Hurricanes in Paradise

by Denise Hildreth Jones

  “Well, finally. Go get your bathing suit on. You’re needed at Aquaventure.”

  Riley kept walking, and Laine joined in step. “Laine, this is the busiest day of the week. I just checked Harry Connick Jr. into his room, I have twenty VIPs arriving here in two hours, and I have to make sure everything runs perfectly for them. I do not have time to go to Aquaventure.”

  “Are you still my host?”

  Riley turned and gave her a quick glare. “Do not even try that today.”

  “I will tell. I will call Max right now and tell him you are not doing your job.”

  She watched as Laine reached for her phone. “You wouldn’t dare.”

  “I got you a date with Christian last night; don’t tell me what I would and wouldn’t do. You are needed at Aquaventure for an intervention.”

  “You are needed in a program for ‘pains in the butts.’”

  “I’ll take that as a yes.”

  “One hour, Laine. One hour is all I have. If anything goes wrong, I really will lose my job. Honestly.”

  Laine wrapped an arm around her as they both continued to walk. “Sweet little Southern belle. I promise you, if you lose your job, I’ll give you a new one. You can be my assistant.” She smirked.

  Riley pointed a finger at her. “One hour.”

  Laine stopped in the middle of the corridor and raised her hands in mock surrender. “I still want to hear how that date went.” A smile broke out across her lips.

  “And for the record, you’re not wearing black.” Riley turned before Laine could say a word, but she knew she was scanning her attire rapidly at this point, and it allowed her a small taste of satisfaction.

  * * *

  Mia was standing over the fax machine reading a piece of paper when Riley walked into the lobby. “I’ll be back in one hour, Mia. Please make sure everything goes smoothly. No one should be here before I get back.”

  “You’re leaving for an hour?”

  “It’s Laine. She’s demanding that I go with her somewhere.”

  “You couldn’t tell her what a busy day this was?”

  Riley walked into her office and rummaged through her bottom desk drawer. “I did. I told her everything I could possibly tell her. I will be one hour. I promise. Just one hour,” she called. Her hands caught her black bathing suit and she stuck it in her bag. She walked back to the door.

  Mia looked hesitant. But no more hesitant than Riley felt inside. “Can I reach you by phone?”

  “No, not for the next hour. I promise. One hour and I’ll be back.”

  * * *

  Riley found the ladies waiting for her at the entrance to Aquaventure. For an African American, Tamyra was as white as Riley had ever seen her. “What are y’all doing to her? She’s going to have a heart attack.”

  Tamyra shook her head wildly.

  Winnie took over, her voice as bold as the red bathing suit she had on. “This is for her own good. It’s time for this woman to get past her fears.” Winnie bent down, getting nose to nose with Tamyra, who had a death grip on the edges of a lounge chair. “All of them.”

  Winnie tugged at her.

  She didn’t budge.

  “Come on, Tamyra,” Laine coaxed. “This is for your own good. It’s your last hurdle to overcome.”

  Tamyra still wasn’t budging.

  All sympathy left Riley in that moment. She walked over to Tamyra, grabbed both of her hands, pried them from their death grip, and in three quick steps had her in the wave pool. She snatched a two-person inner tube, then used all of the power in her thighs, along with the buoyancy of the water, to hoist Tamyra onto one side of the tube. She shoved another two-person tube to Laine and Winnie and said, “Get on!” By this point everyone was obeying.

  “Gracious. Someone must not have put sugar in her tea today,” Laine said.

  Riley’s head snapped to Laine, and she raised a finger. “Not a word from you. Do you hear me? Not one word.” She pulled the inner tube toward the conveyer belt that would send them to one of the towers, down a course of waterslides, and into the wave pool that coursed through the entire property of the hotel. It was a favorite of most guests, but she could tell by the look on Tamyra’s face she could have left and never missed it. She grabbed hold of Tamyra’s legs, which dangled from the inner tube. “I will be with you the whole way. You’re going to be fine. Just breathe.”

  Then she hopped onto her side of the tube, convinced that she hadn’t convinced Tamyra at all. So she didn’t plan on telling her that she was surrounded by twenty million gallons of water or that this was a pretty long ride.

  The technology was rivaled by very few: inner tubes laced their way up conveyer belts, through meandering funnels of water, up water escalators, and were pushed through canals by water surges. The scenery was breathtaking, and the color in Tamyra’s face and knuckles had even begun to come back. Right until another conveyer belt came into view that looked as if it ended at the throne of God Himself. That was when the slow, guttural moans began.

  Riley turned to Winnie. “If she jumps off, you’re going after her.”

  Winnie crinkled her nose. “It’s okay, Tamyra. Just imagine you’re in your bathtub.”

  That was about the time that something unleashed, and a prison door broke open inside Tamyra. The tiara came off, and with it self-control. “This is not my bathtub! This is death! You are sending me to my death!” Her voice was shrieking and her terror was unmistakable. “I know I’m dying already, but my word, woman, I wasn’t planning on doing it today!”

  Riley reached over and tried to grip her hand. Tamyra jerked it away but then seemed to realize that also removed it from the handle she had been grasping for dear life. She flung it back onto the handle and gave Riley a dirty look. Riley withdrew her hand and looked back at Laine and Winnie. “You two are unbelievable.”

  Laine tilted her head in that cocky way she had. “Well, you’re here, aren’t you?”

  If Riley were in the habit of flipping people off, this would have been the prime opportunity. Tamyra’s groaning started as they came to the top of the final conveyer belt that would deposit them at the waterslides. “Honestly, Tamyra, it will be over in a minute. And you don’t ever have to get back in water again.” Riley hoped the words would soothe her.

  But Tamyra was no longer responding. She had gone to the place of fear where breathing was altered and eyes were glazed. A young lifeguard pushed them to the top of a chute that would propel them down a waterslide. Riley had wisely placed them in the lane that took them to the most elementary slide, but she knew that it would still be far more than Tamyra had ever wanted to experience.

  Without time to say a word, they shot through the darkness of a tunnel, their inner tube bouncing and colliding with the walls, the water surge beneath them carrying them through the blackness until it pushed them into the open slide. Riley looked back and saw that Tamyra’s eyes and fists were clenched so tight, she wasn’t sure what it would take to eventually pry them open. The tube continued to bounce and careen down the slide with rapid speed, and Riley felt the adrenaline of the thrill rush through her. Gabby loved this ride. She would fly through here with the shrill squeals of a six-year-old and beg for more when they finally came to the bottom.

  As the tube made its final plunge from the slide into the wave pool, Riley reached over to touch Tamyra’s hand. “It’s over, Tamyra. Now it’s just the wave pool.”

  About that time she heard Winnie and Laine scream as they were spit out a few yards behind. She turned and couldn’t help but smile at the rapture on the faces of those two mongrels. She looked back to see Tamyra opening her eyes.

  “It’s over?” Her voice was barely audible.

  “Yeah, it’s over.”

  “I did it?”

  Riley patted her. “Yeah, honey, you did it.”

  “I did it? I really did it.” The excitement grew with each personal revelation.

  Winnie called out. “Way to go, Tamyra baby! I knew
you could do it!”

  Tamyra was slightly laughing now. She turned toward Winnie. “I did it, Winnie. I did it!”

  Riley watched as Tamyra’s eyes grew huge. Riley looked back and saw a large wave headed straight for them. She had forgotten about that. The ride was far from over. Now came the wave pool.

  “What’s that?” Tamyra’s voice squeaked.

  “Um, you might just want to hold on.”

  That was when the wave came up underneath them and projected them heavenward and then placed them back down with a massive, but somewhat-gentle, surge. It brought Laine and Winnie alongside them.

  Tamyra’s eyes were huge. “Whew!”

  Laine and Winnie were cackling like hens.

  Riley couldn’t help but laugh too.

  About that time Tamyra’s eyes grew wide again. No one had to look this time. The next wave overtook them and lifted them again with reckless abandon. That was when Tamyra screamed and then slowly raised her hands in the air as if she were riding a roller coaster. Riley studied the delight that appeared on Tamyra’s face. Another wave lifted them. Tamyra screamed as her hands shot straight up to the heavens.

  With each wave that roared beneath them, Tamyra seemed to let go of another piece of the tormenting fear that had held her. With each powerful wave, another bar on Tamyra’s prison door was broken. Until finally, a primal scream burst forth from her lips, and tears began to rush from her eyes. And with every surge of water beneath them, a fresh surge came from inside of Tamyra. All Riley, Winnie, and Laine could do was watch her. Not one of them spoke. There was something holy and cleansing and profound about this moment, and to speak would lessen it, cheapen it. And they knew it. So they simply rode each wave with her—those that were physical, those that were emotional, and those that were spiritual. And Tamyra’s hands never came down from their outstretched place until their inner tubes made it back to where they started.

  Riley slipped from the tube and passed it to Winnie and Laine. “Take her again if she wants to go. I’ll see y’all at dinner. I made reservations for six thirty at Nobu. The show starts at eight.”

  Laine reached out and grabbed Riley before she could exit the water. She mouthed a silent thank-you. Riley left them in the waters of Tamyra’s baptism.

  * * *

  Tamyra wasn’t sure when it happened. Maybe it was when the fear became so suffocating that it was breathe or die. Maybe it was when the wave lifted her up and raised her body and it felt as if heaven lifted her up and raised her soul. But somewhere in the middle of a wave pool at a resort in the Atlantic Ocean, this simple Southern girl believed. She believed that healing, real healing, was possible. Whether she died tomorrow from AIDS or was healed miraculously, the greater healing had occurred. Her soul would never be the same. Old Roy had been right after all. And now she believed it.

  * * *

  Riley didn’t have time to dry her curls. But she had a good hour for them to dry on their own before she met Max and his guests for lunch. She flung her wet bathing suit into her bag, exited the locker room, and made her way to her office. Mia met her as she walked through the door. “I’m glad you’re back. You’re not going to believe—”

  But the voice behind her cut Mia’s sentence short. “Riley, there you are.”

  Riley turned quickly, stunned to see Max staring at her. “Max, hey.” She walked to him and gave him a hug.

  He returned it warmly. “Mia said you had been sidetracked with Laine, but she has handled everything beautifully for us. I’m just sorry you couldn’t be here at our arrival. I wanted your face to be the first face they saw. But we have pushed up lunch, and I want you to join us. Meet us at Mosaic in fifteen minutes.”

  Riley tried to refrain from revealing her complete shock and rising horror. “Sure, yes. I’ll see you there in fifteen minutes. And I’m sorry too that I wasn’t here.”

  He looked over her shoulder. “Well, you’ve got a great team. Mia here made sure everything came off without a hitch.”

  Riley turned. Mia’s face was beaming. She turned back to Max, grateful for Mia’s diligence. “I’m sure she did. She has been an amazing asset to this team.”

  “See you in fifteen.”

  “Sure, yes. Fifteen.”

  Max headed to the door and then turned back. “You look wonderful, Riley, honestly, but your hair?”

  She had forgotten her hair was still soaking wet. “Long story.”

  He smiled, shook his head, and then the door swung silently closed behind him.

  Riley turned back to Mia. “What happened? When did their plans change?”

  “A fax came through right after you left. I tried calling you, but you said you couldn’t be contacted, and you didn’t answer.”

  Riley fumbled frantically through her bag and pulled her phone from it. Sure enough, there was one missed call from the office. She leaned against the counter, the emotions feeling as if they might overwhelm her. “So everything was perfect?”

  “Yes. It went off without a hitch? I think that is what Max said.” She laughed. “You Americans and your sayings. Anyway, I just told them that you had a Laine emergency only you could handle, but that we had everything all ready for them. Christian came over and our teams escorted each VIP personally, and not a glitch was found.” Mia walked over and placed her hand on Riley’s shoulder. “No worries, Riley. I’ve got your back.”

  Riley hugged her. “Thank you. I honestly can’t thank you enough. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t been here.” She released Mia.

  “Well, we don’t have to worry about that. I was. And it was all perfect. I’ve rescheduled the luncheon, so you go dazzle them and all will be fine.”

  Riley ran her hands through her hair. She rushed into her office and jerked open the top drawer, her hand scouring for a hair band. Mia held one out to her from the other side of the desk. Riley looked up and let out a large sigh, the tightness in her neck released. “That’s what I was looking for. Thank you.”

  Mia gave her a few minutes so she could freshen her makeup and pull her hair back, and in ten minutes she was ready to go. She walked out to the front of the offices. “So you’ve got everything here.”

  Mia nodded from behind the desk. “Yes, finalizing things for tonight. Got a large group of guests out this morning. So we’re all good.”

  “And Christian helped?” Riley tried to hide her smile.

  “He was glad to.”

  She nodded. “Okay, then. Thank you again.” She ran her hands across her navy cotton twill dress and stuck her master key and lip gloss in one pocket and her phone in the other. She breathed in deeply and thanked God as she exhaled that Mia and Christian had just saved her behind. Again.

  * * *

  Lunch with the VIPs couldn’t have gone better. In spite of being kidnapped by Laine earlier, Riley knew every detail of the visit so far had been rendered exquisitely. She could still wring the woman’s neck. But she was too grateful to be angry. Her phone vibrated in her pocket. It was a hotel number. “Hello? Riley Sinclair.”

  “Hello, Riley.”

  She smiled; her shoulders relaxed. “Hey, Christian. I hear I owe you an immense thank-you for what you did for me this morning.”

  He chuckled. “It was my pleasure. I told you I would help. Just thought you’d be there too.”

  “It’s a long story. I seem to have a lot of those.”

  “The demanding Laine Fulton.”

  “Yes, she is my perpetual long story. But thank you. Thank you so much.”

  “No more thank-yous. It was no problem. Honestly. So did you make it to the lunch?”

  “Yes, we just finished. It was as smooth as could be. All of the guests are ready to go crash on lounge chairs on the beach and stare at the ocean in this gorgeous weather, where they will sleep until it’s time to eat again.” She paused, hesitant to make the move she was about to make. But she pushed through anyway. “Would you like to join a group of ladies tonight for dinner and then
go to the concert with us?”

  “I would love that. Okay if I bring along at least one other male with me to even out the testosterone slightly?”

  “That’s right; you’ve met my ladies.” She laughed.

  “I have.” She could practically hear him smile.

  “Please. Bring anyone you like.”

  “One of the guys here was going to go with me.”

  “Sure. All the ladies are single. Bring him along.”

  “But you aren’t looking, are you? I mean, not right now.”

  The phone felt warm against her face. Or it had just gotten hotter outside. “You know, I actually met this really charming man last night.”

  “Oh, you did?”

  “Yes, I made an idiot out of myself while I was with him, but he didn’t seem to notice.”

  “I hear he likes idiots.”

  “Well, that’s a good thing. . . .”

  “Dinner is at . . . ?”

  “Six thirty. Nobu.”

  “I will see you there.”

  Riley smiled as she hung up the phone. A rather eventful day had just gone to another level of eventfulness.

  * * *

  Laine raised her head up off the lounge chair in her cabana. The ocean was no longer playing a lullaby. Instead it had changed to a more forceful concerto. Wind whipped around them, causing the curtains of the cabana to flap against the wood plank walls. Winnie and Tamyra were facedown in their lounge chairs next to her with no idea they were in the world and no idea that the sun had been completely overtaken by an overcast heaven. Laine only knew they were alive because of the atrocious sounds coming from Winnie that competed with both the wind and the waves.

  There were times she wished she had met Sam. He must have been one great man to put up with the “interesting” character traits of this woman. She chuckled softly and laid her head back down. Aquaventure had wiped these three out. None of them had any idea just how much of an adventure it was going to be. Nor did they want to leave early. But the hurricane had changed all of their plans. And it seemed to be coming in even quicker than they had thought. They would each be heading out in the morning. So tonight Harry would have to sing their swan song too.