by Judith Keim
“Hi, Mom!” Robbie waved at me and then did a handstand in the shallow end of the pool.
I laughed, loving the way he showed off to please me.
“How are things going, Elena? Schoolwork going well?”
She let out a sigh. “I’ll have two more courses completed at the end of this semester. I’ll take courses through the summer too.”
“Great. At this rate, you’ll get your Master’s degree in Psychology before you know it.”
“From my position, it isn’t as easy as that. But yes, I’m hoping to move forward as quickly as possible between work and helping Troy. How are you, Ann? You said you have another Neighborhood Association meeting to attend. That’s never easy.”
“Don’t I know it.” I sat in a chair by the pool and gazed up at the sunny sky, watching puffs of clouds drift by like dollops of marshmallow. Neighborhood meetings under the presidency of Brock Goodwin were always annoying because he repeatedly forced us to defend ourselves, our actions, and our hotel.
“Troy and I think we’ve found a house to buy. It’s not in the best of condition, but we’re willing to work to renovate it. The neighborhood is going through a revitalization, so it makes sense to get in before the improvements drive the house values way up.”
I turned to her. “That makes me so happy. You two are such a wonderful pair.” At one time, everyone at the hotel had been a little in love with hunky Troy, who was as nice as he was handsome.
Just then, Rhonda showed up. “Figured it was margarita time. I brought a pitcher of them we all can share. I don’t know about you, but with everything that’s going on, I need a little girl-time break.”
“Sounds wonderful. Elena, join us when you can. I’ll set things up on the lanai.”
Sitting with my best friend, sipping a tasty cocktail, I felt my body begin to relax. I treasured these moments away from the hotel and work, a time to share other things going on in our lives. And I knew after the morning with Katherine, Rhonda needed a lot of soothing.
After Robbie got out of the pool and changed his clothes, Elena joined us. She eagerly showed us photos of the house she and Troy were considering.
“Better grab it quick,” said Rhonda.
“We had first right of refusal, but Troy just called to tell me he made an official offer.”
“Sounds good. Rhonda is right. When something like that comes along, it’s a good idea to move quickly. It’s an attractive house that hasn’t received much love lately. But I can tell the bones of it are good.”
Later, I told Rhonda I’d see her at the meeting, went into my bedroom, and changed clothes. Dorothy was on the board and had promised me we’d get lots of support.
###
When I walked into the meeting room, I was relieved to see Will and Rhonda had saved me a seat next to them. After going through so many of these gatherings, I told myself there was no need to be worried, but upon seeing Brock and his cronies at the front of the room, my pulse quickened.
Dorothy hurried over to me as I sat down. “Hi, Ann. Glad you’re here. I’ve requested your topic be brought up right away, so you don’t have to spend the whole evening here. Hopefully, Brock will follow through.”
“Thanks, Dorothy. I appreciate it,” I said, skeptical that it would happen.
“Don’t get your hopes up, Dorothy,” grumbled Rhonda.
“Guess we’d better get ready for a long night,” I said.
“I’ll stay as long as I can,” said Will. “We promised Rita we wouldn’t be too late. She’s had a tough day.”
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Drew has decided to become a painter, using peanut butter instead of watercolors.”
“He painted an entire wall of the playroom with it before Rita caught him,” said Rhonda. “He used it like fingerpaints. Actually, he’s pretty artistic.”
I laughed. Rhonda adored her son.
“The meeting of the Neighborhood Association will now come to order,” Brock announced, pounding a small wooden gavel on the table.
As we listened to various reports, I grew nervous. The gate we wanted would keep people on the beach from traipsing through our hotel, disturbing our guests. It was a very reasonable request, especially considering it would be on our own property. I couldn’t imagine why others in the neighborhood would object to it. But, with Brock, there was always a twist.
Tonight was no exception. By the time the board got to our request, some of the people in the audience were getting ready to leave.
Dorothy, sitting at the head of the room with other board members, stood. “Please don’t leave, people. This will be a quick, easy decision.” She turned to Brock. “It should never have come to this. Ann and Rhonda informed the board what they were doing out of courtesy. You’ve made it into something that it shouldn’t be.”
Brock’s blue eyes blazed with fury. “As president of the board, I must protect my neighbors’ interests. It’s well and good they so-called informed us, but it’s up to me to see that things are done in such a way that it doesn’t damage our neighborhood. Trying to deal with Rhonda and Ann hasn’t been easy.”
“Read your statement, Brock, so it can be discussed quickly and voted on,” said Dorothy, her eyes sparking with anger behind her thick glasses.
Brock stood. “The owners of The Beach House Hotel have requested the board’s approval of their putting in a gate leading from the beach onto their property. Some members of the board feel that a gate will change the way our section of the beach is perceived and may lead to others doing the same, discouraging people from using the beach.”
I stood. “As one of the owners of the hotel, may I speak?”
Brock pounded his gavel. “You have just a minute to make your case.”
I ignored his attempt at riling my temper, while Rhonda fidgeted in her seat beside me, unable to hold back.
“This issue should never have become a problem for the board. I want to assure all our neighbors here tonight that the gate is being erected on our property, not on the public beach, and is designed to be unobtrusive to those walking by. It is, however, necessary to protect our guests from intruders joining them by the pool, as one person recently did.”
“I say we bring this to a quick vote,” said Dorothy. “All in favor, raise your hands.”
Several hands were raised.
“Anyone object?”
Brock responded, clearly irritated, “Dorothy, I, not you, have the right to ask those questions. Now let’s start again. Any discussion?”
The room was quiet.
“All right. For the time being, we won’t object to the request by The Beach House Hotel to go ahead and install a gate. However, have it noted that a group of us will take a look at it after it’s in place.”
“Bullshit!” Rhonda said in a stage whisper everyone around them heard.
“You’re out of order, Rhonda,” yelled Brock, pounding his gavel on the table.
I turned and faced the crowd still on my feet. “You know us well enough to be assured it will be done nicely.”
“That’s right,” said an older man who’d supported us in the past. “Before Rhonda bought the property, it was in need of many maintenance issues that the former owners couldn’t afford. It’s been a blessing to all of us that Ann and Rhonda have turned the estate into such a beautiful property.”
“It adds to the values of our homes,” another man said.
“I see no reason for our board to keep making a problem over every request you make,” added a woman in the audience.
“Remember that the next time the election of officers takes place,” said Dorothy.
Brock pounded his gavel. “Without further ado, this meeting has ended.”
He stood and walked over to me. “I hope you’re satisfied that you’ve turned this into a vendetta against me.”
I smiled sweetly while I just wanted to slap his face. “I haven’t said a word about that. Other people in the neighborhood have spok
en about it. Not me.”
Will and Rhonda drew close.
“’ Evening, Brock,” said Will. “I hope you’re not threatening Ann. I’d hate to have to bring it to someone else’s attention.”
“I haven’t threatened her at all, but I am disappointed that Ann and Rhonda don’t respect the others in the neighborhood.”
“You mean they don’t respect you,” Will said, nodding. “I’d agree with that. Me too. Good night.”
“That bastard,” mumbled Rhonda as we headed out the door.
We’d won this battle, but I knew there would be more.
CHAPTER NINE
When I arrived home, I was bone-tired. Brock Goodwin always made me feel as if I’d been dealing with a serpent.
I bid Elena goodnight and crept down the hallway to check on Robbie. I quietly opened the door. Trudy’s eyes studied me as I walked over to the bed.
Stretched out atop the blanket, Robbie seemed as if he’d grown inches overnight. My heart filled with love. Who knew my ex-husband, who’d treated me so cruelly, would end up giving me such a gift? When I looked at this sweet boy, I tried to remember the good times I’d shared with Robert. After all, he’d also given me my precious daughter.
I bent over and kissed Robbie’s cheek. Trudy’s tail thumped against the blanket, and I patted her, then left the room. The best way I knew of to move past a meeting with Brock was to talk to Vaughn.
I locked up the house and went into my bedroom. After taking care of my nightly ritual, I slid into bed and lifted my phone to make the call.
He answered right away. “Hey, hon! I was just getting ready to phone you. I called earlier, and Elena told me you were at a Neighborhood Association meeting. How did that go?”
“As well as could be expected. It was a non-issue that Brock placed at the bottom of the list of things to be discussed. Typical behavior for him.”
“The guy is a total ass. I get it. So, no problem with the gate?”
“He’s now saying it will be inspected after it’s installed. Honestly, the man is impossible. But no matter how hard he tries, we’ll fight him on this issue and the next and the next.”
“Some people get a thrill out of being in a position like his. Why doesn’t someone run against him?” asked Vaughn.
“He has a small cadre of people who like what he’s doing. Besides, no one else wants the job.”
Vaughn lowered his voice. “Enough of him. I’m missing you. What are you wearing, Mrs. Sanders?”
Even though he couldn’t see me, I felt my cheeks heat. We loved playing this game, wishing we were together. “Well, if you were here, you would see that I’m wearing my PJs, not the usual filmy stuff I wear when you’re here.”
“It doesn’t matter. Whether I’m there or here, I imagine you with nothing on.”
“When do you think you’ll be home again?” I asked, playing my own imagination game.
“Not soon enough,” he growled. “The producers have us on a tight schedule because of Darla’s introduction to the show. Rumors are already spinning, but I had a talk with Darla, and she’s agreed there will be no romance between us.”
“That sounds like a big improvement over Lily. I’m glad,” I said. “With Angela’s baby due in a week, my visit to New York won’t be anytime soon.”
“How’s that going? Wasn’t Angela’s mother-in-law due to arrive soon?”
“Katherine arrived this morning. Rhonda made me go with her to the airport to pick her up, and I have to say, Katherine Smythe is a difficult woman. You’ll be pleased to know she’s told all of her friends that you and she are pretty close.”
Vaughn surprised me by laughing. “So, I’ve heard. She’s requested eight seats in the audience for our annual open rehearsal, telling the producers that we’re good friends.”
“Well, it’s going to be a long two weeks with her here with Angela.”
“How are things going with Lindsay and the vice president?”
“Amelia is going to hold a press conference in the library at the hotel. I haven’t heard anything else about it.”
“I’m proud of the way you and Rhonda handle prominent people at the hotel. A class act.”
“Thank you, Vaughn. We try our best, even when guests don’t make it easy.”
“I spoke to Robbie earlier. How do you think he’s doing? He still seems excited about school.”
“He’s a bright boy who likes learning. I’m hoping to keep that enthusiasm going. He had another swim lesson today with Elena. We’ll get him signed up for sailing at the Yacht Club as soon as the program opens for the summer.”
“Sounds good. I’d better go. I have to get up early.”
“Good night, sweetheart. I love you,” I said, wondering if he realized how important he was to me. He’d shown me in so many ways that I was loveable, and I could trust him.
“Love you too,” he said and clicked off the call.
I lay back against the pillow. I’d learned making small talk discussing the day’s activities was as important as the physical aspects in building a friendship within a marriage.
###
The next day, when I was sitting in my office going over the invitation list for our spring brunch, I was surprised to see Amelia and her Secret Service agent at the door.
“Hi! C’mon in. Rhonda and I are just working on plans for our annual spring brunch.”
“You’re not hiding out anymore?” Rhonda said.
Amelia shook her head. “No, I want people to know I’m here so Lindsay can have a little break. Jean-Luc has asked her to his house for dinner and a walk on the beach away from here.”
“Sounds like a good idea,” I said. “We don’t want her to feel like a prisoner at the hotel, and his house is in a quiet spot.”
“Well, like it or not, it’s important to lay low. Thomas Thaxton is used to getting his way, and he’s upset about divorce papers being served to him.” Her lips thinned. “Some jerks don’t get it. I’m sorry I ever introduced them. Edward Thaxton isn’t like his brother, but he should’ve warned me that Thomas was a troubled man.”
“Isn’t he in a rehabilitation program?” I asked as a shiver traveled across my shoulders. I’d read enough stories in the news about women being stalked after spurning a man. And divorce was a huge, final break in a relationship.
“For the time being, he is,” said Amelia. “But Debra will stay with Lindsay until I feel it’s safe for her to be alone. The president and I have discussed the situation, and though he won’t tell his brother where she is, he’ll try to reason with him about the circumstances.”
“When is the news conference?” I asked.
“That’s what I want to talk to you about. I’d like to hold it here at noon tomorrow if that’s all right with you. Bernie has cleared the room for me but said I should discuss it with you.”
Rhonda and I exchanged satisfied glances. We liked that Bernie included us with the running of the hotel though he’d made it plain he was in charge, as we’d hired him to be.
“That’s great,” said Rhonda. “We thought we’d invite a few of the city council members. Does that sound okay to you?”
“We like to keep close ties with them because the president of our Neighborhood Association can make things difficult,” I explained.
Amelia laughed. “I get it. Politics are the same everywhere. No problem with inviting them to come. We’ve invited Governor Horne to attend. We’ll finalize plans with the local networks to provide coverage for the major ones. And Terri Thomas from the Sabal Daily News has requested an interview following the announcement.”
“That should take care of everyone, I imagine,” I said.
“There’s plenty of room in the library for all of them,” Rhonda added. “But not much more with all the equipment.”
Amelia’s lips curved. “I’m delighted I thought to come here. It’s been perfect so far.”
“I’m pleased to hear it,” I said. “If it’s at all possible, I’
d love for you to join Rhonda and me for margaritas later this afternoon. It’s become a ritual every so often, whenever we can squeeze it into our schedules, to take a moment to relax in our hotel and remind ourselves of what’s important in running the place. It’s easy to get caught up in stuff that doesn’t matter.”
“Oh, I know what you mean. I’d love to join you. Sounds like fun. You’re so lucky to be friends as well as business partners.”
“I wasn’t always sure it would happen,” said Rhonda, grinning at me. “We’re quite different.”
“Oh, really?” said Amelia, grinning at us. “You two are a great team. Anyone who’s met you says it.”
I glanced at Rhonda. We were as different as could be. In looks as well. While she was tall, blonde, and well-padded, I was short and thin, had blue eyes, and had dark hair worn straight to my shoulders. When we’d first met, she’d told me not to be so beige. This coming from a woman who dyed her hair, wore colorful caftans, used too much makeup, had huge diamonds sparkling on fingers, ears, and toes, and had a loud, raucous laugh.
“Rhonda’s the best,” I said, meaning it.
“Annie’s come a long way,” said Rhonda, bursting into loud laughter.
Amelia and I looked at one another and joined in.
###
On a whim, I decided instead of going home for lunch, I’d take a selection of tea sandwiches and little pastries to Angela as a surprise. Angela was like my own daughter, and I wanted to see for myself how she was doing with her mother-in-law.
I drove up to the house, surprised to see Angela’s van in the driveway with a couple of doors open and nobody in sight.
Curious, I pulled up behind the vehicle and got out. Carrying the food I had carefully boxed up, I went to the front door. From inside, I could hear a child crying and voices raised in argument. I rang the bell and waited.
The voices quieted, and Angela opened the door. Her eyes were red-rimmed, but her lips curved when she saw me.
“Surprise! I brought some treats for you for lunch. A gift from the hotel.”
“Oh, Ann, that’s very nice.” Her voice shook. “I’m sure Katherine will love it as much as I will. Come on in.”
