CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
I drove through the gates of the hotel and came to a stop. Men dressed in black stood outside talking to Bernie and a security guard. It took me a moment to realize that Amelia Swanson must be coming to the wedding.
I drove on, hoping the vice president’s appearance wasn’t going to be a problem.
When I went into the kitchen, Rhonda was talking to Consuela.
“ ’Morning!” I said, and I gave them each a quick hug.
“It’s going to be a busy day,” said Rhonda. “Apparently, the wedding party got out of hand last night, and there might be some late checkouts. Thankfully, Caro’s wedding party is so small. We’ll be able to let her people in their rooms early as requested. But some other guests might not be so happy.”
“Do we know how many people have come for Caro’s wedding?” I asked her.
“No, but I’m having the front desk prepare a report for us,” said Rhonda. “We need to be sure gift baskets have been placed in their rooms. Housekeeping will put them there at the appropriate time.”
“We’re going to use the second house for the ceremony, right? We need to make sure those guests will be leaving on time.”
“Let’s walk down there to see what’s happening,” said Rhonda.
We left the hotel and walked onto the sand. As I stood at the water’s edge, I saw that the wind was whipping a frothy topping on the crests of the waves. Though the air wasn’t hot, the sky was clear, and the sun warmed my cheeks.
“The weather channel said the wind would calm down as this system passed through our region today, sometime this afternoon.”
“I hope they’re right. I want this wedding to be perfect for Caro and Henry. Especially now that I know Amelia Swanson is going to be here.”
Rhonda shook her head. “I hope she doesn’t have another project in mind for us.”
I laughed. “I think she simply wants to support Henry and Caro.”
We’d been so busy talking that I didn’t notice Brock Goodwin until it was too late.
“Well, what are you two up to now?”
“Just business as usual,” I said.
“Did you hear? I was just elected for another term as president of The Neighborhood Association,”
“I’m sure no one ran against you,” I said.
“Yeah, it’s great that you think it’s important,” said Rhonda. “Nobody else does.”
“You’ll pay for that, Rhonda,” said Brock and walked away.
“I’m sorry. I can’t stand the man.”
“I get it,” I said, grateful that Brock had walked off in a huff before Rhonda could get fired up with an F-bomb or two.
We continued our walk up the beach to the path for the guesthouses.
At the house we were going to set up for the ceremony, our guests were swimming in the pool. Worried, I hoped they understood they had to be out of the house by noon.
Next door, Jane and Heather were sitting on the lanai and saw us before we got to the front door.
“Come inside, grab a cup of coffee, and join us,” Jane called.
Rhonda and I met them out on the lanai.
“A little windy today. I’m glad the wedding is inside,” said Heather. “I heard on the news the wind is going to be around for a while.”
“Hopefully, not by the time of the wedding,” said Rhonda. “Where’s the bride?”
“She’s inside, going over her wardrobe for her honeymoon. Caro and Henry are flying to Maui to stay in a house owned by the friend of the vice president,” said Jane.
“When do they leave?” I asked.
“Tomorrow afternoon by private jet,” Jane said, her eyes sparkling. “It’s so exciting.”
“It sounds perfect. I’m sure the house will be gorgeous,” said Rhonda.
Caro, Lisa, and Amy joined us.
“How is everything here? Is there anything we can do for you?” I asked.
“We’ve arranged for a limo to take us to get our hair and nails done,” said Amy. She glanced toward the water. “If this wind doesn’t stop soon, it won’t matter what our hair looks like.”
“The important thing is we’re here together,” said Lisa.
“That’s right,” said Jane.
“We’re having flowers delivered to the house next door for the ceremony. We’ll have your bouquet delivered there, too,” I said. “I assume you’re dressing there.”
“Yes,” said Caro. “Then Henry and I will move to the Bridal Suite.” She grinned. “It’s all still a dream.”
###
R honda and I returned to our office, looked over the arrivals and departures schedule, and went to check on rooms needed for the wedding. With the five women and their guests staying at the two houses, we needed only four rooms. One for each set of parents and one for Henry’s brother, and, of course, the bridal suite for Henry and Caro. Amelia would be staying with her sister and Jean-Luc at their house, which had been partially remodeled to accommodate her and her security people.
Three of the four rooms were already empty.
Rhonda grinned at me. “Easy, peasy.”
I groaned. “No! Don’t say that!”
“You’re right. Now, we’re doomed to trouble. I should know better.”
I opened the notebook and stared at the tasks remaining to be done. Nothing unusual.
Henry’s parents were due to arrive. We went to the lobby and waited for them. When we saw our hotel limousine pull up to the front of the hotel, Rhonda and I went down the front steps to greet them.
It was always exciting to meet new people, and I couldn’t wait to see what Henry’s parents were like.
A smiling, blond-haired woman got out of the back of the limo and stood gazing around. Her husband, standing very erect and with classic features, came quickly to her side.
Rhonda and I moved toward them.
“Welcome to The Beach House Hotel,” Rhonda said.
“And for such a happy occasion,” I added.
Both of his parents smiled and eagerly shook our hands.
“I’d almost given up on Henry getting married,” said his mother. “I’m Cilla Watson, and this is my husband, Chester.”
“We’re so pleased to be a part of the wedding between Henry and Caro. If you need anything, please let us know,” I said.
“We were a bit surprised at the suddenness of the ceremony, but once Henry makes up his mind about something, he moves fast,” said Cilla.
“His brother, Mark, is due to arrive a little later,” I said.
“Yes. I don’t know if he’s notified the hotel, but he’ll be bringing a young lady to the event. That was a last-minute arrangement,” said Cilla.
“No problem,” Rhonda said. “Come inside. We’ll get you registered.”
“We’ve been able to arrange an early check-in for you,” I said as I led them inside while Rhonda took care of seeing that the luggage was handled.
###
I n the office, Rhonda and I went over our list.
While she talked with the dining staff, I called Tropical Fleurs to make sure there was no problem with the flowers for the house and for the private dining room. Then I called the Front Desk to see if the bride and groom from Saturday’s wedding had vacated the Bridal Suite.
“They haven’t checked out. The bride called and asked if they could extend their stay, and I told them I was sorry, but they couldn’t,” said the front desk clerk. “Even though I apologized, she became upset and told me they were staying in the room whether I liked it or not. She said her mother would pay for it.”
I frowned. “Rhonda and I will visit them. I’ll let you know what happens.”
I ended the call and went to speak to Rhonda.
A look of determination crossed Rhonda’s face. “We’ve got to get them out of there. If they think they can get away with a few more hours in the room, then they’ll try for more. I don’t want to take a chance on that happening. Lorraine left a note on her desk that this wedding party was a disaster with them making one unreasonable demand after another.”
“I hate to disturb our guests, but I think this is important. Caro and the book club women have planned a little party in the suite before the wedding with both Caro’s and Henry’s mothers.”
“Yes, they wanted everyone to be comfortable with one another before the ceremony,” said Rhonda. “Let’s go.”
We walked down to the end of the corridor and knocked on the door.
“Go away,” came a female voice.
“We need to speak to you,” I said. “Please open the door.”
“What the fuck?” a male voice said.
Rhonda knocked on the door again. “We need you to honor the agreement to leave this room. We have another party assigned to it.”
We heard conversation, some swearing, and finally, the door opened. A man stood there with a towel wrapped around him. “Sorry. My wife told me we could stay as long as we wanted.”
“I’m sorry, but that isn’t true,” I said, catching a glimpse of a pouting face in the background.
“Okay, give us some time to pack up,” said the man, looking angry.
“Twenty minutes max,” Rhonda said.
The man glared at her, but Rhonda and I stood there calmly.
The door slammed in our faces.
Letting out sighs of exasperation, we left to go to the front desk. There were days at the hotel when nothing seemed easy.
###
T wenty-five minutes later, the front desk called to say the couple in the Bridal Suite had left.
I called Housekeeping to alert them, and Rhonda and I walked down to the suite to explain how we wanted the rooms set up.
After that meeting, we went to the second house, now being cleaned and decorated for the ceremony. We’d been told that Caro had already moved her things into the house and would change into her wedding dress there.
We arrived to find the three men there with Jane, Heather, and Lisa.
“Hi, we were showing the guys around,” said Heather. “I want you to meet my husband, Craig.” She indicated a well-padded man of average height with an easy-going, friendly smile. He seemed perfect for his laid-back artist wife.
Rhonda and I shook hands with him and then moved to Jane’s beau, Carl. Wearing glasses, Carl exchanged handshakes with us and then turned to Jane, who was beaming. Geoffrey, Lisa’s high school sweetheart and husband, had similar dark, curly hair, and I couldn’t help thinking about how much they looked alike, like some couples who’ve lived together for some time.
“Welcome to The Beach House Hotel. We hope you have a pleasant stay,” I said to the newly arrived men.
“You’ve picked a beautiful day to be here. It was windy this morning, but it’s calmed down,” said Rhonda. “Have fun.”
“We will,” said Jane. “We’re going to walk on the beach.”
###
L ater, we checked the house again to make sure everything was spotless. While we were there, a staff member from Tropical Fleurs came into the house. “We’ve got the van here with the flowers. Is it okay to set up?”
“Yes,” I said. “Good timing. We want the flowers to be fresh.”
Rhonda and I went over Lorraine's notes about the flowers and made sure the bouquets were placed exactly where Caro wanted them.
After we were pleased the arrangements were right, we left to inspect the private dining room and drop in at the hen party in the Bridal Suite. It was almost time to get ready for the wedding.