Page 7 of Bubbles at the Beach House Hotel

“Yes. Amelia told us about you. Won’t you come in? I’m Harry Watson.”

As we entered the house, a man wearing swim trunks approached us. “Hi, I’m Slade Hopkins.” He looked a bit older than Harry and carried extra weight around his middle. The man had a swagger to his step that was unexpectedly charming.

I agreed with Amelia that Harry must be the more serious one, while Slade was the optimist.

“We like to welcome our guests to the hotel,” Rhonda said.

“And we want to make sure you have everything you need,” I said. “As you may know, we ask our guests to respect the privacy of others. The house next door is occupied, as well.”

“You can meet them on the beach at this end of the property,” said Rhonda, ignoring my frown.

“That might be fun,” said Slade. “All work and no play make for boring times.”

Henry rolled his eyes and shook his head. “We’ve been under a lot of pressure lately. But hopefully, this time away will get us ready for the next crisis, whatever that may be.”

“How long have you two worked together?” I asked.

“For many years,” said Henry.

“Yeah, as Amelia says, you’re a great team,” Slade said. “Best to have two different views on any subject, even though we agree on many things.”

“In any case, we work together to provide Amelia with a clear understanding of what people want and expect in different circumstances,” said Henry.

“I see you have a car in the driveway. If you need directions or any help, please contact the concierge desk. In the meantime, if we can do anything, please let us know,” I said.

“Thanks for stopping by,” said Slade, giving us a little salute.

“Absolutely,” Henry said with a bob of his head.

Rhonda and I left and stood a moment outside the house.

“While we’re here, let’s go see how the women next door are doing. Like you said, Annie, I don’t know them at all.”

“I know what you’re up to,” I said to Rhonda, giving her a warning look.

“Oh, what harm can it do, huh? Making people happy is what it’s all about.”

“All right. Let’s do it. I know you won’t rest until you size up the situation,” I said. Truthfully, I was curious to know more about the women.