by Hugh Dutton
“Hi, Brady, this is Ed Schlatt calling. We want to thank you for thinking of us and passing on such timely information, though that isn’t the reason for my call. In light of recent changes around here, we feel that we may have acted hastily in eliminating your position. We would like for you to return to Beach Haven Resorts, in the management position we have discussed. I am happy to inform you that the salary will be half again your previous scale, and perhaps we can arrange permanent accommodations as well. Look forward to working with you again, guy. Call me back.”
His breath caught and he felt his eyebrows climbing his forehead. Well, there it is, Brady: life on the beach with a six-figure income. Everything you ever dreamed of. He sat motionless for a moment, there in the shadow of the Burgess mansion, then looked up at his reflection in the rearview mirror and realized he was grinning like a fool.
He let the grin grow into a laugh and tapped the seven on the screen, erasing the message. He adjusted his seatback for a long haul and glanced at the dashboard clock. If he drove straight through the night, he might get there in time to wake her up, have her fuss at him for seeing her with bed hair. Maybe even stop by and visit Mom first, see if she would fix him an egg sandwich and her famous cheese grits. He reached for the ignition and checked the clock again. Yep, he could make it. And he wouldn’t have to try to survive another day in paradise.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A native of rural Florida, Hugh Dutton grew up in a succession of small Southern towns until the lure of the big city took him to Atlanta at the age of twenty. After two decades in business there, he hung up his wingtips for the more challenging career of parenthood. He lives in Hawaii, where he now devotes his time to his family and, of course, his books. He is also the author of a previous novel, Supposed to Die.
