Chapter One: Girls' Trip
June 1990
"I can't believe the deal you found Angela! This trip is practically free! All inclusive!" said Wendy enthusiastically as she continued to flip through the brochure.
"Yes Angela! I'm just so glad I could get time off from the hospital! Paul was able to get a few days off to watch the baby so it just worked out perfectly!" said Isabelle as she checked her purse for the third time, making sure her passport, money and plane ticket was secured.
"I know! When my new client suggested this place, I knew I just had to go! Initially I was planning on taking the family but… I figured this was better suited for a girls trip" she said, quickly trying to hide the disappointment.
"You've had enough family time lately Angela. You just took them all to Jamaica last year! I think this needs to be a time for you to focus on you and you alone…" said Wendy as she took a piece of gum out of the pack she bought at the airport newsstand.
"You're right, I know… it's just this is the first vacation I've taken without… the family. Samantha's high school graduation is in two weeks so this really is the perfect time. Tony's watching Jonathan and Mother is… who knows where. This will be so very… weird…" said Angela sadly.
"Well, we could always cancel. The plane hasn't left. Maybe Tony can pick us up… if he's not otherwise… occupied…" said Wendy with a smirk she knew would get Angela. 'Mission accomplished' she thought as she watched the sadness leave Angela's face and a renewed sense of determination take it's place.
"No! We are going and we are going to have a great time dammit! How about we start this trip off right… a drink at the bar before we leave?" she asked, although she was already up and moving before either had a chance to respond.
An hour later and a tequila sunrise each between the three of them, they were seated on the midday flight out of JFK airport to Providenciales, Turks and Caicos. Wendy was able to use Herb's frequent flyer miles to upgrade their seats to first class. All slightly tipsy from the late morning drink, they happily took the flutes of champagne from the flight attendant.
"Here's to the start of a wonderful long weekend! May we never want to come back!" laughed Wendy.
"Here's to you keeping your wedding vows Wendy…" said Isabelle as she gave Wendy a smirk.
"Here's to the two best friends I could have ever hoped for. Here's to having something special to look forward to" she said as she raised her glass, clinking them with the other two.
The flight was rather bumpy as storms were moving up the coast. By the second glass of champagne, no one seemed to notice the extra bumps. They enjoyed their complimentary fruit and cheese platters along with the inflight entertainment. Soon, they were landing at the small Caribbean airport. They were able to disembark onto the runway as they walked the short distance to the customs posts. Despite their tipsiness, they made it through customs without any issues and were soon seated on the resort shuttle, heading towards the ocean resort.
"Oh my! Look at all the beautiful buildings! The flowers are so beautiful! Reminds me a bit of Jamaica…" said Angela as the excitement left her voice as her memories of Tony flooded her mind.
"I bet this place has nothing on the dump you stayed at in Jamaica! Look at all the fringe benefits…" said Wendy as she looked at three of the handsome young workers who were waiting for them as the shuttle came to a stop.
All three ladies were happy to be helped off the van, handed a warm towel plus a glass of the hotel's specialty drink. Angela wasn't sure exactly what it was but it tasted fruity. They were escorted to the front desk where they were checked in. They had booked one of the suites with two adjoining rooms. Wendy and Isabelle offered to take one room, while giving Angela the other. Wendy made an off handed remark about the single gal needing her own bedroom before Angela and Isabelle shut her up.
"Ladies! Please follow me this way to your room!" said one of the hotel staff as he led them through the hallways of the hotel until they reached their room. He opened the door, allowing them all to step inside the room as he brought all their luggage inside.
"Wow! This place is huge! Look at that view!" shouted Wendy as she went across the room to the large glass doors that led out to the balcony.
"Have you ever seen the water that blue?" asked Isabelle as she came to stand next to Wendy.
"Never… I bet you could see your feet in that water for miles…" said Angela as she found her spot on the other side of Wendy. They stood there for a few moments taking in the view. Wendy put her arms around both of them, pulling them closer to her sides.
"Ladies… let our girls' trip begin! C'mon! Let's make the most of the remaining daylight hours and head to the pool!" said Wendy as they all smiled at one another and headed off to get ready.
Angela was the first to get ready. She had bought a few one piece suits for the trip and one bikini, which she could almost predict would be returned to the store once she got home. She had packed her oversized hat and sunglasses along with a Danielle Steel novel. Soon, they were heading down to the pool. They were able to grab towels and three chairs.
"Oh I've died and gone to heaven… there's a swim up bar! See you two later…" said Wendy as she got into the pool.
"This place is really spectacular! Look at all the marble pillars! The landscaping is just breathtaking too! I can't wait for us to head down to the beach tomorrow!" said Angela as she took in all of the beauty.
"Yes it really is beautiful! Oh, I almost forgot to call Paul and let him know we are here! Okay I'll be right back!" said Isabelle as she headed off back to the room. Angela decided to settle in on one of the deck chairs as she opened the novel up to chapter one. She was barely into the first paragraph when a voice interrupted.
"Hello miss… I was hoping you could point me towards the ocean…" said the man.
"I'm not sure, I just got here… myself…" said Angela as she looked up over her book at the voice. She had to shield her eyes from the sun to make sure an actual god wasn't standing in front of her. He stood there, easily six foot three, with dark, black wavy hair. His chest was chiseled like he was made out of the marble standing right behind him. Although his most attractive feature was his ocean blue eyes. No his smile. No his eyes, definitely his eyes she decided. Although his British accent was a close second.
"Me too actually! Just arrived about two hours ago! Just finished up some laps in the pool but I was hoping to find the beach! It looked so nice when we flew over it today. Oh my, where are my manners! My name is Alan" he said as he extended his hand towards Angela.
"Nice to meet you Alan. My name is Angela" she said as she took his hand in her own.
"Angela… I detect an American accent… possible New England?" he asked.
"Connecticut! Although I've worked in Manhattan for so many years and have, let's just say, had some more recent Brooklyn influence in my life… I feel like I don't have much of an accent!" she laughed.
"No I do detect one! I spent a good deal of time between Manhattan and Boston for work. Your accent is neither of those!" he chuckled.
"I detect a British accent… what part of England are you from?" she asked as she made quick eye contact with a spying Wendy across the pool.
"London, born and raised! I've traveled quite a bit for work though. I've been to five out of the seven continents. Australia is the last on my list… never been a fan of cold climates so I think I will pass on Antarctica!" he chuckled.
"London is lovely! My grandmother lives there actually! I have gone to visit her a few times over the years! I haven't been back since my son was born over fourteen years ago" she said.
"Oh well you should take him! Maybe you and your husband should book a trip…" he said. Did he seem sad at the thought she was married? she thought to herself.
"I'm divorced actually…" she started. She continued when she saw the spark go back in his eyes. "I'm actually here with my two best friends on a girls' trip" she said.
"That's lovely! Well, I better be going before the sunsets and I'm swimming in the dark! I… I hope to see you around Angela…" he said as he walked away, looking back over his shoulder once before heading towards the beach. She found herself glued to his one more attractive feature as he soon left her line of vision.
"Angela Bower! We aren't even here an hour yet and look at you! What a hottie! You could bounce a quarter off his…" started Wendy.
"Wendy! He just stopped to ask how to get to the beach and then we got to talking. Nothing happened…" she said as she tried to go back to her novel.
"He stopped to ask you how to get to the beach? With that huge three foot sign over there saying 'beach this way'?" she asked with a laugh. "Oh c'mon Angela! Admit it! He was checking you out and you were doing it right back! I expect to see more of him this trip!" she said.
"See more of who?" asked Isabelle as she sat down next to Angela.
"The hunk who was checking her out! Isabelle… we have a new mission for this trip and his name is… what was his name Angela?" asked Wendy.
"Alan…" she said, barely above a whisper.
"Alan! Our mission is to get Alan to join us for drinks, maybe dinner! You need some adult entertainment Angela! Maybe get some good ole vacation sex in… just put a towel on the doorknob so we know…" said Wendy with a smirk.
"Get your mind out of the gutter! There's nothing going to happen between the two of us! Guys like that don't fall for women like me…" she said sadly as she thought about the guy who had her heart all these years who obviously didn't feel the same way about her as she did about him.
"Well that one did! Trust me Angela… you give him the right signals, you'll be singing climb every mountain until we fly out of here!" laughed Wendy.
"What Wendy is trying to not so eloquently articulate is that you deserve to let loose Angela! You've been through a lot in the past month and it's time you start focusing on some self-care! You need to cut loose a little!" said Isabelle.
"See? Two against one! So get on that Angela!" laughed Wendy as Angela threw her book at her. Wendy and Isabelle headed back to the bar as Angela picked up her book and sat back down, thinking long and hard about their words.
That night, they decided to eat causal at one of the restaurants near the water. The found that many of the restaurants were buffet style but that a few were sit down and for adults only. They decided to make dinner reservations for the next few nights at those restaurants and eat causally by the beach and pool for their other meals.
When the waiter came to take their order, Angela decided to stick to an iced tea, much to Wendy's dismay. They were able to peruse the buffet tables, going back a few times and finally for dessert before ordering an after dinner drink. They decided to head down to the beach to listen to a local band singing a bunch of songs from the fifties and sixties. She couldn't help but think about Tony as they played some of their favorite songs.
After a few numbers, the band invited people to dance. Wendy dragged them both onto the dance floor for a few fast tempo songs. They were about to head back to their seats when a familiar British voice interjected.
"I see you're quite the dancer too… shall we go for a spin around the dance floor?" he asked as he offered Angela his hand. Wendy gave her such a hard shove forward that she missed his hand completely and fell right into his well-defined chest as well as onto his right foot.
"Oh I'm so sorry… I must have tripped…" she said through a forced smile as she turned to look at an innocently looking Wendy. Isabelle just grabbed Wendy and pulled her back to their table.
"That's alright! I've got another foot!" he chuckled as he led her onto the dance floor. He spun her around once before settling into a rhythm. She had to make a conscious effort to stay in the present moment and not drift to her thoughts of dancing with Tony. Alan was probably the only other man she had such a strong connection with on the dance floor.
"Do you see the way he's holding her? If this doesn't cure her of her Tony blues over that two bit tramp, nothing will!" said Wendy as she watched the two dancing.
"You do realize she's in love with Tony right? There's no amount of swooning that's going to dance that away overnight. Hopefully it's a good distraction until Tony gets his act together and comes back to her" said Isabelle.
"I know she loves him! We both saw that on her birthday so many years ago! I can vaguely remember that conversation in the car on the way home! If he doesn't watch it, Tony's gonna have a good ole conversation with the front end of my car!" shouted Wendy.
"How about we put down the third tequila sunrise and watch them dance, shall we?" said Isabelle as she took the drink out of her hands.
Angela was enjoying herself more than she thought possible. One dance turned into many as the night continued on. Finally, when the band was taking a break, Alan escorted her off the dance floor.
"I don't know about you Angela, but that made me thirsty! Can I get you a drink?" he asked.
"Yes, that would be nice. I'll come with you" she said. She had the conversation with Samantha not too long ago about never leaving your drink unattended with a stranger, even one as good looking and sweet as Alan. Soon, they were sitting in the Adirondack chairs sipping their drinks.
"Where did your friends go?" he asked as he looked around for Wendy and Isabelle.
"I saw they headed back to our hotel room a few songs ago! I think Wendy might have hit her limit with alcoholic beverages for the day!" she chuckled. They spent the next hour getting to know one another before Angela decided to turn in.
"This was a lovely night Alan… thank you…" she said as stood up to shake his hand.
"Any chance we can do this again before we leave? I've had a really nice time…" he said as he held onto her hand, rubbing her knuckles with his thumb.
"I…" she started to say as she thought about Tony. She was about to say no when she thought about everything that had happened between them with Kathleen. "Yes, I'd like that very much. How about we meet tomorrow for lunch?" she suggested.
"I'd love to! Meet me over there at that restaurant around noon" he said as he let go of her hand and headed back to his room. She stood there watching him go, surprising herself that she was actually excited.
The next morning, Angela was up early, deciding to go check out the fitness center. While she was there, she tried out their sauna and steam room. She also booked the three of them massages for later in the afternoon. Once she was back in the room and showered, the three of them headed off to breakfast.
By noon, Wendy and Isabelle had given Angela a long enough pep talk of encouragement as she headed off to meet Alan. It didn't take her long to find him waiting by the restaurant door.
"Hi Angela! I reserved a table for us overlooking the ocean" he said as the waitress led them to their table.
"Thank you! This view is absolutely spectacular! The ocean really is the most beautiful sea I've ever seen! They could really have a great advertising strategy capitalizing on all the shades of blues and greens" she said, her advertising brain starting to kick in.
"I can see the wheels turning already! I'm sure whatever you'd come up with would increase their sales threefold!" he laughed.
They spent their lunch date getting to know one another better. Angela found the ease with which their conversation flowed to be refreshing but also unnerving. By the time the lunch was over, she felt the need to excuse herself. She knew it was stupid to feel this way, especially with everything that had happened, but she felt like she was cheating on Tony.
"Thank you for a lovely afternoon but I really must be going…" she said rather abruptly as she stood up to leave.
"Is everything okay Angela? I… I thought we were having a good time…" he said, rejection in his voice.
"We were… we are! It's not you… the thing is I haven't exactly been truthful…" she said as she bit her bottom lip.
"You… you're married?" he asked as he took a step back.
"No! No… I'm not married. I'm not even in a relationship. The thing is… there is a guy who… who I work with. We've been… working together for over six years and have gotten very close. We even talked about getting married last year but… that doesn't seem to be in the cards anymore. The thing is… he still has my heart, shattered as it may be. It wouldn't be right to lead you on when I still feel like this…" she said as she quickly wiped away some fallen tears.
"Oh Angela… I'm so sorry. I didn't realize…" he said, his apology sincere.
"You couldn't have known…" she said. They sat back down as she told him about Tony, their history and of course, what happened with Kathleen. By the time she got to the dreaded study group fiasco, she was wiping away tears.
"Oh I'm so sorry Alan! You really didn't need to hear my entire sob story!" she chuckled as she composed herself.
"Angela it's okay! It sounded like you've been holding onto this pain for a while now and I'm glad you were able to get it out. Honestly, I just got out of a long term relationship and I'm not looking for anything long term either. I like spending time with you. Maybe we could just spend sometime together… as friends" he said.
"If you're okay with that… so am I…" she said as they reached towards each other, holding onto their hands.
"So you're just going to stay friends? So nothing good?" complained Wendy as they headed into the spa.
"Yes Wendy… just friends! We are going to go snorkeling tomorrow though! Who knows… it could turn into something or not, but it's just nice to feel myself again" said Angela as she checked them in. Soon, they were taken back to the changing rooms, given robes and slippers to wear.
"Hi! My name is Autumn and I will bring you to your room. The masseuse will come out and get you situated" she said as she led them into a low lit room, soft relaxing music playing in the background. Soon they were all laying face down on the tables as the workers came in.
"So where are your tension areas Miss?" asked Angela's masseuse.
"I'll give you a hint… Tony…" said Wendy as Angela felt her shoulder tense up. She even grabbed her shoulder and let out a yelp. "Start there!" laughed Wendy as all three of their massages started up. An hour later, all three of them were quite happy and relaxed as they were handed cups of water with fruit. They opted to sit in the sauna for a few minutes before getting changed to head to the beach.
"I could have a massage every day and I wouldn't get tired of it!" laughed Isabelle as they walked down by the beach.
"I second that! I feel so relaxed and content" said Angela as they found three chairs near the water's edge.
"What's not to be content about right now? We just had the most amazing massage, the ocean is the color of about fifty shades of blues and greens and that lifeguard just took off his shirt… it's paradise I tell you!" said Wendy as she took off her sunglasses to admire the latter view.
"I'm so glad we came… this trip is exactly what I needed…" said Angela as she closed her eyes, listening to the sound of the waves crashing against the shore.
Angela stopped at her front door, closing her eyes and soaking in the last bit of post-vacation relaxation before turning the key and opening the front door. Tony was sitting on the sofa folding laundry when she walked in.
"Angela! Welcome back! I wish you would've let me pick you up at the airport!" he said as he walked over to take her bags.
"It's really alright. Paul was able to come pick us up… there was no need" she said as she put down her purse.
"How was your trip? You got a real nice tan…" he said as he looked her up and down, a smile forming on his face until he remembered their current situation. His smile immediately left his face and was replaced with a shameful look.
"It was wonderful Tony! It was so nice to get away for a few days and forget about… the stresses of life and work. I'm beat though so I think I'm going to head upstairs to shower and take a nap before dinner. It's good to be home though…" she said as she headed upstairs. Tony just watched her walk away from him, wondering just how good of a time she had in Turks and Caicos.