The bellhop whistles his way toward us. “Hello, would you like me to show you to your room?”
“Yes, that would be much appreciated,” I say as I reach for my bag. He takes it from my hand, and reaches for Katelyn’s too. We fall in step behind him, and I quickly find myself chuckling because our bellhop looks a bit disjointed with his arms extended back, pulling two suitcases.
Katelyn steps forward and slides our key in and opens the door. In my head, angels are singing as we step into our penthouse suite. The windows are open, letting the sound of the ocean wash over the room.
“Sorry,” the bellhop says, as he rushes past us to close the window. “Usually these are closed to keep the cool air inside.”
“It’s okay,” I tell him. I hand him his tip and thank him. Once he’s gone, I look at Katelyn and laugh. Our suite is beautiful, but in 4225 West colors.
“We can’t get away,” she says, trailing her fingers along the black leather sofa with red and white accent pillows.
“They planned this,” I say.
“You know they did. They somehow rigged this hotel being drawn.”
Nothing surprises me when it comes to the guys. Katelyn and I tour the rest of the suite. It’s huge, with a full dining room table that seats eight. Each room has a king-sized bed, and overlooks the ocean. In fact, every space in the room has a view of the ocean.
“I’m never going to want to leave,” I mumble.
“And yet, we live on the beach.”
Katelyn’s right. We have this luxury at our fingertips, yet here we are, vowing to never leave paradise.
“What time is Josie supposed to arrive?” I ask as I continue to stare out at the perfect sandy beach and blue waters.
“Not for another couple of hours. Should we visit our cabana?”
“Yeah, we should.”
We change quickly and follow the signs that lead to the private beach. We have a cabana reserved for the duration of our stay. As soon as we sit down, a waitress appears, out of thin air.
“What can I get for you ladies?”
“Can you surprise us?” Katelyn asks. “We’ll take whatever is your special drink for the day.”
“And some fruits? Maybe an appetizer tray?” I add.
“I’ll be right back,” she tells us, leaving us to get situated. Every cabana here is different. Some have a double lounge bed, while others have a sofa and chairs. I don’t know who requested what in ours, whether it was one of the husbands or the staff here, but it’s very accommodating with three single lounge beds, and tables between for us to set our stuff down.
Katelyn dumps her bag onto one of the beds. Sunglasses, cell phone, and three books spill out.
“Prepared, I see,” I laugh at her pile.
“What? I didn’t want to get bored.”
I spread my arms out wide. “How can you get bored here? I mean, look at this place.”
“And the eye candy,” she says, nodding toward the side of the pool where two guys are looking at us. I quickly duck behind the curtain and stifle my laugh.
“No way,” I tell her quietly. “I know you won’t even entertain them.”
She shrugs. “I mean, we’re here and—”
“Katelyn Powell-James, I do not believe a single word coming out of your mouth right now.” I pick up one of her books and pretend to throw it at her. A name on the inside catches my attention. Mason’s name is etched onto the paper. It’s faded, but still there.
I’m afraid to look at her face out of fear we’ve chosen the wrong week to get away. It’s been so long since he passed that dates slip by, and I find myself forgetting to remember him.
The white gauzy material that makes up the curtains sways with the slight breeze we have, brushing against my skin. I smile at the thought that Mason is here, especially when it seems Katelyn needs him right now.