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“There’s an issue at the hotel,” Amanda said timidly.
“Hmm.” Susan wrinkled her nose. “I hope everything’s okay?”
“It’s all fine,” Amanda assured her, waving her hand.
Just as Susan prepared to doubt her, Amanda turned as her father and Penelope entered the restaurant. Like always, Penelope wore high heels that rivaled some skyscrapers, and her father wore an immaculate suit. Susan turned and smiled at them genuinely, welcoming them to the bistro.
“Dad? Can I talk to you for a second?” Amanda sidled up alongside Richard, realizing this was her last chance to tell him about her decision for tomorrow.
“Of course. It’s my honor to talk to the bride,” Richard said, leaving Penelope on her own.
Amanda and Richard stepped off to the side of the growing crowd, where Amanda lowered her voice and said, “I just wanted to let you know about tomorrow.”
“You want your mother to walk you down the aisle,” Richard finished, his voice even.
Amanda’s eyes widened. “How did you know?”
“Come on, hon. I’m no idiot.” Richard’s smile was nervous yet sincere. “For me, it’s just a privilege to be involved in your life in some way after everything that happened.”
Amanda swallowed the lump in her throat. Yet again, she struggled with questions surrounding Richard’s decision to destroy their family, yet she drove them back into the dark recesses of her mind.
“Will you let me make a speech tonight instead?” Richard asked, his voice breaking slightly. This was the only indication that he was in any way hurt by her decision.
“Of course,” Amanda agreed. “That would be lovely.”
After the appetizer course was finished and every single guest had been seated, champagne was uncorked and poured into flutes. Richard Harris then stood, his champagne lifted, and said, “I’ve been told I’m allowed to make a speech. If any of you know me, you know I’m a lawyer— like Amanda’s mother, who is widely-known as the best defense attorney along the east coast, if not the country. I’m not the best. I’m not even the second-best. But I digress.”
The guests laughed, falling easily into Richard’s web. Susan’s smile waned slightly as she took Scott’s hand over the table, reminding him that he was her love, not Richard.
“I have had the unique privilege of watching Amanda grow up,” Richard continued, his eyes focused upon Amanda’s. “From the time she was a little girl, she was driven and focused, like her mother, but she also had a heart of gold and was always willing to slow down, look around her, and help someone in need. She’s always had a unique balance, a wonderful sense of humility and humor, and a gorgeous way of looking at the world.” Richard paused for a moment, then added, “Sam is the only young person I’ve ever met who could possibly fit into Amanda’s world. Like Amanda, he’s motivated and confident, but also like Amanda, he knows when to slow down, enjoy the moment, and, most notably for us here, fall in love. When Amanda first told me about him, she mentioned him as ‘a friend,’ but I think we all knew where they were headed. Maybe we knew before they did. I wish you both all the happiness in the world. I love you, honey.”
Everyone in the bistro smiled knowing smiles, remembering watching Amanda and Sam circle one another for months before they admitted their love. Amanda wasn’t sure whether to be embarrassed by that or grateful. More than anything, though, this was a small island with small-town gossip — and big-time love. She was just happy to be a part of all of it. She was happy to do it all with Sam by her side.
ChapterTen
Xander and Kelli sped back to the Aquinnah Cliffside Overlook Hotel. Twice, Kelli tried to call Sandra, but both times, Sandra didn’t answer and only texted back: “Just get here as soon as you can!”
“I couldn’t understand what she said,” Kelli confessed, her voice breaking. “She sounded so panicked.”
“It’ll be okay,” Xander assured her.
The hotel was all lit up, looking immaculate and like a place lost in time, there at the edge of the cliffs. Xander parked the car, and together, they ran into the foyer to find Sandra at the front desk, white as a sheet. Before her, Miss Jennings, the older woman who couldn’t stop complaining, looked irate. She waved her finger through the air, crying out as a crowd gathered around her. Behind her, her son held an unlit cigar and seemed to regard her as though she was a stand-up comedian.
“I don’t think you know how important I am! Do you understand anything I’ve told you? They’re gone, and I want an explanation!” Miss Jennings said.
Terrified, Kelli placed a smile on her face and hurried forward. “Miss Jennings. Good evening. What seems to be the trouble?”
“There you are,” Miss Jennings sniffed cruelly. “I’ve been looking all over for you. You know, you really need to keep your hotel in better working order.”
“Should we speak in my office, Miss Jennings?” Kelli glanced nervously at the other guests, all of whom would probably post about this event on their social media channels.
“There is no reason to discuss this behind a closed door. This morning, I placed my earrings in my safe, and this evening, I opened the safe to find that they were gone. How on earth could that be, Miss Montgomery?” Miss Jennings demanded.
Kelli’s stomach seized. Her first instinct was to tell Miss Jennings that she probably hadn’t locked the safe correctly, that there was no way anyone could have broken into both her suite and her safe in one fell swoop. But then again, she hadn’t learned anything about “blaming the customer” during her course in hotel management.
“Let’s go to your suite, Miss Jennings,” Kelli said, placing a gentle hand on Miss Jennings’ upper arm and leading her to the elevator as Xander and Miss Jennings’ son remained hot on their heels. In the elevator, nobody spoke, and Kelli stared at the numbers as they dinged from one to two to three, praying that this nightmare would be over soon. Perhaps Miss Jennings had misplaced the earrings in her room. Perhaps she’d never brought the earrings to the hotel at all.
When the elevator doors dinged open, Miss Jennings burst out and led them to her suite, where she opened the door and gestured toward the safe, which was now closed.
