The Key to Paradise (13 page)

Chapter Seventeen

Olivia

It was a low down dirty trick. I had been told we were going straight to bingo until Nana’s scooter turned into the parking lot at Captain Joe’s.

“Absolutely not,” I said digging my heels in to the dirt.

“We’re just going to pre-game some drinks before bingo.” Lily was trying to act innocent but I didn’t buy it for one second.

“You’re going to crash Landon’s date.”

“Why! How could you accuse us of that?”

“Because I’ve met you before.”

“Come on, Liv,” Nana said sliding her arm through mine. “It’s just one drink. You don’t want to wait out in the parking lot do you?”

It was a tempting idea but I overruled it immediately for two reasons. First, if Landon caught me lurking in the parking lot I would look like even more of a stalker than I already was. And secondly, a big part of me wanted to see Landon on a date and a slightly larger part of me wanted to ruin it.

“One drink,” I conceded.

“That’s my girl.”

We took our seats while Verna ordered a jumbo pitcher of margaritas. My eyes were glued to the door the entire time. The conversation washed over me and I hardly noticed it. My mind was torn. Half of me wanted to down my drink in a single gulp and slink out of Captain Joe’s before Landon arrived. The other half wanted to see him on a date with someone else with my own eyes. Maybe that would be the dash of cold water I needed to finally get over this crush.

Suddenly, a flash of beautiful copper appeared and every male eye in Captain Joe’s turned to watch Megan make her way through the crowd. There was no denying it; she looked beautiful. Landon was with her dressed in a button down shirt I had never seen before. It was understated but accented his muscular chest and arms.
Everything would be so much easier if he was ugly,
I thought as my heart flip flopped uncomfortably.

We waved Megan over as Landon stood rooted in place equal parts shock and horror playing across his handsome face. I shot him a triumphant smirk before I turned to greet the journalist.

I got a few good punches in during the short time we were there but when I left I didn’t feel great. I felt deflated. I was heading off to bingo night while Landon was sitting down to dinner with a beautiful, elegant, worldly woman with legs that went all the way up to her ears.

Stop it. He’s not your boyfriend. He never was your boyfriend.
But that didn’t change the fact that a part of me had wanted him to be.

The next morning I dragged myself out of bed and down to The Sea Watch. Only the threat of all the looming work not being finished before the Grand Opening could force me to face the blissful, post-coital Landon.

He was subdued but not much different from normal. When one of the electricians asked him about his date last night all he said was that it wasn’t a date. My heart skipped a beat but I quickly crushed the happiness rising in my chest. This had reached the height of ridiculousness. I was spending way too much mental energy thinking about Landon. I needed to distance myself from this situation. It had been too much of a distraction for too long. The Lord knew I already had enough on my plate. Why was I adding to it with this pointless obsession?
From here on out he’s nothing more than another coworker to me,
I promised myself.

The next few days flew by in a daze. Every morning we peeled ourselves out of bed to work until sundown only managing to fit in the occasional shower and food before we all collapsed again but it was all worth it as we saw The Sea Watch transform before our eyes. Thankfully, Landon and I managed to maintain an easy truce that was all the easier to keep because we refused to be alone in the same room together. Before we knew it, it was the day of the Grand Opening.

I hadn’t slept a wink the night before. I had finally moved into my sparse set of rooms at The Sea Watch and the small double bed had seemed stifling. Every which way I turned the sheets rubbed wrong or my nightgown twisted and bunched uncomfortably. I knew it wasn’t the sheets’ fault. It was anxiety pure and simple. Anxiety, excitement and fear all battling it out in my sleep starved brain. When I finally managed to doze off around dawn I dreamed that no guests came while I waited with increasing desperation in the empty lobby.

When I finally awoke to the sound of Nana beating on my apartment door I was a sweaty mess.

“My goodness, you look a fright,” she said as I fumbled the door open.

“Love you too, Nana.”

“What’s the matter? Didn’t sleep well?”

“No, I only fell asleep…” I blinked owlishly at the clock above my stove. “Three hours ago.”

“Well then you’re going to have to make do because it’s Grand Opening Day!”

“You’re not allowed to be this excited until I’ve had at least one cup of coffee.”

“Hop in the shower and I’ll start it perking. The guests will be arriving in a few hours.”

Gratefully I climbed into the refinished claw foot tub and let the hot water run down over my numb skin.
Grand Opening.
It was hard to believe that the day had finally come. All those months of work were finally culminating in this one special day and I was terrified. Still, it didn’t do to borrow trouble that would no doubt rear its ugly head later in the day. I finished soaping up and reluctantly left the shower to the enticing aroma of coffee.

“Feeling slightly more human?”

“Slightly.”

“Good because we have work to do. One of the waiters for tonight has called out with the Key West flu.”

“Key West flu?”

“A hangover, sweetie. We have to call everyone not scheduled to work tonight and see if we can get someone to cover his shift. Plus the lights in room 203 are on the fritz and Harry thinks the heater in the hot tub isn’t regulating the temperature properly.”

I let my head fall forward until it banged softly against the countertop. “I’m going back to bed. This is a disaster.”

“We always knew today was going to be controlled chaos. Now put some clothes on and let’s go get some control.”

Controlled chaos was the best description for that morning. There were a hundred minor issues that needed to be fixed before the guests arrived but thankfully they all stayed relatively minor. Harry, the new handyman we hired after Landon moved up to Head of the Excursion Department, was a whirl of activity complete with screwdrivers, hammers, low slung jeans and a sizeable plumber’s crack. Finally, everything was done and we were moments away from the first guests’ arrival.

“Hey, Liv?”

I looked up surprised to see Landon’s friend Jack standing by the front door.

“Jack, what are you doing here?”

“Landon said he couldn’t make it today. Asked me to cover the excursions.”

It felt like a punch to the gut. I knew things had been tense between Landon and I but for him to miss our grand opening seemed like a betrayal. He had helped bring The Sea Watch back to life. Could he really hate me so much that he didn’t want to be here for her biggest moment?

Jack shifted uncomfortably on his feet, carefully avoiding looking at my shocked face. “Your grandmother asked if you could meet her out front for a minute.”

“Yeah, sure.” I pasted a smile across my face. Today was my big day and I wasn’t going to let anyone ruin it.

There have always been superstitions about weather. For centuries people thought that the weather was a sign from the gods heralding either their approval or reproach. There was a reason Zeus threw bolts of lightning at particularly naughty humans and Thor crushed foes with his hammer of thunder. Beyond the mythology a whole host of folk wisdom sprang up through the millennia. Bright sunshine predicted good luck and successful ventures while rain on a bride signaled a fertile marriage. Looking up at the clear blue sky arching over The Sea Watch and feeling the light breeze against my skin there was no denying the weather today was a fortuitous sign. Never mind that the weather in Tamarind Key was like this 80% of the time, I was determined to see it as a good omen.

Nana and the girls were huddled together on the steps before the front door. As I made my way towards them I noticed other employees filtering out of the building to join us.

“What’s this all about?” I had seen the gleam in Nana’s eyes.

“We can’t open The Sea Watch without some sort of gesture so we brought this.”

Lily and Verna unrolled a length of red ribbon, complete with a giant garish bow. Ellen brandished a shockingly large antique pair of pinking shears. My heart swelled with love for all of them.

“Come on, baby. Let’s make this thing official.”

I took the pinking shears and with tears prickling behind my eyes I managed to wrestle the rusty hinge open. “I don’t even know what to say. You all know me enough by now to know whenever I open my mouth the wrong thing always manages to come out. So I’m going to keep this short.” I looked out across the assembled faces of everyone I had gotten to know over the past few months. People who had sacrificed their time and energy to be a part of my crazy dream.

“Each and every one of you is the reason The Sea Watch has become what it is. Through blood, sweat and tears we’ve managed to save her and give her back her beautiful self. Without you, none of this would have been possible.” I heard my voice cracking with emotion.

“I just want to thank you all so much.” I finished quickly before the sobs came and with a smart snip the ribbon fluttered to the ground. It was the start of a new day and a new life for me. Just a few short months ago I had been a sniveling, weeping mess without direction and now I was the proprietress of the most exclusive resort in Tamarind Key. It was a wonder all the twists and turns had brought me to this point and made me into a woman I barely even recognized.

Nana, Verna, Ellen, Lily and Lois all enclosed me in a warm group hug as the staff cheered. In that bright sunshine I could have mistaken them for angels if it weren’t for the lingering smell of Icy Hot, baby powder and vodka.

“Thank you so much, guys. I really could never have done this without you.”

“We always knew you could do it.” Nana kissed me softly on the cheek. “Now enough sentiment, we’ve got a hotel to run!”

One by one I thanked the employees as they filed back inside to their posts but I couldn’t shake the lingering pain that one face was notably absent. Aside from myself and the girls, Landon was the person who had the biggest influence on all of this and he was still missing. My heart felt heavy and hollow but there was no time to dwell.

As soon as I resumed my position at the front desk my first guests entered through the main doors. A middle aged couple both smiling brightly and pulling matching rolling luggage behind them. With my best professional smile I welcomed them to The Sea Watch and directed them to their room.

One after another, more guests filtered in each smiling brightly with the relaxed look of someone who has successfully navigated all the hassles of travel and was now ready for a cocktail in the sun. Finally, nineteen rooms had checked in and all that was left was to wait for the final reservation.

I turned to the computer to adjust some of the fields in our software when I heard the front door open.

“I’ll be with you in just a second!” I called out brightly.

“Liv.” The voice was warm and full of emotion. I didn’t even trust myself to look up. I had stood here all day hoping he would come, hoping we could end the distance between us and now he was here.

I wanted my friend back; I wanted the man I respected and admired back in my life. It was too soon to hope for more but now he was here. I lifted my head and found myself staring into brown eyes instead of the expected gray and I was falling.

“
Chris.
” The word came out in an almost inaudible whisper, a sound dredged from an ancient memory long buried.

“Liv,” he said again, emotion working its way across his handsome face. “I booked the room as soon as I saw you in the magazine. I knew I had to come here.”

Everything washed through me at once in a flood of emotions and thoughts so tangled and complex I couldn’t even begin to unravel them.

“Let’s get you checked in.” I said falling back on routine to break away from the immediacy of my feelings. With my eyes on the computer screen I could focus better than when they were locked on to his.