Page 69 of Sea Breezes at The Beach House Hotel

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

I pulled into the driveway ready for a swim before dinner with the kids, glad the workday was over. It had been a frustrating one with a private dinner cancellation due to illness and having to juggle around waitstaff. Everyone was trying to earn as much as they could leading up to Christmas, willing to work for the extra money it would provide.

When I walked into the house, I expected to see Liana, and suddenly realized her car was gone. I called to Robbie, who ambled into the kitchen holding a can of soda. “Where’s Liana? Where are Bailey and Ned?”

“Dad’s here in the pool with them. He sent Liana home,” said Robbie. “I’m playing a game online.”

“I’ll surprise them,” I said, hurrying into my bedroom to change.

A few minutes later, I headed out to the pool and stopped a moment to watch Vaughn playing with the kids. Seeing him like this reminded me that he was how I, as a child, had pictured what a grandfather would be like if I’d had one.

Vaughn looked up and smiled. “C’mon in. The water’s great.”

“What a pleasant surprise to see you here,” I said, slipping into the shallow end and letting out a gasp at the cool temperature.

He came over to me and kissed me. “I was going to call for a ride and figured you’d be too busy. Besides, I like to surprise the family. And I know Liana has been working overtime. She needs a break.”

“How did the audition go?” I asked.

“Very well. There’s a role for me in this new limited television series. One I’m really excited about. A caretaker falls in love with her middle-aged client.”

“Sounds interesting,” I said. “Who’s going to play the romantic interest?”

“They’re talking to Darla Delaney,” said Vaughn. “That would be delightful. And with she and Meredith living part-time in Florida, it makes it easy to go over the scripts together.”

“It seems like ages since we’ve seen them. We must include her for our post-holiday party.”

“That’d be nice,” said Vaughn, turning as Ned threw a blow-up football at him.

Vaughn caught it. “Okay, go out for a pass.”

Ned swam into the deep end of the pool and waited for Vaughn’s throw.

I joined Bailey, sitting on the steps. “How did it go at school today?”

Bailey shrugged. “I’m not part of the popular group. Some of the girls were mean to me.”

Uh-oh. I put my arm around her. “You’ve only been here a short time. They haven’t had a chance to get to know you. Not really. Give it time.”

“I miss my friends back home. I miss Mom and Dad,” Bailey said, snuggling closer to me.

“Life has been very chaotic,” I said. “But by the beginning of the year, you’ll be close to getting into your own house with your own room. With the new year, you’ll have new chances to make friends. Moving to a new place can be an exciting experience. Difficult too. But in the end, it all works out.”

“Thanks, Gammy. I love you,” said Bailey, smiling up at me.

“Love you too.” I leaned over and kissed her cheek. All these changes hadn’t been easy for her, and though I knew she’d have to handle some of the smaller frustrations on her own, I’d already decided to speak to her teacher to see what insight I could get.

Vaughn and Ned started a game of football tag, which allowed swimmers to duck under water to avoid the ball touching them.

“C’mon, girls,” called Ned.

Chuckling at being included as a girl, I grabbed Bailey’s hand, and we joined them.

Later, as I got out of the pool, I was relieved to see the smile on Bailey’s face.

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That night, as Vaughn and I snuggled in bed, I brought him up to date on the latest happenings.