4. More Old Drama
4
More Old Drama
C HAPTER FOUR
Rosalind
The crisp morning air wrapped around me as I stood by the hotel’s entrance, gazing out at the calm ocean waves. A seagull swooped down, its cry piercing through the early morning’s hush. I loved this time of the day. The docks were teaming, but the rest of the town still slept.
“Rosalind, are you daydreaming about opening a seagull sanctuary now?” Linda’s teasing voice broke through my thoughts.
I chuckled softly, my eyes shifting back to the lobby. “Maybe I should add that to my list of island ventures to try. What are you doing up so early?” I asked my boss and mentor as I turned away from the open doorway.
“I couldn’t sleep.” She said over a yawn. That was a sign something was weighing heavy on her mind, and I started to ask what had her too keyed up to sleep.
But just as I opened my mouth, a striking woman stormed in and interrupted our conversation. Her heels clicked like an angry metronome across the tile floor as she brushed past me. “Where is he?!” Her demand echoed through the lobby, drawing curious glances from the few early risers.
“Good morning. How can I help you?” Linda greeted her with a warm smile and calm tone, trying to defuse the tension in the room.
“I need to see Daniel. Dr. Daniel Westbrook. Now!” Her tone brooked no argument, sending a shiver down my spine.
“And you would be? I’m sorry, but I believe he’s sleeping at this hour. Is this a medical emergency?” I asked, returning to my place behind the counter, nonplussed so far by her manners.
“No,” she replied with venom. “I’m Sasha King ... his girlfriend.” She added with a tilt to her head that implied it should be obvious.
“Let me try his room,” I offered gently, reaching for the phone before she could protest, or storm up the stairs on her own.
Dialing Daniel’s room, my heart raced with anticipation and dread. He hadn’t mentioned a girlfriend yesterday, and I wondered why. This woman was not someone easy to forget.
“Daniel? I’m sorry to wake you at this early hour. There’s a Sasha King here to see you? She says it’s important.”
Sasha interrupted me, raising her voice and leaning over the counter in my direction, her impatience growing. “Tell him to come down right now!”
I heard a long sigh on the other end of the line before he responded. “I heard. Tell her I’ll be down in a few minutes. Please.” He added the last for my benefit.
Hanging up the phone, I assured her. “He’s on his way.” I couldn’t ignore the determined gleam in her eyes as I took in her appearance in more detail.
With her shiny, sleek jet black hair falling just below her shoulders, and her model thin, sharp features, she was a showstopper. Adding to that, her piercing blue eyes and her sophisticated clothes, any man would be proud to show her off. A high society woman for a high society life.
“Fine, he better be. I don’t have all day,” Sasha snapped, tapping her foot impatiently. Her attitude directly opposed to my impressions of Daniel’s character.
I watched her impatience grow by the second. Her eyes darted towards the staircase as if willing Daniel to appear. Secretly, I pondered her motives. A part of Daniel’s past, or someone he forgot to mention? I grudgingly admitted she was gorgeous and professionally put together. The very image of the perfect society wife for a successful New York City surgeon.
With a sigh, I braced myself for the storm that was about to hit our little island haven. Yeah, I thought with a heavy groan, this sure seemed to be the week for drama.
Glancing at my boss, Linda, I could tell from the glint in her eyes she was looking forward to watching this confrontation. I shook my head, and she grinned and gave me a thumbs up sign when Sasha wasn’t looking.
Finally, Daniel appeared at the top of the stairs, his hair tousled as if he’d run a hand through it in frustration. Despite the wrinkles in his shirt and the shadows under his eyes, he still radiated a rugged charm that made my breath catch.
His eyes widened at the sight of Sasha standing there, her polished exterior clashing dramatically with the laid-back vibe of Lonesome Bay Island.
“Daniel, darling, I’ve missed you so much,” Sasha declared dramatically, moving towards him with outstretched arms. I watched as Daniel took an involuntary step back, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his face.
“Hello, Sasha. What are you doing here? How did you even find me?” Daniel spoke in a guarded tone, his body language wary. The tension in the air was thick, and I couldn’t help but feel like an intruder in this private moment.
“I asked your building super, of course. I knew if you told anyone, it would be him, and you know how much he likes me. Can we talk, dearest? Please, just hear me out,” Sasha pleaded, her composed cover appearing to crack ever so slightly. Could that be sincere regret in her eyes?
I noticed the conflict in Daniel’s eyes, as this product of his past clashed with the uncertainty of his future.
“Of course, let’s go over here and talk,” Daniel finally relented, gesturing towards a small table in a corner of the lobby. As they walked away, I couldn’t help but wonder what the outcome of this unexpected reunion would be.
My heart clenched at the sight of the undeniable connection between them, leaving me feeling like an outsider in this moment. Was she one of those ‘friends’ who walked away, and one reason he left the city?
I busied myself behind the counter, trying to push away the wave of insecurity crashing over me. How could someone high-brow like Daniel find happiness here on our quaint little island? Doubt crept in, whispering cruel thoughts about my worth and appeal.
Each stolen glance at Daniel and Sasha felt like a dagger to my heart. Sasha’s poised beauty was everything I wasn’t. Everything I could never be.
Doubts swirled in my mind, each one sharper than the last. Was I fooling myself into believing someone like Daniel could ever see beyond the surface, and find a lasting love with someone like me? A woman so outside of his world?
The rising sun cast a warm glow over the lobby, painting the room in soft gold shades. I straightened my posture behind the front desk. Fixing a smile on my face, I turned to my computer and pretended not to hear Sasha’s impassioned plea to Daniel.
“Daniel, please, we can make it work this time. You know we belong together,” Sasha’s voice was urgent, her hands reaching out to touch his arm. Her harsh tone of earlier had modulated to one of honey and silk. I envied her talent, even as I hoped it wouldn’t work.
Watching them from afar, the ache in my chest grew stronger with each word. Despite the storm of emotions raging inside of me, I had to stay composed. This was none of my business. I’d only known Daniel for a short time. And this was just a vacation to him. I needed to keep reminding myself of that.
“Look, Sasha, I appreciate your apologies, but I’m no longer sure what I want.” Daniel’s voice was firm, but not unkind. “I need time to figure things out.”
She was a picture of elegance and determination, so different from my own simple ways.
As they spoke, I busied myself with arranging some brochures on the counter, my fingers trembling. There was no way I’d believe Sasha was truly the best woman for him. Perhaps I wasn’t the one, but he definitely deserved someone who would stand by him.
“Why don’t we finish this over breakfast, Sasha?” Daniel’s voice held a mix of calm and uncertainty. “At least coffee. My brain hasn’t caught up with me yet.”
Sasha’s gaze lingered on him, hope and desperation dancing in her eyes. I clenched my fists, feeling a surprising ache of longing deep within me. One I knew I didn’t deserve.
“Anything for you, dear.” She responded.
Watching them leave for breakfast, Sasha’s hand looped through Daniel’s arm, I couldn’t ignore the nagging question in my mind. Would I always find myself attracted to men who left me feeling like an outsider? Or could there be one who saw me, as I am, and cherished this island life I held dear?
Maybe I’d fooled myself all along. Daniel belonged in Sasha’s world of sophistication and ambition. I was just a temporary blip on his island adventure.
“Well, looks like the fun’s over.” Linda tapped my shoulder in sympathy. “I better go find those files for the accountant.” And she left the front desk for her private office. One mystery solved. Quarterly taxes must be due.
With a heavy sigh, I resigned myself to the reality before me. Sasha was a better match for Daniel, and I had to let go of my fleeting dream.
What kind of successful surgeon would ever be happy living in our small island community? I knew I would never be happy moving to the city, and I could never leave Grandpa.
If our roles were reversed, he might leave the city for an elegant woman like Sasha. But never for a boring island girl like me.
Trying my best to focus on my job, I couldn’t stop glancing towards the front door now and then.
Once, when I glanced up and saw a couple standing there, arm in arm, with the sun behind them hiding their features, I thought they’d returned. But it was a new reservation, instead.
Still, that happened to be a great distraction, since the woman was an old high school friend returning to spend her honeymoon where she’d grown up.
“Rosalind? Is that you?” She said as I confirmed the man’s reservation.
Looking up at the familiar voice, I exclaimed, “Alice? It’s wonderful to see you. What brings you back home? It’s been what? Six years or seven since we graduated?”
“Seven.” She said in a mock whisper. “But don’t tell my new husband. I told him I was only twenty-one!”
The man laughed and put his arm around her waist. Holding out his hand to shake, he said. “Hello, Rosalind. I’m pleased to meet a friend of my beloved wife. We’ll have to meet for dinner one evening so you can tell me all of her… secrets.” He put his hand up to hide his mouth from his wife on the word ‘secrets’, but it was plain to see they were teasing each other.
“Roz, this is my husband of three days, Lucius Perry. That makes me, Mrs. Alice Perry.” Here she squealed and held out her wedding ring for me to fawn over.
“Oh, I’m so happy for you Alice, and you, Mr. Perry.” I congratulated them, sincerely happy for Alice, who’d been a great friend in high school.
“It’s Lucius, to you. Any friend of Alice’s is a friend of mine.” He professed.
“Well, I’d love to have dinner with you one of these evenings, but for now, let me show you to the honeymoon suite.”
As Alice and Lucius followed behind up the stairs, I showed them their suite. And making Alice promise to come find me in the morning for a longer chat, I bid them a good day.
I was walking down the stairs when I noticed Daniel enter the hotel lobby alone.
“Where’s Sasha?” I asked when he looked up at me.
“She’s gone back to the city.”
“Is she coming back?”
“No.” He responded, shaking his head and looking down at his feet.
“Are you going back to her?” I asked, stopping at the bottom of the steps in front of him. Perhaps I shouldn’t have been so bold, but I couldn’t stop myself from asking.
“No.” He repeated.
“Why?” One simple word that held so much meaning.
Daniel let out a long sigh, his shoulders sagging as if the weight of the past was finally lifting.
“There was a time when I thought I couldn’t live without her,” he admitted. His voice filled with sadness. “But when I needed her the most, she wasn’t there for me. That changed something in me, and something between us. It opened my eyes to what I really wanted, what I needed. Maybe I’d been blind to the truth all along.”
He looked deeply at me then, and for the first time, I felt he was truly seeing me. But his expression remained grim, and my heart ached to see him smile.
I fought to keep my expression neutral. “That’s a valuable lesson to learn.”
“Indeed, it is, Rosalind. Indeed, it is.” He repeated with a sad smile. Not the smile I’d hoped for, and I felt compelled to do something.
“Would you like to explore the secret tunnel under the lighthouse when I get off work? The pirate tunnel I mentioned before? It’ll be low tide and the perfect time to go.” I teased, giving him a wink as if sharing a real secret.
“Sure.” He said, a bit hesitantly. “That sounds like a perfect adventure to get my mind off this morning. I’ll meet you here at two then. See you then.” He said with a wave over his shoulder as he walked up the stairs to his room, the pensive look still on his face. But I heard him whistling a soft tune as he walked down the corridor above, and I smiled. Feeling personal success at his change in attitude.
And my heart soared!