Page 64 of Sea Breezes at The Beach House Hotel

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On the way to the hotel, I called Clint to tell him I’d delivered the car to the dealership.

“Thanks. Can’t talk. I’m with my lawyer,” he said.

“Good luck. I found something in the car you should know about. But it can wait until later.” I ended the call.

“You know, Annie, I’m really proud of Clint for the changes he’s making,” said Rhonda. “I remember how sweet Nell’s wedding was and how much he obviously loved her.”

“Working in D.C. with powerful people can be detrimental by making you believe you deserve the same lifestyle they have. Or wanting what they have,” I said.

“I have had very little money and then a lot, but you have to live your life in such a way that you can look at yourself in a mirror.” Rhonda chuckled. “Although I wonder who that old lady in the mirror is. We’re getting older, Annie.”

“Older and wiser, I hope,” I said, laughing.

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At the hotel, all thoughts of personal problems were erased as Rhonda and I entered. A small fire had broken out in the kitchen. It had quickly been put out, but there was some interior damage, and Jean-Luc was in a horrible state. His kitchen was always spotless, and seeing where flames had marred a wall behind one of the stoves seemed like a personal affront to him. He’d already dismissed the new kitchen helper who’d caused the blaze.

After reassuring Jean-Luc that we’d take care of any repairs immediately, we went to our office. A holiday dinner hosted by the mayor of Sabal was on the agenda, and we needed to make sure all was in order for the event.

We walked down to the hospitality department to check with Annette on the dinner and were surprised to find Lorraine there.

Rhonda and I exchanged hugs with her.

“How’s it going?” I asked her.

“It’s lonelier than I thought it’d be,” said Lorraine. “Arthur wasn’t a large man, but he filled the house. With him gone, the house is empty, too quiet.”

“Are you giving yourself enough freedom to recover?” asked Rhonda. “We love having you here, especially now that Nell is gone. But we don’t want any pressure put on you to return.”

“Being here is wonderful for me. It gives me something else to think about,” said Lorraine. “I’m taking over for Annette today. So, I’ll be handling the private dinner tonight. Anything I should know?”

“That’s why we’re here,” I said. “Helena Naylor is very particular about service at her dinners. While she wants everyone to be relaxed, she doesn’t want too much time to elapse between courses. People tend to drink more wine than they should when that happens, and she doesn’t want the mayor’s office held responsible for it.”

“I’m sure that won’t be a problem. I’ll coordinate with Jean-Luc,” Lorraine said.

“I’d wait a while if I was you,” said Rhonda. “There’s been a small kitchen fire, and Jean-Luc is in a bad state.”

“Thanks for the warning,” said Lorraine. “Don’t worry, though. I’ll take care of the timing.”

“Thanks,” I said. “I’ll leave it to you. If you need anything from me, you can reach me at home.”

“I’m staying at the hotel a while longer, then I can be reached at home, too,” said Rhonda.

We returned to our office, and I picked up my purse, ready to leave. I’d promised to pick up Ned from school for an early release day, and I didn’t want to be late. Bailey was going home with Angie.

At a knock on the door, Rhonda and I both called out, “Come in!”

Bernie opened the door and walked inside, looking worried.

“What’s going on?” I asked. Very little flustered Bernie, but he looked unhappy.

“The firm of Everett, Shuster, and Donnelly has hired a private detective to investigate the claims that Claudine Everett made about the hotel. He wanted to speak to you, but I told him you were unavailable, but he could talk to me. He told me he had to speak to the two of you. He gave me his business card and asked me to have you call him for an appointment.”

I slammed my purse on my desk. “This is becoming a total nightmare. Why should we have to talk to him?”

“I think it’s smart to clear the air with this issue,” said Bernie. “But when you do talk to him, I suggest you have Mike Torson sit in. We may need a lawyer if this gets out of hand.”