Nothing.
“After he died, the Army bought the hotel and decided to turn it into a place where airmen could convalesce when they returned to the United States after World War Two. The government then turned it into the V.A. headquarters in that area until 1969. Of course, the Pink Palace had seen better days and nearly got knocked down. A group of citizens rallied behind the building, saving it from the wrecking ball. It reopened in 1973 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.”
Still nothing.
“And, I just bet you’re wondering - have they ever shot any movies at the Don CeSar, Rand?” I ask myself. “And the answer is - why yes they have!Once Upon a Time in America- filmed in 1982 and starring Robert De Niro and James Woods.Forever Mine, the 1999 thriller with Joseph Fiennes, Ray Liotta, and Gretchen Mol. And it’s not just movies. There have been music videos and even the television showThunder in Paradise, starring another Florida icon - Hulk Hogan.”
“I thinkiconis a bit of a stretch,” Carolina snickers.
I grin at her. “Ah, she is paying attention!”
“How can I not, Rambling Man?”
My smile widens. I know that little nickname should annoy me, but coming from her, it doesn’t.
“You track Faylor’s phone?”
I nod. “I am legally responsible for a 16-year-old girl. I worry about all the stupid shit she can get into. And I worry about all the harm that can befall a young woman in this world. You bet I track her phone. And she tracks mine.”
Carolina turns a bit in the seat to face me. “Really?”
“I felt it was only fair,” I shrug. “If I’m tracking her. She should be able to track me.”
“Has she ever turned off the app?”
“Oh, she does it all the time. The first time, I nearly had a heart attack,” I admit. “But then Tatiana installed secret spyware on her phone, and now I don’t worry about it anymore.”
Carolina gasps. “I thought you said you wouldn’t ask Tatiana to track her if Faylor kept her app on.”
“Ah, a parental rookie,” I scoff. “What I said was if she turned off her tracker, I’d have Tatiana work her magic on all of Faylor’s electronics. I never said I didn’t already have T working on Faylor’s phone.”
Carolina laughs. “You have this father-daughter thing down pat.”
“I don’t, but it’s kind of you to say so,” I wink.
Carolina pauses. I can almost hear the gears spinning in her head. We’re taking the scenic route to St. Pete Beach, down Alternate US-19. It’s a nice day, and the Gulf is sparkling like diamonds.
“Faylor mentioned her bio-dad at dinner,” Carolina prompts.
My heart lurches. “Yeah.”
“He’s in prison?”
“He is.”
Carolina stares at me, waiting.
For once in my life, I’m not in a hurry to fill the silence with words.
“Do you not want to talk about it?” Carolina asks.
“It’s not that. It’s just,” I sigh. “I don’t want you to look at Faylor any differently.”
“Why would I do that?” Carolina slaps my arm. “She’s a wonderful girl. Beautiful. Curious. Smart. Why would her bio-dad being in prison make me look at her any different?”
I nod. She has a point.
“Okay,” I clear my throat. “My sister Faye, and her husband Jeremy Saiers, married later in life. They knew having children would be tough - when they got married - because Faye had polycystic ovary syndrome. That’s where the eggs release from the ovary, but they get stuck in a cyst outside. It’s excruciatingly painful and leads to infertility problems. Faye and Jeremy tried for years to get pregnant. Then they decided to give in vitro fertilization a try. They went to an IVF specialty doctor. And within a few weeks, Faye was pregnant. After the first round! We were ecstatic!”
