On Sunset Beach Read Online Free Page B

brother of ours was determined to make the inn shine, and he did.”
    Ford opened the door and held it for his sister. Once inside, he gazed around the lobby, then whistled.
    “Nice.”
    “Pretty cool, huh?” Lucy grinned. “Not fancy, but just … upscale and cool.”
    “Like me.” Dan emerged from behind the reception desk. “Hey, buddy …”
    Ford dropped his bags and hugged his older brother. “I can’t believe what I’ve seen here so far. You’ve done a great job. Dad would be so proud.”
    “I like to think so.” Dan gave Ford one last pat on the back before releasing him. “But the inn’s old news to us. How are you? Glad to be home?”
    “I’m dazzled by the changes, but yeah, glad to be here.”
    “I hope you can stay for a while.” Dan picked up his brother’s bags.
    “I don’t have any plans right now. I’m just glad to be back in the States, glad to see you guys again.” Ford glanced around the lobby. “Where’s Mom?”
    “She’s in her office. She’s been pacing like an expectant father since dawn. Come on.” Dan headed across the lobby, Ford and Lucy following behind.
    “Mom has an office here?”
    Lucy nodded. “She still has the newspaper office, but she likes to work here sometimes. Says she likes to keep an eye on things, likes to see the comings and goings.”
    “There sure seems to be a lot of that going on,” Ford observed.
    “Never been busier.” Dan rapped his knuckles on a half-opened door, then pushed it open. “Mom, look who’s here.”
    Grace was out of her chair, arms around her son, in the blink of an eye.
    “Well, then,” she said as she stepped back to hold him at arm’s length, “let me have a good look at you.”
    Grace’s eyes narrowed. “You’ve lost so much weight. Your face is so thin. Are you feeling all right?” She looked around him to address Dan. “Tell the chef he’s going to be working overtime until we put a few pounds back on your brother.”
    Ford laughed. “Mom, I’m fine. I might have lost a few pounds, but you know, where I’ve been, fine dining was only a dim memory. A
very
dim memory.”
    “And where have you been?” Grace forced him to look into her eyes.
    “Here and there,” he told her. “Africa. Mostly.”
    “That covers a lot of ground, son,” she said softly.
    Ford nodded. He knew she was fishing for details, but right now he wanted nothing more than to savor the experience of being home. He knew there’d be questions to answer, but the longer he could leave the past behind him, the better off he’d be.
    “Well, we can get the whole story from Ford over dinner.” Dan stood in the doorway. “Right now let’s get you settled in, then we can get together in the dining room and have a great dinner. We managed to snag a phenomenal chef from a fine D.C. restaurant last year. He’s part of the reason we’re such a hot destination venue for parties and weddings.”
    “Ahem.” Lucy coughed.
    “You didn’t let me finish.” Dan smiled at his sister. “Lucy’s skills as an event planner are what really made our name, but the chef has turned out some pretty spectacular meals.”
    “We gave him the menu for tonight.” Grace took Ford’s arm as they walked into the lobby. “All of your favorites.”
    “That’s great, Mom. Thanks.”
    “How ’bout you and I go out to your car and get the rest of your bags?” Dan offered.
    Ford held up the two bags he’d brought with him. “This is it. Been living in tents or huts for the past six years, so I don’t own very much.”
    Their expressions said it all.
    “Really,” he told them. “It wasn’t always that bad.”
    They walked toward the stairwell in silence and Ford could only imagine what they were thinking. When they got to the bottom of the steps, his mothersaid, “Oh. Dan’s son D.J.’s been using your old room, dear, so we had to move you into another suite. I hope it’s all right.”
    “It’s fine, Mom. Any room that has a bed and a