Page 45 of Sea Breezes at The Beach House Hotel

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

After making certain that food in the kitchen was either stored properly or discarded, Nell and I took one last walk through the house to make sure we had what we wanted for the drive to Florida. We decided we’d drive straight through because we both needed to be at The Beach House Hotel.

At the last minute, Nell removed two paintings from the wall and loaded a couple of decorative pieces into the car. We agreed that no one would probably return to the house for whatever they were looking for, but it was wise to take some of these items with us, just in case.

We got into Clint’s packed Audi A6 and rolled out of the garage.

Before pulling away, Nell stopped the car and studied the house. “It’s beautiful, but I never really wanted to move here. We were fine living closer to town in a smaller home. This one, even this car, is something that Clint felt we needed to go along with the requirements of his new position.”

“It will be interesting to see what happens next,” I said. “I’m anxious to get home. We’ll take turns driving. If we’re lucky, we’ll be in Sabal late tomorrow.”

###

Nell drove through familiar territory, and once we’d passed the D.C. metropolitan area, I took a turn driving while Nell rested. For the next sixteen hours or so, Nell and I existed in a bubble, wrapped inside Clint’s car, stopping for bathroom breaks, gas, and food. We didn’t talk much. We were comfortable enough with one another that we didn’t need to.

When we finally pulled into Sabal, we were too tired to do much but greet Vaughn, Clint, and the kids. And then we both went to bed to get a solid sleep.

Later, when I awoke, I padded into the kitchen for a cup of coffee and heard Vaughn and Clint in the garage.

I followed their voices there and was pleased to see that Vaughn had cleared a section of the four-car air-conditioned garage for storing items from Nell and Clint’s house.

“Hello,” said Vaughn, walking over and wrapping his arms around me. “We’ve got the situation under control here. It’ll be safe. I’ve hired a security team to keep a discreet eye on the house. No one will be breaking in here.”

“Good,” said Ann. “I must admit, it did feel uncomfortable being in a house that had been broken into. Nell doesn’t know if she’ll ever feel safe there.”

“Thank you, Ann, for going with Nell to D.C. and helping her pack up a few of our belongings,” said Clint. “I doubt anyone will try to break in again, but I like knowing the pieces she cares about are being protected here.”

“How are you feeling?” I asked him, noting he was looking a little better.

“I’m not going to be doing any activities anytime soon, but the pain level is more manageable,” he said. “I’m going to meet Claudine at the hotel tomorrow afternoon. In the meantime, Reggie and I have talked, and he agrees that there’s been a substantial change to the agreement I made with the company for this project. He doesn’t like it any better than I do.”

“So, you’ll meet with Claudine to go over that with her?” I asked.

“I want her to arrive at the same opinion as I have,” Clint said. “But if she’s playing a nasty game, as I suspect, it may lead to my resigning.”

“Is that why the paperwork you wanted is so important?” I asked.

“Exactly,” said Clint.

Nell joined us, and I left to go take a shower. Now that I’d had some rest, I was anxious to get to the hotel. We had a wedding in-house, and I was eager to see Rhonda and do my share of greeting guests.

I dressed for the wedding and drove to the hotel to meet Rhonda.

“How did it go in D.C.?” she asked when I walked into the office.

“Better than I expected. Nell is very organized, and we quickly packed up what she wanted to have here. As I told Vaughn, it made me uneasy to be in a house that had been broken into. Though it’s a lovely home, Nell says she won’t ever feel the same about it. But no matter what happens about any permanent move to Sabal, Nell now knows certain items she values are safe here.”

“Will told me that Clint and Reggie met to go over Clint’s work,” Rhonda said. “I’m glad Clint is reaching out to him. Will and Reggie are known for their honesty.”

“Yes, they are,” I said. “Clint, too. That’s why this situation is difficult for him. What’s happening here at the hotel?”

“Claudine Everett is making her presence known by making demands. I understand that she and Clint are scheduled to meet here at the hotel tomorrow, and then I hope she’ll move on. Otherwise, everything is going well. I met with Dorothy Stern. She and her friends are wrapping the gifts for the employees’ Christmas party.”

“How nice,” I said. “She’s a true treasure.” Dorothy, a retired successful New York City businesswoman, volunteered to help us when we first opened by sending out brochures and doing other simple tasks. After she moved here, she told us she needed something to keep her busy. She’d worked for us ever since.

“We’ve got high tea to take care of tomorrow,” I said. “Nell is scheduled to work on that.”

“She has no problem doing that?” Rhonda asked.