’s always nice to be here at the hotel. Especially at this time of day when I can grab some coffee and a sweet roll.”

I laughed. It was a useful way to bribe service people to come to the hotel early in the day.

I went inside the hotel, leaving him and his co-worker to figure out how to unload the van. In all the confusion of Arthur’s dilemma, I forgot to check the arrangements for both of the weekend weddings.

I said hello to Consuela, and instead of going to my office, I went to see Lorraine. Vaughn and I had kept to our promise of allowing Lorraine and Arthur to enjoy total privacy, and after an exhausting day at the hotel, I hadn’t wanted to discuss business with her.

I knocked on her door and opened it.

Smiling, Lorraine called me inside. “Hi, I’m just going over the details for both of the weddings. Now that the decorator is here, I need to make sure the library is set up for the Saturday wedding. The bride chose a Christmas color theme, which makes it easy. I just need to make sure the details are what she wants.”

“And the Sunday wedding? I haven’t heard anything.”

“It’s going to be super easy,” said Lorraine. “It’s the first time we’ve had a wedding in one of the houses. The book club group is staying in House #2. House #1 is where the wedding will take place.”

“Wow!” I said, surprised but pleased by the idea. “Caro said she and Henry wanted a simple wedding. This is as simple as it can get. What about a theme? Decorations? Flowers?”

“Her color scheme is dark green and white. For the house, we’ve planned a white basket with a green ribbon and filled with freesia, orchids, white roses, and dark green leaves. After the service, the party will move to the private dining room, where flowers of a similar nature will sit on the four tables. The tables will be covered in dark green linen.”

“That will be stunning. I can’t wait to see what the bride will be wearing.”

“Caro has been one of my favorite people to work with on this,” said Lorraine. “The couple truly wants it to be simple and easy. It’s a last-minute arrangement, and they don’t want to stress about it.”

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