Getaway Girlz (7 page)

They picked a spot not in jeopardy of too much wave splashage, but close enough to fill the moat.

Jon crouched down and pushed sand into the pile. “I have to warn you, it’s been a good 20-plus years since I built a sandcastle.”

“What? Just a few moments ago you were touting your expertise.”

“I may have exaggerated a little, you know, to impress your friends.”

“I have more recent experience, so no worries.” Vivian got down on her knees, and tried to suck in her tummy as she helped with construction. Her hair fell into her eyes in total curly chaotic mess. The jet skiing had taken its toll. She tried to push it out of her face, which just added sand to the curls.
Great. This looking good business is hard work
.

“So you know a little about me and my love life, or lack thereof. What about you?” he asked.

Vivian prepared for his immediate departure after she disclosed her screwed-up situation. She had to do it, though. Honesty being the best policy and all that crap.

“The truth is, Jon, I’m going to be adding to the divorce statistic in about a week or so. It’s one of the reasons we’re on this trip.”

“Wow, sorry to hear that. How long were you married?”

“Almost five years.”

“Geez… That sucks-ola. Are you okay?”

“It’s still pretty fresh. I certainly didn’t see it coming. My friends and family are super supportive, so that helps. In fact, the instant Lucy, Wendy and Kate found out about it they booked this trip. Look at me now!”

Jon moved over and gave her a shoulder-to-shoulder sandy hug. “Look at you now, indeed! I have a feeling you’re going to make a full recovery.”

He let go and got back to sandcastling. “You said that’s one of the reasons you’re on this trip. What are the others?”

“Well, for us girls to get together, of course.”

She packed sand into a mountainous shape.
So much for architectural wonders
.

“And,” she hesitated. “It’s my birthday.”

“Your birthday! Is today your actual birthday?”

“Yep. Today’s the big day,” Vivian said unenthusiastically.

“This is colossal! Happy birthday, Vivian!” He gave her another sandy shoulder hug but happier this time.

“This calls for a celebration! You cowgirls must meet Pierre and me tonight at the Purple Peacock. Do you remember seeing it when we were on the jet ski? You’ll love it! And I’m sure your birthday will cause quite the stir. What do you say?”

Jon looked at Vivian with eyes that took her breath away. She tried to control her excitement when she responded.

“I’ll talk to the girls, but I don’t see why not. Sounds like…fun!”

Vivian dug a tunnel through the mountain. Jon scooted around to the other side and started a tunnel over there.

“Ouch!” Vivian felt a sharp pain in her hand. She looked down and pulled a broken piece of shell out of her palm. Blood trickled out slowly and slid around the sand on her hand.

“What happened,” Jon asked, looking at her.

“Just got a little cut. It’s fine.”

“I’ll be right back,” he said, and in an instant jogged off toward the hotel.

A wave crept close enough for her to rinse off the blood. The cut stung from the salt water. She took a closer look at the shells on the beach. Many of them were larger than the size of her hand and looked sharp as daggers.
Someone could get seriously hurt with one of these
, she thought.
I’ll have to remind the girls to be careful walking in the water
.

A couple of minutes passed before Jon came back with an antiseptic wipe and a Band-Aid.

“Let’s get you fixed up.”

His hands were sand-free, so he must have washed them inside. He opened the antiseptic wipe and placed it on her palm. “This may hurt a bit.”

Vivian flinched as the antiseptic did its job.

He wiped it a little more, then removed it and lifted her hand towards his mouth. He blew on it gently.

“You seem like you’ve done this before.” Vivian felt a tingling sensation that started at her palm and extended to other areas.

“Well, I’m not a doctor, but I’ve played one on TV,” he joked.

He opened the Band-Aid and placed it on her palm, tenderly ensuring the edges were down and sealed.

“I think you’re going to survive, ma’am.”

“Why thank you, doctor.”

He stood, put the wrappings in his pocket and sat down on his side of the sand mountain.

“This is something,” Jon said and smiled at her from across the sandcastle. “Maybe this trip will be the start of new opportunities for both of us. I’ve got a good feeling.”

“I have to admit, I’m kinda glad you obliterated my first sandcastle,” Vivian confessed as she resumed digging with her unbandaged hand.

Their fingers touched as they reach each other within the formation. He interlocked his fingers with hers.

I may be in heaven
.

“We have connected-ola!” he shouted. “The tunnel is complete!”

As soon as he said this, the whole structure crashed down on their forearms.

“We may not get into
Architectural Digest
after all,” he said and tried to pull his arm out.

“I have a feeling Kate would hog my opportunity to make
Architectural Digest
anyway.” Vivian laughed as she tried to free her arm.

They both tugged free and fell back, covered in sand. Wendy walked up and snapped a picture of them recovering from the collapse of the tunnel-free sandcastle.

“This was fun, Vivian. I should build sandcastles more often.” He reached over and attempted to wipe sand off her face, but only added more.

“You just be sure to let me help if you do.”

“I wouldn’t dream of building one without you.”

Vivian grinned and looked at his handsome face.
That totally sounds like a line from a soap opera, but honestly, I don’t freakin’ care
!

JON AND Vivian rinsed their sandy selves off in the surf, then walked back up the beach where their friends were having a good time. Lucy giggled at something Pierre said.

Uh oh, she’s drunk and flirting
, Vivian thought.

Jon looked at Pierre and pointed to his legs. “You’re starting to resemble a lobster. You ready to call it an afternoon?”

“I’m done with the sun for today,” Pierre said, standing up, “but I am glad to have met you ladies.” He looked directly at Lucy. “I hope we see you soon.”

They grabbed their stuff and turned to leave. “
Adiós
-ola,” Jon called as he walked away. “And don’t forget the Purple Peacock.” He gave a final wave before they disappeared into the hotel.

Lucy pounced on Vivian’s lounger. “Holy fuckbuckets, Viv! That guy is awesome! He’s a total hottie, and Kate told me about the glass! How sweet!”

“What glass?”

“The glass he saved your poor little tootsies from on the beach, and then picked up and threw away! How dreamy,” she said, then clutched her hands together under her chin and batted her eyes dramatically.

Vivian gave her a gentle push. “Oh, I had forgotten. Yeah, that was nice.”

“And the sandcastle,” Lucy said. “He helped you build one to replace the one he destroyed. Very nice.”

“Not sure we could call it an official sandcastle, but it was fun building it. Our hands intermingled in the middle.”

“Freakin’ awesome!” Lucy exclaimed. “And he’s my color.”

“He is
definitely
on the lower end of the pale scale, but I can accept it,” Vivian said. “Like I accept you.”

Lucy gave Vivian’s shoulder a push and got back on her lounger.

Wendy seemed impressed with Jon as well. “He practically swept you off your feet to get you to the jet ski, and he was totally ogling your boobs when he helped you take off your life jacket. He’s love-struck baby!”

Vivian’s connection with Austin made her sing “Love Struck Baby” by Stevie Ray Vaughn.
Damn that’s an awesome song
.

“Holy crap, she’s love-struck too!” Kate shouted.

“I am not! She just made me think of that song.” Vivian flipped over on her lounger so they couldn’t see her face.

“You are a
liar
Vivian Taylor,” Wendy said. “L-I-A-R.”

“What’s this about a peacock?” Lucy asked.

“Oh, he invited us to a place down the beach called the Purple Peacock, to help celebrate my smurfday.”

“I bet he wants to lay a big birthday kiss on you!” Kate said.

Vivian ignored her, settled in and pulled the towel up over her eyes. “I told him we’d stop by after dinner.”

“Yeah, for dessert.” Lucy teased.

They were all quiet for a while. The waves rolled hypnotically. Vivian sighed and eventually made it to a semi-conscious, la-la-land place, but then heard a voice.

“
Hola
. Look, look.”

Vivian blinked, getting use to the sunlight and saw an older local lady had walked up with a large wrap slung over her shoulder. The wrap the small woman carried was so full of stuff it looked like it weighed more than she did. She plopped it down and began to show off the contents — an array of Mexican jewelry, shells and hand-stitched Mayan calendars.

Vivian could tell by the sparkle in Wendy’s eyes that she absolutely loved the calendars. She picked up one. “How much?”

Let the haggling begin
!

After going back and forth a few times, Wendy pulled some money out of her bag. The rest of the girls said no thanks, but then the woman offered to braid their hair.

“I make you beautiful,” she said.

If there was anything white girls shouldn’t do, it was braid their hair into little rows. A sunburn on the scalp will eventually peel and look like dandruff.
No bueño
!

They politely declined and the lady moved on down the beach, attempting to sell her wares to the other tourists.

Vivian looked at her watch and asked the girls if they were ready to roll, which they were. The sun sat low over the water, and they needed something besides tequila, beer and a snack. They gathered up their stuff and traipsed through the sand toward the lobby.

They ran into Manuel coming out of the lobby and asked him where to go for an authentic Mexican dinner. He suggested a restaurant down from the hotel called Rico’s Cantina. As he walked off in the direction of the beach, he turned back and said to them, “Stay in tourist place only.
Muchos banditos
.” With that he continued on his way.

“That was ominous,” Wendy said under her breath.

“I don’t want to meet any bandits,” Lucy said.

“We’ll stick to the main parts of town and we’ll be fine,” Vivian said, brushing off the warning.

“Hmmm,” was Kate’s only comment.

Back in their room, Vivian got de-sanded and showered pretty quickly, a skill she had acquired since having four children and needing to savor every moment of sleep. While she waited for the girls, she stepped out on the balcony to air-dry her blonde curls and read. The ocean breeze felt fantastic, and the setting sun reflected off the water in pinks and oranges. She took a deep breath and smiled inside and out.
Looks like a freakin’ postcard
!

Vivian deposited herself into a chair and put her feet up on the railing. She opened her book and took in a few chapters while she waited. The sliding glass door opened and the girls stepped out, each of them bearing gifts.

“Happy birthday, Viv!” they chimed.

They surprised her. “Y’all are crazy.”

Lucy handed Vivian a small box wrapped in white paper with sexy, crimson high-heeled shoes all over it.

She opened it to reveal a beautiful red rosebud and a membership to a flower of the month club from a Fort Worth florist.
How cool
!

“You go in once a month with this card and they’ll give you their flower-of-the-month bouquet,” Lucy said. “I thought you could either take them the office and spruce up your desk, or take ’em home and enjoy with the kiddos.”

“You’re the best, Lucy!”

Wendy handed Vivian a small, hot-pink bag containing a gift card to her all-time favorite happy hour spot, The Keg.

“I can taste the orange slices now!”

Next, Kate put a beautiful, red-velvet jewelry box in Vivian’s hand.

“I half expect you to be on bended knee!”

“Ha ha…just open it up.”

Inside the box were the most beautiful turquoise earrings Vivian had ever seen, beads of turquoise interspersed with silver, hanging in swirls.

“I love them, Kate! Thank you all so much! Y’all are the best friends ever!” Vivian stood up to give them a group hug but they stopped her.

“Hold your horses there, Viv, we have one more thing to give you,” Wendy said and handed Vivian an envelope. “It’s from all of us.”

Vivian popped the glue on the envelope, and inside found a fake airline boarding pass.
What the heck
?

“It’s for our next trip, Viv. Wherever we go on our next girlfriend getaway, we’re buying your plane ticket.”

“No way. Y’all have already done more than enough.”

“We know,” Lucy said, winking. “We just want to do this one more thing for you. Our trip is going to be amazing, and we’re already gearing up for the next one. These girlfriend getaways are going to become an annual event. Maybe even semi-annual!”

“Y’all are too much! Thank you!”

They all embraced in a great, big group hug.
I love my friends
! Vivian thought.

Lucy broke the hug first. “Now let’s go get this birthday bash buzzin’!”

“Amen to that,” Vivian said. “Wild Texas women on the town tonight. Watch out!”

THE GIRLS headed out the door for Rico’s looking fabulous. Vivian wore a turquoise and green sundress, very flowy and strappy. Throw in her new earrings from Kate and it was what she dubbed “perfectly Playa.”

Lucy wore a sexy strapless number, tight tight tight up top that flared out around the waist and was extremely flattering.

Kate, who looked great in anything, had on a black and white paisley dress with a goddess-style empire waist. It accented her boobs and her slim waist, yet was still elegant and classy. Classic Kate.