By The Beach ✔

Part 1. The Sunshine State

"I don't care if anyone bribes you, tempts you, and makes out with you for the information -" I got out of the bluish-gray Jeep Liberty and pointed to my head as I looked at Dinah " - No one is to be told about how this lump formed" I warned her as she got out of the car herself.

My brunette cousin looked at me with a lifted eyebrow and put her hands on her hips. "You fell in the parking lot. People do it all the time" she told me as we made our way toward the back of the vehicle.

"Yeah, maybe on their butt. Not on their head." She opened the hatch to her Jeep and we got out our luggage, three bags for me, five for her.

Her peach-colored fingernails wrapped around the hatch hook and shut it as I started off toward the hotel.

"Fuck, Lily. Slow down, I got more to tote than you do" Dinah complained, making me stop in the middle of the road and look back at her.

"You shouldn't have brought so much stuff."

"I need to look fashionable-" I raised an eyebrow at her choice of baggy men's shirt and short shorts "- okay, right now I'm comfortable, not fashionable" she told me as I rolled my eyes.

"Let's just get to the hotel room and settle in already" I told her as we walked toward the hotel doors, I held one open for her as she struggled inside with her five bags and let them fall to the ground causing everyone to look at us.

I put my hand to my head in embarrassment as she waved a hand at them "Nothing to see here, go on with your lives" Dinah told them, surprisingly everyone went back to walking or doing their thing.

The Miami Resort Hotel was as charming as The Plaza. There were two entrances, an electric door, and a spinning glass door. It had ten floors and had a spa inside as well as a bar. I was excited to stay at a luxury hotel this time and not a small one, some are nice but some we stayed at were awful- even Doug wouldn't have approved of them.

We approached the desk counter where a woman with a blonde ponytail was scanning through previous check-ins.

Dinah grinned and said, "Hi, we have room for Dinah Patton," then grabbed her dad's credit card out of her wallet to pay. Which made me hide a chuckle as the female adult took the credit card from her and performed a name search on the computer. "This place is fabulous" Dinah admired as she leaned against the counter.

I peeked towards a waiting area, then up at the ceiling, surprised by how exceptional a hotel could be.

Usually, Dinah and I rested in the cheapest places, so we could spend more money. It surprised me she went for something fancy this time.

There was a waterfall-like fountain connecting the lobby and the hall that led to the elevators, real plants were in every corner, there were leather couches in the waiting area and magazines on a magazine rack. Guests walked to the smaller cafe to have coffee and muffins while employees walked by to get ready for the day.

It was great.

The woman gave the card back to Dinah, "Your room is ready. I only need your signature, Ms. Patton. And then you girls can head up to your room, " she said, smiling at us as she printed a receipt and had Dinah sign it. She gave me a card that would act as the door key and signaled for someone to carry our bags up for us. Dinah handed back the receipt and she was handed her room key.

As we walked away from the desk, she wrapped her arm around mine. "So there you have it. I propose that we check out the place, then go to the bar in search of a cute guy or two "she said, a grin on her face. As we followed the guy carrying our luggage down a corridor of elevators, I rolled my eyes at her and whistled in admiration as we walked down to them.