chapter ONE
“Miss, you need to go ahead and turn off all of your electronic devices.” The flight attendant smiled while she shoved an overly packed bag into the compartment over my head.
I powered down my phone, and tucked it in the front pocket of my backpack before pushing it under the seat with my feet. The man next to me edged me off the armrest with his elbow. I sighed, realizing the three-hour flight to Houston from Raleigh would not be a comfortable one.
This was not how I pictured the start of my senior spring break. I blamed Brett.
I admit it was slightly reactionary to chop my hair into a shaggy shoulder-skimming do, and maybe I didn’t think through my options as carefully as I should have, but I knew Brett loved my long hair. He would tangle his fingers through it, and beg me to pull it down every time I sported a ponytail. I lashed out at him with the only silent weapon I knew he would notice. Writing take-me-back letters, stalking, crying, or begging wasn’t my style.
“I think we’ve grown apart. We’re not the same people we were when we first started dating.” He said that. He actually said those words to me after dating for three semesters, one summer, and a Christmas break.
It was probably the shock of the conversation that kept me from pummeling him in my room. I thought we were going to grab some takeout and watch a movie. We had been planning a trip for spring break. I hadn’t packed a single thing, and we were supposed to leave in three days.
“I thought it was the right thing to do. You know, tell you now instead of trying to make it through a trip together. It’s time for us to end this.” He said it with a smile, as if he was doing me a favor.
“Is there someone else?” It was the only question I could put together. My brain tried to wade through the muck of Brett’s words.
“Not exactly. You know, I just want to keep my options open.”
I didn’t know, and I was tired of him implying that I understood what he was talking about.
He leaned over and patted me on the back as if I was one of his fraternity brothers. “You’ll get over this, Eden. You know we’ve run our course. It couldn’t last forever.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve gotta go. I’m meeting some of the guys back at the house.”
I could have tried to stop him, but rather than drag out a long breakup discussion, I let him walk out of my room. It was clear there wasn’t anything left to fight for. I walked straight to my bathroom and picked up the scissors.
“You from Texas?” the armrest hog asked.
“Uh. No. Visiting.” I shook the breakup from my mind.
“What part?” He was leaning closer, which I didn’t think was possible with the proximity of our seats.
“South Padre.” I desperately wanted to retrieve my phone and pretend I was busy.
He chuckled. “Yep, it’s that time of year. You must be a spring breaker.”
“I am. I’m meeting lots of friends there.” I paused. “And my boyfriend.” I had to force the last word from my mouth. There were no friends on the other end of this trip and certainly no boyfriend, but he didn’t need to know I was suddenly single.
He reached for the in-flight magazine and flipped through the pages. “Well, have a good time. It’s a week you’ll never forget.” He stopped on an article and his attention shifted away from me.
I didn’t know what I expected from this trip. Solo vacationing had never been my objective and something I had never done, but I wasn’t going to let Brett and his wishy-washy, keep-his-options-open plan stop me from experiencing my senior spring break at the beach. I had let Brett take the reins for way too long.
My parents had paid for my plane ticket as a Christmas gift, and I couldn’t waste it because of him. Of course, now I wish we had planned a spring break with my other friends, but Brett’s cousins had talked him into South Padre. They said the spring breaks on the Texas island were legendary, and Brett wouldn’t pass it up. I could be in a car on my way to Myrtle Beach or Daytona with all the girls, but instead, I was on a plane to Texas, alone and squished next to a nosey, space-invading man.
I leaned back as we taxied to the end of the runway, closed my eyes, and waited for the plane to launch into the air, toward spring break.
***
Once we landed in Houston, I pulled my backpack from underneath the seat and turned my phone on. I had three missed calls from Brett. I didn’t want to talk to him. My anger toward him suffocated any creeping curiosity about why he was calling after three days of utter silence.
I still had one puddle jumper flight to Brownsville. From there, I would hop on the resort shuttle that would take me to South Padre.
“You be careful, young lady. Those Padre spring breaks can get a little out of control,” the man next to me warned. He had not taken any of my subtle hints.
I smiled, scooted down the aisle, and walked off the plane.
I had enough time between my flights to call Taylor, my roommate at Carolina for the past four years. It was a gamble to go potluck for roommate matching my freshman year, but the only girl from my high school I knew who would be there was the class know-it-all, teachers’ pet, who had no social skills. With the thousands of girls attending Carolina, I was willing to try for a roommate who at least knew what Facebook was. My parents had barely had time to close their car doors behind them before Taylor and I were on our way to Franklin Street for pizza. I knew our friendship was going to last longer than our college years. She was like the sister I never had. I tapped her name on my screen and waited for her to answer.
“Eden! How is Texas? Are you there?”
“Hey. I’m in Houston, waiting for my next flight.” I observed the passengers walking past me. I had never seen so many cowboy boots worn in one place. Everyone had them on.
“We just checked into the hotel and we’re headed to happy hour. You doing ok?”
“Happy hour?” It was only two o’clock. I questioned my usually conservative roommate, who never surpassed a self-imposed two-drink limit.
“It’s spring break. I think it’s happy hour all the time this week. How are you doing? Have you heard from Brett?”
I didn’t want to talk about Brett, but Taylor was worried and I knew she would keep pestering me about him until I could satisfy her concern. If the roles were reversed, I would do exactly the same thing. “He called three times when I was in the air, but I haven’t talked to him. I don’t want to.”
“I get that but, what if you run into him in Padre? Don’t you two need to talk?” I could hear girls screaming in the background.
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
“I know you’re being strong, but you don’t have to pretend for me. You’ve got to be worried about seeing him. Admit that at least.”
I wasn’t willing to admit anything. My emotions seesawed between numbness and anger. Julie had tried to talk me out of the trip, but it didn’t work. I needed to focus on something to keep me from thinking about what Brett had said. Packing, boarding a flight, and making my way to my spring break destination kept me from fixating on what happened between us.
“I’m fine. Stop worrying about me. South Padre is going to be the perfect vacay to get over that a*shole. I couldn’t dream up a better way to forget him.” I smiled into the phone.
“He is such an a*shole. Do I need to write a list for you of all the stuff he did? It might be just what you need. I read in a Cosmo article somewhere that, if you make a list of all of the bad things in your relationship, it will help with closure. If you need me to start it, I’d put how he backed out as your plus one for your cousin’s wedding right at the last minute as number one. He was probably the worst boyfriend ever.”
Taylor always had my back whether or not she liked my relationship with Brett. “Thanks for the offer, but I have the memories, unfortunately.”
“I bet you could still change your flight. Why don’t you fly back and we’ll spend our senior spring break together—like we should have planned all along before Brett hijacked it. It’s just not the same without you here.”
Taylor’s words struck a guilty nerve.
“I have to go. My flight is boarding for Brownsville. I just wanted to see if you made it to Myrtle Beach. Tell the girls I said, hey.”
“Ok, but call me when you get to the resort. And good luck.” She hung up, and I stood facing the gate, realizing for the first time that the flight was full of other spring breakers.
While I was on the phone with my friend, the small waiting area had accumulated college students from all over the country, with only one thing on their minds: a weeklong party.
I found an open seat and waited for the desk attendant to call my row. I only needed to make it through this one little flight, and then I’d be on my way to the resort. I could sort things out there. The beach, sun, and a fruity drink were calling my name.
At home, it was still cold and I was tired of wearing scarves and hats. A week at the beach was the perfect escape from the dreariness of March and the memories of Brett’s breakup. Taylor was right. I could fill an entire page of all the disappointing stunts Brett had managed to accomplish while we dated.
“Passengers waiting to board flight two-two-eight-one with nonstop service to Brownsville, we apologize for the inconvenience, but the flight has been overbooked.” The murmurs around me were almost loud enough to drown out the rest of the announcement.
“If we call your name, please step up to the podium and we’ll help you make arrangements to reach your final destination.”
I reached for my ticket and clutched it in anticipation for the list of bumped passengers.
“Alice Monroe, Eric Franks, Jennifer Gonzalez, and Mark Humphries, please approach the ticket desk.”
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 to 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, orangey 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 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 as it had 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 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.
“Actually, no. It’s spring break. We were booked up two months ago.” I saw a look of pity and concern spread across her face.
No, no, no. This wasn’t possible. I was homeless in South Padre. I stood at the counter, closed my eyes, and tried to grasp my options.
“Are you going to be ok?” the girl whispered.
“Yes. Thank you for your help.” I was visibly rattled from the information, but I sidestepped the newly arrived guests and searched for the elevator. Embarrassed and mortified, I walked into the open elevator with a group who had just left the pool. They seemed unfazed by the puddles their swimsuits dripped on the elevator tiles. As I watched the light for each floor we passed glow, my determination to see Brett grew stronger.
My pace was hurried as I searched the room numbers on the eighth floor. I pounded on room 852’s door. “Brett, let me in! Brett!” I didn’t care if I looked like one of the deranged girls on Snapped. This was possibly the most horrible day I had ever experienced, and Brett had compounded all of it by stealing my hotel room.
The door flew open, but instead of my handsome ex, I stood eye to eye with a petite brunette wearing a hot pink bikini and holding a beer in her hand.
“Who are you?” I barged past her, not all that interested in her answer.
“Brett?” she called out frantically. “Brett, there’s a lunatic in our room.”
“Me? I’m not a lunatic.” I spun on my heels to face her. “You are in my hotel room with my—” I stopped short of saying boyfriend. This must be what people mean by an out of body experience. My words were soft and calm, but inside, I was boiling with rage.
Brett emerged from the bathroom with a towel draped around his waist. Little beads of water trickled over his smooth chest. “Eden, what are you doing here? And what happened to your hair? Have you been drinking?” He eyed me while reaching for the beer from the girl. He chugged a few swallows before passing it back to her.
“Why does everyone keep acting like I’m not supposed to be here? I paid for this trip. My parents paid for it. You know that.” My fists dug into the sides of my hips to keep from slugging him. “Is this your definition of keeping your options open?” I nodded toward the girl, who had taken a seat at the edge of the king-size bed.
“You’re obviously upset. I think you should go.” Brett placed his hand on my shoulder like he was talking to a good friend he was concerned about. The gesture irritated me.
“I’m not leaving. This is my room. If anyone should leave, it should be you. And you.” I glared at the girl. “I can’t believe you would do something like this.”
Seeing Brett half-dressed and smugly tossing out orders disgusted me. I don’t know when he had transformed into this pompous ass, but I was actually glad I couldn’t be tied to him anymore. He was right; we had grown apart. However, he was the one who had grown into a royal dick.
Brett launched into one of his smooth explanations. “Look, I paid for the room. It’s not in your parents’ name anymore. I tried to call you a few times, but you didn’t pick up. I’m sorry there was a mix-up, but I think we both know what this is really about.” His forehead creased. “You’re taking this breakup hard. It’s understandable you’d be upset, but don’t make a scene. You know I hate girl drama.”
That was it. The words were like the cue I had been waiting to hear. My carefully balled fist flew up from the side of my hip and caught him under the chin. Brett reeled back into the arms of his nameless companion.
“What the hell, Eden?” He massaged his chin.
“Oh my God, Brett. Are you ok?” The bikini-clad girl leaned over to assess his injury. The way she touched him, I knew they weren’t new acquaintances.
I exhaled. I couldn’t decide what I hated more: Brett or people saying “girl drama.” I had never punched anyone in my life, but I felt so much better.
“Bye, Brett. Enjoy your spring break.” I swung the door open and slammed it behind me with as much force as I could muster.
I didn’t know where I was going to find a place to stay for the week, but anywhere far from Brett was fine with me.
By the time I returned to the lobby, the line of guests had dispersed. The nice girl at the counter smiled when she spotted me.
“No luck?” she asked.
“Not exactly. Ex-boyfriend disaster.” I sighed. “I know this is kind of a strange question to ask you, but could you recommend another hotel? I’m homeless and luggage-less.” I laughed. The whole scenario was absurd. I couldn’t stop the eruption of deep belly laughs.
“Oh my God, that’s terrible. Everywhere is going to be booked up. March is the craziest month of the year on the island.” She pulled out her phone. “But I might know somewhere that isn’t booked. It’s not great, but at least you might have somewhere to stay.”
My giggling fit ceased. “Thank you. I’d appreciate anything right now. I haven’t had dinner, or lunch, and I think I’m actually delirious.” That was going to be my excuse for punching Brett, even though he completely deserved it.
“Ok, my friend just texted me and said the Palm Palace is open and has vacancies.” She reached for a sticky note.
“Palm Palace?” It sounded like something out of a 1950s beach movie.
“It’s a motel, but there are open rooms. Here’s the address.” She handed me a Post-it with an address and a phone number. “I’m Marin, by the way. If you need anything else, I put my number at the bottom too. Just text me. If any open rooms turn up here, I’ll let you know—just give me your cell.”
“Thank you. This is the nicest thing anyone has done for me all day.” I jotted my digits down for her.
“I can’t let your first trip to South Padre be anything but amazing. It’s the kind of place that’s hard to forget.” Her brown eyes softened. “It didn’t start out so great for you, but I have a feeling your week will turn around.”
I winced at the tenderness in my knuckles as I tucked her number in my bag. “Thanks, Marin. I already feel like there’s no way I’ll forget this trip.”
I turned toward the sliding doors and the line of taxis that had pulled up only seconds ago to unload the next round of travelers arriving from the airport. They scurried past me, talking about concerts, dance parties, and the hotel’s swim-up bar.
Before he could hop in his van, I asked the first driver I spotted if he knew where the Palm Palace was. His raised eyebrow should have deterred me, but I was desperate, and according to Marin, the motel was the only place on the island I could stay. He motioned for me to sit in the second row, and peeled the van away from the curb. From the wide windows, I watched the Island Sun Resort, its fluffy white robes, endless sunset cocktails, and tropical flowers roll out of view.