The warm breeze off of the ocean rustled the palm leaves above them. Dane looked up at the palms. “Now, that is music to my ears.” The group laughed.
“So how’s things going since we were gone?” asked Dane, surveying the beach.
“Same-o, same-o,” remarked Wayne. “Sherrie’s still the Queen of Baywatch and I’m simply one of her loyal subjects.” The group roared with laughter.
“After what we have been through there is nothing sweeter than being able to laugh along with you guys,” mused Dane.
Before anyone could add anything they all turned at the sound of a horn. A sweet, brand new Melbourne Red BMW Z4 35is roadster turned into the parking lot. It still had the dealer plates.
“And there they are now,” said Dane with a big grin. The car slipped in beside the jeep and came to a stop in the sandy lot.
“Hey,” squealed Sherrie, almost running over Hugo to get to Dana. Still weeks later, Dana still bore the scars of her ordeal. She had two teeth missing from her once beautiful smile and there was still a slight bruise visible on her right cheek. Sherrie’s smile vanished when she saw her. “Oh, my God, Dana, are you all right?”
Dana smiled widely, exposing her two lost teeth. “I sure am,” she blurted. “I and Randall is gonna try out for hillbilly parts at the picture show.” Sherrie looked at her and then at Randall, who smiled showing his missing teeth. Stunned for a second, Sherrie burst into laughter.
“Well, I would say you two would win that there part hands down,” she exclaimed. “Still, welcome back.” Dana climbed out of the car and gave Sherrie a big hug.
Dana’s smile morphed into pursed lips. Her eyes filled with tears. “Sherrie, both Randall and I are so, so happy to be here, thanks to these two guys.”
“Yeah, these two were like the cavalry coming at the nick of time,” added Randall, stepping out of the roadster. “I swear I always liked Dane, but when I saw his face when he came to get us, well, let’s just say I will never forget it.” Randall held out his hand to Dane and gave him a strong handshake, then a hug. “Thanks, brother.” He turned to Hugo and shook his hand and gave him a hug as well. “Thanks to you too. These two are the best in my book,” said Randall, patting both on the back.
“Mine too,” added Dana. “Well, maybe my dentist will be up there too when I get these teeth fixed.” They all laughed; one big happy family again. “Hey, where does a girl get a Diet Coke around here?”
“Come on in,” replied Wayne. “We have a cooler full of ice-cold ones upstairs.”
“Sounds like my kind of place,” quipped Dana. As the group walked toward the headquarters building, Dane and Hugo followed.
“Oh, hey, boss, we need to meet someone at three o’clock.” Dane gave Hugo a questioning look but said nothing. “You know that investment friend of mine. We gotta do something with our newly found wealth.”
Dane smiled as he realized Hugo was right. They had a boatload of money now. Free and clear. Dane stopped in his tracks, thought for a second. “He can wait, Hugo. We don’t have to do anything for a while.”
Hugo grinned and nodded his agreement. “Damned straight, Boss… damned straight.” They continued their walk up the steps of the Beach Patrol headquarters. “Hey, Dane, let’s go look at the yachts this afternoon. I may want to pick up a nice boat.” Dane slapped Hugo on the back.
“All in good time, my friend, but first, all I want is a Diet Coke and a long vacation.”
About the Author
This is Ron Smoak’s first novel. Born and raised in South Carolina, he graduated from Clemson University and is a retired Information Technology professional living in Canton, GA outside of Atlanta with his wife Lee and cat Hobie. He is an avid traveler. His love of adventure novels led him to write his own.
Ron plans to continue this series with more adventures of Dane Skoglund and Hugo Winsor. Keep on reading!