An uneasy chuckle escaped her, and she shook her head. “That’s an easy request since I don’t believe a word of your blather.” Her smile vanished. “And what happened to you today? I saw how upset you were when you showed up at the hotel.”
“I broke ties with the Navy today.”
She held her hand to her mouth. “But you love working with the sea lions!”
“I didn’t have any choice.”
He told her what had happened, and her eyes grew bigger and rounder when she heard about the hostile swimmer killing himself with cyanide.
“It had to have been a very serious plot for him to kill himself rather than be taken alive and interrogated. That’s the kind of thing a foreign power might have their soldiers do.”
“I’ve been thinking the same thing. I’m sure the Navy will figure out what power is behind this, but it escalated everything along the Eastern Seaboard.”
She shivered and hugged herself. “Scary stuff. What are you going to do about a job?”
“I don’t know yet. I could work full-time at the hotel instead of part-time. Or maybe I’ll find one wherever you’re heading when you’re through here.” The words popped out before he’d even realized that thought had been simmering for the past few hours.
Her eyes widened and her mouth curved into a huge smile. “I’d vote for that idea, but I’ll have to give it some thought. Dad’s been wanting me to go to Costa Rica and turn around a resort there, but I’m not sure what I want to do. I’m not even sure I want to be in the hospitality business. Ever since that thought bloomed in my head, I haven’t been able to get rid of it. What would I want to do if I could do anything at all? I don’t even know.”
“When you figure it out, let me know and I’ll do what I can to help.”
He dropped his arm around her, and they strolled along the decking to join Hailey. It was too soon to push Torie, but he hoped he’d planted the thought of what life might be like if they were in close proximity.
* * *
Her aunt always managed to ruin a pleasant moment. Pick up the glass globes from Amelia and hide them. There are fifteen globes.
In the front seat of Joe’s truck, Torie stared at the text message on her phone. No please or thank you. No apology for the morning’s insults. But had she really expected anything more from her aunt? It was no wonder she had never married. Who could put up with her sharp tongue for long?
It wasn’t the first time Torie wondered why her dad had let Aunt Genevieve manage the Club Resort. The staff lived in fear of her, and there was a constant turnover of positions.
Torie could do so much with the hotel. The idea had been slowly forming over her time here. Every time she thought about leaving, she felt a check in her spirit—a conviction it would be wrong to leave this place where she felt so at home. And where she knew she could make a difference.
She tucked the notion away for further consideration later and turned to Joe, who was turning the truck into the parking lot. “Duty calls. My aunt wants me to collect the glass globes from Amelia and help hide them for the scavenger hunt.”
“Ooh, can I help?” Hailey asked.
“I’m terrible at hiding things, so I’d love the help if it’s okay with your dad.” She glanced at Joe.
“Only if I get to be part of the project.”
Was he always this good-natured? Her dad rarely raised his voice, but it was mostly because he was distracted and focused on his business. He was rarely fully present. It had been her and her mother most of the time with quick trips in and out from her dad.
Joe drove them to the glass shop. “I hope Amelia has tubs or something to keep them from rolling.”
Torie shoved open her door and got out. “I’m sure she has it all planned.”
“I’ll let Amelia know we’re here,” Joe said.
His tall figure disappeared into the shop, and Torie marveled at the way he took charge, jumping in and helping wherever he could. He didn’t stand back and make her do the work, even though it was her job. It made her feel cared for in a deeper way than she could remember experiencing. At least not since her mother died.
Hailey took Torie’s hand. “Daddy likes you. Do you like him?”
“I do. He’s a very nice man. Do you like living on Jekyll Island?” How would Hailey take it if Joe told her they were moving? She remembered how she felt when her dad had announced they were moving after Mom’s death. He hadn’t consulted her and just packed her things up. Two days later they were in Arizona, which couldn’t be more different from this quaint island.
“I love the beach and all the sea life. I don’t remember much now about where we lived with Mommy. This is home.”
Did Torie have the right to disrupt the little girl’s life when she’d already lost so much? And would it really be a sacrifice to stay here and see what the future held with Joe and Hailey? Maybe it wouldn’t work out, but after nearly dying in the ocean, she didn’t want to turn her back on such a delicious possibility.
He exited the shop with his arms full of boxes. “I’ve got six of them. There are nine more.”
“I’ll get some. They aren’t heavy,” she added when he frowned.
“I can carry some,” Hailey said.
Amelia came out balancing four more boxes. “The others are just inside the door.”
Torie opened the door and placed one of the boxes in Hailey’s hands. “I can get the other four.” She balanced them in her arms and went out with the little girl.
Hailey walked in front of Torie back to the truck. “Where can we hide them?”
“I can answer that,” Amelia said. “We want to highlight the island businesses so hide a few at the shops along here and take some to the Jekyll Island Beach Village. Maybe put one at Jekyll Market and The Collection Boutique. The event kicks off tomorrow night.”
“What about Driftwood Beach? It’s iconic Jekyll Island,” Joe said.
Amelia frowned. “It doesn’t highlight any businesses.”
Why was Amelia taking charge of the locations? This was hotel business, for the club’s guests. She’d been paid handsomely for the beautiful globes, but that was as far as her authority went.
“I’ll figure it out,” Torie said.
“I’ve planned all this out with Genevieve,” Amelia said. “I suggest you follow her plans.”
Amelia’s high-handed behavior made Torie want to dig in her heels. She had seen all of the plans for the weekend’s events. None of the businesses had paid for the privilege of having the visitors search their properties for the globes so this was something she could decide, no matter what her aunt or Amelia had to say about it.
“My aunt said nothing about following any special plan, but thank you for the advice.” She climbed into the passenger seat of Joe’s truck, and as they drove away, she caught a glimpse of Amelia’s tight lips as she pulled out her phone. She was probably calling Aunt Genevieve.
Sure enough, moments later, another message flashed on the screen from her aunt. Torie didn’t read it. In that moment she knew what she wanted to do—stay here and bring the hotel back to its full life and beauty. Build up the employees and change the culture here. A year from now she wanted every person working at the resort to talk about how much they loved being a part of it.