Annie's Rainbow - Fern Michaels [62]
“That sounds like a good idea. I’m ready.”
“Okay, guys, let’s go. I think we should use the service elevator. No point in making more waves. I’ll call Tom when I get back. Be sure to check on him, Elmo. He’s like you; he can’t sit still. He always has to be doing something.”
Outside, a young Hawaiian boy in a red-and-white-flowered shirt approached Annie. “Your dogs are beautiful. I always wanted a German shepherd, but my sister is allergic to dog hair. I didn’t know they allowed dogs here. I’m just a valet, so maybe they don’t tell me these things. You are the daisy lady, yes?”
“It was a problem. That’s why they’re leaving. Can you find us a cab that will agree to take the dogs? We want to go to the airport. How do you know I’m the daisy lady?”
“Miss Clark is the daisy lady, they said. It is on the bulletin board. The manager does this so we call each guest by name. I do not know what daisy lady means. If you give a generous tip, any driver will take you.”
“How does fifty dollars sound?” Annie queried. “I own coffee shops called Daisy Shops.”
“Thirty dollars too much. Too late,” he said, wagging his finger playfully.
Annie handed him a ten-dollar bill as she settled the dogs in the backseat of the taxi.
“Mahalo,” the valet shouted as he pocketed the ten dollars.
At the airport, the plane stood in readiness. Annie escorted the two dogs up the metal stairs and into the plane. “Have a good trip, Elmo. I’ll call you as soon as I know you’re home safe. Take care of my dogs. I’ll find you the best grass skirts the island has to offer.”
“My ladies will be mighty pleased. I don’t think I’ll announce my arrival right away. Some peace and quiet for me and the dogs will be nice. Are you sure you aren’t upset with me, Annie?”
“I’m sure. I understand, Elmo. You guys behave yourself till I get back,” she said, tweaking the dogs’ ears. They growled good-naturedly.
The moment Elmo saw Annie on the ground walking toward the terminal he leaned back, slapped his thigh and laughed so loud the steward came running. to see what was wrong. Elmo waved him off, still laughing. “We pulled it off. Now she’s free to go after that guy who has been in her heart for so long. We were just excess baggage. Without us to worry about she’s got all the time in the world. Now, settle in, I have a bunch of junk none of us are supposed to be eating. Licorice for you, Rosie, Pom Poms for you, Harry, and for me, cigarettes and Hershey Kisses. It’s a long flight home, but I have pounds of treats.” He laughed again. The dogs threw their heads back and howled.
“We’re here, miss. Do you want the front entrance or the back entrance?”
“Take me around to the back. I think I’ll sit out by the pool for a while and have one of those marvelous drinks with an umbrella in it.”
Annie chose a chaise longue with a fluffy blue towel thrown over the back of it. “We’re about to close the bar, miss, but I can make you one last drink,” a waiter said.
“Bring me a big one with lots and lots of stuff in it. Add some cherries and don’t forget the umbrella.” The waiter nodded and smiled.
Annie laughed when he returned with a carved-out pineapple, filled to the brim, that required two hands to hold. A bright pink umbrella stood at attention in a mound of whipped cream. “Absolutely decadent,” she giggled. “Is there a phone around here I can use?”
The waiter brought a phone with a long cord and set it on the little table next to her elbow. She tipped him generously, then charged the drink to her room.
“Good night, ma’am.”
Ma’am. “Good night.” Ma’am not miss. Suddenly she felt a hundred years old. She didn’t realize how tired she was until she took several hits from the pineapple drink. She started to relax immediately. Elmo was old. Tom was old. If she could still have babies, then she was young. Ma’am. She hated the way it sounded. She was a young woman in Paradise with no man in sight. What are you doing, Parker? Do you ever think of me? Do you hate me for all those things I said to you?
Annie looked around. It was so peaceful here. The low walkway lighting twinkled