The Key to Paradise (14 page)

“Sure, sure.” He said and I could tell he was disappointed by my reaction. “This is a beautiful place.”

“Thank you.” It felt so awkward making stilted small talk with the man in whom I’d once confided my darkest secrets. It felt like a vast gulf had grown between us and I couldn’t reach across it.

“Alright,” I said in my bright hostess voice. “You’re all set. You’ll be in room 206. The restaurant opens at five.” I handed him his key cards with a fake smile plastered across my face and feeling like a performer play acting through my most difficult role.

Chris visibly regrouped as he took in my words and mannerisms. “I know you’re busy right now.” I looked down at the desk again wondering how our relationship could have come to this awkward meeting. He reached out and brushed one strand of my hair back away from my face the way he always used to and in that moment my heart cracked just a little bit. “I’ll catch up with you tonight, Livvie.” He said and walked away.

I looked up to watch him go and found myself staring into the stormy face of Landon Fitzpatrick. He was standing by the lobby doors watching me; his gray eyes were dark with an emotion I couldn’t name. A cluster of orchids were clamped in one hand. With a final lingering look he turned and walked out leaving me all alone again.

Well, of course that happened. Of course I couldn’t have one perfect day.

I wanted nothing more than to turn around, walk down the hallway to my apartment and crawl back into bed and never get out again. I wanted to run after Landon. I wanted to scrunch down real small and hide beneath the desk until everyone left. How could this happen, that the best day of my life had been turned into a living nightmare? When was I going to learn that romance and I don’t mix; that every time it intrudes on my life everything gets turned upside down? One thing was certain: I was getting far too old for boy trouble.

I was an adult now with adult responsibilities, no matter how much I wished that weren’t the case. Luckily, work seemed like a pleasant distraction. Much more pleasant than being left alone with my thoughts. The rest of the evening passed in a blur as I supervised the dinner service, made sure turn down service was complete and dealt with all the little last minute details that inevitably go wrong during a grand opening. Finally it was ten o’clock and things were running as smoothly as I could hope.

Suddenly I found myself without anything to occupy my time. The thought of going to bed was tempting but I knew I would just toss and turn with Landon’s dismissive face floating behind my eyes. What I needed was a little exercise and a chance to clear my head.

I switched out my oh-so-professional heels for a pair of flip flops and headed out onto the patio. There was nothing like a nice long walk on the beach on a beautiful evening to clear your head. And no one in the history of humanity needed a head clearing more than I did that night. I made my way past the lit fire-pits and laughing drunk tourists hardly noticing who was sitting in the shadowy recesses until a voice broke through my thoughts.

“Livvie! Livvie, over here!”

I turned and wasn’t surprised to see Chris sitting in the Adirondack chair around the fire-pit closest to the beach. He had said he wanted to catch up but I wasn’t prepared for here and now. Still, I couldn’t turn tail and run. I was Olivia Campbell, owner of The Sea Watch. I had been swimming with the King of the Barracuda. I was stronger than he realized.

I made my way over to the fire-pit and he rose to greet me giving me a long, lingering hug. I patted his back awkwardly. In a way it felt like meeting a long lost cousin; you’re supposed to be close by virtue of blood but in reality you were playing family with a total stranger. Chris and I had spent years together and only months apart but somehow in those months a distance had grown. Like a river slowly carving through rocks until a canyon is formed. The changes in my life—in who I was—had eroded my love for Chris.

“Come sit down,” he said with an arm around my shoulder as he led me to the chairs. A bottle of our best wine was chilling in a bucket with two glasses. He had planned this, I realized with a start. This felt like more than exes catching up. This felt like a date.

I took a seat feeling my belly coil tight. I was perched on the edge of the chair ready to fly at a moment’s notice.

“I’m so proud of you, Livvie,” Chris said pouring two glasses of wine and handing me one. It was a chardonnay. I had always preferred pinot grigio.

“I’m proud of myself.” I didn’t know why but love had been replaced in my heart. I didn’t hate him; I didn’t love him. Instead I felt annoyed that he had pushed his way back into my life when there was nothing I wanted more than to let the past stay buried.

“Are you happy?” The question took me by surprise.

“I am. I’m very happy,” I managed to stutter.

“It’s just…this is so different from what we had planned.”

“I gave up on our plans a long time ago, Chris.”

At least he had the grace to hang his head a little at my words.

“Livvie,” he said taking my hands in his and reminding me again how much I hated that nickname. “I know what a huge mistake I’ve made. I was selfish and stupid and there’s nothing I can say to make up for what I’ve done. All I can do is prove to you that I’m different. I’m not the immature asshole I was. I’ve learned the hard way how to be a real man. And there’s nothing I want more in life than to make it up to you. Please, let me show you how much I care. Come with me back to Boston. Give me a chance to give you the life you and I have always dreamed of. I promise I will never hurt you again.”

I let a slow deep breath escape between my lips. They were the words I had been waiting to hear. Night after night I had lain in bed crying and dreaming of this exact moment but now I felt strangely hollow.

“Chris, this is too much. I’m happy here.”

“I know, I know,” he said raising his hands to forestall my words. “You’ve proven your point, Livvie. You can make it on your own. You don’t need me. I’m here to ask you to
want
to be with me. Come home. Come back to our life…the life we dreamed of. Let me take care of you.”

The feral, vicious voice in my head that had laid in silence for so long reared her head. This was the same thing all over again. Chris didn’t think I could do it. He thought me moving away and starting this business was a way to prove a point to him instead of me actually doing something for myself. Once again he assumed the world revolved around him.

It was more than I could take. I wanted to strangle him, to kick him in the balls, to scratch and claw his eyes out but as I looked into that hopeful, self-absorbed face I knew he wasn’t worth it. He wasn’t even worth my anger or my indignation and he certainly didn’t deserve an answer.

I turned on my heel and ran. The cool sand slid against my feet as I flew along the water’s edge knowing exactly where I was headed.
He
had never doubted me.
He
had believed in me from the start. I remembered the feeling of warmth from the fire on my face, the burn of rum in my belly and his words: ‘You’re stronger than you think.’

Before I realized it I was pounding on the backdoor of his bungalow, ready to apologize, to make amends, to say whatever it took to mend this rift. Well, that was the plan.

Landon threw open the door, his grey eyes opened wide in surprise.

“What the hell is your problem?” came rushing out of my mouth.
So much for plans.

“Liv?”

“You want me. You don’t want me. You want to be friends. You don’t want to be friends. And then you storm off? What is going through that thick skull of yours?”

“I didn’t want to interrupt what seemed to be an intimate moment.” He laid the sarcasm on as thick as possible.

“Don’t give me that. You know there’s nothing between Chris and I anymore. Besides, you rejected me. A mistake you called it.”

“I rejected you? You were a million miles away.” He raked his fingers through his thick hair. “I know you were still thinking about him, admit it.”

I tried to remember back to that day on the beach. The feel of Landon against me, my overwhelming need and then it came rushing back: the constant intrusion of Chris. My memories with him replaying in my head while Landon’s mouth was on mine.

“It’s not like that.” I protested weakly.

“Livvie!” Chris’ voice was calling from somewhere down the beach. “Livvie, the wine is getting warm. Where did you run off to?” If it weren’t for bad luck I’d have no luck at all.

“Landon, this isn’t what it looks like…” I started but his face was already set in a hard, cold mask.

“Consider this my resignation,” he said as the door closed firmly in my face.

Chapter Eighteen

Olivia

“Liv, did I tell you? Janie Simms has finally convinced Gilbert Rogers to marry her. I think she may be in the family way, if you know what I mean. That’s the only way anyone could ever drag a Rogers boy to the altar. Anyway, she said she wanted to book the reception here! Isn’t that great? We should ask her if we could use some of her wedding photos for a promotional package to advertise…”

Ellen’s voice buzzed through my head like the drone of an enormous mosquito. I was only half listening while stuffing the day’s linens into an industrial sized washing machine.

I remembered back to when I had first thought about opening The Sea Watch and the images of me in designer gowns flitting through the lobby like a society hostess that had danced through my mind. Reality is rarely as glamorous as our dreams but I found that by and large I didn’t mind it. I worked hard every day watching The Sea Watch entrance a new generation of guests and went to bed every night satisfied.

“You haven’t heard a word I’ve said, have you?”

“Yes, Janie Simms, marriage, promotional package, family way.”

“Well, you don’t sound a bit excited. Oh Liv! Is it because of that Boston fiancé of yours? Are weddings still too hard?”

I had to laugh. I hadn’t seen Chris since he had arrived at the Grand Opening and professed his love. Self-interested love but I suppose that was all he was capable of. After Landon had slammed the door in my face I had given Chris a full piece of my mind holding back tears he no doubt thought were for him. He had left the next morning with his tail between his legs and I’m sure the numbers for more than a few available and beautiful women in his luggage.

“No, Ellen. I’m sorry. I’m just trying to get this finished before the kayaking tour this afternoon. Jack called out sick.”

Landon’s friend Jack Wilson had taken over the excursions ever since the night Landon had quit. He had an easy, friendly way that made him popular with the guests and sparkling blue eyes that made him even more popular with the female clientele.

“Do you want me to call his mother?” Ellen asked.

Calling a man’s mother was the ultimate weapon of Nana’s crew. It was the nuclear option for whenever the young men of Tamarind Key were acting out of turn. If the Cold War had been helmed by the Bingo ladies, it would have ended in minutes with one gossipy phone call to Stalin’s mother.

“No. He’s got the flu.” I ignored her harrumph of disbelief. “Besides, I like directing the tours.”

“Maybe Landon could fill in…”

“I haven’t talked to him since he resigned.” I said breezily hurrying off to my apartment to change for the tour. In reality I was avoiding the conversation. Nana and her friends had pressed me for details of what happened between us but I couldn’t bear to tell them. Judging by their continued curiosity, Landon hadn’t either. It was a small favor I was grateful for.

Unfortunately it still weighed heavily in my mind. Whenever I went to Captain Joe’s or the Winn Dixie I still expected to catch a glimpse of him. It was something I wanted and dreaded all at the same time. I was angry at him. Angry that he hadn’t let me explain. Angry that he had assumed. At the same time I was deeply ashamed of how easily he had read me that day on the beach. That led to feeling angry again. Of course my first romantic encounter after a broken engagement would be conflicted. How could he expect otherwise? I ping ponged between emotions hoping for some resolution but Landon Fitzpatrick remained stubbornly missing in action. Maybe it was for the best. If I saw him I didn’t know if I’d punch him or hug him.

The afternoon was perfect for the kayak tour. Huge puffy white clouds raced across the sky providing much needed shelter from the searing heat of the sun. We had a tour group of seven, a sizeable number for a resort that only held forty people and aside from two teenagers who were too busy trying to tip each other into the drink, everyone seemed interested in my lecture on the mangroves and hardwood hammocks of the Florida Keys.

I came back to the hotel with a pleasant ache in my shoulders content to hand over the reins to my night manager. I hurried back to my apartment eager to shower before heading off to the dining room for an early dinner. When I opened the door I was surprised to see Nana sitting on the couch glued to my little TV.

“Hey, Nana. What are you doing here?”

“Liv, have you seen the news?” Her voice was tight with worry.

“No, I’ve been taking the kayak tour out. What’s the matter?”

“The hurricane that was supposed to hit Cuba turned. It’s headed straight for us.”

Hurricane Lindy had been all the news for the last several days. Every morning when I woke, Channel 7 meteorologists were eagerly tracking its progress across the Caribbean. I always thought I saw a sadistic gleam in their eyes whenever the storm was upgraded.

“What category is it?”

“Four. They’re expecting the governor to issue the evacuation order soon.”

“Evacuation? They can’t evacuate us! We’re booked solid this month! I have a convention coming in on Thursday.”

“Unfortunately, Mother Nature didn’t consult your schedule. As soon as the order comes in we’re going to have to alert the guests.”

My head was swimming. This couldn’t be happening. In the back of my mind I had always known that South Florida could be hit by a hurricane but then, so could Boston! It came with the territory living on the east coast. Evacuation was something I had never considered. I had always figured we’d fire up the generators, batten down the hatches and ride out the storm with a case of Corona.

On the TV, the image of the meteorologist switched to the governor standing in front of a podium.

“Well, I guess that’s it. We’ll have to help arrange travel for the guests. Plus, I have to get Lily up to Miami. She can’t drive this soon after her hip surgery. Let me go call her now to tell her to pack.”

“Wait, you’re leaving too?”

“Of course, Liv. A category 4 is a monster. It’s nothing to mess with. The storm surge alone will have the ocean lapping at the doors here.”

The Sea Watch.
I hadn’t even thought about her.

“But we haven’t sandbagged. We haven’t done anything to protect her! If she floods it will be a disaster.”

“We’ll do the best we can in the time we have. I’m not saying there won’t be a major clean up once we get back but we’ve done it before once; we can do it again.”

Her words did little to comfort me. Renovating The Sea Watch once had nearly broken me mind and body. The thought of her being damaged again after I had fixed her up exactly how I wanted her was enough to send panicked tears to my eyes.

I ran out of my apartment searching desperately for Harry. I found him already on the beach loading up bags with sand.

“So you’ve heard?”

“I knew it’s been coming. My knees been acting up all day.”

“What do we do?”

“Get everyone who isn’t essential to get to work. We’ll need sandbags, we’ll need to board up the windows and we have to move paperwork and expensive things up off the floor.”

“In case it floods?”

“Not so much ‘in case’ about it. The only question is how bad it’s going to be.”

“But with the sandbags…” I wanted Harry to pat me on the back and tell me everything was going to be fine. Instead he rocked back on his heels and gave me a pitying look.

“There’s just not enough time, Liv. The storm turned at the last minute. It’s already too close. But we’ll do the best we can. She’s weathered worse than this before.”

Had she? Even in the Florida Keys a category 4 storm was rare and The Sea Watch had only been around since the 1940’s. How could I have been this stupid? I had been so busy focusing on renovations and then day to day operations that I hadn’t even considered the possibility of a natural disaster.

“Liv, stop worrying and go get the others to help. Go tell the guests they have to start arranging travel plans. See if Bob would be willing to take those who can’t fly out up to Miami in his bus.” Harry’s voice was calm and collected. It was like a bucket of cold water that I desperately needed at that moment.

I ran back into the lobby where it seemed like every single guest was huddled around the television watching the news. As soon as I stepped through the patio doors I felt all eyes turn to me.

“Can I have everyone’s attention please?” I said in my best take-charge business woman voice hoping I could fake it long enough to hide the shaking I felt. “We’ve just been advised that there is a mandatory tourist evacuation in effect and a recommended resident evacuation order in place for the Florida Keys including Tamarind Key. At this time flights are still leaving the airport in Key West. If you can arrange for a flight out I would recommend you do so.” I took a deep breath trying to organize the jumble of my thoughts. “For those of you unable to arrange a flight out of Key West, we are arranging transportation to Miami and Fort Lauderdale both of which host large international airports. We’ll start a sign up form for bus transportation back to the main land at the lobby desk. If you need transportation please sign up as soon as possible.”

“Well done, dear,” Nana said patting me softly on the shoulder. A few of the guests were still milling about aimlessly but most seemed to have taken my speech as a call to action. They scurried back to their rooms to pack and make travel arrangements.

“Did you get a hold of Lily?”

“Yes, she had already seen the news and packed. Verna, Lois and Ellen are going to meet me over there and we’ll head up together. So you better head to your rooms and start packing as well.”

I had been so busy thinking about The Sea Watch and the guests I hadn’t even thought about getting myself out.

“I can’t right now, Nana. I have to make sure the guests get out ok and this place is as safe as possible before I leave.”

“Don’t leave it for too long. US 1 is already going to be a nightmare, the longer you take the harder it will be to get off the island.”

“I won’t wait too long.” I gave her a reassuring kiss. “Now go. I have to call and arrange a bus and help Harry.”

We were all running around like chickens with their heads cut off. For the rest of the afternoon every person in The Sea Watch did everything they could to get the guests out and board up the hotel with the threat of Lindy roaring across the Caribbean hanging heavy in our minds.

Bob, who drove the local shuttle for Tamarind’s seniors, showed up in the late afternoon and thankfully we managed to squeeze every guest and all their luggage aboard. After they had disappeared down the road I turned to my staff.

“Thank you so much for all your hard work today. You guys have really gone above and beyond but now it’s time for you to leave. Get home, get packed and get out of here. Be safe. I’ll see you all after the storm.”

After they all left I took a tour around the property to see what was left to be done. Harry and the staff had managed to board up all the seaward side windows and doors but the other sides of the resort were bare. Sandbags were stacked two rows high barely six inches off the ground.

The wind picked up teasing and blowing my hair around my face. The sun was setting and in the distance dark clouds loomed. I would have to hurry if I was going to get this all finished.