“The big deal is that Carrie is extremely private, and she hates when people infringe on that. Let’s just go,” I insist.
Craig grabs my arm and stares over my shoulder. “Sienna, is that Luke?”
“What? No. Luke is in Vegas.” I turn to look behind me. Luke is strolling through the lobby with an overnight bag over his shoulder. He turns toward the elevator and gets on the first one that opens. “Oh my gosh, it is Luke.”
“What’s he doing here?” Madison asks.
I look at Craig and Madie and shrug. “I don’t know,” I say, my voice barely over a whisper.
“Well, I’m not going to stand here wondering. Come on, let’s go find out why he’s here and not in Vegas like he said he would be,” Madison says loudly as she takes off for the elevator to catch him.
I grab her arm to stop her. “Wait a second. I think he’s supposed to be in Vegas. To be honest, I’m not sure where he was going this weekend. I’ve been so preoccupied, I don’t even remember asking. Maybe I just assumed because that’s where he’s been going.”
“Call him and tell him you’re here,” Craig demands.
“Okay.” I pull my phone out of my bag and dial his number. It goes right to voicemail, so I leave him an urgent message. I’m sure there’s an explanation. Could I have been so busy with my own issues that I completely ignored the fact that he was coming to Palm Springs?
“Let’s go ask your good buddy at the desk to call his room,” exclaims Madison.
I groan. That poor guy will probably have security escort us out before too long. I feel so bad. Maybe I should slip him a twenty.
We walk up to the desk and wait for Emmitt to finish with a guest. He looks up, and I can see by his expression that he’s agitated.
“Hi, Emmitt. I’m so sorry to bother you again. We just saw a friend in the lobby and wanted to say hello, but we missed him as he was getting on the elevator. Could you call Luke Price’s room please?” I give him the friendliest smile I can.
“One moment,” he says as he grits his teeth and starts typing on his keyboard. “I’m sorry, but I don’t have a guest listed by that name.”
“Really?” I say, shocked. “Maybe it’s under his company? Can you check Lance Summer or Summer Advertising? I promise that’s my last request. I won’t bother you again.”
His jaw tightens. “Sorry. I’m not showing any of those names. I wish I could help you, but I have guests to tend to.” He turns away and goes back to work.
What’s going on? Did Luke lie to me? Why would he do that? I turn to Madison completely frozen with my heart racing.
She puts her arm around my shoulders and guides me back to where Craig is still sitting.
“Did you call his room?” he asks.
“There are no guests here with his name,” Madison answers softly.
“What? That doesn’t make any sense. Is he doing something illegal where he would use an alias? Maybe he’s meeting a client?” Craig tries to give me different scenarios.
We’re all silent as we try to figure out an explanation.
Craig finally speaks up. “Don’t just jump to conclusions that he’s here meeting someone. Luke is not that type. There has to be a good reason,” he says insistently.
I want to agree with Craig. I want to believe that Luke would never do that to me.
Madison finally chimes in. “You could call his brother-in-law? Tell him that you need to talk to Luke, but he’s not answering his phone. Do you have his number?”
“Yes. I do.” I scroll through my phone to find it. I hit call, and Lance answers on the second ring.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Lance, it’s Sienna,” I say cheerfully. “I’m trying to get in touch with Luke. But I can’t seem to get through to him. Any chance he’s there?”
“No, I’m sorry, Sienna. I would have thought he would be home by now? He left the office before I did today. Maybe his phone died?”
A huge lump appears in my throat.
“You’re probably right. I’ll try him again. Thank you.” I quickly hang up and try to make sense of this. There has to be a reason. Luke said he was traveling for work. If that were true, Lance would know where he was. But Lance doesn’t know. That can only mean one thing. Luke lied to me.
“What did he say?” asks Craig.
The lump in my throat is getting bigger. “He said that Luke left the office today before he did. That means that he was never going away on business this weekend. So, whatever he’s here for, it’s not for work.”
We all sit in silence. I’m not sure what to do at this point. I don’t know whether I should go home and wait for his call or sit right here and wait for him to leave. Who knows how long that will be? I grab my phone to send him a text.
“So, what do you want to do?” Craig asks a few minutes later.
“I don’t know.” I really want to just go home, but if I leave, I’ll never be able to focus on anything else.
“Maybe we can go get some dessert and just hang out for a bit,” Craig says. “I’m sure Luke will call you soon. There must be a good reason.” He pats me on the shoulder, and I appreciate that he’s trying to be so positive.
I glance at Madison, who looks like she’s about to explode.
Dessert doesn’t really sound that good right now, I really just need a few minutes to collect my thoughts.
“You guys go ahead. I’m going to wait here,” Madison says firmly. I know her well enough to know that she’s not planning on leaving any time soon. I could stand here and argue with her, but I really don’t have the energy.
“Okay. Come on, Sienna. Let’s find the restaurant,” Craig says. “Should we bring something back for you?”
“Sure. Sienna knows what I like,” she says, her arms folded tightly against her chest.
I feel like I’m in a daze and start to wonder if the signs have been there all along. Maybe, subconsciously, I’ve had suspicions for why Luke’s mind has been somewhere else. I just thought it was because of his work. Now I’m starting to wonder if any of his trips have been for business. So many thoughts running through my mind.
Craig doesn’t say anything as we walk through the lobby. After a minute, he asks, “Are you okay?”
I shake my head. I don’t know what to think or say.
“Just remember, you don’t know the full story yet. You have to stay calm before you get all worked up.”
He’s right. I just have a really bad feeling, or maybe I’m just in shock. We find a little café that has some dessert items, mainly cakes and a few flavors of gelato.
Craig takes my order, and I sit down at one of the tables. I check my phone again, but Luke hasn’t called or texted me back. He must have his phone turned off. If that’s the case, he may very well be in a meeting. On second thought, I’m sure his brother-in-law would have told me that.
Craig brings my chocolate gelato and sits down.
“Has he texted back yet?”
“Not yet,” I say, taking a bite. I’m not hungry so I would consider this stress eating.
After a few minutes, I start talking. “I think I’ve known that things have been off with us for a while. I just kept thinking it was the stress of our demanding jobs and all the changes happening. I guess I just never thought Luke would cheat on me.” Wow. I actually said it out loud.
“Sienna, you don’t know that for sure,” Craig insists.
“I know, but he was carrying an overnight bag, not a briefcase. I would be naïve not to prepare myself for that being a possibility.” I drop my head and start playing with my melting gelato.
“We better bring Madison her dessert. I don’t want to leave her alone too long. You never know what she might do,” I say, standing up.
We head back to the lobby in silence. When we get back, Madison is nowhere to be found. Crap. I call her phone, and she doesn’t answer.
“Why isn’t anybody answering my calls tonight?” I say angrily.
“Where do you thin
k she went?” Craig asks, looking around.
“Where do you think?” I say, sitting down. “How many rooms do you think there are in this place? Hopefully, she just went to the bathroom.” I look around again and see Emmitt watching me from the front desk. I try to give him a warm smile, but he looks away. I’m so embarrassed. I’m sure any hope of having an event here is now out the window.
All of a sudden, I see Madison get off an elevator.
“Where did you go?” I demand when she joins us.
“I was trying to figure out where Luke went, but the Elevator Nazi wouldn’t tell me,” she says, taking her gelato from Craig. “I do have some news though. He did tell me something.” She takes a deep breath. “This is not the first time Luke has come here. He’s been coming for a while.” Madison puts her hand on my shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”
I’m silent as I think about all of the weeks that I thought Luke was away on business. I thought I was a better judge of character than this. Ten months of my life down the drain in one second.
“I’m ready to go home. Please,” I beg. “We can’t sit here all night. I’ll just wait for him to call me, and then I’ll deal with the fallout.”
I make my way for the exit with Craig and Madison at my heels. None of us say anything on the drive home. When we get there, I take a hot shower, lie down on my bed, and cry. A lot.
Chapter Eleven
The sun is streaming in my room, and I open my eyes and struggle to focus. I look at my clock. It’s seven o’clock on Saturday morning, and I need to go back to sleep, but the events of the night before come flooding back. I check my phone—still no phone calls.
I do see that I have a few emails including one from Carrie. I groan as I open it. Shockingly, it’s not as bad as I suspected.
Sienna,
We will need to set up a meeting to discuss what is considered urgent or not. I’m sure this could have waited until Monday. No doubt you were being overzealous again. All of your messages and texts were very excessive. The signed paperwork is enclosed.
In addition, my personal time is mine. It’s unnecessary to call the resort where I’m a guest. I’m disappointed in these actions. We will also discuss further with Nicole next week.
Carrie
I immediately send the paperwork off to Maria. Normally, I would feel like a huge weight is lifted off my shoulders. However, the sadness I feel from everything else weighs heavier. I must still be in shock, or maybe I have some of that post-traumatic stress disorder. It almost feels like a dream. I leave another message for Luke.
I must have fallen back to sleep because the ringing of my phone wakes me again and I scramble to find it. When I do, I see three missed calls from Luke and two from Abby. Madison must have called her.
My heart starts beating so fast because I have no idea what to say to him. I don’t know if I should come out and ask him where he is, or if I should wait for him to be honest. I need to talk to Abby. She answers on the first ring.
“Sienna, are you okay? Madison called me earlier and told me what happened. Where are you?”
“I’m at home. I must have fallen back to sleep.” I glance at my clock to see that it’s now eleven. I don’t remember the last time I slept this late. “Luke called three times. I have no idea what to say to him.”
“You just need to be honest. You need to come out and tell him what happened. That you were there for work, and you saw him,” she says firmly.
“I know.”
“Another thing you have to consider is that there may very well be a good explanation. There’s still a chance it’s not what you think,” she says unconvincingly. I know she doesn’t really believe that. She’s just trying to make me feel better, which I appreciate.
“I know. I better get this over with. I’ll call you back later.” I hang up, take several deep breaths, and dial Luke’s number.
“Hello? Sienna, is everything okay? I have about twenty missed calls from you. My phone was off last night.”
“Luke—” I hesitate as I try to find the right words. “Sorry to call you so many times. I just needed to talk to you. Where are you?”
“I’m at my hotel. I told you I would be here until tomorrow, and I promised you I would be there for Madison’s engagement party. What was so urgent?” He actually sounds irritated that I called.
“I thought you were going away on business with Lance.”
“What are you talking about? I am away on business.”
I start vomiting words without even thinking. “No. You’re not. I spoke with Lance last night, and by the way, I know you’re not in Vegas. You’re in Palm Springs, and you’ve been going there for a while. So, the question really is, why did you lie to me? And who are you seeing?” I stop and wait for his response. I can almost hear the wheels turning in his head.
“How did you know I came to Palm Springs?”
Seriously. That’s all he has to say?
“I had to go down there for a work crisis. Madison, Craig, and I drove down last night. We saw you get on the elevator. So, why don’t you just get to it and be honest with me for once?”
“It’s not what you think,” he says immediately. “It’s true, I have been going to Palm Springs, but it is work-related. I promise I will explain, but can we talk in person?”
I’m completely torn. A part of me wants to know every detail, but I don’t know if I want to see him right now.
“Fine,” I say. “I’m assuming you’re still in Palm Springs. I expect you to leave now and come straight here. We can talk when you get here.” I hang up the phone without waiting for a response.
I’m more confused than ever. I should be preparing for our huge event next week, but all I can think about is this.
After I get ready for the day, I call Abby back and tell her about my conversation with Luke. She advises me to hear him out before I jump to any more conclusions, and I promise her I will.
Luke arrives about two hours later. He comes in and sits down on the couch. Everything feels so awkward, almost like we’re strangers.
“Okay, Luke. Let’s hear it, and be honest with me,” I demand. I wait for him to start talking.
He stares at the floor, playing with his hands. “I’ve been going to Palm Springs for a few weeks. My trips have been work-related, but not with Summer Advertising.”
Wait. What’s he saying?
“I’m trying to venture out on my own, and I’ve been meeting with some investors. I wanted to keep it quiet so my family doesn’t find out. I know I should have told you, but I didn’t want to say anything until I knew it was a strong possibility…”
“Where did you stay, there was no room under your name?” I ask.
“The investors I’ve been meeting with booked my reservations. I asked them not to use my name. Just in case,” he adds.
Wow, Craig was right about him using an alias. I still feel really uneasy though. Why wouldn’t he trust me enough to tell me the truth? I know I need to ask more questions, but I don’t really know where to start.
“We’ve been together for almost a year. I’m upset that you didn’t feel like you could share this with me. We should be in a place in our relationship where we’re making big decisions together, and we should be discussing things and moving forward.”
He hangs his head and nods.
“I haven’t felt like we’ve been progressing for a while, and I know I’m not completely innocent in all of this. I’m also guilty of being consumed with my career, but at least I’ve tried to share that with you.” I stop talking.
He’s still staring at the ground, and I’m not sure he’s even listening to me.
“Luke, I don’t feel important to you right now. Maybe we’ve reached a crossroads, and we should make the decision on where to go from here.”
He starts to rub his forehead like he always does when he’s nervous.
“Sienna, I feel terrible about not talking to you about all of this. Honestly, I thought we were both
focusing on our careers and still on the same page. I guess I’m the only one feeling that way. I thought you’d understand about doing whatever it takes to achieve career goals. You’re doing it. You’re about to go out on your own.”
He’s right about that.
“I love you, and I do want to take things to the next level commitment-wise.” He reaches for my hand. “We have a lot of big changes coming up. What’s the big rush?”
That’s not exactly what I wanted to hear. I know in my heart that I need time to think and to sort everything out. “You’re right. We do have a lot on our plates. I have to get through this coming week without extra distractions. It’s the biggest event of my career, and I need to be committed to that.” I suddenly feel stronger and sure of what I have to do. “I think we should take this time to really think about our relationship and what our goals are as a couple, and not as two separate people.”
“Okay.” He hesitates. “I guess I’m not sure what you’re saying. Are you breaking up with me?”
I shake my head. “I’m not saying we break up, but maybe just take time to think. I know I need to.” I watch his reaction. I still don’t think he gets it. Maybe it’s just a guy thing? Sometimes men are just completely clueless, and I feel like this is definitely one of those times. Luke is obviously fine with where we are, but I’m not. I don’t even know where we go from here.
“I understand. What time are we going to the engagement party tomorrow?” he asks, changing the subject.
I purse my lips. “I think I better go on my own. I promised Cole’s mom that I would help her anyway. So, I guess that means you’re off the hook.” Whoa. That came out a little harsher than I intended, but it’s too late now.
“What do you mean by that? I told you I was going with you. I want to go with you.”
I cringe. “I didn’t mean to say it like that. I appreciate you wanting to go, but I think it’s best for tomorrow if I go on my own.”
Luke drops his head again. “If that’s what you want.”
[Event to Remember 01.0] An Event to Remember...or Forget Page 13
