Here we go.
I guess I won’t get out of here without some bruises after all, even if it’s only to my ego.
Claudette’s shoes make a tapping sound as she comes closer, but she stops just at the edge of the bar entrance. “The jet is ready, Miss Rockwell. The car to take you to the airstrip will be here momentarily. Please, wait outside.” She turns on her heel and walks away.
Banished. I’ve been banished from their resort forever.
I don’t bother trying to explain. What does it matter? My fancy weekend is over.
So I get up and drag my carry-on case behind me as I make my way through the lingering haze of Claudette’s sick perfume to the front of the lobby. There is no car outside, but I have my orders. So when the automatic doors open, I step into the unbearable summer heat.
A hot desert wind blows my hair and I catch Nolan’s scent coming off the shirt I’m wearing. It’s an old Padres t-shirt. San Diego. Very… him.
I will never tell anyone about this. Ever. I will take this humiliating experience to my grave. No one will ever know that Mr. Romantic took my virginity. I will lie to Nora when I get home and tell her nope, no job and yep, still a virgin.
Just like you lied to Nolan.
Did I lie to Nolan? It didn’t feel like a lie. But his words, they are ringing in my head. Do you have any idea how bad this looks from my point of view? It was meaningful. It was heartfelt. It was the most emotion I’ve ever seen from Mr. Romantic.
He was referring to the way that girl lied about him back in college. He must have a lot of trust issues. And who can blame him? If I had gone through that, I’d have trust issues too.
And I earned his distrust. Because he’s one hundred percent right. I did come here to lose my virginity to him. At first. But that’s not really what I was thinking when it finally happened. I just wanted… him. That’s all. I just wanted his attention. I liked the way he was flirting with me. I liked holding on to him in the pool. Wrapping myself up next to his hard, warm body.
He felt like… like a possibility. Like maybe he and I might turn into something more. Like he and I were special.
That is so stupid.
I haven’t even known him for twenty-four hours.
But… I can imagine, in a fantastical kind of way, that we made a connection. When he talked about himself I only wanted to hear more. When we were having sex, before he got rough, it was perfect. It felt good. He felt good.
A long black car pulls up, and while I was almost certain that Claudette would make me take a taxi, she didn’t. It’s for me. Not the same driver from before.
He puts my carry-on in the trunk and then we’re on our way.
I look out the back window as the tall palm trees flash by, and twenty minutes later, we’re at the airstrip.
It’s not busy here. Who is flying in and out of Borrego Springs in August? Just me.
I thank the driver and take my case.
“Miss Rockwell!” I look up at my name and spy Jerry, the flight attendant, waving at me from the top of the stairs. I wave back. “Did you have a nice stay?” he asks, once I’m in earshot.
“Yes,” I lie. “Very nice. But no job offers, unfortunately.”
“Well, it’s not over for you yet, Ivy Rockwell. I know you’re going places, so don't worry too much.”
“You’re right,” I say. “And you know, I’m really tired, so can I take you up on the offer of a bedroom during the flight?”
“Sure,” Jerry says, leading me towards the back of the jet. He pulls a panel aside to reveal a small room filled mostly with a large bed. It’s tight, but I don’t care. I keep my purse, but nothing else, and the minute he closes the door back up, I fall face-first onto the soft comforter.
And cry.
I sit up and rub my eyes. We’re still in the air, so I’m still stuck in this nightmare. I get up and grab my purse and open the door. There’s a bathroom across the hall. I know this from the last trip on the plane.
I try to close the door as quietly as I can so Jerry won’t know I’m awake, but there’s a knock as soon as I engage the lock.
I disengage and open the door to Jerry’s smiling face. Can’t put anything over on him.
“Miss Rockwell, as soon as you’re done in there I’m going to need you to take your seat and buckle in. We’ll be landing soon.”
“We will? Jesus, I must’ve slept for a long time.”
“We’ve only been in the air for about twenty minutes.”
“What? Then why are we landing?”
“We’re only going to San Diego.” He shoots me a puzzled look.
“What? No, I’m supposed to go home! To Rhode Island!”
“Mr. Delaney came by just before you did and told us to bring you to San Diego. He said you have a second interview.”
“He did?”
Jerry cocks his head and gives me a funny look. “You didn’t?”
“I… I don’t know. We had an unexpected end to our morning. Claudette—”
“Don’t say the demon’s name,” Jerry says, rolling his eyes. “I completely understand. She’s horrible, right?”
“Right?” I ask back, smiling now that I have a friend. “I hate her. She’s a liar too.”
“Don’t get me started, Miss Rockwell. But hurry now. Use the facilities and come up front so you can buckle in. We’ll be landing in a few minutes.”
I do as I’m told and quickly make my way to the front where I buckle in to a plush leather seat just as the pilot announces our final descent.
The landing is smooth and easy, and my stomach starts fluttering when I suddenly realize what’s happening.
Nolan didn’t walk out on me this morning.
He brought me here to San Diego against Claudette’s wishes to see him.