The Players (TP4)

31 - Hotel Shangri La

Ryan

Will came over after his shift. "Hey man, can I crash here?"

Ryan nodded. "Yeah, I heard the whole story."

"Where's Lan?"

"She went for a walk on the beach. Do you want to go throw the ball before I start up the grill?"

"Dope. Yeah!"

Ryan had learned dope was good and had nothing to do with drugs. He was feeling pretty dope after hanging around with teenagers all summer. The beach wasn't empty, but there was enough open space to play. It didn't surprise him when Cassie showed up to watch. Perhaps he should get to the bottom of what was going on with Will and the girl. She definitely liked him which was great, except she was in the pool last week with her boyfriend.

Lana came back from her walk and sat and watched. She relaxed as the afternoon went on. He secretly liked the company. Being alone during the week was fine, because he worked but the weekends got lonely. He would grill chicken and throw together a salad. Will would need more than that, but he could fill up on bread. They were used to sharing meals, so it really wasn't unusual.

When they walked back to the cottage, he saw the ex standing in the window of the Drake cottage. Will was saying something funny and Lana was laughing. Her laugh filled the air and Ryan hoped the her ex felt left out, because he deserved it.

"Sweetheart, I could get used to this," Kelly said, as she kissed his cheek. He had just had dinner with his parents. If he was honest, he enjoyed seeing more of them. He never planned to live so far from home. He went to Georgetown and then his first job was in DC and he stayed. Would he think his mother was meddling like Lana's mother if he lived closer? He didn't think so because Nora was in a league of her own.

He had enjoyed providing a refuge for both Will and Lana. They were fun and didn't get in his way when he was working. Just that morning, Lana appeared with a cup of coffee for him. It was his second, but he occasionally had more than one. When she brought it in to him, he was having his daily chat with Don. She snickered and when he eventually hung up, he told her about his favorite client.

"So you talk to him every day?"

"Yes, he's lonely and it's part of my job."

"Does he have children?"

"Yes, but I'm sure they've grown weary of him. Can you imagine growing up with a man who can talk for hours?"

"My dad loves to talk to people, but he always does more listening than talking."

"I know he had me talking about ETFs for a half hour one morning."

"E what? Nevermind. I didn't know you talked to my father!"

"Yup, stood in the street for a long time. I really like him."

"Everyone does."

Driving back across the causeway, he felt a little sad it was Will's last night with him. Lana was working at Oliver's restaurant and Will had planned to meet his friends on the beach. He didn't think Dr. Drake would like him much after he stole his son for three days.

His cottage was quiet, but the door to the guest room door was closed. He was certain he heard a giggle. This moment reminded him why he never wanted to be a parent. On one hand, Will wasn't doing anything he wouldn't have done at his age. He remembered sneaking girls into their cottage occasionally when his parents were out and Jack was on the beach chasing after Maddie like a love sick puppy dog. His problem was the girl had a boyfriend who was not Will.

He said nothing when Adam was seeing Lana and the other girl. Thankfully, he was only with Lana now. He ignored the fact Dougie was married when he was naked in the pool, but Will was not a client or a jerk like Doug. He couldn't keep his mouth shut any longer.