by Maher Tegan
The minute he said that, an immense relief washed over me. "You know what? I'm gonna do just that. I'll see you in a week."
"No, I'll see you in two weeks," he replied, and I could hear voices in the background. "You haven't taken a vacation in almost two years, and it's not good for your head to work all the time and never take a break. Go hang out with Mila, go see your folks, or go somewhere with Colin, but get off this resort, and don't come back to it until you've taken at least half your time."
I didn’t know about being gone that long, but I did want to take a week. I didn't feel right leaving Bob alone at the bar even though he did have Dimitri and Elena to back him up. A week was a start, though. I wished him luck with the lighthouse and hung up.
Before I could change my mind, I pulled my phone from my back pocket, scrolled through my recent contacts till I found Mila, and stabbed my screen to make the call.
"Hey," I said when she picked up. "What are you doing?"
"Hey, yourself!" she replied, and I could tell she was glad to hear from me. "I was just leaving my neighbor’s place. I'm watering her plants and feeding her cat while she's away on vacation."
A little stab of disappointment shot through me. If she was tied to town like that, she wasn't going to be able to get away with me. I loved Abaddon's Gate, but I didn't feel like spending my entire vacation there. "Oh. How long do you have to do that? When will she be back in town?"
"Only one more day. She just went up to visit her sister in Panama City Beach. She'll be back sometime tomorrow afternoon. Why?”
That made me feel much better. "Whatcha doin’ afterwards? I have to get out of this place, and I figured you might want to go with me."
She paused for a second before she answered. "Are you serious? You haven't taken a vacation from that place in two years. I was beginning to think you were just gonna chain yourself to that tiki bar and never leave."
Not that she was one to talk. She had a little potions store, and most of the time you couldn't drag her away from it. We both needed a break, and I was going to convince her to take one with me.
“I’m dead serious,” I replied. “I’ve reached the end of my rope, and my knot is frayed. If I don’t get out of here soon, I’ll end up cursing somebody or losing my mind."
"Wow! What happened to push you that far? Usually you take everything right in stride."
I sighed. "It's not just one thing. You know I’ve been wearing three hats for the past year, and it's just caught up to me. I had a bunch of werewolves get in a fight this morning on the patio, and they were being rowdy before that. Then I'm sitting on the beach to relax, and some goofy kraken throws a lighthouse at me. Well, to be fair, he wasn't throwing it at me, he was just tossing it ashore. Still, when you hit a point when something like that doesn't feel weird to you, it's time to take a vacation."
Tempest, who'd been pacing with me as I talked, popped up on the back of the couch. "Put her on speaker."
I did as she asked.
“And Blake told her to get out of here for two weeks instead of one. I'm gonna hold her to it, and I'm gonna drag you and Calamity with us. You need a break, too. Maybe we can go see Cori and Chaos. I miss them.”
"So, what do you say?" I asked.
Again, she hesitated. "Well, it has been a long time since we got away. This is the slow season, so it's not like I'm going to miss a lot of business. All my regulars are all stocked up, so I don't see any reason why I can't take at least a week off. Where do you want to go?"
I hadn't even thought about that part until Tempest had mentioned Cori and Chaos, who was Tempest and Calamity’s sister. Mila was an earth which, so she was more comfortable where there weren’t a lot of structures and buildings and concrete. I felt the same. We’d been raised in a small town, so a big city wasn't really our game regardless of our powers.
"I don't know. What do you think? We could go home. Or we could go see Cori like Tempest said.” Cori was my cousin, and she was a sheriff in a little place called Castle’s Bluff up in Georgia. It was a neat little town, but she was as bad about taking a vacation as we were. "Maybe we can convince her to come with us. She needs a getaway too, so just going up to visit Castle’s Bluff wouldn't help her any.”
“Cori’s not going anywhere. She just got back from spending a week up at mom's, so I doubt we’ll be able to convince her to take off again.”
That was a bummer because I hadn’t gotten to spend much time with Cori in a longer time than I was comfortable with. The three of us had been raised like sisters, and it was hard living so far away from her. I did teleport up for the night occasionally, but that wasn’t exactly quality time.
Mila broke into my thoughts. “I do need to go up there and scope the place out a little bit. I'm considering opening up a second shop there. Sean Castle’s opening up a resort just for paranormals. Well, not really a resort, per se, though I get the feeling it’s going a bit beyond the spa he’d originally planned. It's gonna have a little shopping area in it, and I'd like to scope it out to see if he thinks a potions shop will be a good fit."
“I’ll call her, then. Maybe she can take a little bit of time, anyway. I’m sure Sam could hold down the fort for a few days.” Sam was her second in command, and he was more than capable of being sheriff himself, except he said it would cut into his fishing time.
My head was starting to spin with possibilities as I paced and talked. I’d never been one to sit and have a phone conversation, and now that I was thinking about getting away, I was pumped full of energy.
‘Okay,” Mila said. “You do that, and I’ll make arrangements for my stuff here. Do you want to come over here tonight?”
I thought about that for a second. If I was going to be away for more than just a night or two, I’d need to pack and take care of stuff like clearing my fridge, not that there was much in it. “Nah, I’ll stay here tonight and wrap things up then come over tomorrow around noonish. There are a few things I need to buy before we leave.”
Though there were stores everywhere, Abaddon’s Gate was a magical city. If we were going on vacation, I wanted fresh waterproof mascara and some magical curl spray for my hair. Anything non-magical just wasn’t enough to hold it.
“Good deal. Talk to Cori, and decide what we’re doing. I’m up for anything now that you’ve drawn me in. Ooh, I’m happier than a pig in mud right now!” She resisted adding a little squeal, but it was there in her voice, and it made me smile.
Though she was the one more prone to that sort of response, I was right there with her for once. I was gonna get to spend time with two of my favorite people in the world, and I couldn’t wait.
* * *
Chapter 3
I puttered around for the next few hours taking care of little details like cleaning my house, doing laundry, and packing. By around six o'clock, my stomach was growling, so I headed to the kitchen. It’d been a minute since I’d gone to the grocery store, so all I really had left was cereal unless I wanted to dive into the pantry and actually cook. I pick up the box to give it a shake and realized there was only about half a bowl left. At that point, I sorta wanted to shake Colin because he was the only one who left a handful in the box. I would've filled my bowl to the rim and called it a day rather than leaving less than a serving in the box.
“Looks like we’re going out to eat,” I said, tossing the box into the trash.
"I'm actually okay with that," Tempest said, hopping up onto the kitchen chair. “I’m pretty sure we don’t have anything good to cook tonight anyway, so why don’t we head up to Mario's and get some pasta?”
“You know what? That sounds amazing." Mario's was the on-resort high-end Italian restaurant, and it had the most luscious chicken served with a lemon butter sauce and goat cheese. My mouth watered just thinking about it.
The best thing about most of the places on the resort was that they didn't have the same dress codes that restaurants of equal caliber would have in the regular world. I wasn't about to go
there in cut-offs and a tank top, even though I could have. We encouraged comfort over formality, and that extended to every corner of the resort including the restaurants and casino. The only requirement most places had was that your clothing couldn’t be wet. That was just a courtesy to other guests.
Since I was on vacation now, I decided to spiff it up a little bit. I picked through my closet and pulled out a yellow sundress and a pair of strappy white sandals. Then I went to the bathroom and actually applied makeup instead of just dashing on some mascara and lip gloss like I usually did.
"Fancy," Tempest said as she paced while I got ready. "Now can we go? I have meatballs waiting for me with my name on them."
Tempest had friends in every kitchen on the resort, and she had them all wrapped around her paw. Even though I'd warned her not to go bumming food, she always ignored me and did it anyway. She knew more about the menus than I did.
"All right already. Let's go." My stomach rumbled as if it agreed with her.
“Let's teleport," she said, running a lap around me. "I'm starving, and it's hot. I don't want to walk all the way up there."
I thought about that for a second, and though I was tempted, I opted to take the route that would burn the most calories. "No, we’re gonna walk. I plan on tearing up his lemon butter and goat cheese chicken, and I'll probably end with some tiramisu, so the exercise will do me good. We’ll probably end up having to teleport back because I doubt I'll be able to walk that far."
Mario's always put me in a food coma, because no matter how much I protested, he always insisted on sending us out free calamari to start with and then a big wedge of tiramisu to end our dining experience. Though my mind said no, my stomach slapped it down, told it to shut up, and said yes.
She sniffed and put her nose in the air, her fluffy tail waving like a flag. “Fine. Have it your way, but I'm riding on your shoulder. I'm not walking."
I scoffed. "Like I expected anything different."
Tempest tended to have a lot of cat-like qualities, and disliking exercise was one of them. Between her sheer laziness and her love of food, it was a wonder she wasn't so big around that she was incapable of walking. Of course, with my appetite for fries and burgers, I didn’t have much room to talk.
I took my time, for once enjoying the fact that I didn't have anywhere to be. As we walked, I ran my hands over the top of the seagrass and enjoyed the sound of the waves rolling gently to shore. The sun setting over the Gulf of Mexico turned the sky gorgeous shades of purple, pink, and orange, and I sighed, content to just be where I was at.
Margo, the Sphinx who stood guard outside the main resort entrance, shifted her large head and smiled as I approached.
"Destiny!" she exclaimed. "It's amazing to see you. I heard you've had a bit of a tough time down at the tiki, and I've been worried about you."
I smiled, genuinely glad to see my friend. She and I had spent many an evening watching the sunset, gossiping about the goings-on at the resort, and just enjoying each other's company in general. Since I’d been working so much, I hadn't had as much time to spend with her as I would've liked, so I stopped for a few minutes to chat. My stomach could wait.
Tempest’s, on the other hand, wasn't eager to pause. "If you're going to stand here and flap your jaws, I'm gonna go ahead in and get us a table."
What she really meant was that she was going to go in and beg for her spaghetti and meatballs. Rarely did socialization come before food in her mind, especially when it came to anything from Mario's.
I waved a hand toward the bank of doors leading into the resort. "Go ahead. I'm gonna stay out here and catch up with Margo for a little bit, and then I'll be in."
"Do you want me to order you anything?" she asked, already moving toward the entrance.
I shook my head. "Nah, I'll order when I get in there because I don't want it to get cold."
She lifted a fuzzy shoulder. “Okay then. Don't take too long. Bye Margo. I'll stop and chitchat on my way out. Right now, I'm starving. Destiny's been cleaning for the last three hours and didn't give me so much as a single treat."
Margo's lips curved into a small smile as she twisted her head to look at Tempest. A little bit of dust rattled down onto her platform as she did so. "I look forward to it. Enjoy your meatballs, and tell Suzanne I said hello."
Suzanne was one of the new servers, and she and Margo had gotten close. I was glad my friend had found someone to talk to because I knew she got lonely. It didn't help that a lot of people didn't even realize she was a sentient being. Most just thought she was a giant statue put there for their viewing pleasure. Little did they know, she was one of the resort's best security measures. In that light, I suppose it was a good thing that most people didn't know about her, but that didn't make me feel any better for her personally.
I climbed onto her pedestal and sat between her paws, assuming my regular position. "So what's new with you?"
"Not a whole lot. Same stuff, different day. It is a little disconcerting picking up on all the mischievous intent these college kids have."
That was Margo's skill. She could see into the hearts of our guests and determine what their intent at the resort was. If it was ill, she used her judgment to determine whether or not she should call Blake, and in some instances she intervened immediately.
I pulled in a deep breath and released it as I gazed out at the sunset. She had the best view on the entire resort. "I know exactly what you mean. Things have been crazy, and not in a good way. I worry that our guests who come here for rest and relaxation are going to find a new place to go. Everything seems to be chaotic all the time down there, and it's about to drive me nuts. In fact, I'm going on vacation tomorrow. Mila and I are gonna go up and see Cori.”
"That's amazing, Destiny," she said, and I could hear the genuine pleasure in her voice. "I'm a little surprised Blake convinced you to go given all the excitement today."
I huffed. “All the excitement today was actually what pushed me over the edge and convinced me he was right that I needed to take some time. Between the brawl on the patio and the kraken tossing a lighthouse at me on the beach, I’ve had it up to here." I made a motion over the top of my head to let her know I was full up and then some.
"Oh," she said, her voice a little uncertain. "I know all that has been stressful, but that's not what I was talking about. I was referring to the body they found out in the mangroves."
I sucked in a breath and twisted around so that I was staring up at her. "Body? What body? I've been at my cottage all afternoon cleaning, and I didn't hear anything about a body."
She paused, and I could tell she was weighing her next words. "Maybe I wasn't supposed to tell you that. As a matter of fact, pretend I didn't. Go on in, eat your dinner, then go home and get some rest before your vacation starts. It was just a simple drowning, and though it was tragic, I'm sure Blake can handle it without you. It's not like it was a murder, and even if it were, this resort can run just fine without you for a couple of weeks no matter what. You take too much onto yourself.”
I scowled and huffed out a frustrated breath, irritated that nobody had let me know about such an important event. I knew Blake was determined to get me to leave and would have never let me know, but I was surprised Bob or Dimitri hadn’t contacted me as soon as it happened. There wasn’t anything that went on at the resort that we didn’t know. Of course I suppose in the scheme of things, I shouldn't have been shocked they kept me in the dark. Bob was just as determined as everybody else to get me off the resort for a while.
Still, though horrible, if it was just a drowning and nothing nefarious, Margo was right. There wasn't anything I could do about it, so I was going to push it from my mind and let Blake handle it. With my mind made up, I chatted with Margo for a few more minutes then went in to have my dinner.
Despite my determination to push the drowning to the back of my mind, the restaurant was abuzz with people gossiping about it. That was to be expected, though. The Enchanted Coa
st was a small town in its own right. It didn't take news long to travel, and just like anywhere else, it often got distorted along the way. The factors that all the whispered conversations seemed to have in common were that the guy was a middle-aged wizard, and he’d gone out in a small John boat that morning to go fishing.
Tempest glared at me, her eyes narrowed as she plowed her way through her second serving of meatballs. "You better only be eavesdropping as a curious outsider," she said. “If you're thinking about stepping in, get it out of your head right now. We’re going on vacation, and I don't care if it turns out that guy was attacked by a bunch of sea monsters from the deep. Starting this afternoon, it ceased to be our circus, and it's definitely not our monkey."
She was right. Besides that, I hadn't heard so much as a whisper about it being anything other than a tragic drowning. I finished my dinner, and as expected, Mario sent out a slice of tiramisu big enough to feed three lumberjacks. Rather than trust myself to stop eating it before I blew up, I asked my server for a box and separated out all but a small slice for later. It would make an excellent midnight snack while I was binge watching whatever new series happened to catch my eye.
Rather than go straight home when we finished eating, I decided to stop by the tiki and have an after-dinner cocktail with Dimitri. Tempest wasn't happy with me, but I figured I wouldn't be seeing him for at least a week and wanted to say goodbye.
When I got to the tiki, I was happy to see that there were several people there, but they were all older guests. Everybody seemed to be having a good time, but the jukebox was playing at a low level in the background, and people were chatting and relaxed rather than rowdy. I'd already determined that if the place had more of a nightclub feel, I’d just skip the drink and go straight home. I was glad that wasn’t the case.