We stopped to window shop at one of the hotel’s boutiques.
“That beaded purse is three hundred and fifty dollars!” Kim squawked. “It’s so pretty, but Eddie would kill me if I spent that kind of money on a purse. He thinks Walmart has the best prices, and people are stupid for paying more for anything somewhere else.”
“Who cares what Eddie thinks,” Annette said. “You’re not even married to the man. You own your own beauty shop. Can’t you spend your money the way you want?”
Kim’s head snapped around. “At least Eddie’s at home every night.”
I could see the comment stung Annette. Her lips twisted into what my mother would have called an ugly mouth. I eased Kim away from the boutique window and a possible punch in the arm from Annette. “Look! It’s Elvis!” I exclaimed.
We all strolled by a large statue of Elvis Presley playing a guitar and then rounded the corner and saw the sign: NATIONAL PARKS WONDERS TOUR CHECK-IN. When we entered a small banquet room, it looked like we were the last to arrive. A swarm of people (nearly all were elderly, I noticed immediately) greeted each other shaking hands and introducing themselves. A bald black man with a friendly smile sat behind a table. As we gave him our names, he marked them off a list and handed each of us a nametag.
“Welcome to the National Parks Wonders Tour, ladies. I’m Wayne, and I’ll be your bus driver for the trip. Please wear these nametags at least for the first few days, until everyone gets to know each other.” He directed our attention to a table laden with soft drinks and cookies. “Help yourselves to refreshments and mingle with your fellow travelers. In a few minutes, your tour director will give a short introduction.”
We were so excited to be in Las Vegas and to start this once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Fortunately, the tension between Annette and Kim from moments before disappeared, and all of us tittered like children.
“I think everyone in this room is over sixty-five,” Annette whispered, as we gazed around.
Kim elbowed Jackie in the rib. “Maybe you’ll meet your next husband here.”
“Very funny,” Jackie deadpanned.
“We’re the spring chickens in the group.” I noticed two old men across the room waving their hands off. One raised his plastic glass in the air. Both started sauntering toward us.
“Oh, no. Here come Romeo and Casanova,” Donna chuckled.
The gentlemen said hello. The one wearing a plaid golf cap was clearly extroverted while the other seemed pretty shy. He wore a Cincinnati Reds baseball cap. They were both in short-sleeved button-up shirts. Jackie, Crystal, Kim and Annette quickly deserted Donna and I, leaving us trapped in a corner by the two septuagenarians.
It wasn’t but a few minutes before Wayne pleasantly called the room to order. “Now that everyone is here and checked in, it’s time to introduce you to your tour director. Keith, come on out.”
A man, whom I now know had been thirty-four at the time, stepped from behind a curtain like a movie star making an entrance. Audible gasps emanated from the women in the room. With a head of blond hair and blue eyes that twinkled (yes, they actually twinkled), a granite jaw, and the body of Adonis, the guy was drop dead gorgeous. Once he opened his mouth, his charm and personality shone immediately. It was obvious he was born for this job. With a bright and confident smile, I deduced, if he hadn’t been a tour bus guide, he would have made a great snake oil salesman.
When he locked eyes with me, the hairs on my arms prickled, and a chill ran through my body. I’d never had a psychic experience before, but the strangest feeling washed over me, as if I could foretell the way things would turn out for him. And, for me.
“Good afternoon, everyone! I’m Keith Creswell. We’re going to be spending the next nine days together, and I guarantee, they’re going to be nine of the best days and nights of your life.” His gaze finally snapped away from me, and he winked at one of the blue-haired ladies.
Everyone clapped and nodded. A few of the women giggled, including Crystal. I glanced at plaid golf cap man. He didn’t look pleased. It was my guess he hoped to find his Ms. Right or Ms. Right for Tonight on this trip. How did he stand a chance if Keith, the Greek God, got all the attention?
I held in a chuckle. Despite the weird sensation moments earlier, I felt as happy as a child on Christmas morning. I so looked forward to a vacation with my friends. But my smile turned upside down when I looked at Jackie and saw her staring at Keith and licking her lips.
CHAPTER THREE
Donna
“Enjoy the rest of your day and evening at your leisure,” Keith said, finishing his short speech. “Tomorrow morning, breakfast is at the Paradise Café here in the hotel. Bring your luggage to the side entrance anytime after six-thirty. The bus will be in the parking lot. Wayne and I will load and unload your bags every day. Boarding tomorrow starts at seven-thirty and we leave at eight o’clock sharp, so don’t be late. Everybody clear?”
“Clear!” the group shouted.
“All right.” A hundred-watt grin filled Keith’s handsome face. He squeezed the hand of another older woman traveler. “See you all in the morning, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.” He waved as if he were a prince acknowledging his throngs of admirers and disappeared back behind the curtain like one of the magic acts Vegas was known for.
That moment has stuck in my mind ever since. Certainly, I wish things had turned out differently, but what’s done is done. Keith had no clue that his freewheeling life would be over in eight short days. And I had no idea I’d be the one to end it.
“Forget Elvis,” Crystal said. “There goes a real hunka hunka burnin’ love.”
Jackie rolled her eyes. “Really, Crystal, stop drooling.”
“I noticed you staring pretty hard,” Crystal shot back. “I’m single. I’m allowed. You’re not.”
Understanding Crystal’s sensitivity when it came to infidelity, I wanted to change the subject fast before a catfight started. I suggested we choose roommates, check into our rooms, and then decide our plans for the rest of the day.
“I’ll room with anyone but Jackie,” Crystal said, not looking at her.
“I don’t mind bunking with you, girlfriend.” Kim bumped hips with Jackie.
Donna looked at me. “Do you want to be my roomie?”
She and I had always been good friends growing up, but we’d become even closer during her husband’s illness. From the moment Chad was diagnosed with lung cancer, I’d been there for her as much as possible. The others had done what they could, but I’d had a lot of vacation time saved up that allowed me to help when they couldn’t.
When Donna couldn’t get off work, I drove Chad to his treatments. I regularly cleaned the house for her, did her grocery shopping, and made meals. Stress and depression had caused her to become mentally and physically exhausted. I was an ear for her when she vented over how unfair life was. Chad had never smoked, which we all thought was a terrible travesty. When he died after a short battle, I was Donna’s shoulder to cry on.
I chuckled and linked my arm through hers. “We can room together if you promise not to snore.”
“Promise. I brought nasal strips with me.”
“That leaves Annette and Crystal as a pair.” They smiled at each other, satisfied. “Let’s get settled into our rooms and then meet back in the lobby in thirty minutes. Sound good?”
They all agreed.
While I was oohing and ahhing over our pretty room, I noticed Donna seemed a little down. “Tired?” I asked.
She shook her head of chestnut brown corkscrew curls and sunk onto the edge of one of the two beds.
I sat next to her believing I knew what the problem was. “Are you thinking about Chad and wishing he was here with you?”
She smiled but looked on the verge of tears. “He never liked to travel, as you know. He was a home body.”
Chad had always been that way. He and I had grown up next door to each other, and his family had never taken a vacation in their lives, as far as I knew.
His lack of interest in traveling must have come natural. “Then what is it, Donna?” I was sensitive to her emotions, but dang it, we were supposed to have left our troubles at home and be enjoying the vacation of a lifetime.
“I told you all I had a little nest egg. And I did,” she added quickly. “But I spent most of it to come on this trip. When Chad got sick and had to quit working, we got behind in some of our bills. Our savings was wiped out. We were barely making ends meet, so we cashed in our life insurance policies. I would have lost the house if we hadn’t. It was irresponsible of me to take this trip, because now I don’t have much cushion left. I should have saved the bit I had for a rainy day. But I didn’t want to let all of you down, and I wanted to come with you so badly.”
I patted her hand. “You’ve never let anyone down, Donna. But I wish you’d told us. We’re always here for each other. As for this trip, I could have loaned you the money. We wouldn’t have come without you.”
She nodded. “You girls have done so much for me already, but especially you. I couldn’t ask you then or now for loans that I might never be able to pay back.”
“You could have asked Jackie,” I teased. “She’s married to a man richer than God.” That was our go-to line when any of us stressed about money.
Donna cracked a smile.
“What about the kids? Can they help out if you’re in a bind?” Donna and Chad had two adult children, both married and doing well.
“I won’t ask them and don’t want them to worry. They have their own families and responsibilities. I’ll get by. I’m just feeling guilty about spending so much money for my own pleasure.” A tear slipped from her eye.
I hugged her, knowing guilt tugged at her. I’d had to delve into my own savings to pay for the trip, but I felt I deserved it. “Chad would want you to do something nice for yourself. You were a good wife to him for close to twenty-eight years. You stuck by him, through better or worse, richer or poorer, in health and in sickness, all the way to the end. You earned this vacation.”
After a few moments, she hugged me back. “You’re absolutely right. For these nine days, I’m going to put aside my worries about the future and have fun. That’s why I’m here.”
“That’s why we’re all here.” I saw concern still etched on her face.
“Maybe when we get home, I’ll ask for a raise at work,” she mused. “I haven’t had one in years.” Donna was the office secretary for the high school we attended. “Or I’ll start playing the lotto and filling out those Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes forms when they come in the mail. Maybe I’ll get lucky.”
“Your chances might be better with a one-armed bandit downstairs,” I said, wishing she had more realistic options for her financial future.
After we’d freshened up, we met the others in the lobby and unanimously decided to walk the strip. We were anxious to view landmarks we’d always heard about and seen on television.
The fountains and water ballet outside the Bellagio were as pretty as I’d expected. We also saw the volcano at the Mirage, Caesars Palace where Celine Dion performs, and the famous Little White Wedding Chapel. Juggling all of our digital cameras, another tourist took our picture together in front of the forty-foot waving neon cowboy. After we checked out the lobby of every fabulous hotel along the strip, we strolled through the Bonanza, the world’s largest gift shop, where Jackie insisted on buying us each a tacky souvenir.
“It must be one hundred degrees in the shade,” Crystal complained two hours later as we continued to trudge over hot pavement and jostle our way through crowds. My feet and legs hurt from all the walking and knew she must have been suffering. She was forty pounds heavier than me. Perspiration rolled down her cheeks, and her short hair was as damp as if she’d just gotten out of the shower.
“How long is this strip?” Kim asked.
“The brochure I picked up at the hotel says 4.2 miles,” Annette answered, thumbing through a crumpled flyer.
“Four miles? Whose brilliant idea was it to walk the whole thing?” Crystal groaned. “I need a cold drink or I’m going to die.”
“We don’t have to walk any further,” I decided, also hot and thirsty. “We’ve seen about everything. Let’s get something to drink and then take the free shuttle back to the hotel. Is that okay with everyone?”
“Yes,” they sighed in unison.
“The pool is calling my name,” Jackie said. “I bought several new swimsuits for this trip that I’m eager to try out.”
After refreshing ourselves with soft drinks from a sidewalk cart, we wearily climbed aboard a shuttle. I was dabbing my damp face with a Kleenex and gazing around for a seat when I heard a male voice shout out.
“Hey girls! There are seats back here. Come sit with us.”
I couldn’t believe my eyes. Plaid golf cap man and baseball cap man were waving their hands off again. What were the chances? There were three empty bench seats near them that the six of us made a beeline for. Annette and I flopped into the seat in front of the men and then turned around to say hello.
Plaid golf cap man, AKA Romeo, didn’t bother to hide his interest. His open gaze moved from our faces to our bosoms. Although neither Annette nor I wore revealing clothes, we were both in tank tops and must have looked pretty hot and sexy to the old geezer. We were hot, all right. Sweat dripped down my armpits, and my whole body felt like a furnace.
“Funny meeting you here,” he said. “We didn’t get a chance to tell you our names back at the welcome reception, or find out yours.” He pointed to the nametag on his shirt pocket. “I’m Chuck and this is Bill. We’re both retired teachers from Cincinnati.”
“Nice to meet you fellows. I’m Teresa and this is my friend, Annette.” I nodded toward the other girls across the aisle. “And that’s Jackie, Kim, Crystal and Donna. We’re all from Illinois.”
“What brought you ladies on this tour?” Bill asked in a soft voice.
I liked him. He had warm eyes and a sweet smile. As I regarded the two men more closely, their features were so similar I thought they could have been brothers.
“My birthday is this week on Sunday,” Annette answered. “We decided to take this tour as a way to celebrate our upcoming year of birthdays. We’re lifelong friends, and I’m the first of us to turn fifty.”
It surprised me to hear her mention her impending age so casually. After we’d booked the trip, she’d admitted to me that she hated the idea of becoming fifty. She’d been feeling old and unattractive and wasn’t buying the saying: fifty is the new forty. Now she was smiling proudly. Maybe talking to spry men in their seventies brought the whole age thing into perspective for her.
“We’ll have to let Keith know about your birthday so he can find a cake,” Bill said.
“What a nice idea,” Annette replied.
Chuck winked. “I’ll be the first in line to give you a birthday kiss.”
Annette chuckled. “Sorry. I’m a married woman.”
Chuck frowned. “Darn. Those things always get in the way.”
Just then, someone’s cell phone rang, which was apparently a reminder for Kim. I heard her say she should call Eddie. Her face twisted into a grimace as she dug through her purse. “My cell phone’s not here! Oh, crap. I hope I haven’t lost it.”
“You probably left it in the room,” Jackie suggested. “I saw it on the bathroom counter when I was brushing my teeth.”
Kim snapped her purse shut and chewed her lip. “I hope you’re right. If it’s gone, I’m going to have to buy a disposable one. There’s no way I can be out of contact with Eddie for nine days.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Kim
Kim’s greatest desire was to be married. She was one of those girls who had dreamed of her wedding since she was a little girl and had every detail planned out, from the color scheme (red and gold) to the flavor of the cake (red velvet) to the flowers (red roses, of course).
Unfortunately, Eddie, the man she’d been living with for ten years had n
o intention of tying the knot with her. As my mother used to say, why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?
Everyone seemed to know this about Eddie except Kim. Every birthday, Valentine’s Day, and Christmas for the past eight years, she’d worked herself into a frenzy thinking that was the day he was going to propose, only to be disappointed over and over again. My heart broke each time she’d show me a deluxe iron or a three-way lamp or the Fruit of the Month membership he’d bought her.
“I do like oranges and grapefruit, but dammit, all I really want is a little black box from Kay Jewelers!” she cried last Christmas, smashing an orange on her kitchen counter.
One time the fool got her a weed whacker for her birthday! He thought it made sense because the house belonged to Kim and she was the one who mowed the grass and kept the hedges trimmed. For years, his excuse for not helping out with the yard work has been a bad back. The day she showed the weed whacker to me in the garage, she heaved the biggest sobs on my shoulder, and I had the maniacal urge to storm inside the house and whack off one of Eddie’s appendages.
As a single woman who enjoys outdoor work, I keep my property maintained myself. But Kim works around the clock at the salon. Every weekend, Eddie sits around her house watching whatever sports is on television and ignoring her, except to grunt like a caveman for her to grab him a beer.
“Why do you continue to put up with such poor treatment?” I asked Kim one day. “There are other fish in the sea, you know.” With her shiny dark hair and big brown eyes, I could think of a couple of single men in town who would jump at the chance to date her.
“Nobody knows me like Eddie,” she said simply.
That may be true. In the past six months, I’ve begun to suspect I don’t know Kim as well as I imagined. It was during our last New Year’s Eve party, held at her house, when the revelation hit me big time.
I’d developed a severe headache and needed to leave early. Eddie told me he’d hung our jackets in the extra bedroom closet. Of course, like the oaf he is, he didn’t offer to get my coat for me, so I went myself. When I flung open the closet door, a big box dropped over the edge of the shelf and almost knocked me out. When the box hit the floor, it landed on its side and the flaps flew open. The things that tumbled out shocked me at first, and then sent me into a spiral of confusion.
Line Dancing Can Be Murder Page 2
