trudes193- Thank you! I hope you like this chapter as well. :)
Lisa woke up with a pounding headache. The light pouring in the window didn't help, nor did the sound of the shower. The last thing she remembered from last night was going to her favorite club downtown, and having a few drinks. She must have had more than a few drinks though, especially with the way her head was killing her.
The shower went off, and Lisa sat up. "Babe, do I have aspirin in the cabinet?"
She heard him ruffling through the cabinet. "There's a few left in the bottle. I'll bring them out in a minute."
"Water too, please!" She heard him say a quiet yes. "Babe, what did I do last night?"
Nash walked out of the bathroom with his towel wrapped around his waist. Lisa never got tired of seeing Nash without a shirt on. He had a six pack. The muscle definition on his arms was something most men would kill for. Not too big, but not too small. Just perfect in Lisa's eyes. He had bright brown eyes and blonde hair. His hair was always cut military style. Which was appropriate, considering he was in the military. "You know what you did last night." He handed her the pills and the glass of water.
"I had a few drinks. I don't remember having enough to make me feel like this." She swallowed the pills and drank the water, then lay back down with the covers over her head, wincing as Nash laughed.
"No, babe, you had around six of your favorite drink, and the bartenders weren't stingy with the alcohol." He grabbed the covers and pulled them off of her. "You have work today, but if you're not feeling up to it, call in sick. I'm sure they would understand." She bit her lip to keep from crying. She always cried when the anniversary came around. The reason was never quite clear. It could have been because Jackson was the first man she allowed to break down her walls since the rape. Or it could have been the fact that she could have lost her father, or a good friend if she hadn't accomplished her mission to save everyone.
"I can't do that." She probably would have, if Cynthia wasn't working with her today. It was one of the rare times that they actually worked together, and she appreciated those days.
"I left you enough hot water to shower." He pulled on his boxers. "I'm going to cook us some breakfast, and I'll see you when you get downstairs."
-XX-
Lisa was wearing a sleek black skirt with ruffles on the end, and white blouse. Her hair was already dry and set in perfect waves. She was just finishing her makeup, which usually only consisted of some eyeliner and lip gloss. Simplicity was always something she strived for. Looking gorgeous with minimal effort. As Nash had always said to her.
The smell of eggs, pancakes, and bacon wafted up to her room, prompting her to grab her shortest pair of black heels and rushed down the stairs to eat with Nash before he had to run out the door for work. "Babe, that smells delicious." She said as she walked around the corner into the kitchen.
"I sure hope so." He said, as he placed the plate on the table with a glass of orange juice.
Lisa looked at him and took him in. He had his business suit on, which almost always turned her on. He always looked like a model on the cover of GQ or some other magazine, equally worthy of her amazing boyfriend. "What time do you get out of work tonight?"
Nash sat down at the table and watched as Lisa started eating. "I'm getting out at five, and should be back here by six."
"I don't want you to feel like you have to come back here. You can go home if you want."
He grabbed his briefcase and stood up. "What if we- you know what, never mind."
Lisa placed her fork down and cocked her head to the side. "What if we what?"
Nash looked at his watch. "I was going to say, what if we made this more of a permanent situation?"
"You want to move in?"
Nash looked hurt. "You don't want that?"
Immediately, Lisa jumped up from the table. "No! Of course I do. I just wanted to make sure we were talking about the same situation being permanent." She walked over to him and wrapped him in a hug. "When is your lease up?"
"Next month, but I'm sure I can talk to Mrs. Winters and she would allow me to move out early. If not, I'll just pay for next month anyways, and move in before the lease is up." Lisa smiled almost stupidly as Nash looked at his watch again. "Leese, I really have to go." He kissed her softly on her lips. "I'm already late, and you know that I hate being late." She nodded as he walked out of the house saying, "I love you."
-XX-
It took Lisa almost an hour to get to work. Traffic was horrendous, thanks to a three car accident. If she had left her house when she normally did, she would have been late. With the excitement of seeing Cynthia, she decided to leave earlier, thinking that she could purchase the tickets to Cabo while waiting for Cynthia to get to work.
As Lisa sat in the break room, she took her phone out and went searching for deals for her and Cynthia's flight to Cabo. Finding one that would cost twice as less as the others, she booked the tickets, then went on to book a suite at one of the hotels. The suite had two bedrooms, a kitchen, living room, bathroom, and a deck that led out to the pool.
Just as she about to put her phone down, someone tapped Lisa on the shoulder. She turned around to find her boss, Fred. "Hey, Lisa. I know you don't start work for another half an hour, but would you mind starting a little early? Bernadette has to go home. Family emergency."
Lisa was always one to please people. She had been trying to be more assertive and not allow people to walk all over her, but when it came to stuff like family emergencies, she gave in. No questions asked. "Sure thing, Fred. I'll be right out." She was sad that she wouldn't get to talk to Cynthia until they were both working, but at least this would keep her busy until Cynthia showed up.
-XX-
An hour after Cynthia's time came to clock in, she still wasn't anywhere to be seen. Lisa had called her what felt like a million times, but was probably only ten, and there was no answer from her. Lisa was worried that she possibly could have been in that car accident. Lisa turned on the radio behind her, and listened to the news while waiting for guests to come check in, or out. "Breaking news about that three car accident. There were two fatalities. A man and a woman. We haven't been given any other details. When we have more, then we will let you know. Now, time for some new Taylor Swift! Here's Wildest Dreams."
Lisa clicked off the radio, and prayed that Cynthia was not one of the deceased in the accident. Her worry stopped as soon as Cynthia came strolling into the lobby, looking as tired as a baby. "Cynthia! Where have you been? I've been worried sick!"
"I'm so sorry, Lisa. Somehow all of our alarms this morning were turned off. When Tom got up to go to the bathroom, he looked at the clock and freaked out. We had to rush around, getting the kids ready, and then ourselves. It was crazy. Again, I'm so sorry."
"It's fine. I'm just glad to know that you, Tom, and the kids are fine." She looked at the break room door, where Fred was coming out of. "If you should be worried about anyone being upset, it would be Fred. And here he comes. Good luck!" Lisa said as she ran to the phone that started ringing. "Good morning, this is Lisa Reisert at the Lux Atlantic hotel, how may I help you?"
"Oh, I definitely think you can help me with something."
Lisa's eyes went wide, she started shaking, and she dropped the phone. There was no way she could have heard him. There was no way he could call her. The judge specifically said that he was to never contact her again. And considering he was in jail, the guards would have to monitor every phone call he made. "Lisa, is something wrong?"
Lisa turned towards the voice that had just spoken to her. It was Fred. "No, sir."
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely."
Fred nodded and continued talking to Cynthia. Lisa picked the phone back up. "I'm so sorry for that, what can I help you with?"
"Ma'am, I need a room please."
This time, it wasn't his voice. Maybe it was just the anniversary that was playing tricks on her. She smiled as she started to feel better. No shaking, no worry that he was about to get to her. "Yes, sir. Would you like a one bedroom, or two?"
"Two would be ideal, please."
Lisa completed the deal with the man on the phone, learning that his name was Daniel Craig. "You are all set Mr. Craig. We'll see you tomorrow!" Lisa hung up and turned to see Cynthia standing next to her. "How did things go with Fred?"
"Written warning. I told him it won't happen again." Cynthia punched her ID and password into the computer to clock in. "How was your date last night?"
"It went well, until we got to the club."
Cynthia lowered her head a little. "Uh oh. What happened?"
Lisa took a deep breath. "Well, you know it's the anniversary of 'What shall never be named again'. And you know how I get when this day is around. I drink to much. I think to much. I get scared." She saw the look of compassion on Cynthia's face. "Don't feel sorry for me, Cyn. It's just going to take me more time to get over the situation. I thought my father was going to be killed, and the Keefe's. I almost lost people who meant a lot to me." Cynthia nodded. "Want to know what happened this morning?" She nodded. "Well, Nash and I came to the conclusion that he should move in. It's time. And he definitely wants me to be his wife. He's just waiting to ask me, and I'm perfectly okay with that."
"Are you really?"
Lisa inclined her head to the right. "I am. Nash is it for me. I love him, and I want to spend the rest of my life with him."
Cynthia gave a knowing smile. "The real question is, do you want kids him?"
"Oh, yes. That's definitely on my mind. When the time is right, I'm sure that he will want them as well."
"You didn't ask him if he wanted kids?"
Lisa rolled her eyes. "No. I didn't get to that point of the conversation. I was just happy with the fact that he wants to marry me." Cynthia gave her a disapproving look. "Don't look at me like that. I'll ask him later."
Cynthia ran to get the phone at the other desk that was ringing and just as Lisa was about to go to the bathroom, she saw a familiar face walk into the lobby. Lisa smiled as she walked up to the desk. "Rebecca, how nice of you to stop by. How can I help you today?"
"My friend is turning twenty one, and I was wondering if I could rent the same room I had for myself? Along with a ballroom. I don't want us to keep the other guests awake like we did with my birthday."
"Of course!" Lisa set everything up for Rebecca. "Everything is all set. We'll see you in two months." Lisa watched as Rebecca left. Just then, something struck Lisa. She remembered where she had seen Rebecca from. It wasn't just from the hotel. It was from the Red Eye.
