CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Before I went to the hotel, I drove back to my house to let Vaughn know about the family’s plan.
I hoped he wouldn’t be hurt by Nell not wanting to accept money from him.
It was, after all, Vaughn’s financial success that was Clint’s reason for going to work for a new company and investing in the project to earn more money.
A little competitive, a bit immature maybe, but genuine.
Vaughn was in his office going over some paperwork when I walked in, Cindy at my heels.
“Hey, you! What are you doing here?” asked Vaughn, getting to his feet.
I went over to him for a hug and pulled up a chair. “I wanted you to hear this from me before anyone else tells you.”
Vaughn listened quietly as I told him about Rhonda’s loan and Nell moving into the new house earlier than planned to get the interior fixed up before Clint saw it.
“Why didn’t she come to us for the money?” asked Vaughn.
“I think she wanted to keep the immediate family out of the situation,” I said.
“Even though she considers Rhonda family?” Vaughn said.
“There’s a bit of separation there, but yes, Rhonda’s family and our own will always be closely tied,” I said. “What do you think of the plan overall?”
Vaughn grinned. “I like it. It’ll be a great way for everyone to show their excitement about having them live here.”
“Timewise, it will work,” I said. “Plans are moving really fast at this end. Nell should be arriving soon, and after all the paperwork is completed, the work on the house will begin. The home inspection has already been done. Now, we know that no major investments are needed. However, Nell wants to make a few upgrades.”
My cell rang. Liz.
“Hi, honey. What’s up?” I asked her.
“I was just leaving to pick up Nell from the airport, but I got a call from Gabe’s preschool to say he isn’t feeling well. They want me to come and get him right away. Will you go to the airport for Nell for me?”
“No problem. I’ll be pleased to do it. It’ll give me a chance to talk to her.”
“Thanks, Mom. I’m disappointed it won’t be me, but I need to take care of my baby.”
“Of course. I’ll keep in touch.” I checked the time. “I’d better head out now.”
“You’re picking up Nell?” said Vaughn. “I’d go with you, but I have a community theater meeting to attend.”
“As I told Liz, this will give me a chance to talk to Nell to see what else we can do for her.”
We kissed goodbye, and I headed to Tampa.
###
Tears stung my eyes as I drew up to the pick-up curb and saw Nell standing there with two suitcases, looking around eagerly.
I beeped my car horn, and when she saw me, she smiled and waved.
“Surprise! I’m here to pick you up instead of Liz. Gabe isn’t feeling well,” I told her as I got out of the car to help her with the luggage.
“I hope it isn’t serious,” said Nell, hefting the larger suitcase into the back of the SUV.
“I’m sure he’ll be fine.” I gave her a hug. “Welcome back to Sabal. We’re very excited about your plans.”
She frowned. “Dad, too?”
“He understands why you prefer doing this your way, but you know how happy he would’ve been to help. Between you and me, your father still feels terrible about Clint getting hurt on his boat.”
“It was an accident,” said Nell. “Clint knows that.”
At the sight of a policeman approaching us, we both jumped into the car, and I pulled away from the curb.
I glanced at Nell. “It’s going to be fun to have everyone work on your house. It’ll take a team to get everything done in the short period we have before Christmas and Clint’s return to Sabal.”
“I hope he’s going to be pleased with the changes,” Nell said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “We haven’t discussed exactly what I have in mind. He thinks I’m only going to do a couple of things to prepare the house for the move. Frankly, he doesn’t want to worry about them.”
“Let’s get some lunch,” I said. “Would you like to go to the hotel or another place?”
Nell shook her head. “I want to go directly to Home Depot. I have colors in my mind for the bedrooms and the main areas, and I need to pick up paint samples. Plus, Liz told me that I’ll want some new light fixtures. I thought I’d look for them there and at another place I know.”
“Okay. That sounds like fun. I understand you’re due to meet with Hester and Earl Wiley late this afternoon.”
“That’s right. Before then, I’ll meet with Rhonda and the bank. So, it will be a busy afternoon. I have no time to waste.”
I gave her a mock salute. “I’m at your service.”
She laughed. “Thanks, Ann. I love that you’re always willing to support me.”
“You’re my daughter,” I said.
Nell’s eyes teared up. “I’m very grateful to you. This has been a rough time.”
“Your father and I are sorry you couldn’t talk to us before now,” I said. Vaughn would do anything for his children and Liz.
“Clint and I are adults with a family of our own. I felt as if we should be able to work it out for ourselves. But now, I understand the value of a family’s support. Liz has organized everything for buying the house.”
“You two are the closest of sisters. That’s very touching to me.”
“Me, too,” said Nell, chuckling even as she held back tears.
###
We walked inside the store and went directly to the paint section, where a wall was filled with paint samples available for people to take.
“I know pretty much what I want,” said Nell. “According to the photos that Liz sent, I’ve chosen bedrooms for the kids. For Bailey’s room, I’m looking for a soft peach color. Instead of a traditional blue for Ned’s room, I’m going for a green with blue tones, if that makes sense.”
“What about the master bedroom?”
“I’m thinking a very soft, buttery tone,” said Nell.
“And the main part of the house?” I asked, impressed by how much Nell had thought about the interior.
“A white that isn’t too stark,” said Nell.
We stood gazing at the samples. Whenever I saw something that I thought Nell might like, I took the sample card. A few times, when I showed my choices to her, she’d picked out the same one.
“Okay, I’ve got what I need,” said Nell. “Let’s look at lights and fans. I’ll take pictures of the ones I think might work.”
I loved looking at different possibilities and waited while Nell took photos of the ones she liked.
When she was through, she turned to me. “Can we make one more quick stop?”
“Sure,” I said. “Where?”
“To the lighting store down the street,” Nell answered.
“Okay, then we’d better get some lunch. It’s going to be a long day for you.”
“Thanks. That sounds lovely.”
The visit to the lighting store was a lot more time-consuming than we’d thought. The number of choices meant that the selection process was slow.
We left the store, and realizing it was late, we decided to go to a drive-thru location to grab some lunch before heading to my house so Nell could pick up her car.
“I hate not seeing the kids when they come home from school, but I have to take care of business. I’ll surprise them later.”
“They’ll be thrilled to see you. They’ll understand, especially when they see the house and realize it’s in the same neighborhood as their other family members,” I said. “I’ll drop you off, and then I have to go to the hotel.”
“Thanks for everything,” said Nell. “I’ll see you tonight.”
After dropping off Nell at my house, I drove to the hotel to make sure the three in-house functions were set for tonight. A dinner in the private dining room was scheduled along with a small event in the library and a special holiday cocktail party by the pool lanai.
Grateful that Lorraine had declared it was best for her to be at the hotel instead of moping at home, I parked the car behind the hotel and went inside.
“How’s everything with Nell?” Rhonda asked me as I sat down at my desk in our office.
I filled her in and then said, “Is everything going smoothly here?”
“The ladies’ luncheon was a big success, but one of the toilets got clogged and we had to call in a plumber, which made it a little inconvenient for the attendees. I know we usually wait until it’s quieter in the day to do our repairs, but we couldn’t this time.”
“No problem. Those public restrooms get a workout with all the parties,” I said. “What else is going on?”
“Annette is handling the coordination of staff for each event, and she’s a bit frantic because some of the younger, part-time staffers have left Florida to go home for the holidays.”
“It’s difficult at this time of year. That’s for sure. Are we giving bonuses to those who do a double shift?” I asked. We’d discussed it but hadn’t decided how we wanted to handle it.
“I told Annette to go ahead and offer it to dining room staffers,” said Rhonda. “Let’s check on Lorraine and see how she’s doing.”
We walked to the hospitality department. Annette, Lauren, and Lorraine were gathered around Annette’s desk.
“Hello. How’s everything going?” I asked.
Lorraine looked up and frowned. “Usual holiday problems. With cancellations in one group or another, we have to make sure that the guaranteed number of attendees is met for billing purposes.”
“There’s a lot of illness,” said Lauren. “But we have some flexibility according to the quotes we gave for the function.”
“I’m working on staffing,” said Annette. “By offering bonuses to some, I think I’ve got the events covered. We’ll be a little short in the dining room, but not enough to be a significant problem.”
“Thank you, everyone,” said Rhonda.
“We appreciate all your hard work,” I said.
“I’d rather be busy like this,” said Lauren. “A friend of mine works at another hotel, and they’re not that full. Then, of course, they’re not The Beach House Hotel.”
Grinning, I turned to Lorraine. “How are you doing? Is it too much for you right now?”
Lorraine shook her head. “Being active here is a blessing for me. I’m still adjusting to being alone.” Tears pooled in her eyes. “Arthur filled my life in such a beautiful way.”