Lunch at the Beach House Hotel

by Judith Keim

  Rhonda was pacing the office when I entered it. She glanced at me. “That woman is a total snob! I bet I have more money than they do, as if that makes a person high society. I’m tellin’ ya, Annie, I’m going to pull Angela aside and make it clear that she’s to have nothing to do with Reggie. It’s a bad situation.”

  “Let’s let things evolve. Arthur told me Reggie isn’t like his mother, so let’s be fair to him.” I wished I could tell her Angela’s secret. That would put a very different spin on the situation.

  Rhonda clenched her fists and glared at me. “If that boy hurts my Ange, he’s going to pay for it big time!”

  “Okay, in the meantime we’ve got to get through the next two days. And, Rhonda, we’re going to do it nicely. Agreed?”

  She shook her head. “No promises. Like I said, if Angela is hurt in any way, nice is out of the question.”

  I drew a big breath and let it out slowly. I loved Rhonda, but I never knew what she’d do next.

  The office door opened and Angela came into the room. “Hi! How did it go? Are they nice?”

  Rhonda and I exchanged glances.

  “We’re just getting to know each other,” Rhonda said tersely.

  Angela swung a worried glance to me.

  I swallowed hard. “Reggie’s father seemed very nice. His mother is a little ... stiff.”

  “Oh,” Angela said, sinking down into one of the chairs. “That bad?”

  “She’s a snob,” scoffed Rhonda. Her eyes filled, but she quickly blinked evidence of tears away.

  Angela noticed and got to her feet. “Did they hurt your feelings, Mom?”

  “Never mind me,” Rhonda said. “It’s you I’m worried about. I don’t want any of them to hurt you.” She put her arms around Angela and hugged her close.

  “So we’re off to a bad start,” I said, forcing a brightness to my voice. “Let’s turn things around and make it pleasant for everyone.”

  A sigh escaped Angela’s lips. “I told Reggie I’d go on up to his parents’ room.”

  “Then you’d better go,” I said.

  Rhonda clasped her hands together. “Do you want me to go with you, sweetie?”

  Angela laughed. “Thanks anyway, Mom. I have to do this on my own.”

  “You’ll be fine,” I said. “Go!”

  “Hold your head up high, Ange. Don’t let anyone treat you badly,” said Rhonda.

  After Angela left, Rhonda and I gave one another worried looks.

  We were still in the office when Angela returned with Reggie.

  “How’d it go?” Rhonda asked Angela.

  Angela shrugged. “Reggie’s dad was real nice, but I don’t think I’m going to get along with his mother.”

  Reggie looked down at the floor and kicked at the carpet with a sneakered foot. When he looked up, he wore a troubled expression. “My mother wants me to marry one of her friend’s daughters. I’ve told her that’s never going to happen. But she won’t listen.”

  “That’s something you two have to decide for yourselves,” I said.

  He shook his head. “My mother doesn’t think so.”

  “We’re stuck with her until Friday morning,” Rhonda said, trying to smile. “So let’s make the best of it.”

  Lunch at The Beach House Hotel was considered a very desirable occasion to celebrate any number of events for both guests and local residents. In fact, our reputation for wonderful lunch offerings had helped our growth tremendously. A broad selection of sandwiches both dainty and hearty accompanied Consuela’s array of soups and salads . Specials of the day were prepared by Jean-Luc’s sous chef, Carl Lamond.

  The large dining room, which was kept casual during breakfast, dressed up nicely with colorful table cloths for lunch and crisp white linens for dinner.

  Rhonda insisted I join them for lunch. Curious to see how Angela would do with Reggie’s parents, I quickly accepted.

  Sabine kept a careful watch on us as we took our seats.

  “Isn’t this nice?” Reggie said, indicating the room.

  His mother smiled. “Yes, it’s very pleasant. It reminds me of our home in Newport.”

  “I like it better,” said Reggie with a stubbornness I admired.

  “It certainly is pleasant after the rainy days we’ve had in New England,” said Arthur agreeably.

  The conversation continued harmlessly until Sabine came over to me. “Ann, Mr. Sanders is on the phone for you.”

  “Vaughn?” I quickly got to my feet. “Thanks. I’ll take it in the office.” I turned to the others. “Excuse me, but I need to take a call.”

  “Say hello to him for me,” said Rhonda. “Wish he could be here, but I know he had personal business to tend to with his son.”

  “Are you talking about Vaughn Sanders, the movie star?” said Katherine in a voice that almost squeaked with excitement.

  “He’s Annie’s fiancé,” said Rhonda. “Or all but. They’re getting married; only they don’t know when.”

  Different emotions flashed across Katherine’s face. “He’s coming here?”

  “I hope so. He’s visiting his son in San Francisco, and then we’ll see.”

  “I’d love to meet him sometime.” A flush crept up Katherine’s cheeks, softening her features. She glanced at Arthur and then back to me.

  I hid a smile. So she was human after all.

  Hurrying to my office, I filled with hope. Maybe Vaughn had decided to try and make it home after all.

  “Hey, sweetheart,” I said cheerfully. “Where are you?”

  “San Francisco. I’ve met the Changs, and all is going well. They’re great people, and they like Ty.”

  “Wonderful. All very different from what’s going on here.”

  After I gave him the details of what was going on, I said, “I wish you could be here.”

  “What? You want me there to charm Katherine Smythe?”

  “No, silly, I want you here to charm me.”

  We laughed together, comfortable with the idea of exactly what I meant by charming me.

  “Actually, I’m on a friend’s private jet now. Should be there in time for dinner. The family engagement party went well, and though Ty and June invited me to one of their young friend’s for Thanksgiving, I bowed out.”

  “Ty didn’t mind?”

  “No, he knows how rarely we can be together.”

  “He’s so sweet! I’ll send him my thanks, and I’ll see you sometime later.”

  I hung up relieved. Vaughn’s presence not only would mean the world to me but would be appreciated by all of us.

  Later, while Rhonda and I were doing an inventory of food for Thanksgiving weekend, Rhonda said, “What do you think, Annie? Is there any hope for Angela and Reggie? Whenever I try to talk to Angela about it, she shuts me down.”

  “Let’s see how the rest of the weekend goes. Having Will at dinner tonight will be a big help. He and Arthur will be able to talk business. And when he arrives, Vaughn can charm Katherine.”

  Rhonda shook her head. “I don’t think anyone can charm that woman.”

  I sat beside Tina in the small dining room with Rhonda’s family and the Smythes, feeling as if some sort of contest was going on. Every time Will said something about business, Arthur had to top it with a story of his own or tell a fact of his own making. Gentle, sweet Will was becoming more and more agitated.

  I turned to Katherine, sitting on the other side of me. “What do you do with your time?”

  “Well, since I don’t have to work, I do a lot of things for charity. It seems only right.”

  “Yes, I agree.” Maybe, I thought, Katherine wasn’t so bad. But her husband was becoming a gigantic ass.

  Angela and Reggie were sitting opposite Tina. The three of them seemed to be getting along, chatting easily with each other. But then everyone but Arthur was trying very hard to be agreeable.

  Sabine served the main course of filets of beef with a bordelaise sauce.

  Rhonda stood and held up h
er glass of sparkling water. “I’d like to make a toast to my daughter, a beautiful girl who has her whole life before her. We love you, honey.”

  I lifted my glass of cabernet. “Hear! Hear!”

  Katherine hesitated for a moment and then lifted her glass, followed by the rest of us.

  Arthur rose. “And I like to toast my son, a young man soon to embark on a new career and a new life with me in New York.”

  Again, glasses were raised. This time with less enthusiasm.

  Reggie got to his feet. “I’d like to toast Angela, a girl who’s opened my eyes to so many things.”

  It was several seconds before glasses were raised. All four parents wore unhappy expressions.

  Afraid the entire evening might be ruined by the conflicting toasts, I quickly rose to my feet. “Here’s to all of us. Health and happiness!”

  This time, all glasses were lifted.

  Vaughn chose that moment to walk into the room.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Vaughn’s presence changed the atmosphere in the room. He came right over to me and gave me a long sweet kiss. Then he turned to Katherine. “Who’s this beautiful young woman?”

  Eyes shining, she smiled coyly at him and gave him her name.

  He returned her smile, sending color into her cheeks. Then he introduced himself to Arthur. After shaking hands with him, Vaughn took a seat next to Katherine.

  “So glad you could come,” said Rhonda, giving him a broad smile. “You’re family, Vaughn, you know that.”

  “Yes. Glad to be here. Thanks for having me.” Vaughn leaned aside so one of the waiters could serve him his meal, the same as we were having. “Speaking of family, how’re you and that baby of yours doing?”

  Rhonda’s cheeks turned a pretty pink. “He and I are doing fine.” She turned to Will. “It’s a boy. Right, honey?”

  His indulgent smile was sweet. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close.

  “You’re having a baby?” Katherine said to Rhonda, clearly shocked. “At your age?”

  “Yes, she is,” said Will. “And we’re thrilled.”

  Katherine stared thoughtfully at Rhonda.

  The conversation turned to other things. Arthur told about an upcoming trip he and Katherine were taking to Europe. Then Katherine, smiling prettily, asked Vaughn questions about his career, and he regaled us with stories of his latest film. I wondered if Tina would mention her experiences in the movie business, but she remained silent, hiding her identity.

  After dinner and before everyone left the dining room, Vaughn made a point of walking over to Angela. He hugged her and spoke to Reggie in a clear voice. “This girl is a golden treasure, young man. Don’t you dare do anything to hurt her.”

  Reggie looked up at Vaughn. “No, sir, I won’t.”

  Katherine joined them and put a hand on Reggie’s shoulder. “My son is good to his friends. Friends like Angela. Friends like Laurel Larkin.”

  The silence that followed was filled with pulsing tension.

  I waited for Reggie to say something, anything, but he simply stared at his mother and shook his head.

  “I think I’m going to go home,” said Angela, breaking into the awkwardness. “I’m tired.”

  “Want me to come with you?” asked Reggie hopefully.

  Angela let out a sigh that spoke volumes. “No.”

  “Wait!” cried Rhonda, but Angela had already turned and was hurrying out of the room.

  Reggie started to go after her, but his father held him back.

  “She’s tired, son,” said Arthur. “Let her go.”

  Katherine turned to Rhonda. “Well, thank you for dinner. I’m going to head on up to our room. It’s been a full day.”

  Rhonda’s eyes were unusually shiny, a sure sign she was trying not to cry. “Yes, indeed, it’s been a full day.” She sank down into a dining room chair.

  Will wrapped an arm around Rhonda. “Let’s get you home.”

  Katherine turned to Reggie. “Don’t stay up late. Remember, we have a busy weekend coming up with the Larkins.”

  Katherine, Arthur, and Reggie left the room together. I turned to Rhonda. “I’m so sorry. I know how disappointed you must be. Reggie’s parents are so difficult.”

  “Yeah, they’re the worst. Poor Angela, she’d better get over her fascination with Reggie because it’s going nowhere.”

  I swallowed hard. The parents might think the relationship was dying, but I knew that no matter how everyone else felt, it was far from over.

  Tina took me aside, interrupting my dismal thoughts. “While Vaughn is here, I’m going to stay at the hotel. When I heard he was coming, Tim and I arranged it before dinner.”

  “Oh, how ... sweet,” I said. My house was small, and a guest in the house would offer little privacy to Vaughn and me.

  “Thank you, Tina,” said Vaughn, studying her a moment. “I like the new look and the new person you’re becoming. Ann has told me all about it.”

  A tinge of pink crept up Tina’s cheeks. “I’m trying. Dinner tonight was a real test of my acting because those people are stuck-up jerks.”

  “I think we all had a bit of acting to do to get through the evening. Tomorrow might be easier because everyone will have some free time waiting for our private Thanksgiving dinner. And Rhonda and I will be busy doing hotel stuff for the Thanksgiving celebration.”

  Vaughn wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “But not too busy for me, I hope.”

  Tina looked from me to Vaughn and back again. “So this is how it is between the two of you. It seems so, so normal.”

  I smiled up at Vaughn. “It seems like a fairy tale to me.”

  “Ugh. You guys are disgusting,” teased Tina. “See you tomorrow.”

  “Let’s go home,” he said, taking my elbow.

  As we were leaving the hotel, we found Reggie sitting on the front steps, head in his hands, like a lost little boy.

  We stopped beside him. “What’s going on?”

  His long sigh trembled in the air, a woeful note. “I love Angela, but it’s never going to work. Not with my parents like they are.”

  “Are you going to let them dictate your life?” I asked. It was a question that had no easy answer.

  He shrugged. “I dunno.”

  Frustrated by his response, I placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a steady look. “You two need to talk.”

  “The thing is, Angela’s mother isn’t too happy with me either.”

  “She loves her daughter.”

  “I know. I know,” he said. “Guess I’d better go to my room and watch television or something like that. Angela doesn’t want me around.”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t be too sure of that. See you later.”

  Vaughn took my hand. As we walked away I thought of all the reasons I should tell someone what I knew, but I couldn’t break a promise to Angela. I needed to give her time to work things out her way.

  After dreaming of it so often, having Vaughn beside me seemed like a miracle. I snuggled up to him, loving the weight of him, the length of him in my bed. He pulled me closer and then onto his body. I lay on top of him, looking down at the face that others viewed on a screen but I saw as my lover come home to me.

  I cupped his face in my hands and lowered my lips to his, reveling in the taste of them and inhaling the male flavor that was his alone. His hands moved down my back to my bare buttocks. Pressing me closer to him, he shifted and moved until he was inside me. I gasped with pleasure and then joined him in a rhythmic dance.

  Sated, and with my head on his chest, I traced the hairs on his chest, sighing softly.

  “I love you, Ann,” he whispered. “Don’t you think it’s time we got married?”

  I lifted my head and smiled at him. I’d been thinking the same thing. “How about next June? I’ve always thought a June wedding would be nice, and that would be good timing with my duties at the hotel.”

  “You want to wait that long?” He grinned at me. “I thi
nk you like living in sin, you naughty girl.”

  I laughed, admitting to myself there was a bit of truth to it. My life with him, so different from what I’d always thought, was much more fun than I’d ever dreamed.

  I opened my eyes. Six o’clock. I lay still, enjoying the luxury of having Vaughn there with me. Thanksgiving day at The Beach House Hotel would always be special to me. Two years ago, I’d spent my first Thanksgiving at The Beach House, when it was simply Rhonda’s home. Wounded from my divorce, scared for the future, not sure how I felt about Rhonda, I wondered then what my life would become. Taking chances, I’d learned, can sometimes bring good things.

  I glanced at Vaughn, pleased I’d taken a chance on him. Carefully, so as not to disturb him, I climbed out of bed and headed into the bathroom. Running a hotel with Rhonda was the biggest challenge of all, but I was thrilled to have been given the opportunity. Without it, I’d no doubt be struggling in Boston, trying to make ends meet while Robert taunted me with his new family.

  Dressed for the day, I left Vaughn sleeping and headed over to the hotel. As I was crossing the front lawn, I heard the sound of a car behind me. Turning, I observed Angela driving her little white BMW convertible through the gates of the hotel. Reggie was seated beside her.

  Angela waved and pulled to a stop in the front circle.

  I approached them. “Everything all right?”

  Angela beamed at me. “Don’t mention it to anyone, but Reggie spent the night.”

  “So all is well between you two?”

  Angela nodded and turned to Reggie.

  “My mother can be a pain in the ass,” he said. “I’m sorry she was so rude.”

  I waited for a word, a sign that he knew anything about a baby.

  Angela touched my hand and shook her head at me meaningfully.

  I left them to say goodbye to one another and hurried into the hotel. Those kids might think all was settled between them, but I had the horrible feeling that things were about to get worse.