I threw my bag over my shoulder and stopped as the hotel manager approached. He had a look of confusion on his face, and I reached out and shook his hand. We stepped to the side as several guests exited the resort to make their way to the slopes.
“What are you doing here?”
“I just needed a few days to myself, that’s all,” I said, smiling. “This is my favorite place to be, so I figured I’d come back here for a little R&R.”
“Very nice,” he said, smiling. “You deserve it. We got rave reviews about your instruction. If you’re ever thinking about sticking around for a longer period of time, let me know. I’m always looking for an awesome lead instructor.”
“I’ll definitely keep that in mind, thanks,” I said, shaking his hand again.
“Have fun while you’re here, and let me know if you need anything,” he said as he walked off.
My eyes moved across the parking lot as I turned to go inside, stopping for a moment as a girl was climbing into an SUV parked in the parking lot. She was tall and curvy, with long brown hair with tints of red, just like Bea. For a moment, my heart skipped a beat, but I shook it off, remembering that Bea was gone, back home to her normal life. It would be too fateful if she were there right then. I shrugged my shoulders and walked inside, making my way to the desk.
There were a couple of guests ahead of me, so I took out my phone and texted Glen, letting him know I had arrived safely. I knew I needed to ask the receptionist about Bea’s information, but the guy behind the desk didn’t look familiar at all. He was tall with dark hair, perfectly cut and swept to the side. His outfit was perfectly pressed, and he screamed poster child of the resort. When it was finally my turn, I waited patiently for him to finish up what he was doing. The tag on his shirt read, Shawn, and I was hoping Shawn was willing to help me out.
“How may I help you, sir?”
“Yes, I am Cameron Phase,” I said. “I’m early checking into room 413, but I am going to be in the bar, so I was wondering if you could just let me know when the room was ready?”
“Absolutely, Mr. Phase,” he said, making a note. “Is there anything else?”
“No,” I said, stopping and turning back to him. “Actually, yes, there is.”
“What can I help you with?”
I hesitated, not knowing what to say or what to do. I didn’t want to sound like a creepy stalker, but I really needed to know if they had anything that would help me. I put my hand down on the desk and took in a deep breath, realizing it was now or never.
“I know I don’t recognize you from the Christmas holiday here, but I am one of the hotel’s freelance instructors,” I said.
“No, I was not here then.” He smiled. “I was training.”
“Gotcha,” I replied. “The thing is, I need some information on a guest that was staying here at that time.”
“I’m sorry, sir, I can’t just give that information out,” he replied. “There are rules and laws prohibiting that.”
I stood there staring at him for a moment, imagining myself like one of those mobster movies, grabbing him by the tie and slamming him down on the desk, demanding information. I knew that it would be a terrible waste of a vacation if I was kicked out before I even checked in, so I decided that slamming him down and beating it out of him probably wasn’t the best idea. Besides, I had Brian check on it anyway, and he had told me there was no trace of Bea anywhere. I guessed it just made me feel better finding that out on my own, seeing it with my own eyes. I didn’t want to make myself look like a crazy man, but I also knew that I needed to get this info. Why couldn’t the front desk clerk be some cute girl that I could flirt the information out of? Of course, that would be way too easy, and it would mean that I didn’t have to play Sherlock Holmes all week, trying to find her.
Nothing in my life ever really went easy, especially when it came to women. Even when I was just sleeping with them and not trying to lure them into a relationship, I always seemed to pick the clingiest ones. I rarely had a sexual encounter with a woman where she was perfectly okay with having sex and never talking again. Maybe Glen was right. Maybe I was a complete jerk, and this was my payback, my karma for ditching all those girls in the past.
“Can I tell you a story?” I asked.
“Sure,” he said, looking back up at me.
“I came to work here at the beginning of December, and I was sitting right there in that bar when I saw the most beautiful woman I had ever seen,” I said, pointing at the bar. “I looked for her for days, and then I came to find out she was in my instruction class. Well, one thing led to another, and I pretty much fell for her, like hard. We spent Christmas together, and then we spent New Year’s Eve together. Now, I’m not the type of guy that really ever falls for a girl. In fact, it has never happened before, but when I left this resort, I couldn’t keep her off my mind. I have to find this girl. I know for a fact that she is my future.”
“That is a lovely and romantic story,” he said. “However, no matter how heart-wrenching of a story it is, I still can’t give you information on another guest. I really like my job, and I would really not like to lose it. I’m sorry this is hard on you, and if there is anything else I can do, just let me know. Unfortunately, though, no matter how many stories you tell me, I can’t give you what you are looking for.”
“Damn,” I said, sighing. “All right, well thanks for at least hearing me out.”
“It was my pleasure, Mr. Phase,” he said.
“Please, call me Cameron, my father is Mr. Phase,” I said, grimacing.
“Of course,” he said, nodding his head. “I will let you know as soon as your room is ready. And good luck finding that girl. She sounds amazing.”
I nodded my head and walked toward the bar, deciding that a drink was definitely in order. As I passed through the doorway, I looked up, seeing Brian back there polishing glasses. He glanced up at me, doing a doubletake and then put the glass down and smiled big, reaching out his hand.
“Cameron,” he said, shaking my hand. “It’s good to see you, man. At the same time, it’s a bit confusing seeing you.”