Page 38 of Bubbles at the Beach House Hotel

CHAPTER TWELVE

At home, the flowersbordering the shrubbery in front of the house bowed their heads against the rain and wind, drooping pathetically. A frond from one of the palm trees had dropped to the ground. I figured by the time the storm was over, it wouldn’t be the only one lying there.

Robbie, Cindy, and I hurried inside. Instead of being on the lanai as we usually were at this time of day, we stayed in Vaughn’s den. The paneled room gave us a feeling of being protected because there was only one window.

While I sat on the couch and read, Cindy snuggled up against me. Robbie remained on the floor, his back against the sofa, playing a computer game.

I sent Vaughn a message to tell him we were there and then called Bernie to make sure things were all right at the hotel.

At his direction, I called Rhonda and told her Bernie didn’t need us at the hotel. He would stay on the couch in his office for as long as necessary.

“Fabulous,” Rhonda said when I relayed the message. “Drew is not feeling well, and I encouraged Rita to go home to be with her family.”

I fixed a simple salad with grilled chicken for dinner, and when it was time, I joined Cindy and Robbie, and they stretched out on my bed to watch a movie with me before they settled in Robbie’s room.

During the night, I moved restlessly, matching the mood of the outdoors scene. By morning, things were much quieter, though it continued to rain. Flooding issues concerned us the most now.

I wrapped my robe around me and looked out at the backyard, where Vaughn’s boat was tied to our dock. It seemed to be doing okay now that the water had calmed.

A few more palm fronds were lying here and there, but all had borne the storm better than I’d thought.

School was still closed for the day, so after I got ready to go to the hotel, I made sure Robbie had breakfast and was safely next door at his best friend’s house before I headed to work.

On the way, I called Liz to see how she was doing.

“I’m feeling much better,” said Liz. “Chad is making sure I lay low for the rest of the week by staying home to work. And Liana is coming in this morning.”

“I’m so relieved,” I said. “You know I’m here to help if you need me. I love you.”

“Love you too. Thanks, Mom. It means a lot.”

I ended the call and pulled into the hotel, stopping by the front gate to assess the damage.

Surprisingly, there was little. Manny had put up warning signs in a couple of places where rainwater in the grass had pooled. But aside from drooping plants that would, no doubt, return to normal after sunlight helped to restore them, the lawn only needed to be cleared of debris.

I pulled behind the hotel and parked.

When I went into the kitchen, I found Consuela in charge as usual.

“ ’Morning,” I called to her cheerfully. “Thankfully, we don’t have much damage. Manny and his crew did a great job of preparing for the weather.” We hugged, and then I grabbed a cup of coffee and went into my office.

Rhonda called me, and we decided she’d stay at home until Drew was feeling better.