The sky was a soft gray when I awoke. Pink fingers of sunlight grasped the day with uncertainty, appearing and then hiding behind clouds in a game of peekaboo.
I climbed out of bed and went to check on Tina. She was sound asleep, sprawled across the bed like a little girl.
I shook her gently. “Hey, sleepyhead, do you want to go for a walk?”
She rolled over and groaned. “Don’t you ever give up?”
“Just checking,” I said, injecting a cheerful tone to my voice. “I’m leaving in a few minutes. If you want to join me, better get up.”
She groaned again but climbed out of bed.
I left her to get dressed. Tina had to make her own choices, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t try to make it obvious for her. Exercise would make it easier to lose the additional weight she needed to shed.
In the kitchen, I looked out at the patio and pool. I’d cleaned up the mess of her broken coffee mug, but in my mind, I still saw the pain on Tina’s face. I wouldn’t mention speaking to a professional again, but I was glad I had at least planted the seed of that idea in her head.
As we headed out to the beach, the wind sent a stormy message. I realized I hadn’t heard any weather news for a few hours and wondered about Nancy, the latest hurricane to form. Last I heard she was down in the Caribbean near Puerto Rico.
We stepped onto the sand and watched as the waves washed onto shore for a quick kiss and rolled back to reach for more. Gulls cried and soared in the air , letting the wind carry them in whirling circles of white.
“Ready?” I said. We wouldn’t walk too far. I wanted to get to the hotel early.
Our feet pounded the beach as we walked at a steady pace. The vigorous exercise felt good to my desk-bound muscles.
Tina walked beside me lost in her thoughts.
I stopped and stood to look at the water playing with the wind. Tina moved to my side and nudged me with her elbow.
“Here’s that Brock guy, coming our way.”
“Crap,” I muttered.
She gazed at me with curiosity. “Why don’t you like him? He’s good-looking and rich. So what’s the problem?”
“We’ll talk about it on the way back to the hotel,” I said, bracing myself to greet Brock. He was trotting toward us, blocking our way back to the hotel.
“Hey, there! Why didn’t you come to my party, Ann?” He eyed Tina. “I thought you were going to be neighborly. What happened?”
“It’s been real busy at the hotel,” I said. “In fact, we have to be going now. I’m worried about the weather.”
“Guess that Hurricane Nancy is going to pay us a visit, after all. They thought it would die down, but it hasn’t.”
Sensing my dislike of him, Tina tugged on my hand. “C’mon, Ann. We have to go.”
We entered the hotel through the kitchen. I grabbed a cup of coffee and went into my office to see what I could find out about the storm on my computer.
The whirling mass of gray on the computer screen looked alarming. And as Brock had said, it was heading our way. Rhonda and I would have to put a safety plan in motion. Uneasy, I left Tina in the kitchen with Consuela and trotted back home to change.
###
“Bad news! Hurricane Nancy is heading our way,” I said, returning to the office. At the sight of Rhonda’s red-rimmed eyes, I came to a halt. “What’s the matter? Are you okay?”
Rhonda shook her head. “I’m dealing with a storm of my own.” A sob escaped her. “Oh, Annie, it’s awful. Angela is furious about the baby. Do you know what she said when Will and I told her?” Rhonda took in a deep breath and then in a shaky voice she continued, “She said, ‘You and Will? A baby? At your age? How could you?’ I tried to speak to her, but she left the room before I could stop her. Will said to let her be, but, Annie, you know that’s not like Ange.”
“Yes, I do. What’s the matter with her?”
“Will you speak to her, try to find out what’s going on? She’ll listen to you.” Rhonda blew her nose. “It’s all Reggie’s fault. I just know it.”
“We can’t be sure of that,” I said calmly, though I couldn’t think of another reason for Angela’s reaction. “If she and Reggie come to the hotel, I’ll try to find out what I can.”
“Good, because I can’t talk to her, not with a broken heart.”
I went over to Rhonda and hugged her . “I’m sorry, Rhonda. I really am.”
She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue and then sighed sadly. “Maybe if I keep my focus on the hotel, it won’t hurt so much. What did you say about a storm?”
“Have you checked a weather forecast lately? They’re saying Hurricane Nancy is heading for Cuba and the Gulf of Mexico.”
“The last one was pretty bad,” said Rhonda. “Guess we need to check all the lanterns and go over emergency procedures with the staff.”
“Yes, and lay in a supply of water and dry food items in case we need them.”
The phone rang.
Rhonda picked it up. “Oh, hi!” A look of panic crossed her face. She waved me over to her side. “Yes, Tina is doing fine.”
“She’s exercising and studying the script,” I prompted.
Rhonda relayed that information and listened for a few minutes. Then I heard her say, “No, I don’t know why she isn’t picking up. She might be busy. Yes, I’ll ask her to give you a call.”
She replaced the phone. “Wow, is Tina’s mother pissed. She sounds like a real tough broad. No wonder Tina’s the way she is. Her mother is really harsh.” She gave me a worried look. “So, how’s it going with Tina at your house? Getting better?”
I shrugged. “She’s threatened to leave a couple of times, but at least she started studying her lines. That’s a good sign.”
Later, as I was checking on supplies we’d stored, I noticed Angela and Reggie lying out by the pool. Remembering my promise to Rhonda, I crossed the Oriental carpet in the lobby and went out to the pool deck to Angela.
She looked up at me and frowned.
“Can we talk a minute?” I said to her.
Her lips thinned. “My mother sent you, didn’t she?”
“She’s upset, and I wanted to talk to you anyway. I haven’t seen you for a couple of months, and I’ve missed you.”
“All right, we’ll talk, but not here.” She got to her feet and turned to Reggie, stretched out in a chair next to hers. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“Okay.” He waved her off.
We walked over to the wooden deck under the palm trees next to the beach and took seats in a couple of the chairs we kept there. No other guests were around.
I studied Angela a moment. “What’s going on with you, Angela? You seem so cross with your mother. You’ve hurt her feelings.”
She slid her sunglasses to the top of her head so she could see me clearly. “Oh, Ann, I’m so sorry. I love my mother, but I’m very confused.” Her eyes teared up. “I love Reggie so much. It’s never happened to me before. Not like this.”
“Why would that make you upset with your mother?” I said, trying to understand.
“It’s his mother. She’s so proper, nothing at all like Mom. Reggie and I want the parents to meet. In fact, I was going to ask Mom if they could come to the hotel for Thanksgiving. I think Reggie’s mother would like it. They’re always traveling some place, but they haven’t been here.”
“It’s a busy time at the hotel, but I’m sure we could work something out. Why would your mother’s being pregnant be a problem? It sometimes happens between two loving people, you know.”
Angela made a face. “Reggie’s parents would never have a baby at their age. His mother would think it’s gross.”
I hid my surprise. “How old are they?”
“About the same age as Will. They don’t understand how it is between Reggie and me. They told him to be careful, that I wasn’t meant for him. We’re trying to change their minds about me.”
A thread of apprehension wove through my body and knotted in my stomach. I studied the pain on her sweet, dear face. “They don’t think you’re good enough for him?”
She shook her head. “Not really.”
“What does Reggie say about this?”
“He told me to forget them. He doesn’t care what they think. They’ve never been that close as a family.”
“Oh, Angela.” I grabbed hold of her hands. “Life isn’t that simple, honey.”
Tears filled her eyes. “It’s got to be. I think I might be pregnant. I haven’t told anyone else. Not even Reggie knows. I’m very irregular, so it could be just nerves. The test wasn’t positive, but I was so upset I’m not sure I did it right before I was interrupted.”
My breath released in a drawn-out sigh. “Oh, my! Maybe we’d better plan that Thanksgiving weekend.”
“Promise you won’t tell? I can’t let my mother know until I’m sure. Especially now.”
I stared at Angela’s pleading look and reluctantly nodded. “Okay, but now you have to do a favor for me. You need to talk to your mother. It’s one of the most exciting times of her life, and whether Reggie’s parents would approve or not is of no consequence. It’s none of their damn business. Understand?”
Tears spilled down Angela’s cheeks. “You’re right. I’ll go talk to Mom now.”
She left.
I stared out at the water, wondering how life could be so unpredictable, so wonderful, so painful.
Knowing all of that and more lay ahead, I prayed I’d be able to help my dearest friend.