SugarCOAT

9. Sweet & Sour Fantasy 🍋

Once my plane landed, I was in the airport no more than ten minutes before I was directed to a driver named Maximo. He led me to the Range Rover and helped me inside. As he drove, I couldn't help but to pull out my phone and start snapping pictures and short videos of what I was seeing. There were so many palm trees, and the people seemed so easygoing that even the clouds seemed to dance with the sun. My phone warned me that my battery was low. I put it inside my purse. From Maximo, I learned that he works for the Rivers family. He enjoys driving. He was born in Germany, but he lived in California most of his life. 

When the vehicle came to a stop, Maximo got out and opened my door. When I thought I would be staying at a regular hotel, my eyes caught sight of a luxury resort. Maximo helped me out of the Range Rover while two men took my two bags. I followed them. Every path we took had a different scenery from the façade of the resort to the view of the pool that literally looked as if it was on the edge of the world. The men opened two large glass doors. I walked inside first.

A woman came down the stairs and greeted me. "Hi, Miss Sawyer. How was your flight?"

"It was good, but how do you know my name? Oh, wait. Zeke Rivers must've told you. In that case, you can just call me Jamie."

"Fantastic! My name is Bridgette. Follow me. I'll take you to your room."

Call me confused, but I thought... "Don't I need to check in or get a key to the room first?"

Bridgette laughed, "Of course not. Don't worry about your bags. They'll be brought up soon."

I followed Bridgette up the grand staircase. The first corridor was a wall of photos. I recognized a lot of celebrities. This had to be a very popular resort. Normally, I wouldn't go crazy about meeting celebrities, but I'm in California. I'm going to see so many of them at once. I reached for my pockets only to realize I didn't have my phone. It was in my purse which was still in the car.

"Bridgette, I left my purse in the car."

"Don't worry about it. Maximo inspects the car after every drive. He'll bring it inside with the rest of your things. Your room is down this hall." She made a right turn and walked down another corridor.

The hall was short with one door at the end. Bridgette opened the door and led me inside. Everything was purple: the bed sheets, the rug; the curtains. Everything! Except for the furniture and the walls. It wasn't just one shade of purple, either. There was lilac, plum, and violet. Also, there were textures from silk and lace to fur and velvet. The way I'm explaining it could sound like a mess, but it was very elegant in appearance.

Bridgette asked me, "Do you like it? Zeke said purple was your favorite color."

I didn't know you could make a color request at a resort. "Like it? I love it." I walked over to the bed and collapsed. It was fluffy and comfy like a bear hug. I didn't want to move. If I could just go to sleep, right now, this would be perfect.

I almost forgot I wasn't alone when I heard Bridgette's laughter. I hopped out of the bed. "Sorry."

"Oh, no. You're perfectly fine. I didn't open your curtains, but you have the view of the ocean."

I almost tripped trying to get to the curtains. I opened them to a huge floor-to-ceiling window that allowed me to see the whales and dolphins that I imagined were swimming in the ocean. It was breathtaking to say the least. "What are the hours of the pool?" I asked her.

"It's opened 24/7." She smiled at me. "Breakfast is served every morning from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. Lunch is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner is from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Snacks are wherever you see a glass bowl. They're located all around. There's one on your nightstand."