So many things about the letter brought Jessie to the edge of panic. He couldn’t stay? He decided to go home? He was making sure last night never happened again? He was going to miss her? It all sounded so much more serious than him just going back to Denver. It sounded…permanent. Like he was truly leaving, like he was heading back home…to Hawaii. The thought of him giving up everything he’d built and worked for her, because of…her…it killed Jessie. It wasn’t right. He shouldn’t have to leave. They should be able to make this work…somehow.
Jessie tried calling him, to reason with him, to beg him to stay if she had to, but his phone went straight to voicemail. She opened her mouth to leave a message, but the words wouldn’t form. She needed to speak to him, not a machine. Knowing she couldn’t stay in this lodge a second longer, Jessie gathered up all of her stuff. She just couldn’t hang out while Kai was making plans to leave the state. And she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that that was what he was doing. That was his solution to make sure they never crossed that line again.
Once Jessie had her skis and her bags, she strolled down the hall at a fast pace. When she passed the front desk, she paused. Would they know anything about Kai leaving? Even just knowing how long ago he’d left would help. How much of a head-start did he have? If the window was small enough, Jessie was positive she could catch him. At the front desk, an energetic man was chatting with a tired woman. She seemed exhausted, like she’d been up all night, but she still giggled at something the man said and playfully put a hand on his shoulder; the guy seemed clueless that the girl was flirting with him.
Deciding that they could at least tell her if he’d settled the room bill or not, Jessie walked up to the cozy pair. The man instantly snapped to attention, giving Jessie a glorious smile. The tired woman took a little longer to shift into professional mode.
“Good morning, Miss,” the man said. “Are you checking out?” He eyed her bags and skis, appraising what needs she might have of him.
Jessie had no idea what her needs were…other than information. “I was hoping you could tell me when a guest checked out last night.”
The man frowned at her in the most polite way a person could frown. “I’m sorry, Ma’am, but that information is confidential. Company policy.” He gave her an apologetic smile. The woman beside him discretely ran her eyes down his body.
Jessie sighed in annoyance. “Well, it was my cousin and…there was a…problem and he had to leave suddenly…and…” Jessie had no idea what to tell him that could possibly circumvent the lodge’s privacy policy. Frustrated tears sprang to her eyes, and she knew she was seconds away from a meltdown.
The woman perked up, raising an eyebrow. “That was your cousin?” She eyed Jessie appraisingly, like she didn’t see the resemblance, but then she shrugged. “You don’t have to worry about the room, if that’s your concern. He settled the bill when he turned in his key. You can use the space until checkout at eleven, just hand in your key before you go.” She gave Jessie a wide smile, like she was sure that information had just solved all her problems.
Jessie leaned toward the woman as much as she could. “You were here last night when he left?”
As if to emphasize how long ago that was, the woman yawned as she nodded. “Yeah, he said he had an emergency and needed to leave, but he wanted to make sure you could stay. I called him a cab.”
Jessie’s eyes widened. “A cab? To Denver? When?” She couldn’t even comprehend how much that had cost him. Had he really needed away from her so badly?
The woman tilted her head, thinking. “It was just after my break so maybe…1:30?”
Jessie looked away as her tears came dangerously close to falling. Outside, the front door was being lit by the warm rays of the early morning sun. The entire glass masterpiece gleamed orange. It reminded Jessie of the firelight last night. It also reminded Jessie that Kai had had plenty of time to get home and start making arrangements…to leave.
The man beside the woman scoffed and Jessie returned her attention to him. “There’s no way a cab drove him home,” he said to his coworker.
Jessie scrunched her brows. “What do you mean?”
Throwing on his professional face, he looked over at Jessie. “Denver is too far. Unless he was carrying a thick stash of cash, no cab driver would have driven him that distance.” He shrugged. “They’d lose too many other fares if they did. The buses around here only drive within the county, so the cab probably took him to the shuttle pickup in Frisco. That goes to downtown Denver daily.”