Page 80 of Sea Breezes at The Beach House Hotel

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

The next day, what was supposed to be a low-key welcome home party for Clint, turned into something much bigger. Vaughn, Will, and Reggie joined Angie, Liz, Tina, Rhonda, and me for a luncheon I had catered by the hotel. The men had worked as hard as the women in getting the house ready, and it seemed only right to include them.

We gathered in the empty kitchen, waiting to rush out front to surprise them as soon as we heard Nell’s car in the driveway.

I gazed around the room, feeling as if the empty house was already a home because of the love that had gone into changing it. Vaughn caught my eye and winked, understanding what I might be feeling.

The sound of a car in the driveway brought us out of the kitchen and onto the front walk just as Clint awkwardly emerged from the car. His eyes were round with surprise as he gazed from us to the house and back again.

“Welcome home,” said Liz.

“Welcome to your new house,” Angie added.

Nell came up beside Clint, and as she reached for his arm, he turned away from her and us.

It wasn’t until I saw his shoulders shaking that I realized he was crying. My own eyes stung with tears. Clint had been on an emotional roller coaster since Thanksgiving.

“Wow!” said Clint, facing us once more. “This is great! What a change from the original photos. I can’t believe it.”

“C’mon inside,” said Nell. “I can’t wait to show you what our family and other people have done to have this house ready for you. For us.”

“We’ve got champagne,” said Rhonda. “Show him around, and then we’re going to celebrate.”

While Nell took Clint on a quick tour, Rhonda popped open a bottle of champagne, and Will opened another. Vaughn and I arranged the food on the kitchen bar and waited with the others for Clint and Nell to return.

Clint’s face was as flushed as Nell’s when they walked into the kitchen. Their red-rimmed eyes told a story of their own. But their smiles met ours. We’d done it. We’d completely surprised Clint, who was still wearing casts or removable splints on his arms. There’s no way he could’ve done the work that we accomplished for him.

“Thank you, everyone, for all your contributions. Sorry to be emotional, but it’s been a rough time. Having you here and showing us this kind of support makes all the difference.”

“Let’s make a toast to that,” said Vaughn, handing him a plastic tulip glass full of champagne and one to Nell.

After we all had been served, we lifted our glasses in the air. “Here’s to family!” I said.

Cries of “Hear! Hear!” followed, and then we dug into the food.

###

After lunch, Rhonda and I spoke alone about the welcome home for Clint.

“I’ve always been fond of Clint,” said Rhonda. “But when I saw his tears at seeing his house and us standing there, I loved him more than ever.”

“He can be pretty quiet,” I said. “But seeing his reaction meant a lot to me. It’s been tough on those kids. Parents want their children to be happy and settled. I feel as if Nell and Clint are back on track now.”

“Will tells me that Clint is going to work with him for a few weeks as a test period. If it goes well, he and Reggie will ask him to be a partner.” Rhonda shook her head. “There’s no way they’d even test him if they weren’t sure about him.”

“That’s one area I’m definitely staying away from. But I hope it all works out.”

Rhonda winked at me. “It was just you, me, Liz, and Angie not that long ago. Look what’s happened to us.”

I grinned. “I love having Tina and her family included for the holidays. There’s always room for more.”

“Always,” Rhonda agreed before we headed to the private dining room to check on the preparations there.

###

At home, my house was filled with the excited sounds of Ned and Bailey on the lanai talking to their dad about their activities. Vaughn and Robbie were on the dock.

I walked to the guest room to check on Nell.