Page 67 of Bubbles at the Beach House Hotel

“Hello,” I said. “I hope you enjoy our high tea.”

“It looks delicious,” said Jessica. “I can’t wait to taste the treats.”

“Me, too, even though those sandwiches sure are small,” said Ryan, chuckling.

I laughed. “Have as many as you want after the photographer is through.”

Dorothy approached us. “Hello, I’m Dorothy Stern. I volunteer here at the hotel. My friends and I are delighted to be here for the photoshoot. We’ll be in the background.”

Rhonda made the introductions, and then Angela came over to us. “We thought we’d have some shots of the two of you alone from different angles. It’ll be easy like the rest. Just follow the instructions from the photographer.”

I left them to join Dorothy and three of her friends, who were loyal customers of the hotel restaurants.

“Thanks for joining us, ladies. I have no idea how long this will take, but enjoy yourselves.”

“Oh, we will,” said one of Dorothy’s friends, beaming as two multi-layered trays filled with tempting treats were placed in front of them.

Rhonda and I didn’t stay long. We’d put our daughters in charge and owed them their privacy.

As we walked toward our offices, Rhonda stopped me. “Let’s see what treats are in the kitchen. Everything looked delicious. Maybe I’ll take one home to Will. That might sweeten him up. Anything is worth a try. Right?”

I grinned. “Maybe then, he’ll tell you what’s bothering him.

CHAPTER TWENTY

An hour later, Rhondaand I headed to the library, anxious to see how the high tea photoshoot had gone.

When we walked into the room, we were surprised to see Angela and Liz sitting with Jessica and Ryan, laughing and talking.

Liz got to her feet when she saw us. “Come on over. We’ve been talking about some of the early days at the hotel.”

“No wild tales,” said Rhonda, pulling up a chair and sitting with the group.

I joined them. “Those were some pretty tough days.”

Jessica shook her head. “I don’t know how you did all of it when you had young children at home.”