The shrill ringing of the phone in my room drags me out of my daydream.
The past week with Preston has been the best I’ve had in a long time. We may not know each other well but I enjoy spending time with him. He was quiet and reserved at first, but the more time we spend together I notice he is kind, compassionate, and funny.
My mind snags on the memory of his touch. The feel of his strong arms locked around my waist as he lifted me off the dock. The weightless feeling of flying through the air with his body wrapped around mine. It did something to my insides, thinking about the shock that buzzed through me every time we touched. There’s no hiding that Preston is attractive, but Preston on full display in a swimsuit, holy hell. There wasn’t an inch of him that wasn’t toned. Even in goofy sunglasses, acting like an idiot to get me to laugh, Preston was fine. We had a great day together after shopping and then I had to go and ruin it by calling my dad.
“So stupid, Ivory. Idiotic,” I say out loud to the silent room.
I hate it but maybe it’s a good thing to keep him at arm’slength. I have too much going on to entertain thoughts of a man and happily ever after. My career is at an impasse and that is what I should be focusing on.
The phone rings again, reminding me I didn’t answer it the first time.
“Hello?”
“Ms. Crenshaw?”
“Yes, this is she.”
“Hi, ma’am, this is Marjorie at the front desk.”
“Good morning, what can I do for you?”
“Morning. Umm…well, I was calling about your reservation.”
“Oh, great. Are you able to extend it?” Crisis averted. I’ll stay here for the third week then it’s back home to work.
“Not exactly.”
“What do you mean?”
“Unfortunately, we are not able to accommodate extending your reservation.” Marjorie pauses. The telltale sign this is not a good news phone call. “The resort will be closing and we will need to shorten your stay.”
“What do you mean closing early? It hasn’t been the full two weeks yet. And I have nowhere to go!” I begin pacing the length of the room.
“I am sorry, Ms. Crenshaw. Unfortunately, we have been instructed that the facilities can no longer stay open to guests due to public safety so we are notifying the guests. We know it is short notice but we will be closing in two days.”
“Two days?”
“Yes, ma’am, including today.”
“Including today? What does that even mean? I have to be out tomorrow?”
“You have today and tomorrow night but then the day after tomorrow, we will have to ask that you evacuate the premises.”
“And where am I going to go if everything is closed?”
“I’m so sorry. I do not know. Maybe something on the mainland will be available. Since we are on the island, it’s harder forour employees to commute over. And with only two guests, it also does not make sense even if the guidelines did not require us to close.”
I understand the concern but it doesn’t change the fact I have nowhere to go and only two days to figure it out.
“If there is anything I can do for you, please let me know. We can try to arrange transport or?—”
“It would be helpful if you could find me a place to stay,” I snap. Immediately feeling bad for my outburst, I calm my breathing. “I’m sorry. I know you’re only doing your job. Thank you for letting me know.”
“Again, I apologize for the short notice. Come to the main building for dinner on us tonight for the inconvenience.”
“I appreciate that.” It was nice but a complimentary dinner wouldn’t solve my problem. Dropping the phone, I stare out the windows like the ocean has all the answers. I have no idea where to even start finding a place on such short notice. I also haven’t talked to Tay since our almost fight the other day.
“You’re an adult, Ivory. A grown woman. You can figure this out without hired help or a friend bailing you out.” I psyche myself up.Think, Ivory, think.Grabbing my laptop, I move into the kitchen to make coffee. Hopefully caffeine will help get my brain firing on all cylinders. First, coffee. Maybe a small breakfast. And then, research. I will search resorts and hotels in Belize and see what I can find. It shouldn’t be too hard. Just because this resort is closing doesn’t mean there weren’t other options.
