Barely a few minutes later, Sam hugged his kids until they squealed, and then waved goodbye from the dock. Heading back to the resort along the boardwalk that spanned the sandy white beach, his heart constricted. He missed them and their lovable quirks already.
He checked his watch as he entered the open-air lobby. Their guests should begin arriving in less than two hours. Enough time for a final review of the week’s activities with Katie and a much-needed hit of caffeine.
* * *
“GOOD AFTERNOON, FOLKS. This is Captain Jonas here.” Charlotte opened her eyes and strained to hear the pilot as the entire plane quieted to listen. They’d pulled away from the gate ten minutes ago and then stopped with no explanation before now. From her window seat, she didn’t see any other planes taking off, either. Maybe her flight would be canceled and she could go home. Her heart beat faster until the captain continued speaking.
“There’s a storm hanging out just west of the airport, and no one’s taking off. As soon as we get clearance, I’ll be back to let you know. Until then, sit back and relax.”
“Easy for you to say,” Charlotte mumbled. The noise level rose as passengers complained. She reached under the seat in front of her to pull out her itinerary from her purse. Her flight was supposed to arrive in Fort Lauderdale at three, which gave her two hours before the ferry to Sapodilla Cay left at five. Taking into consideration that she needed to go to baggage claim and then take a taxi for the short drive to Port Everglades, this plane better take off quickly. She’d never been on a trip like this before and had no idea if there would be a security checkpoint that might be backed up.
The older woman sitting in the middle seat next to Charlotte tsked as she continued to crochet something pale pink and tiny. She glanced at Charlotte. “Never fails. I’m always on the flight that’s delayed.” The woman’s bright green eyes were prominant in an oval face lined with faint wrinkles. She peered at Charlotte, waiting for a response.
“You fly often?” she asked politely. She wasn’t in the habit of conversing with strangers, but she reminded herself of her vow to have fun and leave her worries behind.
“Oh yes. Several times a year.” The woman continued crocheting as she spoke, her hands moving rhythmically. “My grandkids live in Rhode Island. I’ve been living in south Florida for about ten years.” She glanced at her hands, then back at Charlotte.
Charlotte checked the sky through her small window. “Looks like it’s clearing over that way.”
When the woman didn’t comment, Charlotte stuffed her itinerary back into her purse, shoved it under the seat in front of her and leaned her head back. Her eyes drifted shut. She hoped her seat neighbor would take the hint.
“Allie?” A woman’s loud voice came from the aisle nearby.
Charlotte didn’t open her eyes, instead regulated her breathing and tried to block out the commotion around her.
“Allie!” The woman was insistent.
The older woman nudged Charlotte with her elbow and said in a whisper, “I think that woman is speaking to you, dear.”
Charlotte’s eyes popped open to see a plump, fifty-something woman with an unruly mop of dark, curly hair and black-rimmed glasses.
“I didn’t know you were on this flight.” The woman’s speech was quick, her silver hoop earrings bouncing randomly. “I’m surprised you’re coming to the conference after the way things turned out at DP. You know, when you left.” She used finger quotes for “left” and never seemed to stop talking long enough to inhale.
“You have me confused with my twin sister, Allie,” Charlotte told her. “My name is Charlotte.”
The woman pointed a finger at her and grinned wickedly. “That’s a good one, Allie. I’m not sure how many people will believe you suddenly have a twin sister, but it’s a nice try. I have to warn you, there are a lot of people at DP who think you knew about Jimmy’s extortion plan. I’m really surprised you’re going to the conference.”
Charlotte opened her mouth to explain about finding Allie fairly recently, but she couldn’t get a word in.
“Too bad we’re not sitting next to each other.” The woman turned her head quickly to look at the surrounding passengers and lowered her voice. “I’m sure you’ve heard all about who’s going to be at the conference. Rumor has it he’s looking to change advertising firms.” She put her finger to her lips. “But you didn’t hear it from me.” The woman pointed to the front of the plane. “I’m up there on the aisle. I hate sitting anywhere else.” She leaned in the row, nearly resting her ample breasts on the man in the aisle seat, to whisper, “You know how my bladder is, and I hate asking people to move. Oh, speaking of that, I need to use the facilities before they make us buckle up. So good to see you. I want to hear all about what you’ve been doing since you left DP. Check you later.” She waved and moved down the aisle before Charlotte could say another word.
The woman obviously knew Allie from her previous job. Charlotte hadn’t considered that people attending the advertising conference might mistake her for Allie. She should have, though, since they were identical twins. From their dark, chin-length hair to their matching feet with high insteps.
“I have to ask,” the older woman next to her said. “Is your name Charlotte or Allie?”
“It’s Charlotte. She didn’t give me a chance to explain. My twin sister backed out of the conference and gave me the hotel room and travel arrangements to use as a vacation.”
The woman nodded. “Sounds like you should do some investigating into this ‘special guest’ that’s coming. I’m guessing your sister might be sorry she missed him.”
The seat belt reminder dinged, and the passengers hurried to their seats to buckle up. Charlotte considered her seatmate’s suggestion as the plane’s engines revved.
“This is your captain again. Looks like things are moving. We’re number eight for takeoff. Shouldn’t be long now.”
That seemed like a long way back in line, but Charlotte wasn’t an expert.
Her mind wandered to what the talkative woman had said about someone important attending the conference. She should definitely call Allie as soon as she was able.
* * *
CHARLOTTE’S ROOM WAS beyond beautiful, as well as being the largest hotel room she’d ever stayed in. The furnishings were luxurious, while the room was light and airy. She crossed the hardwood floor to peer out at the ocean, drawn by the gentle breeze coming from the wall of open floor-to-ceiling French doors. The water was calm, and much to her amazement, she discovered how far out to sea she could still discern the white sandy bottom far from shore.
The first thing she did was call Allie. Her sister had already left her office for the day and her cell phone went right to voice mail. Charlotte left messages both places, but she would have to try again later.
She was about to unpack when she spotted a flyer on the bed. It was an invitation to the welcome reception the desk clerk had mentioned when she’d checked in. He’d said it was for all guests, not just conference attendees.
She checked the clock. The reception had already begun. As much as she wanted to hibernate
