CHAPTER 2 – ROUGH LANDING

Lisbon still could not believe that she had let Jane talk her into letting him come to her brother's wedding. She watched as Jane started grabbing their suitcases off the luggage belt. She'd tried to find relevant arguments as to why it was a bad idea, but ultimately, Jane expertly diffused them. In the end, she accepted her faith and conceded that this might be good for their relationship. It would allow her to talk to him about her leaving for D.C. Their plane had been detoured due to weather and had only landed 40 minutes ago… a full 5 hours behind schedule. Now with luggage in hand, they were heading for the hotel shuttle. Jane seemed happy to be joining her on this trip and kept referring to it as an adventure. To her, it felt more like a lamb heading to a slaughterhouse.

When they arrived at the hotel another 2 hours later, it was dark and way past normal check-in time. The clerk was all smiles when she announced that she'd given Teresa's room to another visitor.

"I don't understand. I made that booking weeks ago. Why did you give my room away?" Lisbon asked, her voice getting high pitched.

"Sorry, madam. But it says on the booking that you have to call ahead if you're going to be late to arrive," said the clerk again with a smile. I guess she was taught to deliver all bad news with a smile.

"Okay – so why does he have a room?" Teresa asked pointing at Jane. "He didn't call either."

The clerk just continued to smile and said, "I'm sorry madam. There's nothing I can do. This is a very popular resort and we don't have any more available rooms. Would you like me to call other hotels nearby to see if they have a room for you?"

"I need to stay here. My brother is getting married here! Get me your manager," said Lisbon in her no-nonsense cop voice.

Jane intervened before a poor manager would have to handle Lisbon in this state. Jane leaned on the counter and shimmed himself between Lisbon and the clerk.

"Teresa… you can stay with me. I have a big room…" – he turned to the clerk for confirmation. – "right, Paloma?"

"Oh yes, sir. Your room is very big and very nice," said the clerk.

"Jane! I'm not staying in your room," said Lisbon testily.

"C'mon partner. How bad can it be?" said Jane with a wink and a soft punch to her upper shoulder. "It's a big room… I can sleep on the sofa just like when we're in the bullpen. And you know me… I'm a gentleman, my word is my bond… your virtue will remain intact," Jane said as he made a crisscross sign over his heart with a big smile.

She hated it when he disarmed her like that. He made her seem like she was being unreasonable and at the same time, he was right. Jane wasn't about to make a move on her – that she knew. This whole 'vacation' was already a mess. This was just one more thing to add to the pile. She didn't say anything… she just nodded her agreement. Jane asked for a second key for Lisbon and they headed off in search of their room with the bellhop.

The stars were visible when they were escorted to a golf cart with their luggage. This resort was huge, and they needed a lift to get to their location. Lisbon had never been to a resort of any kind in her entire life. Everything was an unexpected new experience. It took a good 15 minutes to navigate the softly lit paths through all the hotel buildings and the main square. Visitors were out strolling and enjoying the beautiful evening. Suddenly she realized that the buildings were disappearing from view and they were heading towards what appeared to be huge huts overhanging the ocean's edge.

"Uhm… Jane? What's going on? Where are we going?" asked Lisbon.

Jane leaned in and whispered so the bellhop wouldn't hear. "My reservation was last minute. This was all that was available. They're expensive, so not always rented."

Well, that explains why Jane's booking wasn't given to someone else. Nobody could afford it without prior planning.

"How can you afford this Jane?" asked Lisbon gawking at him.

"Oh, c'mon Lisbon. You know me… I picked up a little card game. Not a big deal," Jane said wickedly.

Lisbon could not believe her eyes when she walked into the 'hut'. It was stunning. It may look rustic on the outside, but inside it had all the luxuries of a 5-star hotel.

"Oh my god! Jane! Look at this! There's a glass floor and you can see the ocean!" Teresa was amazed. She'd never seen anything like this. "There's a pool attached to the room!"

Jane watched her go around the room in amazement. He had no idea what he had reserved when he made the booking, but he was counting his lucky stars that it was making Teresa so happy. Jane tipped the bellhop and closed the door.

"So, I guess you like it, huh?" said Jane chuckling.

"How can anyone not like this… I've never seen anything like this," she said with awe in her eyes.

Jane started looking around the room as well and was admiring the view from the glass floor that was lit up for the evening when Lisbon called him over to her side. Jane walked back to where she was, and she indicated for him to turn around and face the room.

"There's no sofa," she said.

Jane's eyes wandered around the room and came to the same conclusion. The room was beautifully decorated, but upon closer inspection, he realized that it was set-up for a couple's getaway. There was a little settee bench, a large lounge chair that seemed big enough for two to sit and a large king-size bed. The balcony opened to the ocean and a set of stairs that led to a small swimming pool. But, no sofa in sight.

"I'll call reception and get a cot. Problem solved!" said Jane and he saw Teresa relax with that statement.

Teresa disappeared in the bathroom to take a shower and to get ready for bed. She was thankful for the reprieve. She'd panicked when she couldn't see a sofa in the room. The thought of having to share a bed with Jane had made her feel uncomfortably anxious. She looked at the time on her phone, it was almost midnight and she was exhausted from the day of travel. She kept looking at her bra and wondering if she should put it on for modesty's sake with her pajamas, knowing it would bother her all night to sleep with it. She put her sleep shirt and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her nipples were poking through the flimsy material, she'd have to wear her bra, dammit.

Teresa walked out of the bathroom looking at her phone – she had two missed calls from Marcus from when she was in the shower. "Jane, I'm just going out on the balcony to call Marcus-" she looked up and found a frustrated Jane on the room phone.

"I'm on hold," said Jane rolling his eyes.

Teresa called Marcus but got his voicemail instead. The warm ocean breeze was blowing on her skin and hair and she closed her eyes enjoying the sensation. Maybe this would be a good vacation after all. She was starting to see the appeal. She got up and went back inside, feeling ready to slip under crisp and cool hotel sheets.

Jane watched as Teresa came back in with a peaceful look on her face. She looked happy. Unfortunately, it wouldn't last.

"Umm… bad news," said Jane running his hand through his hair. "There's no more cots."

'Oh' was all Teresa was able to say. She could tell that Jane felt bad and she realized that she was being ridiculous about the whole sharing a bed thing. It was a king-sized bed, more than enough room for both of them without even coming into contact. And… Jane was doing all this to help her. Decided, she gave Jane a big smile.

"You know what… it's all good. We can share the bed. Lots of room, right?"

Jane's face lit up with relief and he smiled back at her with a nod.

"All done in the bathroom?" asked Jane. Teresa nodded and watched him disappear inside.