When Bees Sing - Part 1

Chapter 2

Sadie had made it. She'd survived the plane flight. Sure, there had been a moment of turbulence when she'd feared gravity would suck her down. When she'd clung onto the two armrests in a vain attempt to keep the aircraft together, fearing the oxygen mask would pop out and knock her unconscious. But the plane and its pilots hadn't let her down. Literally. They remained at cruising altitude and in one piece until the descent to the landing strip of St. Thomas.

With her traveling over - the plane ride to St. Thomas, boat ride across the Pillsbury Sound, and the taxi drive to the hotel, Sadie tilted her head back and allowed the Caribbean sunshine to christen her. Heaven, in the form of ocean and white sand, was just a few yards away. All she had to do was check in, change into her bathing suit, and she could assume the stress-free existence of a vacationer.

Ignoring the exhaustion threatening to leaden her limbs, her anticipation hurried her through the spacious lobby, straight to the concierge desk. She would linger and appreciate the hotel's atmosphere tomorrow. Only so many hours of daylight remained.

"How may I help you?" The gentleman in the auburn uniform flashed a weary smile shadowed by a bushy mustache.

"I'm checking in. My name is Sims. Sadie Sims."

The concierge pecked at the keyboard. "S-I-M-S?"

"Yes." Her voice wavered. She did not like his frown or his disdaining emphasis on the letters of her name.

"I have no Sims registration for today."

Her brain assimilated his seven words, then her stomach dropped as it had when the plane had flown through an air pocket. She had no room? She'd come all this way and...wait. "Can you check under Lee? George Lee?"

The clicking of the computer keys echoed in her head as she tried not to panic.

"George Lee? Yes, we have a George Lee, party of two." He leaned over to get the room cards and computer printout.

She exhaled, relief flooding through her like a neat shot of bourbon. Had she'd been stranded she would've lost her mind.

"And it's for the honeymoon suite."

The what? Another shock to the system. "That doesn't make sense. Could you check the reservation again?"

The concierge sighed, drama leaking out of his ears as he punched at the computer keys again. "It's right here. Mr. and Mrs. Lee, Honeymoon Suite."

"That's impossible."

"Were you supposed to have another room, Mrs. Lee?"

A scream built in Sadie's chest. She tensed her arms and fisted her hands to prevent its escape. "I'm not Mrs. Lee."

A moment of silence surrounded them as the concierge's countenance changed from ennui to annoyance. "Then why are you asking for this reservation?"

Deep breath, deep breath. "I asked for the room for George Lee. He booked the reservation."

"Perhaps when Mr. Lee arrives, he can clear this up."

Don't cry, don't you dare cry. "No, he's not coming."

There, she said it. She waited, senses readied for the fallout the admission would cause, but the world did not stop.

"Oh." The one syllable shrunk Sadie to half an inch tall. "Ma'am, do you have the reservation code?"

She rifled through her bag where she'd tossed the trip information last night. A grocery receipt, her wallet and passport, tampon and hand sanitizer. Everything else imaginable. Where the hell was the crumpled paper she'd thrown out three times? She knew she shouldn't have come on this trip. "Right here."

He used his fingertips to open the page as if he expected to catch something from it. Beady eyes consulted the email printout and his computer. "It's the correct room, Ma'am."

But it's the Honeymoon Suite! The words danced in the back of her throat and she pursed her lips to keep them from screaming out.

"And I cannot change it, we are fully booked." The concierge motioned for the bellhop.

"Fine." One syllable, she could handle that without making a scene. Okay, maybe two more words. "Thank you."

With the keycard in her hand, Sadie followed the bellhop into the elevator. The Musak tickled a memory from a sixth-grade dance when she'd stood along the wall of an elementary school gymnasium wishing someone would ask her to dance. Here she was, fifteen years later, standing alone once again. Some things never changed.

When they got to her room, the bellhop deposited her luggage with a quiet, "The Honeymoon Suite, Ma'am," and turned to leave.

She opened up her purse. "Wait, do you want a tip?"

"No, Ma'am. I wish you a pleasant stay." His eye contact lingered a moment too long and Sadie saw the kindness in them. Or was it pity?

Too tired to care, she took the gesture as compassion. "Thank you."

The door closed with a click and she turned around. The room, or rooms were huge, decorated in taupe and flowers. On the small coffee table, a gift basket full of champagne, fruit and crackers greeted her. She read the enclosed note: "For your new life together - may it be as full of sunshine and romance as the time you spend with us here at Hotel Sundrake."

"Oh, shit." She uttered in defeat.

The strength that had gotten her on the plane drained from her body. The icy chill returned to her core. What did she have to do to make it all go away? To get rid of the pain and loss for good?

Sobs rocked her body as she stumbled into the adjoining room. She collapsed onto the king-size bed and curled into the fetal position. The only thought, the one that had been taunting her for months, was "Why?"