When Bees Sing - Part 1

Chapter 8

Sadie replayed the voice mail message a third time. The caller had to have the wrong hotel room. She couldn't believe the message was meant for her.

Tears burned her eyes, but she remembered her vow of no more crying, and refused their release. She slammed down the receiver instead. When that did little to relieve her frustration, she picked up the phone to hurl it across the room, but found it bolted to the end table. "Shit. Shit, damnit, shit!" Her voice rose in volume with each curse until she let out a deep, primal growl.

She wanted to punch something, someone, anything to get rid of this growing knot of anguish inside of her. If she didn't, it would eat her up. It had before and she refused to allow it to destroy her again. She had to do something and get her mind off it.

Sadie reached for the phone to call Derry and then stared at the numbers. She had no idea how to get in touch with him. Besides he had plans for the evening, probably with another woman.

"Well," she straightened her shoulders and stood up. "I don't need him. I can deal with this myself."

She quickly changed out of her bathing suit, grabbed her purse and hightailed it down the hall.

The elevator moved fast and let Sadie out in the spacious lobby. She wondered if she should ask her concierge friend how to get to The Hole, but figured he'd deny knowledge of it. Besides she didn't want the help of any male tonight. She could find her way around the island even if it took her all night.

It didn't. It took her a half an hour to find the hidden tiki bar but by then, she was pissy, hungry and beyond thirsty. A dangerous combination.

"Bart, bourbon neat, please." Sadie slid onto the stool at the empty end of the watering hole. She gazed up at the white lights surrounding the bamboo top and listened to the distant waves roll onto the beach.

The bartender placed the drink in front of her and she took a sip. The alcohol burned her throat and she coughed. "Hmm, perfect." She threw back the rest of the drink and motioned with her hand for another.

"You okay, Lucy?" Bart's eyes and tone were rich with concern. He leaned down on his elbows to take a good look at her.

"Few more of these and I will be. Keep them coming, Bart."

The second drink went down as smooth as the first. A third followed soon after. As she nursed the fourth, Sadie heard a voice behind her. "Hey Lucy."

Sadie looked up at Bart and found him hiding at the other end of the bar. She spat out his name, but he put up his hands in surrender and turned around, his tail between his legs. "Tattletale." She took another sip of her drink and pivoted on her stool to glare at Derry, "Bart call you?"

"Don't get mad at him because he didn't want to be responsible for your drunken ass tonight." Derry finished the last sip from her glass. "So how many of these have you had?"

"Not enough, but I don't you. I can my own drunken ass." She pointed her finger at his chest to emphasize each slurring word.

"You realize you're not making complete sentences, leaving out those important verbs, right?"

"Here's a verb - screw you."

"I stand corrected. Bart, have any water?" When Bart delivered and took away her glass, Derry turned his attention to her again. "Now tell me, what's got you close to spending the rest of the night praying to the porcelain gods?"

Sadie leaned over and rested her head on his chest. "It's my wedding night."