Page 16 of Bubbles at the Beach House Hotel

“ ’Morning. What’s going on?” I asked Lisa.

“We’re going into Orlando for a visit to Disney World.”

“Everyone but Jane,” said Heather. “She’s going to have a day to herself.”

“I see,” I said, waiting for any other comments regarding Jane. They didn’t know about her minor surgery yesterday.

Amy and Caro walked outside to the van they’d rented.

“We’re off for a day of fun,” said Amy.

“I told Jane to let you know if she needed anything,” said Caro. “We tried to get her to come with us, but she said she wanted a day to relax.”

“I’ll go in and check on her,” I said, standing back as the four women climbed into the van.

After waving them off, I went inside the house to speak to Jane.

She stretched out on a chaise lounge next to the pool. The waterfall was turned on, and the soft sound of water splashing into the pool was soothing.

“ ’Morning, Jane,” I said quietly so as not to startle her. “I understand you didn’t want to go to Disney World with the others. Are you feeling okay?”

Jane opened her eyes and smiled at me. “I’m a little sore from the surgery yesterday, but I haven’t told them about it. They know how important time alone is to me, so telling them I wanted this day to myself was easy.”

“If you need or want anything, please let me know.”

Jane patted the chaise lounge next to her. “Have a seat. There’s coffee in the kitchen.”

“Thanks, but I’ll get coffee at the hotel,” I said, sitting beside her.

“I want to thank you and Rhonda for your help in getting an appointment with Dr. Perkins. She has a marvelous background and reputation. And she’s so very genuine.”

“I have an idea. I know you want time to yourself, but how would you like to attend the Cancer Fundraising Luncheon we’re holding today? You’d be our guest.”

Jane sat up. “That would be lovely. And maybe I’ll be able to contribute to the cause somehow.”

“There are going to be raffles for some terrific prizes. Buying tickets would help.”

Jane beamed at me. “Great. Thank you so much. And I’ll still have time to do my self-healing exercises here in the sun.”

“Self-healing exercises?” I asked.

“Yes, something I learned from a woman who did acupuncture on me once,” said Jane. “It involves calm, gratefulness, and determination.”

“That sounds fascinating,” I said. “Good luck with it. The luncheon opens at 11:30. I’ll meet you by the door then.”

“Okay. I appreciate it,” said Jane, stretching out on her chair as I left the lanai.

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As I continued my walk, I thought of Jane’s self-healing process and decided it was a helpful way to handle stress. Maybe I’d talk to Liz about it.

I was heading back to the hotel sometime later when I saw Henry standing at the edge of the water, studying the activity of the trio of pelicans gliding just above the water’s surface. I stopped and stared at their adeptness as they flew in formation.

Henry noticed me and walked over. “I love this time of day. It’s like seeing the world awaken to a new morning.”

“Well said. I didn’t realize you were so poetic,” I said.

Henry gave me a shy smile. “I often must smooth the edges of what Slade writes. It’s what makes us such a great team for Amelia.”