by Davis, Alexa
“It was nice to meet Delaney yesterday,” Mom commented with a smile. “She’s such a great girl. A real credit to her mother. Especially after everything they’ve been through.”
“I know.” I couldn’t stop myself from beaming. After lunch yesterday, we came to see Mom so that she could finally get to know Delaney, and they got on like a house on fire. I could physically see Mom light up being around a child again, and Delaney was such a ray of sunshine that she perked her up no end. “Elle has done such a good job with her.”
“It isn’t easy, being a single mom. I wouldn’t change it for the world, and I’m sure Elle wouldn’t, either. But still, it’s very challenging. Especially working, as well.”
I bit down on my tongue. There was an issue that we needed to address with that one. I’d been putting off for as long as I could, but Mom had brought it up now. It needed to be discussed. “What do you want to do about Elle working for you? You’re starting to improve a lot, and I don’t want you to resent having her here.”
“I don’t want her to be out of a job.” Mom looked utterly horrified by the idea.
“No, nor do I. I can get her a job at one of my resorts. I did put in the job posting that it might only be a temporary position...”
“I’m not ready for her to leave yet,” Mom replied decisively, causing relief to flood my chest. I wasn’t ready for her to go, either. Not while things were so up in the air between us. I would still see her at the resort, but it wouldn’t be the same. Our friendship, or whatever it was that we shared, wouldn’t be able to blossom in the same way. “She’s great to have around here. Even if I’m improving, I want her to stay for a while.”
“Okay.” I held up my hands in a surrendering gesture. “Whatever you want. I’m happy for her to stay. I just wanted to check what you want to do.”
“Ryan is going to help her, is he? Elle seems confident that he’s going to do a good job.”
“He sure will.” I nodded enthusiastically. “I have full confidence that he’ll get rid of this asshole ex.”
“Good.” Mom looked visibly relieved by that. “Elle doesn’t deserve to lose that lovely girl. So, what are you doing today? Do you have any work?”
“Actually, I’m just going over to the resort this morning to check things over. Then I’ve got the rest of the day off. I was supposed to have a meeting with one of the investors, but he had to cancel last minute, so I’m free. Why, did you want to do anything?”
“I was just thinking...”
Before she could finish that sentence, my cell phone burst to life. I considered ignoring it to see what she had to say, but a discrete look at the screen told me that this was a call I needed to answer.
“Hold that thought,” I told Mom regretfully, giving her the one minute signal with my finger. “I just need to take this.”
I turned away from her and walked from the room. The manager at the Florida resort called me so rarely that I knew it had to be a huge issue. One that would probably send me back out on the road. When I first started this business, I loved the traveling. It was one of the best parts about it. But as I got older, I preferred to stay in one place.
Actually, it felt silly to admit, but I also didn’t want to leave Elle at such a pivotal time. I didn’t want my leaving to be taken as a hint that I didn’t like her enough to be with her. I didn’t want her to think that it was only a one-night stand for me.
I also didn’t want anyone else to come along to sweep her off her feet while I was gone.
“Hello? Harrison, is everything okay?”
“I think we need you to come down,” his voice shook as he spoke. “We’ve had a break in, and there’s quite a lot missing. I don’t know what to do.”
Harrison never lost his cool; this had to be bad. “Have you contacted the police?”
“Yes, yes, I’ve done everything that needs to be done. I would just rather you come if you don’t mind?”
My heart sunk. I knew that I couldn’t turn Harrison down. My company still had to remain at the top of my priority list, no matter what. “Sure, I will come. I will get the next flight I can and come to sort things out. Don’t worry, Harrison, we will get everything straightened out together.”
“Oh, well great.” He sounded so relieved. I had to find out more about what had happened. It was only fair. “Let me know when you’re coming, and I’ll get the suite sorted for you.”
I felt all hollow inside as I hung up the phone. I was supposed to be thinking of the best way to tell Elle that I liked her and that I wanted to get something started between us, but I would have to put that on hold for now. Maybe ...
I turned nervously to look at my mom where she sat in the kitchen. I’d been putting off saying anything to her because I didn’t want her to make too much of a big deal out of everything, but I was starting to feel like maybe I would have to. I needed some advice here, someone who knew Elle well enough to give me a clue about how to approach the situation. Plus, Mom had the added advantage of being a single mom herself. She knew what it was like. She was absolutely the best person to speak to about this.
I was just going to have to swallow my pride and get on with it.
I hung my head low and braced myself. Any minute now I would unleash a monster. Once I let Mom out of her cage, there would be no turning back. If I wasn’t so desperate, there was no chance in hell that I would do this.
“Who was that?” she finally yelled, speeding me up before I was ready. “Everything okay?”
“Erm yeah...” I moved into the kitchen to speak with her. “That was Harrison in Florida. They’ve had a robbery, so I really need to get down there to see what’s going on.”
“Oh my goodness, is everyone okay? What will you do? How will you regain what was lost?”
“Harrison didn’t say anyone was hurt, so I presume everything is alright on that front. I have insurance, and the cops are already on the case. It’s a pain, but not too dramatic. I can get it sorted.”
“Right,” Mom drawled. “So why don’t you look very impressed? What’s going on?”
“I guess I just don’t want to travel anywhere at the moment,” I replied with what I hoped was a blasé shrug. “It just isn’t the right time.”
“But the newest resort nearby is running itself okay isn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s not it.” I sighed deeply, trying to prepare myself. “It’s something more personal than that.”
Her eyes widened. Mom knew exactly what that meant. She tried her best to cover it up, but I could see the glee on her face. I hated that she thought I was so desperately lonely that she had to intervene. I was doing fine, thank you very much.
“P...personal?” she stammered as her cheeks flamed red. “What do you mean, personal?”
I needed to bite the bullet; I needed just to say it however painful it felt. “It’s Elle,” I admitted quietly. “I like her, and I just think that leaving now won’t be great.”
“Oh my God, you like her?” Mom could barely contain herself. “That’s just incredible. I’m so pleased for you. But... Why would you going away for a few days be such a bad thing?”
“Because things have been sort of developing recently, but I don’t know where I stand, and she doesn’t, either. We haven’t had a real chance to talk about it yet, and I don’t think that doing it just before I leave will be the best time.”
“Hmmm, you might be right about that one.” Mom tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Why don’t you invite her to go with you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Take her to Florida! Delaney, too. They both need a break, and you need some time alone with Elle to talk. What better way to do it than to get away from real life for a little while?”
A picture formed in my mind – and it was one I liked a lot. Delaney enjoying herself in the pool, Elle relaxing in the sunshine, me with a couple of cocktails for us both... But unfortunately, that couldn’t happen.
“I have to work, Mom.”
“Not the whole time.” She smiled at me encouragingly. “You’ll get done what needs to get done, then have a couple of days just chilling out away from it all.” When I didn’t answer right away, she continued with gusto.
“Alex, I haven’t seen you like anyone in a very long time, not properly, and I haven’t seen anyone as suited to you, either. Maybe I’m wrong, and you won’t work out, but don’t you think you’ll regret it if you don’t at least try?”
Damn it , that impassioned speech got to me. I found myself nodding along before I even realized that I agreed with her. “Okay sure, so what shall I do?”
“Call her up, invite her.” Mom laughed at me. “You’re acting like this is something she won’t want to do. Trust me; she’s going to want this. And the best part is she doesn’t even need to worry about taking time off work!”
I chuckled at that; Mom was probably right. This would be something Elle wanted. It would be good to get away from everything, too. We needed some serious one-on-one time.
“Alright then, I’ll call her now.”
I tugged my cell phone back from my pocket with a grin on my face. I scrolled through the numbers stored in my phone book until I found hers and hit dial before any self-doubt could creep in.
“Hello?” her sweet voice rang through the receiver. “Alex, is everything okay?”
“Yes, it is.” I breathed loudly. I was more nervous than I thought I would be. “I have just had a call to go to my Florida resort, and I wondered...” Shit , all the coolness had zapped right from me again. I was back to being a blubbering idiot. “If you and Delaney wanted to come with me. Obviously, you don’t need to worry about getting time off work, that’s absolutely fine.” I let out a noise that was supposed to be a laugh, but it didn’t quite come out that way. “For, erm, a little break.”
“Oh, I don’t know if I can afford it...” She sounded regretful, not like she was looking for a way out. That had to be a good sign, right?
“I’ll pay for flights. The hotel is all sorted, obviously.” She was silent for a beat too long. “I just thought it would be nice to get away for a bit. Have a bit of fun.”
“You know what? Yes!” Relief washed over me as she finally agreed. “That sounds fun, when are we leaving?”
“Monday,” I replied, spur of the moment. I could book flights for then, surely. “I’ll text you when I have the details.”
Mom raised her eyebrows and smiled as I hung up the phone. Much as I wanted to play it cool and hold back, I couldn’t. I beamed brightly, letting her see just how excited I was.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Elle
Monday
“I’m excited, Delaney,” I tried to lift her spirits with my eager words. “Getting on a plane is a whole lot of fun. You are a very lucky girl.” She remained silent, with a pale face. “I didn’t get to fly until I was almost eighteen years old.”
“But Lola said...” I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes. All I’d heard recently was what Delaney’s new friend Lola had said, and I had to admit this girl sounded like a real downer. She had something negative to say about absolutely everything. “That planes crash all the time. What if it falls into the sea, and we sink down to the bottom?”
Urgh, where did a six-year-old get such information? It drove me crazy.
“The plane won’t crash,” I did my best to reassure her while hurrying her along as well. “We will be fine. Lola doesn’t know what she’s talking about; she’s probably never even been on a plane.”
“But it does happen, doesn’t it?”
I sighed loudly. I couldn’t lie to Delaney, but I didn’t want to be brutally honest either. “It did. Not so much anymore... Come on, let’s get inside. Alex will be waiting for us, and we don’t want to be late. He’s been very generous booking this trip for us.”
I still couldn’t believe it. I had to tell Terran right away. When I called her, she said that it had to mean that he liked me. After all, what sort of man did something so extravagant for someone that they didn’t have at least some feelings for? Especially when we’d slept together.
I felt a tingle in my core as I considered the idea of doing it again. Last time we had sex, it all happened so quickly, so unexpectedly, that I didn’t get a chance to savor every moment like I really wanted to.
If it were going to happen again, I wouldn’t make the same mistake.
“Hello!” Alex’s voice sent a shiver tearing up and down my spine. “Elle, Delaney, over here.”
He waved in an over the top fashion with a giant smile on his face. That grin of his was contagious, and I found it spreading across my cheeks as I made my way towards the baggage check-in desk he stood near.
“Hey, Alex.” The nearer I got, the shyer I felt. There was something about seeing him in this brand new territory was unnerving but in a really good way. It left me excited to find out what was going to happen next. “Thank you for this; it’s so lovely of you. We’re very excited.”
“I’m not,” Delaney pouted, much to my embarrassment. “I’m scared to get on the plane. My friend told me that it’s going to crash.”
I mouthed an apology to Alex as Delaney slid her hand away from mine to fold her arms across her chest. Damn Lola had a lot to answer for. If I could interrogate a young child, I would. She and her smart ass comments left me completely embarrassed. But again, Alex didn’t seem concerned; it was as if nothing could dampen his mood today.
He crouched down to Delaney’s level, held onto her shoulders and stared right into her eyes.
“I know the pilot of this plane that we’re taking today, and he’s promised that he won’t crash. He’s going to take very good care of us, so you have absolutely nothing to worry about. I don’t know what your friend was talking about, but planes barely ever have accidents anymore.” At least with that line, he went with the same theme as me. “We will only be flying for a short while anyway, hardly long enough to watch even one movie.”
Delaney’s eyes lit up with glee as he said the magic words. “I can watch a movie?”
“Of course, you can.” He slid his hand into his pocket and brought out a chocolate bar. “And I got this for you, too. I figured you might be hungry.”
“I am! I am!” She snatched it from him and bounded up and down like a bunny as she unwrapped it. I hoped the glee would continue – this was much more festive than the temper she was in before – but I had a feeling that sitting in the airplane seat would push her over the edge once more. “Thank you, Alex.”
“Yes, thank you for that,” I agreed with Delaney. “I’ve been trying to calm her down all morning. You must be magic.”
We shared a moment of eye contact, one so powerful it jolted right through my system. If anything were ever going to happen between us, if we were ever going to be more than just a quick fling, this trip would be the deciding factor.
No, stop thinking that way, I warned myself. Please try and not read too much into it.
I just didn’t want to get my hopes dashed. Every time I got too carried away, I remembered the truth of it. I was a thirty-two-year-old single mom going through a complex time with Delaney’s father. Alex knew all about that. If he wanted to really get involved with me, he had to be insane.
But, he did invite me on this trip...
“Oh, I think that might be our flight they’re calling out. We better get through security quickly. Are you ready, Delaney?” She nodded, engrossed in her chocolate. “Come on then, let us go.”
This was it: the only way I would find out. Somewhere in Florida, the truth would reveal itself. I wasn’t sure which emotion I felt more prominently: nerves, fear, or excitement. Still, it hardly mattered. Only getting on the plane and finding out once and for all would help me. Until then, it was nothing more than a mystery.
“Yep,” I replied happily. “Let’s do this.”
***
“You were really good with her,” I declared to Alex as we got off the plane a short while
later. “I can’t believe you actually got Delaney to sleep on the plane! I thought that was asking the impossible.”
“Well, I want you to have a break,” he said smilingly. “So I’ll help in any way that I can. You could use a vacation at the moment.” He touched my arm and made my tummy flutter. “This will be good for all of us.”
He was sweet...too sweet. My heart was melting in my chest turning me into a puddle on the ground. “Well, thank you. I really appreciate it.”
He led us towards a car where a man was waiting for us...well, not a car. A limo. A massive stretch limo that had everyone looking at it. I would have been among them if I wasn’t the one about to get into the car. Was this what Alex’s life was like all the time? Did he have a miniature celebrity style lifestyle going on?
“Oh wow, Mommy, look!” Delaney didn’t feel shy about everyone looking at her. Not like me. “Look at the car we’re going on.”
“Hello there, Mr. Trainor, it is very good to have you here. We have all missed you.”
The member of staff that led us towards the car seemed genuinely pleased that his boss was here. It had never been like that at any job I’d ever had before. I couldn’t imagine anyone at the motel being pleased to see Frank. When he wasn't a gross perv, he was sucking the life out of everyone around him. We all scurried around trying to get away from him; we would never have smiled.
“I am glad to be back. I’m sorry that it isn’t under better circumstances.” I wondered what he meant by that. I remembered him saying that there was something to do once he was here, but I didn’t know what. “I’m sure it’ll get sorted soon enough.”
“Harrison has done a very good job of keeping things under control. I do think he contacted you in a moment of panic...”
“It’s fine; I don’t mind coming; this is a serious situation.” He turned and indicated towards Delaney and me. “As you can see, I have two beautiful women on my arm today who will be staying with me. Elle and Delaney.”
The driver shook my hand with a smile and helped Delaney to get into the car. As he showed her all the amenities that were available, including food and drinks, I took the opportunity to work out what was happening at the resort.
