***
When I finally got back to my hotel room, it was by the grace of God, and also the receptionist at the front desk. The one that I’d told my life story to. Turns out her name is Sonya, and she’s the sweetest lady I’d ever met. She helped me onto my bed, and out of my sandals, and even left a glass of ice cold water beside my bed with the instructions to drink two before falling asleep. Before she left, she placed two Tylenol on my bedside table next to my glass of water. My lamp was still on, but the light was dim enough for me to be able to fall asleep within a matter of minutes.
I knew I was dreaming the moment my hand slipped into Ethan’s. His smile was bright and exuberant while he looked into my eyes. I saw that he had no bags under his eyes like he did the last time. I also noticed that he had no facial hair. His hand was smaller, along with his stature.
As we ran, I noticed that the field we ran through was bright and vibrant in color. The clouds were white and fluffy, and the sky was as blue as a robin’s egg. The temperature was what changed first. It went gradually from entirely warm to chilly, until it was downright freezing. The sky had shriveled into a depressing gray, and the field was covered in dirty snow. When I finally noticed Ethan, he looked the way he did when I left him. Older, sadder, and tired.
I woke up with a jolt. That dream was not something that I wanted to experience again. I had a hard time controlling my tears, and my head was throbbing against my skull. I felt like it was fighting to get out. I immediately grabbed my drink and spilled some in the process of grabbing the medicine that Sonya had left me.
Throwing them to the back of my throat before downing the entire glass, I slammed the cup down and flinched at the sound of it.
“Jaida? Ms. Jaida? Are you still sleeping?” I heard a thick Spanish accent call through the door.
“Oh thank God!” I said to myself, “I’m awake, I’m coming!” I said as I gingerly made my way to the door.
“Aye dios, you look terrible! Did you drink the water last night?” she asked. I instantly felt guilty.
“I just did this morning, I’m sorry!” I said closing and locking the door behind us.
“Oh, I figured you wouldn’t have. You were so tired, I felt so sorry for you,” she sympathized while trying to fix my hair for me.
Studying her carefully, I noticed a small scar on her forehead and her lower jaw. I didn’t want to get caught staring so I focused on her eyes. They were dark, but gray and beautiful. They were like I’d never seen before. Her hair was a dirty blonde which cast a great contrast against her dark skin.
“I will make you something for hangovers, okay? You get yourself fixed up and I will be back.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that, you’re probably working right?” I asked as I started looking through my bags.
“Oh no honey, my papa owns this place, I work here when I feel like it. I’ll be right back,” she said with a wink, and was off before I could say anything else.
Figuring that I might as well get myself together, I went through my luggage to find something to wear before I went to the bathroom and hopped in the shower. I figured that a hot steamy shower should do the trick. It always made me feel better when I was suffering from a hangover. Plus whatever Sonya had in store, I should be feeling great by this afternoon.
It worked the way I thought it would. After my shower, I already felt ten times better. I still had a little bit of a headache, but I didn’t feel dizzy and nauseous anymore. I did still feel weak though, so I took it easy when getting out of the shower. I figured that I should probably wash my face and moisturize my hair with some leave-in conditioner and some old-fashioned H2O.
My hair was usually a tangled mess in the morning after not wrapping it up, but when I woke up, I noticed that I was laying on the same side I’d fallen asleep on. I promised right then and there that I would never drink that much again.
I decided to throw on some perfume. Though I instantly regretted it. It was too strong and brought back a wave of nausea. I found a window not too far from the mirror that I stood in front of, and walked over to crack it open. The breeze gently caressed my face as it brought in the smells of Rio Grande. A small smile reached my lips as I turned to face the bathroom. I felt that everything, since last night, had been a blur of alcoholism and drowning my sorrows in it.
I never took the time to appreciate my surroundings. The bathroom, that I was standing in, was the color of the sand on the beaches of Puerto Rico. The mirror was the perfect size with lighting that made every swipe and application of make-up perfect.
As I walked out and into my junior suite, I noticed that the colors spilled from the bathroom and decorated the room nicely. The room was furnished with sturdy mahogany that glowed in the light let in through my personal balcony. I’d dressed myself in a short but flowing floral dress that showed my knees
As I opened my balcony door, I heard a knock at the main one. Turning away and deciding to save that for later, I made it towards the front door. As I opened the door, the smell of coffee and lemon awakened my senses.
“Room service!” Sonya said as she walked in with coffee.
“Oh, you are a life saver!” I exclaimed excitedly.
“Where should I put it? I found a spot,” she said answering her question as she took a seat. Taking the seat next to her, I welcomingly accepted the cup of coffee she offered and blew on the steaming brew before taking a sip.
“Oh, this is so delicious!” I exclaimed as the first sip hit me like a burst of sweet fire. It was seasoned with cinnamon, honey, and some other seasoning that I couldn’t name. Either way, this was going to have to be an every morning thing.
“Thank you, and trust me you don’t need to have a hangover to enjoy. My mama used to make this for me until I got pregnant,” she said offering me a slice of lemon. I took it and added it to the concoction.
“How old is your little one?” I asked her.
“He’s three, he’ll be turning four on the sixth.”
“Oh, after Independence Day,” I commented.
“Yes ma’am, you’ll enjoy what the resort has planned for the fourth. It’s a very festive event.”
“I’ll bet,” I said after taking another sip of coffee.
“So, I remember you said that you were alone…” Sonya mentioned casually.
“Oh, right…that. About that, I’m really sorry for blurting that out at you,” I said hiding my shame behind my mug full of spiced coffee.
“Don’t worry, I wasn’t surprised,” she suddenly realizing how that sounded and began to turn red, “What I meant by that is we get a lot of solo honeymoons! Sorry!” she said.
“No don’t be, I understood what you meant. I guess I’m not the only who has heartbreak,” I said placing my empty cup back down.
“You definitely aren’t; there’s a man here on his own. He’s very handsome and I think he’s single,” she said prodding me.
“Oh please! No, no, no! Never again!” I said swearing off all men.
“Okay, but don’t say I never did anything for you,” she said smiling.
“Leaving?” I asked as she collected my mug.
“Yes, I promised to take Matthias, my son, to the park for the resort today.”
“Oh, that’s nice, well you two have fun. Thank you again for the help last night; I really appreciate it,” I said while she walked up to the door.
“Not a problem, you should go to the Yhi Spa; it is heaven on earth!” she said as she stood in the hall.
(3 Book Romance Bundle) "The Cowboy's Love" & "Sex with the Billionaire" & "Loving the White Billionaire" Page 30
