by Violet Paige
“I said I’ll let you know. I didn’t even have to bring Grayson by. You could try saying thank you.”
I gritted my teeth. I wasn’t taking her bait. I wasn’t going to get pulled in. She did this every time. She wanted me to fight and it wasn’t happening.
“Fine. I’m glad I could see him.”
She planted her hands on her hips. “I’ll drop him off next week, unless you’re too busy here.” She eyed the motel.
“No. I’m never too busy for him. Never.” I stared at her.
She laughed. “Right. And that’s why you spend all your time at this dump.”
I glared. “I inherited this property and it’s how I support my son. It’s a business. It’s my job. You know that.”
“Whatever. You choose to spend your time here. It’s useless.” She walked past me. “Grayson, come on. Let’s go,” she called.
He made another circle in the sand and ran toward us. His hair clung to his forehead. Even with the sun going down, he was sweaty. I bent down, wrapping my arms around him.
“Have fun on your trip. I’ll see you next week.”
He rubbed his nose over mine. I laughed. I hadn’t letting him out of my arms. It never got easier.
I rose and faced Amber. “Text me.”
She sighed. “I will.” She reached her hand out. “Come on, let’s get you buckled in your car seat.”
He ran next to her. Five minutes later they were gone. Although, I had no idea where my son was going.
Three
Kaitlyn
Once we landed in Houston, I pulled my bag from underneath the seat and turned my phone on. I had three missed calls from Branch. I didn’t want to talk to him. My anger toward him suffocated any creeping curiosity about why he was calling after three days of utter silence.
I still had one puddle jumper flight to Brownsville. From there, I would hop on the resort shuttle that would take me to South Padre.
“You be careful, young lady. Those Padre vacations can get a little out of control,” the man next to me warned. He had not taken any of my subtle hints.
I smiled, scooted down the aisle, and walked off the plane.
I had enough time between my flights to call Mary Ellen, my roommate for the past four years. She was like the sister I never had. I tapped her name on my screen and waited for her to answer.
“Hey. How is Texas? Are you there?”
“Yes.I’m in Houston, waiting for my next flight.” I observed the passengers walking past me. I had never seen so many cowboy boots worn in one place. Everyone had them on.
“We just checked into the hotel and we’re headed to happy hour. You doing ok?”
“Happy hour?”
“There are graduation parties everywhere,” she explained. “I think it’s happy hour all the time this week. How are you doing? Have you heard from Branch?”
I didn’t want to talk about Branch, but Mary Ellen was worried and I knew she would keep pestering me about him until I said something. If the roles were reversed, I would do exactly the same thing.
“He called three times when I was in the air, but I haven’t talked to him. I don’t want to.”
“I get that but, what if you run into him in Padre? Don’t you two need to talk?” I could hear girls screaming in the background.
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
“I know you’re being strong, but you don’t have to pretend for me. You’ve got to be worried about seeing him. Admit that at least.”
I wasn’t willing to admit anything. My emotions seesawed between numbness and anger. Mary Ellen had tried to talk me out of the trip, but it didn’t work. I needed to focus on something to keep me from thinking about what Branch had said. Packing, boarding a flight, and making my way to this vacation kept me from fixating on what happened between us.
“I’m fine. Stop worrying about me. South Padre is going to be the perfect vacay to get over the asshole. I couldn’t dream up a better way to forget him.” I smiled into the phone.
“He is the asshole. Do I need to write a list for you of all the stuff he did? It might be just what you need. I read in a Cosmo article somewhere that if you make a list of all the bad things in your relationship it will help with closure. If you need me to start it, I’d put how he backed out as your plus one for your cousin’s wedding right at the last minute as number one. He was probably the worst boyfriend.”
Mary Ellen always had my back whether or not she liked my relationship with Branch. “Thanks for the offer, but I have the memories, unfortunately.”
“I bet you could still change your flight. Why don’t you fly back and we’ll spend our this week together—like we should have planned all along before Branch hijacked it. It’s just not the same without you here.”
Mary Ellen’s words struck a guilty nerve. She was right. I shouldn’t have planned a post-graduation vacation with my boyfriend. I should be with my best friend.
I sighed. “I have to go. My flight is boarding for Brownsville. I just wanted to see if you made it to Myrtle Beach. Tell the girls I said, hey.”
“Ok, but call me when you get to the resort. And good luck.” She hung up, and I stood facing the gate, realizing for the first time that the flight was full.
While I was on the phone with Mary Ellen, the small waiting area had accumulated college students from all over the country, with only one thing on their minds: a weeklong party.
I found an open seat and waited for the desk attendant to call my row. I only needed to make it through this one little flight, and then I’d be on my way to the resort. I could sort things out there. The beach, sun, and a fruity drink were calling my name.
“Passengers waiting to board flight two-two-eight-one with nonstop service to Brownsville, we apologize for the inconvenience, but the flight has been overbooked.” The murmurs around me were almost loud enough to drown out the rest of the announcement.
“If we call your name, please step up to the podium and we’ll help you make arrangements to reach your final destination.”
I reached for my ticket and clutched it in anticipation for the list of bumped passengers.
“Alex Bishop, Jodie Phillips, and Jorge Ramon please approach the ticket desk.”
Relieved, I tucked my ticket back into my bag.
They weren’t finished. “And passenger Kaitlyn Sinclair. We need you to check in as well.”
Shit. I had been sorted onto the short list of bumped passengers. I gathered my carry on and approached the desk.
“Hi. I’m Kaitlyn Sinclair. You called my name.”
“Yes. You’ve been reassigned to another flight to Brownsville,” the woman at the counter reported.
“Ok. When does that flight leave?”
She typed furiously on the keyboard. “You’re in luck. Since it’s a heavy vacation time, it’s basically like a shuttle service to Brownsville. There is another flight in ninety minutes.”
That didn’t seem too bad. “All right.” I didn’t have much choice.
“And we have a food voucher for you.” She beamed at me. “It’s five dollars and you can use it anywhere in the airport.”
That wouldn’t even cover the cost of a muffin at the food court. I took my new boarding pass and the not-so-generous voucher, and returned to my seat.
I had to remind myself that even if Branch hadn’t dumped me, I would still be traveling to South Padre by myself. He had bought his airline ticket a month before I did. Maybe I should have realized then that he didn’t care whether I was on this trip. He always liked his independence. If we had a date, he’d ask me to meet him there. He was the kind of guy who would rather go to a movie without me, than wait two hours for me to get out of class.
“Attention passengers traveling to Brownsville. We will begin boarding in twenty minutes. Please have your boarding passes ready.” The loud speaker crackled overhead.
Finally.
Four
Kaitlyn
When the plane came to a complete s
top, I wasn’t expecting to disembark down a flight of stairs and onto the concourse. The Brownsville airport was small—extremely small. I slung my bag on my left shoulder and descended the stairs. I inhaled the warm Texas air. Ok, maybe salt breezes weren’t that far away.
The flip-flop girls from my flight giggled as we crossed the tarmac. I thought I overheard them discussing cocktails and something about body shots.
“Ladies, wait up!” The flask guys pushed past me, sending one of the cola bottles in the air.
“Hey!” I yelled as the lid slipped off and the pungent concoction washed down the front of my jeans.
If they were trying to stifle their laughter, they failed. “Dude, you just spilled your drink all over that girl.”
“Hey, I’m sorry.” The offender barely uttered the words before he plunged into the crowd and disappeared.
I looked down at my jeans and the stain that had bled from my thigh to the mid-point of my shin. At least I was entering baggage claim where I could retrieve my bag and change clothes. Only, the carousel circled several times, the flip-flop girls were on their way with their luggage and mine was missing.
I trudged over to the baggage desk. “Excuse me. My luggage didn’t arrive from Raleigh.”
“Fill out this form.” The man behind the counter didn’t even bother to look at me. He typed something with one hand and tossed a pen with the other.
“But, I’m supposed to catch a shuttle to my hotel. Can you try to track it first? I was bumped from my last flight and maybe it arrived before I did. I have my baggage claim ticket right here.” I held up the small barcode stapled to my boarding pass.
“Like I said, fill out the form.”
I took the pen and inserted all the necessary information into the blanks.
“Do you think you can tell me where it is?” I asked sweetly, hoping he would take pity on me.
The man glanced over the sheet on the clipboard and resumed his typing. “We’ll call you when we locate your bag.”
There was a line forming behind me. I wasn’t the only one who had an issue with traveling today.
“Ok. Thank you.” I didn’t want to thank the man. He hadn’t done anything and he wasn’t the least bit helpful, but the fate of my suitcase was in his hands.
I thought back to the pictures on the website of the resort. When I checked in, I could take a hot steamy shower and curl up in one of those fluffy robes while I waited for my luggage. I smiled. A twenty-minute shuttle ride was all that separated me from resort luxury.
I stepped out into the baggage pickup and searched for the shuttle the resort advertised. I felt empty-handed as I watched the travelers around me struggle with their suitcases. At the end of the sidewalk was a small bus marked with the emblazoned sun logo for the Wave Oasis. I marched toward it.
The driver jogged down the steps. “No luggage, young lady?”
“No. It’s lost.”
“Maybe they’ll find it for you by the end of the week.” He laughed. I hoped he was joking. I didn’t have a stitch of clothing with me other than what I had on. I couldn’t spend the entire week in a spa robe.
After an hour, the driver pulled into the side entrance of the Wave Oasis, designated for guest arrivals and departures. Everything looked exactly like it did on the website. Palm trees and tropical flowers lined the sidewalk. I loved the deep red hibiscus blooms, climbing the trellises. Flames flickered in the gas torches by the front door.
I smiled as I stepped off of the bus and inhaled the salty air. I tilted my head to the side confirming that the rumbling sound was waves meeting the shore. I made it—I finally made it to South Padre. It didn’t matter that I was alone and couldn’t claim a group like the flip-flop girls as my spring break buddies. Even the fact that my luggage was missing didn’t frustrate me like it did at the airport. All the perfect paradise ingredients surrounded me. Warm beaches. Sun in my face. Salt breeze in my hair.
I approached the front desk and pulled out my ID, feeling the rush of the trip lighting all my senses.
“I’m here to check in,” I announced.
The girl behind the counter smiled and brushed her bangs from her eyes. I instantly liked her. “The name?” She couldn’t be much older than me.
“Sinclair. Kaitlyn’s my first name.” I slid my ID across the counter.
“Hmm.” She typed quickly and scrunched her nose. “Could it be under another name?”
“No. I made the reservation months ago. Kaitlyn Sinclair. I have the credit card here. Do you need it?” I flipped open my wallet.
She shot me a friendly smile and started punching the keys again. “I just don’t see it. Did you have a roommate by chance or did someone else make the reservation?”
My stomach lurched. He couldn’t. He wouldn’t. “I did, but I’m certain he’s not here. I mean, that’s just not possible. Is it?”
“Why don’t you give me the name and I’ll check?” she offered.
I sighed before saying his name. “Branch Richards.”
“Oh yes, he’s here. He checked in.” She seemed relieved to have solved the mystery of my missing reservation.
“What?” I didn’t want to cause a scene at the desk, but my voice rose from calm to shrill.
“He checked into room 852.”
This was unbelievable. Branch had checked into my room. I guess it was his room, too, but he lost that privilege when he broke up with me three days ago.
“Can I please have a key?” I pleaded.
Her smile evaporated. “I’m sorry.” She whispered across the counter. “Your name isn’t on the reservation, so I can’t give you one. I shouldn’t have even told you the room number.”
I clutched the shoulder strap on my bag—the only thing I had on this island. “But it was my room—our room. He took my room.” I inhaled deeply through my nose. “Ok, well, can I make another reservation?”
The thought of staying in the same hotel with Branch wasn’t appealing, but I was running out of options and this resort was huge. We probably wouldn’t run into each other, and if we did there were thousands of people to hide behind.
“Actually, no. We were booked up two months ago.” I saw a look of pity in her eyes.
No, no, no. This wasn’t possible. I was homeless in South Padre. I stood at the counter, closed my eyes, and tried to grasp my options.
“Are you going to be ok?” The girl whispered.
“Yes. Thank you, for your help.” I was visibly rattled from the information.
But suddenly I was in a trance. I walked into the open elevator with a group who had just left the pool.
The elevator stopped on the eighth floor and I ran out.
I searched the room numbers. I pounded on room 852’s door. “Branch, let me in! Branch!”
I didn’t care if I looked like a crazy ex-girlfriend. This was possibly the most horrible day I had ever experienced, and Branch had compounded all of it by stealing my hotel room.
The door flew open, but instead of my handsome ex, I stood eye to eye with a petite brunette wearing a hot pink bikini and holding a beer in her hand.
“Who are you?” I barged past her, not all that interested in her answer.
“Branch?” she called out frantically. “Branch, there’s a crazy person in our room.”
“Me? I’m not the crazy one.” I spun on my heels to face her. “You are in my hotel room with my—” I stopped short of saying boyfriend. This must be what people meant by an out of body experience. My words were soft and calm, but inside, I was losing it.
Branch emerged from the bathroom with a towel draped around his waist. Little beads of water trickled over his smooth chest.
“Kaitlyn, what are you doing here? And what happened to your hair? Have you been drinking?” He eyed me suspiciously while reaching for the beer from the girl. He chugged a few swallows before passing it back to her.
“Why does everyone keep acting like I’m not supposed to be here? I paid for this trip. You know
that.” My fists dug into the sides of my hips to keep from slugging him. “Is this your definition of keeping your options open?” I nodded toward the girl who had taken a seat at the edge of the king-size bed.
“You’re obviously upset. I think you should go.” Branch placed his hand on my shoulder. The gesture irritated me.
“I’m not leaving. This is my room. If anyone should leave, it should be you. And you.” I glared at the girl. “I can’t believe you would do something like this.”
Seeing Branch half-dressed and smugly tossing out orders disgusted me. I didn’t know when he had transformed into this pompous ass, but I was actually glad I couldn’t be tied to him anymore. He was right—we had grown apart. However, he was the one who had grown into a royal dick.
Branch launched into one of his smooth explanations. “Look, I paid for the room—it’s not in your name anymore. I tried to call you a few times, but you didn’t pick up. I’m sorry there was a mix-up, but I think we both know what this is really about.” His forehead creased. “You’re taking this breakup hard. It’s understandable you’d be upset, but don’t make a scene. You know I hate girl drama.”
That was it. The words were like the cue I had been waiting to hear. My fist flew up from the side of my hip and caught him under the chin. He reeled back into the arms of the girl.
“What the hell, Kaitlyn?” He massaged his chin.
“Oh my God, Branch. Are you ok?” The bikini girl leaned over to look at his chin. The way she touched him, I knew they weren’t new acquaintances.
I exhaled. I couldn’t decide what I hated more: Branch or people saying “girl drama.” I had never punched anyone in my life, but I felt so much better.
“Bye, Branch. Enjoy your vacation.” I swung the door open and slammed it behind me with as much force as I could muster.
I didn’t know where I was going to find a place to stay for the week, but anywhere far from Branch was fine with me.
By the time I returned to the lobby, the line of guests checking in had dispersed. The nice girl at the counter smiled when she spotted me.