A flashback to one night when they’d experimented with chocolate syrup and whipped cream flooded his memory, and Crew lost his train of thought. Dammit. Shaking his head, he got back to work. There was a lot to plan, and it needed to be just right.
“Mr. Storm.”
“Mr. Storm.”
Crew turned to find the Stanther twins wobbling toward him. The two old ladies were in their eighties and full of life, though doubtless a bit slower than they’d been in years gone by.
They must have been true beauties in their day. Knowledge and laughter glowed in their eyes, and he’d delighted in having them at the resort for the past week. He rarely became attached to guests, but he’d made an exception with the two spitfires.
“How can I help you beautiful ladies?” he said as he gave each woman a kiss on the hand.
“Oh, you’re such a charmer. If I had the energy that I used to,” Bertha Stanther said, “I’d drag you up to my nice big suite with me. It’s just too bad age has caught up to me.”
“Ah, age has made you only more striking,” he said with a wink.
The two ladies giggled, and soft blushes stole over their cheeks. Penelope now spoke: “We just wanted to say goodbye. Our grandnephew is picking us up today and taking us back home. We’ve so enjoyed our time with you, Mr. Storm. I do hope to see you again in a couple of months.”
“Sadly, I won’t be here, ladies. But when I get my next resort up and running, you have a free week on me,” he promised, handing them each his personal business card.
“Ooh, we’ll certainly take you up on that. A free vacation sounds divine,” Bertha said. The women were dripping in jewels and had more money than they’d ever need to spend, but they’d been through hard times in their lives, and pinched pennies where it counted. He was honored to give them a week vacation at his cost.
“You’d better come, because I will miss you both. How about a kiss?” He leaned down so each of them could give him a pink-lipstick-stained kiss on his cheek.
“We’ll see you soon, Mr. Storm,” they called out as they turned to walk toward the nicely dressed young man who gave each of them a hug and began asking how their trip had been. Crew hoped to see them again. He really had enjoyed their sense of humor and positive attitudes. Neither of them was letting age stop them from enjoying life, and he hoped he was just the same when he hit his eighties.
After watching the sisters safely escorted away, Crew turned to hunt down his father and uncles. His family was leaving the next day and, though he hated to confess it, the ease with which they’d snuck into Haley’s heart made him the slightest bit jealous.
Every moment she could find, she was with the three old men, and she and his sister had really hit it off, even teaming up with some of his staff to cause chaos for him.
He couldn’t be angry, though, because Haley had no family, no friends — no one. That was before he’d entered her life, of course; now she’d never be alone again.
Each day he was with her, he fell further in love. The deepest desire of his heart was to hold on tight and never let her go. And, yes, he would miss the meddling old men once they departed, but he had a feeling Haley would miss them even more.
Crew was hardly surprised to find the three of them sitting at the bar, visiting with his favorite bartender, with whom they’d hit it off quickly. Not a shocker, since both they and Marlin swore by fine booze and expensive cigars. Crew had decided already to offer Marlin a job package too good to refuse if he came to the next resort with him.
“Last I checked, this was a place of business,” Crew said, trying to sound gruff, but not pulling it off.
“Oh, quit your bellowing and join us for a smoke,” his father said as he scooted his chair over a bit so Crew could sit down. At this time in the afternoon, there were few patrons, and Crew had a chance to relax.
“Don’t mind if I do,” he said accepting a cigar from his Uncle Joseph and lighting up. Leaning back in the chair, he noticed that all eyes were on him. The men were looking at him as if they’d weighed him and found him wanting.
“What?” he finally asked, not normally self-conscious, but struggling not to squirm under the heat of their stern gazes.
“We were just discussing you, boy, and wondering what the heck is wrong with you that you haven’t asked Haley to be your bride.”
Leave it to his father to come right to the point.
“I don’t see how that’s any of your business. That goes for all of you.” Crew pointedly looked each of them in the eye, giving Marlin an extra look for good measure. But the man didn’t back down an inch — was Crew losing his touch?
“Well, of course it’s our business. We’re family and want to make sure you’re OK,” Joseph bellowed, blowing a thick plume of smoke from his mouth.
Crew had known of the man’s existence for only a couple of weeks and yet Joseph was already comfortable in his role as uncle. To Crew’s great surprise, he found he didn’t mind at all. He felt as if he’d known Joseph and George his entire life, and he was grateful to be a part of their family now.
“Not that I should admit this to any of you, but I won’t be letting Haley slip through my fingers. I may have made some stupid decisions in my younger years, but when you get your hands on a woman that good, you certainly don’t let her get away.”
“And besides, it’s about time I had grandkids…” Richard trailed off as Crew’s words registered in his ears. A huge smile broke out on his face as he looked at his eldest son.
Crew had never been a pathological people pleaser, but he felt a swell of pride at the slight sheen of tears in his dad’s eyes.
“Uh…well…that’s very good, Crew. I’m mighty proud of you,” Richard finally said as he clapped his boy on the back.
“What are you proud about, Dad?” Brielle asked as she joined them, plopping down in a chair and grabbing Crew’s cigar, much to his dismay.
“I thought you hated these,” he snapped as he tried to grab it back.
“I’m trying to broaden my horizons,” she said and she took in a puff, then doubled over as the smoke clogged her lungs.
“You’re not supposed to inhale, darling niece; just taste the sweet smoke on your tongue.” George patted her back and offered her some water.