Page 73 of Sea Breezes at The Beach House Hotel

At the sight of a policeman approaching us, we both jumped into the car, and I pulled away from the curb.

I glanced at Nell. “It’s going to be fun to have everyone work on your house. It’ll take a team to get everything done in the short period we have before Christmas and Clint’s return to Sabal.”

“I hope he’s going to be pleased with the changes,” Nell said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “We haven’t discussed exactly what I have in mind. He thinks I’m only going to do a couple of things to prepare the house for the move. Frankly, he doesn’t want to worry about them.”

“Let’s get some lunch,” I said. “Would you like to go to the hotel or another place?”

Nell shook her head. “I want to go directly to Home Depot. I have colors in my mind for the bedrooms and the main areas, and I need to pick up paint samples. Plus, Liz told me that I’ll want some new light fixtures. I thought I’d look for them there and at another place I know.”

“Okay. That sounds like fun. I understand you’re due to meet with Hester and Earl Wiley late this afternoon.”

“That’s right. Before then, I’ll meet with Rhonda and the bank. So, it will be a busy afternoon. I have no time to waste.”

I gave her a mock salute. “I’m at your service.”

She laughed. “Thanks, Ann. I love that you’re always willing to support me.”

“You’re my daughter,” I said.

Nell’s eyes teared up. “I’m very grateful to you. This has been a rough time.”

“Your father and I are sorry you couldn’t talk to us before now,” I said. Vaughn would do anything for his children and Liz.

“Clint and I are adults with a family of our own. I felt as if we should be able to work it out for ourselves. But now, I understand the value of a family’s support. Liz has organized everything for buying the house.”

“You two are the closest of sisters. That’s very touching to me.”

“Me, too,” said Nell, chuckling even as she held back tears.

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We walked inside the store and went directly to the paint section, where a wall was filled with paint samples available for people to take.

“I know pretty much what I want,” said Nell. “According to the photos that Liz sent, I’ve chosen bedrooms for the kids. For Bailey’s room, I’m looking for a soft peach color. Instead of a traditional blue for Ned’s room, I’m going for a green with blue tones, if that makes sense.”

“What about the master bedroom?”

“I’m thinking a very soft, buttery tone,” said Nell.

“And the main part of the house?” I asked, impressed by how much Nell had thought about the interior.

“A white that isn’t too stark,” said Nell.

We stood gazing at the samples. Whenever I saw something that I thought Nell might like, I took the sample card. A few times, when I showed my choices to her, she’d picked out the same one.

“Okay, I’ve got what I need,” said Nell. “Let’s look at lights and fans. I’ll take pictures of the ones I think might work.”

I loved looking at different possibilities and waited while Nell took photos of the ones she liked.

When she was through, she turned to me. “Can we make one more quick stop?”

“Sure,” I said. “Where?”

“To the lighting store down the street,” Nell answered.

“Okay, then we’d better get some lunch. It’s going to be a long day for you.”

“Thanks. That sounds lovely.”