Ten couldn’t agree more. It was on the tip of his tongue to caution Ronan about speaking of him in a derogatory fashion, but maybe that was the kick to the ass, no pun intended, that Walt needed to reveal himself and his evil plan.
9
Ronan
Ronan woke up feeling like a new man. All of the symptoms of his seasickness were gone. Everly spent the night with Aurora and Ezra had been with Jude. With the hotel suite so quiet, Ronan had gone out like a light and had only woken up when the sun rose. He hadn’t slept like that since before Everly was born.
After Ronan’s shower, he rounded up the bigger kids and took them to the breakfast buffet and then to the kiddie arts and crafts class. It looked like they were going to paint a picture of the hotel at sunset. Ronan asked if he could join in and unbelievably, the instructor allowed him to stay and paint.
Before the class started, Ronan put in a room service order for Tennyson. Peppermint tea, French toast, bacon, and fresh fruit. Ten deserved breakfast in bed every day for how hard he worked taking care of their family.
Ronan was the least artistic person he knew. He was so bad at drawing that his stick figures didn’t even look like people. His canvas was 8x10 and set in the landscape position. As the instructor walked the class through the basics, Ronan was surprised how easily he picked them up. From his easel in the back of the room, he could see that his painting was almost as good as some of the kids’ artwork.
Just as Ronan was finishing the hotel itself, Jude and Fitzgibbon walked into the classroom. He caught Jude’s attention and motioned them over.
“Look at you, Picasso!” Fitz said, looking impressed by Ronan’s work.
“Painting looked like fun, so I asked if I could join in. To be honest, it’s kind of relaxing. Maybe I’ll take it up when we get back home. Me and Everly could paint our garden like Monet used to do.”
“Don’t forget to sign the bottom right of your masterpieces,” the instructor said. “We’ve got to leave the paintings here to dry all day, so adding your name will help to identify which painting belongs to which artist.”
Ronan added his John Hancock and stood back to admire the final results. It wasn’t half bad, if he did say so himself. Maybe they could hang it in the laundry room or in his office at work.
Jude snapped pictures of the kids with their art. He did the same for Ronan.
“Daddy!” Everly ran to Ronan. “I didn’t know you stayed to paint.”
“What do you think?” Ronan crossed his fingers hoping his daughter liked his painting. He’d painted the background with oranges, purples and pinks, representing the setting sun. Around the hotel were all kinds of flowers and ivy creeping up the side.
“I love it, Daddy! You get a sticker for your hard work.” Everly showed off the one she’d been awarded by the art teacher.
“I don’t want a sticker. I want a snack!” Wolf said. “I’m starving!”
“Come on, you little Hobbit. Let’s go get a second breakfast.” Jude wrapped his arm around Wolf and led him out of the ballroom.
“Do you girls want a snack too?” Fitz asked, looking as if he already knew the answer to the question.
“I want more craps!” Aurora said, looking excited at the prospect.
“You might need to add a little fiber to your diet, honey,” Ronan said, barking out a quick laugh. He had no idea what Aurora was talking about.
“Not craps, crepes!” Everly said with a giggle.
“Right. They’re filled with hazelnut spread and are the best things I’ve ever eaten. We should learn how to make them at home, right, Daddy?” Aurora batted her eyes at Fitzgibbon.
“We’ll check it out when we get home.” Which of course was shorthand for, Aurora’s getting a crepe griddle when vacation was over.
The dining room was full of hotel guests when Ronan walked in with Everly and Aurora. He couldn’t see any empty tables, but he could smell the bacon. It called to him like a siren’s song.
“Where are we gonna sit, Daddy?” Everly asked.
“I bet there are places to sit in the Taproom. It’s not open at this time of the day, but I bet we can use the tables.” Ronan ushered his daughter through the line. Everly got a hazelnut crepe and fresh strawberries. Ronan followed her lead and added a stack of crispy bacon to his plate. He was about to usher them out of the room and down the short staircase to the bar, when Ronan heard a raucous laugh. He turned around to see a large man wearing a fedora. He seemed to be holding court over his table.
“That’s him,” Fitzgibbon whispered. “That’s the mobbed up beachmaster.”
Ronan studied the man. He was everything Fitz and Jude had described. He looked to be about sixty and was built like a bulldog with a perfect tan and slicked back dark hair, which wasobviously a dye job. With his Irish skin that got sunburned after being outside for thirty seconds, Ronan couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy over his deep tan. He couldn’t hear much of the conversation the man was having with the people at his table, but his thick New York accent was apparent. “What’s his deal?”
“When we saw him on the beach the other day, he was talking about working for John Gotti in New York City back in the day.” Fitz rolled his eyes.
