Chapter Fourteen
Jade didn’t even call Teal that night. She fell onto her bed and sobbed. She and Joshua were done. Nothing had ever hurt like this. How was she going to live without him? She had no choice, because she would never trust him now. It made her sick that he would pretend to be Priest and chat with her every night, about himself and Jesse. What a jerk. Yet somehow she couldn’t make herself think he was a jerk. She loved him. That hurt as much as anything.
The next morning, she packed her suitcases and left the ship as quickly as she could. Luckily, she didn’t see Joshua, Curtis, or any of the other men from work. The only bright side was no one was accusing her of embezzling any more.
She caught an Uber back to the Jewel Resort, calling on the way to change her flight to tomorrow. There was no way she could simply pick up with Jesse and date him with how deeply she loved Joshua, but she felt like she at least owed it to him to explain and thank him for being so great. She didn’t even care if he showed her his face.
Walking wearily to the front desk of the resort, her eyes darted around. What if Joshua had come here too? The thought of seeing him made her stomach hop. She pushed that thought away and smiled at the lovely front desk girl with huge, curly, dark hair. “I love your hair,” she said.
“Oh, thank you. Miss …?” The girl eyed her a bit strangely. Jade had kept her sunglasses on to hide how swollen and red her eyes were from crying all night. She couldn’t remember ever crying like that, but this was Joshua she was mourning and it felt like she’d been gouged from the inside out to lose him.
“Jardine. Jade Jardine. Do you have a reservation for me?”
“Let me check.” The girl tapped some buttons and then her eyes widened. “Um …” She blinked at her. “Miss Jardine. I’m supposed to escort you to your suite.”
“Thank you but that’s not necessary. I can find my own room.”
“No, you really can’t.” The girl snapped her fingers and a young man ran over and took Jade’s suitcase.
“Ma’am.” He nodded to her.
What in the world was going on? She’d guessed Jesse had money but this was a little over the top. The front desk girl escorted her through the resort and around behind the Italian restaurant. She’d seen Jesse coming from this spot before. A fancy elevator waited. The girl swiped a special card and it opened. Jade was really out of her element. Her parents had money but nobody she knew had a private elevator at a Jewel Family resort.
Her heartbeat picked up as she entered the elevator. Wait. What if this wasn’t Jesse but Joshua’s doing? This was his resort. The private elevator would make complete sense. Maybe he’d trumped Jesse’s reservation and now she was walking straight into his arms. Everything in her lit up momentarily at that thought. Joshua’s arms. Heaven.
“No!” She shook her head and the two people in the elevator turned to her.
“Sorry, ma’am. Are you okay?”
She forced a smile and nodded. “Excuse me.”
The elevator door opened to a breathtaking view. A large two-story open area boasted a state-of-the-art kitchen and massive living area with leather couches, a big-screen, pool table, ping-pong table, and floor-to-ceiling windows showcasing the beach and ocean below.
“Wow,” she heard the young man mutter. “I’ve always wanted to come up here.”
The front desk girl gave him a look. He busied himself with taking the suitcase to one of the doors on the left. The girl followed him and pressed the key card against a sensor next to that door. The door beeped and then she swung it open. Jade was gaping again. The suite, off of the main living area, was bright and modern and had its own sitting area, and a large bedroom off through one door.
The young man left her suitcase by the door. The girl put the keycard in her hand and smiled. “This will get you into the elevator and this area,” she gestured around at the main suite, “And also into your room.” She pointed at the smaller sitting area and bedroom. “You’re welcome to stay for as long as you’d like. Please let us know if you need anything.”
“Thank you,” Jade said.
They turned to leave.
“Wait,” Jade cried out. “Let me get you a tip.”
“Oh, no.” The girl smiled. “We’ll be more than compensated. Have a nice stay.”
With that they were gone.
Jade wasn’t quite sure what to do with herself. She dropped her purse and laptop bag on the table near the door, finally taking off her sunglasses. Rolling her suitcase through the suite, she stopped at an arrangement of chocolates, fruit, cheese, and nuts. Chilled juices and waters were in a bucket of ice on the counter. Opening the fridge, she saw an assortment of more drinks and snacks.
“Goodness,” she muttered to herself.
Continuing through the main area of her small suite, she pushed into the bedroom and looked around at a massive bed. She walked through to the walk-in closet and dropped her suitcase there then peeked into the bathroom with a large glass shower with all kinds of nozzles and a jetted tub bigger than most hot tubs. A basket full of spa and beauty products was on the counter. She caught a glimpse of her red eyes in the mirror. She looked like she had pink eye.
Her mind was scrambling to know how to respond to this. Did Jesse have one of the other rooms off the main area? What would he expect from such a gift as this room? How did she tell him she loved Joshua, there was no chance for her to be with either man, and she was going back to the States to find a new job and figure out her life. Yet … what if this was Joshua? It had him written all over it.
She hurried out of the bedroom and yanked open the door to her suite. Checking out the main area again she saw this kitchen was even more well-stocked. Food to cook and ready-made meals.