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The same woman who gave us the evil eye earlier is now eavesdropping on our conversation from the bench. She looks appalled.
“I thought it was bad when you were all love and unicorns shitting rainbows, but sad and mopey Olivia is way worse.”
Although Ellie is hardly eloquent with her choice of words, she does have a point. I haven’t been myself. It was ten days ago that I had to watch Parker pack his things and walk out the door. It was one of the hardest days of my life and it hasn’t gotten easier. I knew being away from Parker was going to be difficult, but I didn’t expect this constant ache in my chest that never seems to go away. Parker and I have been texting and Facetiming multiple times a day but it’s just not the same. I need to touch him, to fall asleep in his arms and wake up to his gorgeous face in the morning.
I’m not up for dealing with this judgemental woman who looks like her head is going to pop off at any second. I grab my change of clothes and head behind a curtained changing room. I know Ellie is right. I can barely stand to be around myself in my sad state. I need to figure out how to deal with this.
“When are you two seeing each other again?” Ellie’s voice sweeps over the curtain beside me.
“Not for another week.”
“Another week? Oh, hell no! I can’t take your shitty attitude for seven more days. I will never survive. Why not this weekend?”
“I can’t. We have two big events this weekend. I have too much work to do.” I fling my sweat top over my head and adjust my ponytail.
“And Parker is not coming here?”
“He has a meeting scheduled for Saturday morning and with the two events I have on Saturday and Sunday, I told him I would be too busy to see him.”
“Olivia Madden, you know we have Leah and she and I can handle the shop without you. We can also handle the events this weekend. You are going to see Parker. I have everything under control.”
“That’s only two days away. I can’t leave on such short notice.”
“What exactly do you need to do? Pack a bag and go. What do you really need to pack anyways? I’m sure you’ll spend the entire time naked in Parker’s hotel room. I doubt you two will even stop boning to eat.”
“You should surprise him,” Kate says, adding her two cents to the conversation. “You can knock on his door and do the whole naked under a trench coat thing. Just spare us the details.” I stuff my gym clothes into my backpack and throw open the cotton drape. I sit on a bench to lace up my sneakers. Thankfully, the woman with the judgy eyes has left.
“Seriously, Olivia. Kate is right. He won’t expect it and he will love it. You need to listen to your little sister on this.”
“Okay, I’ll do it. You sure it’s okay, Ells, that I leave you this weekend?”
“Positive. I will smash you if you don’t go.” Ellie emerges from her changing room dressed and ready to go.
“Eek! I’m going to see Parker in two days!”
“And just like that, she’s back to her unicorn shitting rainbows self again. That was easy.” Ellie throws her arm in the air and turns, opening the changing room door, waiting for us to follow.
The next two days are a blur. I help Ellie and Leah prepare the flowers for this weekend’s events. The first is a gender reveal party, the second a baptism. We’ve done enough of these events that we have it down to a science. I’m not really sure why I was afraid to leave Ellie and Leah. It definitely won’t be an issue. I’ve done as much as I can today to make sure they aren’t overwhelmed, which means it’s time for me to hit the road.
“Have a great weekend, Olivia, and drive safe. Text me when you arrive so I know you’ve made it. Love you.”
I head to my car with my suitcase, taking a minute to call my mom. I’m sure she won’t miss me now that she has my dad to fawn over, but a call to let her know I’m heading out of town is only polite. She sounds happy and it makes my good mood even better. As much as her excitement over my dad annoyed me at first, I have come to accept it. She was lonely for so long and had to sacrifice a hell of a lot. She gave up everything she had the day my father was arrested, so I have come to understand that she deserves to be happy today, in whatever form that takes.
I chat quickly with my dad too, and listen to his spiel about not doing anything he wouldn’t do. I think he forgets I’m twenty-six and not the teenager I was when he left us. I roll my eyes and go with it. He adds in a few dad jokes before we hang up. I actually think it is kind of cute. What’s also cute is that my dad and Parker talk frequently. Parker has been so helpful at advising him on new industry trends and has been a sounding board to bounce ideas off of.
The drive to Cape May feels like an eternity. I pass the time listening to my favorite country music playlist, thinking up ways to surprise Parker. I drive straight there without stopping, my body humming with excitement.
It’s just after eight o’clock when I pull off the highway and turn into the hotel Parker is staying at. I park my car and flip down the visor, checking my appearance in the tiny mirror. With a fresh coat of lip gloss, I head inside the lobby of the boutique hotel, leaving my bag in the trunk. I can come back for it after I pull off the surprise.
Check-in is to my right as I enter the upscale lobby. The walls are painted jet black, accented with white moldings and colorful abstract paintings with a large cream-colored light in the ceiling that resembles a sea urchin. Black leather armchairs and tall green tropical plants fill the lobby. The sound of live music filters in from a large arched entryway leading to a dimly lit lounge. Round tables with dark green leather bucket chairs mark the center of the room. A white marble bar with backlit mirrored liquor shelves stretches across the crowded room to the left of the entry way.
As I run my fingers across the soft velvet of one of the couches, my eyes suddenly narrow on a beautiful woman sitting on the edge of a bar stool wearing a form-fitted black cocktail dress, her nude-colored four-inch heels teetering on the foot rail of the stool. Her long legs cross at the knee, and she oozes temptation and sin.
My gaze follows her seductive smile to the dark-haired man sitting in the stool in front of her. His back is to me but I don’t need to see his face. I would know that man anywhere because he is mine. I am intimately aware of every inch of his body. A wave so strong it causes tremors ripples through my body. What I already know is confirmed when he turns his attention to the bartender, flashing his credit card between his thumb and two fingers. His profile hits me like a punch to my gut. It’s Parker. My eyes blink and my knees go weak. A landslide of emotions hits me with full force. This can’t be really happening.
This must be a misunderstanding. Parker just told me he loves me. He meant it. There’s no doubt in my mind he meant it. Memories of his body tangled in mine at the beach house flood my mind. Parker calling me Livy girl, his strong arms wrapped around me as we danced together in the sand. I reach for the star pendant around my neck, rubbing it back and forth between my fingertips, and decide there is nothing going on between the two of them. There can’t be. Parker would never betray me. I will give him the opportunity to explain.
I walk towards him, never taking my eyes off the woman who I can now see clearly. She is beautiful. A sickness rolls in my stomach.
