"Mom?" Summer pressed the phone harder against her ear as she struggled to hear her mother's voice over the noise behind her. "I didn't expect to hear from you so soon. Is everything okay?"
Phyllis sighed as she let her body fall into one of the oversized chairs that dotted the opulent lobby. "I'm fine, sweetheart," she assured her, "Except for the fact that I can't help thinking this whole thing was a huge mistake. I shouldn't be here. I should be home, with you, helping you through this. I've been where you are - more than once and I know how much it hurts. I never should have agreed to …"
"Mom." Summer stopped her as Jack's eyes locked with hers for a quick moment. She saw the silent question within. He didn't need to say a word for her to know what he was thinking. Everyone else was thinking it too. She and Kyle had been the only two people who'd thought this was an actual good idea and, in truth, she knew Kyle had really only gone along with it to pacify her.
"You don't need to worry about me. I'm fine. I've got Dad here and you know how he is." She glanced over at her father who stood in the corner quietly talking to one of the caterers. "He's almost as overprotective as you are."
Phyllis sighed deeply. "Almost. But he's not your mother and, at a time like this, you need your mother. We should be holed up in your apartment drinking wine, watching trashy TV, and eating full fat ice cream. I can't believe I let you talk me into this."
"I'm glad you did. It would have been crazy for the trip to go to waste and besides, I would be really horrible company right now, Mom. I just want to curl up in a ball right now and feel sorry for myself. I don't need my mother to do that, not to mention the fact that you've not exactly had the easiest time of it lately. You needed this."
"Honey, what I need is to know that my baby is okay." She paused for a moment. "Are you?"
"I am, Mom. I promise. I'll be even better if I know you're going to be at that resort having the time of your life for the next ten days. Everything I've seen and read makes that place look like paradise. If it's half as nice as it looked in the photos online."
"It's amazing, honey." She let her eyes scan the open air lobby for a moment. The smell of the fresh sea air blended effortlessly with the fragrant flowers that adorned all the desks and tables. "But I can't help but wish you were here. Maybe you should come. It might be good for you to get away. There are two tickets anyway. We could make it a girl's trip. It'll be good for both of us."
"I …" Summer stammered. She hadn't been expecting this particular request. "You know, I kind of feel like I'd just be dragging you down. I couldn't be there and not think about what it was supposed to be - what I was supposed to be doing."
Phyllis closed her eyes as she leaned back in the chair. She silently cursed herself for the stupidity of the suggestion. "Who you were supposed to be with," she whispered more than said, feeling the words in her own heart, even as she imagined how much it hurt her own daughter to hear them. "I'm sorry honey. I wasn't thinking. Of course you couldn't. But we will do something soon, when I get back. Just you and me, okay? Promise?"
Summer smiled, relieved her mother had finally relented. "Promise," she sighed. "Now, go, have fun and don't worry about me. I'm going to be fine. I've got a lot of people around me and I've heard from pretty reliable sources that I'm every bit your daughter, so you should know I'm made of pretty strong stuff."
The words made her smile as she loosened her grip on the phone and felt a little of the tension leave her shoulders. "That you are," she said quietly. "Summer," she breathed, sensing the phone call was coming to an end, "I just want you to know that as bad as this feels right now, and I know it feels horrible, it's going to pass. It's going to be hard for a while, especially to see him at work and to have to deal with him, but I got through it and so will you."
Summer drew in a deep breath. "I know, Mom." She looked across the room at Kyle who smiled knowingly at her. "I really believe things are going to get better for both of us. We're going to be just fine."
Summer placed the phone on the desk and felt a hand touch her shoulder.
"I just spoke to some of the people from the catering company," Nick said quietly. "I figure we can wrap some of this stuff up and send it over to the homeless shelter. There's no way we'll be able to eat all of this."
"Yeah," Summer nodded. "That's a good idea. I'm sure they'll be able to use all this. That way it won't go to waste."
Nick watched his daughter carefully. "Unless you've changed your mind. It's not too late to do that, you know. Jack and I could get on the phone, make a few calls. We could have a wedding ready to go in a matter of hours and then we could use this food exactly the way it was intended."
"Uh huh," Summer narrowed her eyes and smiled slightly. "I'm your daughter, you know. You're supposed to protect me. Do you have any idea what Mom would do to me if she found out that I got married without her here? While she's on my honeymoon in Thailand? Need I remind you about the fact that she threw a fit when she wasn't invited to the wedding to Austin while she was in a coma?"
"Well, your mom is already going to be a lot to handle when she finds out what you've cooked up here. If she's already angry, what's one more sin?"
"She'll forgive me for this," Summer responded, her tone more confident than she felt. "Because once she's happy again, she won't have room for all the anger. This is what she wants anyway. She's just too stubborn to admit it."
"And if this trip still doesn't make her admit it?" Nick eyed his daughter warily.
"Then at least I'll have the wedding to offer up as a peace offering," she said with a shrug.
She'd seen her fair share of all inclusive resorts having married into families who never needed to worry about the price tags of their recreational endeavors. It took something particularly special to impress her. This place was that something. She stood outside the door and stared down at the seemingly endless crystal blue water that stretched in front of her. The beachfront villa was already completely stocked, ready and waiting for a honeymooning couple. Champagne sat chilled on the private deck and a fresh fruit spread was covered and waiting for the shaded chaise lounge. From where she stood, she could see the sun reflecting off the water of the rooftop infinity pool.
"Maam."
She looked up at the sound of the unfamiliar voice and smiled at the young attendant who gestured towards the villa. "Everything appears to be in order inside. I've placed your bags in the bedroom and there are fresh linens and towels in the bath. If you need anything, my direct line is by the phone. Someone will be available at that number 24/7 to handle whatever you need. The resort offerings and your pre-booked itinerary are printed out for you inside and waiting by your bags." He paused for a moment before asking cordially, "Will there be anything else?"
"No, I can't think of a thing." The entire situation was almost overwhelming. The idea of being here for ten days, of being catered to like this, of having no stress, no worries, it all felt a little bit foreign to her - at least given her life of late.
"If you change your mind, just call." With a quick nod, he disappeared from sight.
Phyllis stepped into the villa, the pure opulence of the place even more than she expected. She could process the pang of guilt she felt as she saw the two plush robes hanging by the steam shower. She let her thumb trace the embroidered Mrs on the lapel.
As beautiful as it was here, as relaxing and tranquil and perfect as it all seemed, everything about this place, from the chilled champagne with congratulatory chocolate covered strawberries to the plush robes and scheduled couples massage treatments, was meant to be enjoyed by a couple and she was most certainly not that. She felt a wave of sadness rush over her as she let her body fall onto the bed. With any luck, tragic love lives weren't hereditary, otherwise Summer might be in for a world of hurt.
"You still happy you went along with this?" Jack took a seat at the table across from his son. "It's gotta be depressing to just sit here and watch all these plans go up in smoke."
Kyle shook his head. "That's putting a pretty negative spin on it. Our plans aren't exactly up in smoke, Dad. We're just putting it on hold for a little bit. We're still gonna have the wedding. All the plans are still a go. They'll just be happening on a different day, that's all."
"You're assuming you'll still be alive on a different day. When Phyllis finds out what the two of you have done, I wouldn't want to be in your shoes."
"Hey, this wasn't my idea. I just agreed to it because Summer really thinks this is what her Mom needs and given the way Billy has been acting lately …" Kyle paused, stopping as he realized discussing the dynamics of the relationship between his uncle and soon to be mother in law with his father was probably not the best idea. "Sorry," he said quietly, "I didn't mean to …"
Jack raised his hand off the table. "It's alright. I got over the hump of that awkwardness a while ago. I can talk about it. The truth is, I just want them to be happy. I'm just not so sure they can find that together and I"m really not sure manipulating two of the most stubborn, head-strong people I've ever known is the best way to get them to give their relationship another chance."
"Believe me, I know," he sighed. "I tried to tell Summer that this might not be the best idea, but I don't know if you've ever tried to convince her to change her mind about anything …"
Jack couldn't help but smile. "She gets that from her mother," he sighed. "I just hope you don't have to find that out the hard way."
"I'm just gonna let Summer handle her mother," Kyle answered.
"And what? You'll handle Billy?"
Kyle shrugged. "Billy's Billy. He's getting a free trip and two weeks away from the office."
"You know why Billy wants to get away from the office, right?" Jack couldn't help but laugh softly as he watched the realization cross his son's face.
"Look," Jack continued, "Billy is every bit as stubborn as Phyllis is and right now those two are about as far apart as it gets. They hurt each other. They're angry and they're taking that anger out on each other."
"Well then isn't it a good thing that they're going to be spending some time together? Some time where they can't storm out of the office, where they have to stay and work things out?"
"Maybe," Jack admitted, "but you're forgetting who we're talking about here. They could work things out or they could just spend the next ten days getting even angrier and then, when they get back, they'll take that anger out on all of us."
A light breeze lifted the hair off her face as she followed the painted sky back to the villa. The sun was setting now and, as relaxed as she felt watching the waves wash onto the sand, the intoxicating aroma of the outdoor grill drew her back towards the resort.
She'd stop by the villa long enough to change into dry clothes and then she'd go find out what smelled so incredibly delicious. She glanced down into her bag, letting her hand search for the key card. Without the ever fading sunlight, she might have missed the shadow that passed across the inside wall. Her entire body went rigid. Logically, it could be the attendant, she thought to herself, as she tried to search her mind for his name.
"Who's there?" she called out haltingly, her steps slowing as she crossed the threshold of the building. "This is a private …" She stopped short as the shadowy figure stilled, the face finally coming into view. "What the hell?" she stammered. "What are you doing here?"
Billy crossed his arms and glared at her stunned expression. "What am I doing here?" he spat, "I think the better question is, what are you doing here?"
