Because of Sydney (34 page)

Relieved, I tucked my ticket back into my bag.

“And passenger Eden Brady. We need you to check in as well.”

Shit. I had been sorted onto the short list of bumped passengers. I gathered my carry on and approached the desk.

“Hi. I’m Eden Brady. You called my name.”

“Yes. You’ve been reassigned to another flight to Brownsville,” the woman at the counter reported.

“Ok. When does that flight leave?”

She typed furiously on the keyboard. “You’re in luck. Since it’s spring break, it’s basically like a shuttle service to Brownsville. There is another flight in ninety minutes.”

That didn’t seem too bad. “All right.” I didn’t have much choice.

“And we have a food voucher for you.” She beamed at me. “It’s five dollars and you can use it anywhere in the airport.”

That wouldn’t even cover the cost of a muffin at the food court. I took my newly processed boarding pass and the not-so-generous voucher, and returned to the empty chair. Along with the airline ticket, my parents had given me an E-reader for Christmas. I had ninety minutes to kill and I had just downloaded
Hazards of a One Night Stand
. It was begging to be read.

As I slid the pages across my screen, the entire boarding area emptied and refilled with more students. I was definitely the only spring breaker traveling alone. Everyone else was paired off or in a pack of traveling companions.

I had to remind myself that even if Brett hadn’t dumped me, I would still be traveling to South Padre by myself. He had bought his airline ticket a month before I did. Maybe I should have realized then that he didn’t care whether I was on this trip. He always liked his independence. If we had a date, he’d ask me to meet him there. He was the kind of guy who would rather go to a movie without me, than wait two hours for me to get out of class.

“Attention passengers traveling to Brownsville. We will begin boarding in twenty minutes. Please have your boarding passes ready.” The loud speaker crackled overhead.

Finally. I fished for my pass in the front pocket of my backpack and waited for my row to be called. My legs were stiff from sitting for so long. I stretched one and then the other before standing.

I eyed the bright tropical colors lined up in front of me. The group of girls had on flip-flops and tank tops. They looked like they were ready to hit a party as soon as we landed.

Eventually, the line moved, my ticket was scanned, and I was buckled in my seat. I looked out of the window onto the tarmac of Houston International Airport. This was my first trip to Texas, and other than the sea of boots in the airport terminal, it didn’t look like anything other than a massive concrete field. I could be at any airport in the country.

We pushed back from the gate and the plane erupted in whistles and cheers. Before we even made it to the runway, the pilot’s deep voice echoed over the speakers. “Folks, it looks like we have an issue with one of the wing indicator lights.” The cheers turned to low boos. “There’s a maintenance team en route, and we’ll have you on your way in just a few minutes.” I felt the jerky motion of the plane as he maneuvered us back to the gate.

“Fill ‘er up.” The guys in the row in front of me were swapping a silver flask between them. Each held a cola bottle while the other poured generous amounts of a clear liquid from the flask. “We could be sitting here awhile. Might as well party.”

Warm beaches. Sun in my face. Salt breeze in my hair.
I repeated the mantra.
Warm beaches. Sun in my face. Salt breeze in my hair.
This was the last hurdle I had to jump before landing in my beachy breakup getaway, and with each passing second, it was getting harder to handle.

If Brett were here, he would be one of those flask-carrying guys. That was the motivation for spring break in South Padre—he wanted to party. He never actually asked me where I wanted to go. Once he decided his destination, we both assumed I would go along with it, and I did. All of that suddenly felt annoying and distant.

“Folks, it’s your captain again. Looks like we have the green light from maintenance.” He chuckled at his pun. “Let’s get you all started on your vacation.”

This time, I plugged my ears before the cheering began.

When the plane came to a complete stop, I wasn’t expecting to disembark down a flight of stairs and onto the concourse. The Brownsville airport was small—extremely small. I slung my backpack on my left shoulder and descended the stairs. I inhaled the warm Texas air. Ok, maybe salt breezes weren’t that far away.

The flip-flop girls giggled as we crossed the tarmac. I thought I overheard them discussing cocktails and something about body shots.

“Ladies, wait up!” The flask guys pushed past me, sending one of the cola bottles in the air.

“Hey!” I yelled as the lid slipped off and the pungent concoction washed down the front of my jeans.

If they were trying to stifle their laughter, they failed. “Dude, you just spilled your drink all over that girl.”

“Hey, I’m sorry.” The offender barely uttered the words before he plunged into the crowd and disappeared.

I looked down at my jeans and the stain that had bled from my thigh to the mid-point of my shin. At least I was entering baggage claim where I could retrieve my bag and change clothes. Only, the carousel circled several times, the flip-flop girls were on their way with their luggage and mine was missing.

I trudged over to the baggage desk. “Excuse me. My luggage didn’t arrive from Raleigh.”

“Fill out this form.” The man behind the counter didn’t even bother to look at me. He typed something with one hand and tossed a pen with the other.

“But, I’m supposed to catch a shuttle to my hotel. Can you try to track it first? I was bumped from my last flight and maybe it arrived before I did. I have my baggage claim ticket right here.” I held up the small barcode stapled to my boarding pass.

“Like I said, fill out the form.”

Begrudgingly, I took the pen and inserted all the necessary information into the blanks on the missing luggage form.

“Do you think you can tell me where it is?” I asked sweetly, hoping he would take pity on me.

The man glanced over the sheet on the clipboard and resumed his typing. “We’ll call you when we locate your bag.”

There was a line forming behind me. I wasn’t the only one who had an issue with traveling today.

“Ok. Thank you.” I didn’t want to thank the man. He hadn’t done anything and he wasn’t the least bit helpful, but the fate of my suitcase was in his hands and barking at him wouldn’t nudge him along any faster.

I thought back to the pictures on the website of the resort. When I checked in, I could take a hot steamy shower and curl up in one of those fluffy robes while I waited for my luggage. I smiled. A twenty-minute shuttle ride was all that separated me from resort luxury.

I stepped out into the baggage pickup and searched for the shuttle the resort advertised. I felt empty-handed as I watched the travelers around me struggle with their suitcases. At the end of the sidewalk was a small bus marked with the emblazoned sun logo for the Island Sun Resort. I marched toward it.

The driver jogged down the steps. “No luggage, young lady?”

“No. It’s lost.” I looked up at the bus. It was packed with more spring breakers who had flown in from all over the country.

“Maybe they’ll find it for you by the end of the week.” He laughed. I hoped he was joking. I didn’t have a stitch of clothing with me other than what I had on. I couldn’t spend the entire week in a spa robe.

I followed him up the stairs and took the first seat at the front of the shuttle. It felt like all eyes were on me, or maybe they were just focused on the big soda stain on my jeans. I sat straight and looked out of the window.
Warm beaches. Sun in my face. Salt breeze in my hair.

The driver pulled away from the curb and I inhaled a mixture of diesel, stale air conditioning, and an overload of guys’ cologne. With each mile I traveled, I was becoming more disenchanted with spring break and my idea to make it on my own.

Then I saw it. Out of nowhere, the island sprawled out in front of us, filling the entire windshield of the shuttle. As the driver careened the bus up over the bridge, I marveled at the view in front of me. The water was a deep turquoise and the white beaches stretched out in front of the shoreline. I retrieved my tortoise-shell sunglasses from my bag and eased them on. The setting sun behind us, cast an intense orangy glow over the island, like part of it was on fire. It was hard to ignore the joy I felt watching the sunlight dancing on the water. I wanted the driver to take his time crossing the bridge, so I could capture every beautiful ounce of this postcard-esque picture.

My brief moment of Zen was abruptly interrupted when my fellow passengers noticed their destination was in site. The party antics ramped up in the back row.

“Padre, baby!” I didn’t have to turn around to know the flip-flop girls had started the chant. Luckily, it wasn’t far from the bridge to the resort.

The driver pulled into the side entrance of the Island Sun Resort, designated for guest arrivals and departures. Everything looked exactly like it did on the website. Palm trees and tropical flowers lined the sidewalk. I loved the deep red hibiscus blooms, climbing the trellises. Flames flickered in the gas torches by the front door.

I smiled as I stepped off of the bus and inhaled the salty air. I tilted my head to the side confirming that the rumbling sound was waves meeting the shore. I made it—I finally made it to South Padre. It didn’t matter that I was alone and couldn’t claim a group like the flip-flop girls as my spring break buddies. Even the fact that my luggage was missing didn’t frustrate me like it did at the airport. All the perfect paradise ingredients surrounded me.
Warm beaches. Sun in my face. Salt breeze in my hair.

Since I didn’t have to wait for the driver to unload my luggage, I walked through the sliding glass doors and into the hotel lobby. My step was a little giddier than usual.

I approached the front desk and pulled out my ID, feeling the rush of the trip lighting all my senses.

“I’m here to check in,” I announced triumphantly.

The girl behind the counter smiled warmly and brushed her auburn bangs from her eyes. I instantly liked her. “The name?” She couldn’t be much older than me.

“Brady. Eden’s my first name.” I slid my ID across the counter.

“Hmm.” She typed quickly and scrunched her nose. “Could it be under another name?”

“No. I made the reservation months ago. Eden Brady. I have the credit card here. Do you need it?” I flipped open my wallet, ready to present her with more plastic.

She shot me a friendly smile and started punching the keys again. “I just don’t see it. Did you have a roommate by chance or did someone else make the reservation?”

He couldn’t. He wouldn’t. I heard the high-pitched chatter of the flip-flop girls as they walked up behind me. “I did, but I’m certain he’s not here. I mean, that’s just not possible. Is it?”

“Why don’t you give me the name and I’ll check?” she offered.

My happy beach mood was drifting out with the tide. I sighed before saying his name. “Brett Richards.”

The girl beamed triumphantly. “Oh yes, he’s here. He checked in.” She seemed relieved to have solved the mystery of my missing reservation.

“What?” I didn’t want to cause a scene at the desk, but my voice rose from calm to shrill before I could curb my shock.

“He checked into room 852.”

This was unbelievable. Brett had checked into
my
room. I guess it was his room, too, but he lost that privilege when he broke up with me three days ago.

“Can I please have a key?” I pleaded.

Her happy smile quickly evaporated. “I’m sorry.” She whispered across the counter. “Your name isn’t on the reservation, so I can’t give you one. I shouldn’t have even told you the room number.”

I clutched the shoulder strap on my bag—the only thing I had on this island. “But it was my room—our room. He took my room.” I inhaled deeply through my nose, feeling bits of anger begin to surface. “Ok, well, can I make another reservation?” The thought of staying in the same hotel with Brett wasn’t appealing, but I was running out of options and this resort was huge. We probably wouldn’t run into each other, and if we did there were thousands of people to hide behind.