“Phew, that was a rush.”Bev wiped her brow and held her hand up for a high five.
I slapped it gleefully, feeling electrified from such a busy morning. It was the first night of the season the lodge was at full occupancy. It was thrilling to see the lobby abuzz with so many people.
The past few days had been a blur of nonstop activities. Giles and Johnny had already painted the lounge and the existing chairs. Bev had helped me place the art I bought. The table had arrived yesterday. Erin was already tinkering around in the kitchen, coming up with a simple menu.
“Did you hear how many guests asked about the new lounge?” I asked excitedly.
“I have ears. How could I not hear? That fresh paint really draws your eye right to the lounge when you walk in.”
“It looks so good,” I agreed.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I ignored it, scrolling through the computer’s list of reservations to see how many guests we had left to check in.
My phone continued to buzz relentlessly so I finally reached for it to see what the big emergency was.
Frankie: OMG!!!
Frankie: PICK UP YOUR PHONE NOW!
Frankie: Did you know?
Frankie: Mattie!!
My stomach sank.
Mattie: What are you talking about?
The next message was just a picture of Garrett and Nadine in a field. He was sitting behind her with two hands on her stomach. She was looking lovingly back at him and holding a picture of a sonogram up to the camera.
The blood drained from my face as I stared at it.
Frankie: Did you know she was pregnant!?! I can’t believe this! WTF. Is that why they got engaged two seconds after you broke up?
I was still staring at the photo. At Garrett’s smile. At how genuinely happy they both looked. I had been trying to pretend like this wasn’t real. Like what Garrett had revealed to me wasn’t true. Now that was impossible. It was plastered all over the internet for the world to see and revel in their bliss. I couldn’t hide from this anymore.
A lump formed in my throat and my eyes started to burn.
Shit, I could not cry here.
I squeezed my eyes shut and took a deep breath through my nose and out my mouth, trying desperately to remain composed.
“You, okay?” I peeked through one eye to see Giles staring at me. Concern flooded his eyes.
“Of course.” I plastered on the best fake smile I could muster.
He searched my face, clearly not convinced of my show. My eyes were glassy from trying to hold back tears. I blinked a few times and pretended to look something up on the computer.
“So, what brings you in?” I asked in a cheery voice.
“Um, Johnny finished the sign. The neon one for behind the bar? I figured we could show you and put it up.”
“That’s fantastic.” Bev clapped her hands excitedly.
“How exciting,” I said, still not making eye contact.
Usually, distracting myself with conversation was enough to compose myself, but these tears roared at the back of my eyes and threatened to explode.
“It’s in the lounge already.” He grabbed my arm across the desk. The gentle touch of his hand just made me want to lose it more. “Come see it. You too, Bev.”
