Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 28244 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 141(@200wpm)___ 113(@250wpm)___ 94(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28244 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 141(@200wpm)___ 113(@250wpm)___ 94(@300wpm)
We finally get a seat in the noisy buffet of chaos. The family next to us are in their wet bathing suits. The mom is wearing a G-string bikini bottom with no cover-up.
The food looks hazardous too. You can get anything you’d like—salmonella, norovirus, ebola. I wouldn’t be surprised if the next pandemic outbreak will originate here.
We get some bread and a few boxes of cereal—too afraid to touch anything else—and sit down. Dad is outraged.
“We have to go through all this and they’ll be divorced in three months,” he says, picking his dinner roll apart like it’s made of cyanide.
“Maybe marriage will straighten both of them out,” Mom says in a hopeful tone.
We both stare at her stone-faced and she sighs. “Yeah, that was silly.”
Aunt Jennifer comes rushing over when we’re almost done.
“What’s the matter?” Mom asks when she sees her sister’s ashen face.
“The wedding is off,” Aunt Jennifer says.
“Thank Christ,” Dad says way too loud. “I mean, oh no, what happened?”
“Leah blew up. She’s in a taxi on the way back to the airport.”
Dad smiles for the first time today. “So, we can leave?”
“I guess so,” Aunt Jennifer says, holding her elbow.
Mom gets up and comforts her while Dad stands up, grinning from ear to ear.
“I’ll call the airline and get us on the first flight out of here.”
I pull Adrian’s business card out of my pocket and slide it through my fingers, thinking. “I’m going to stay here, Dad.”
His face drops. “Are you insane? You’ll get food poisoning. You’ll get murdered. You want to stay here?”
“Not here,” I say, taking a deep breath. “I… met someone on the plane. He invited me to spend the week at The Aurelia with him.”
Dad looks even more unsure now, but I remain firm. I’m staying.
The first thing I do is text Adrian.
The wedding is canceled.
I feel an energizing rush of adrenaline surging through my body when I see that bubble with the three dots appear.
So soon?
It was actually longer than we thought lol
Come stay with me.
We just met…
I know all I need to know. Stay with me.
How would I even get there?
I’ll send a car to pick you up. It will be there in 10.
Are you sure?
More sure than I’ve ever been.
Can I actually do this? Can I spend a week with a mysterious man that I just met?
Maybe I should just stay here and meet up with him for dinner or something…
I spot the mom in the G-string standing in the buffet line as her children grab food with their bare hands. She scratches her bare ass with the tongs and my decision is made.
Okay. I’ll come.
CHAPTER FOUR
Maya
The town car silently glides to a stop beneath a white stone archway carved with gold lettering: The Aurelia.
My breath catches.
Everything is so beautiful. I’ve never seen a place like this before, not even in movies. This is as luxurious as it gets.
The driver opens my door and I step out with golden sunlight washing down on my smiling face. Palm trees are swaying over my head. Ornate fountains are sparkling in the sun. Everything is spotless. The cream-colored marble stairs with gold inlay are clean enough to eat off of and there are no sweaty, cranky crowds in sight. All I see are well-manicured smiling employees wearing impeccable uniforms without a single crease.
And it smells so good here. The air smells like salt and money—fresh, clean, and expensive.
A man in crisp white linen hurries down the stares, greeting me with a warm smile. “Welcome to The Aurelia, Miss Howard.”
Oh. My. God. They know my name.
The moment my sandals hit the marble walkway, more attendants appear. A bellboy who looks like he could moonlight as a model whisks my suitcase away, disappearing with it.
“Um, I…” I mutter, stuttering as I watch him go. If someone took your bag at the last resort, you’d never see it again.
“It will be in your room, Miss Howard,” the attendant says. “Please, leave all of your troubles at the door. We will cater to your every need.”
“Oh,” I say when someone else appears beside me, handing me a tall fruity drink. Oh my god, it’s delicious. Lime, mint, with a hint of coconut. It may just be the best thing I’ve ever tasted.
Another smiling lady arrives and drapes a flower lei around my neck. It’s made of real flowers and they smell incredible. The petals brush my skin, delicate and cool, releasing a scent so intoxicating I can’t stop smiling.
Another girl puts a bracelet on me with a beautiful shell. “The keycard for your room,” she says.
“Oh,” I say, wondering if I get to keep it. It looks like something that would be sold in a fancy jewelry store.
“My name is Jericho,” the man who initially greeted me says. “I am the manager of The Aurelia and my job, no, my duty, is to get you anything you desire.”