Page 75 of Valentines In The Presidential Suite

“Why don’t I order a bottle of champagne?” he said. “This is a special evening.”

“That would be such a treat. It suits the occasion.” Morgan had already noticed a few champagne buckets on stands near tables.

Brad left, and she sat quietly, viewing the scene in front of her. Morgan couldn’t help wondering if Simon could somehow magically know that she and Brad were enjoying his gift. She hoped so.

As they sipped champagne and enjoyed being part of the crowd, Morgan noticed the two owners arriving. She watched as they went around the room, greeting people.

When the women came to their table, Morgan returned their greeting, then remembered the man on the beach. “I want to warn you about a man we met on the beach…” she began.

Rhonda rolled her eyes. “Do you mean Brock Goodwin?”

“Why, yes,” said Morgan. “He’s very creepy and could be a problem to your hotel.”

“He wanted us to tell him who was staying here,” Brad said, joining them.

“He’s well-known to us,” said Ann, her lips thinning.

“Unfortunately,” Rhonda added. “Don’t worry about him. We’re onto the crap he pulls.”

“But thank you for telling us,” said Ann. “We hope you’re going to have a lovely time at the party.”

Morgan beamed at her. “Thank you for arranging for us to be part of the festivities.”

“It’s very romantic,” said Rhonda, and when Ann shook her head and started to laugh, both Brad and Morgan joined in. Rhonda was a true romantic.

“I like those two,” said Brad, as the owners moved on. “Very down-to-earth.”

“I’ve read about them. They are very well respected in the hotel industry,” said Morgan. “It’s nice to see women like that succeed.”

“Agreed,” said Brad, then gave her a teasing look. “You’re very respected by me. I consider you very successful.”

Morgan laughed. She loved it when Brad teased her.

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When the time came, Morgan and Brad entered the dining room where the celebration was to take place. They knew the entire dining room had been taken over for the party because they could only get lunch at the bar while the room was being set up.

The crew had done a magnificent job of turning the dining room into a wonderland of twinkling lights and tables set with red tablecloths and rose centerpieces.

Brad gave the hostess their ticket, and then a young man dressed in a tuxedo led them to a table for two in a corner.

“This is ideal,” said Brad, helping Morgan into her chair.

In the middle of the far wall, a dais had been erected, and a string quartet was playing music there.

A small dance floor had been set up in front of it.

Morgan turned to him. “You can dance with me. That’s something we haven’t done together.”

“I’m not a great dancer,” Brad said. “But I’ll do it. This is a once-in-a-lifetime occasion.”

They listened as the General Manager, Bernhard Bruner, welcomed the guests to the party and introduced Ann and Rhonda as the owners. “Please enjoy yourselves,” he ended. “All the staff have worked hard to make this affair special for you.”

Everyone clapped, then waiters and waitresses arrived with the first course, a trio of canapes, including one with salmon, cream cheese, and caviar. A light white wine was served with it.

Morgan and Brad had chosen a Caesar salad for the next course, and they both had chosen Beef Wellington for the main course. Others, Morgan noted, had chosen fish for their main course: red snapper with a lemon-and-caper sauce.

During the beginning of the meal, the string quartet played. But after the main course, they were replaced by a small jazz group to provide suitable music for dancing.