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“Are you staying with us this evening, ma’am?”
Nodding, I handed him my keys as I turned and opened the back door and grabbed my two bags.
“Allow me, ma’am,” the bellhop said as he took the bags from my hands. Following him into the hotel, I took a deep breath of ocean air. I was exhausted from driving and when it started snowing, I knew I had better find a place to stay and fast.
Making my way up to the front desk, I attempted to put on a smile. “Good afternoon. Welcome to the Nantucket Hotel and Resort. Do you have a reservation with us?”
Nodding, I pulled out my wallet and handed her my driver’s license as well as the American Express card my parents had given me a few months back. I swore I would never use it, but now I didn’t care. I knew my father’s company would pay the bill each month and never think twice about it.
The hotel clerk was typing away on her computer when she finally smiled. “Mrs. Banks. There you are.”
Giving her a weak smile, I said, “Ms. Banks.”
“Excuse me, I’ll make that correction right now. Have you stayed with us before, Ms. Banks?”
My stomach felt sick as I thought back to Trey asking me where I wanted to go on our honeymoon.
“Nantucket! I’ve always wanted to go there,” I said with a smile.
Laughing, Trey shook his head. “Nantucket? Hell, Harmony. We can go there anytime. Let’s go somewhere good. I mean, if my parents are footing the bill, let’s go all out. You know, once the baby is born we won’t be doing anything. We’ll be tied down with working and going to school.”
Shrugging my shoulders, I said, “I guess so. Where do you want to go?”
Trey picked me up and spun around. “Cancún! I’ve already had my father’s secretary make all the travel plans. I can’t wait to see you in a bathing suit.”
Forcing a smile, I wrapped my arms around Trey and buried my face in his neck.
“Cancún sounds perfect,” I said.
“Ms. Banks?”
Shaking my head to clear away the memory, I let out a small chuckle. “Sorry, daydreaming. Um, no, I’ve never stayed here before. I’ve never been to Nantucket.”
Giving me a polite smile, she looked back down at the screen. “Oh, I see you’ll be staying in our Point Suite room. And it looks like you’re here for at least a month.”
Glancing up at me, she waited for my response. “Yes. Until I can figure out some things, I’ll be here for a bit.”
“Well, Christmas on Nantucket is beautiful.”
My heart broke at the thought of not spending Christmas with Preston. “I’m looking forward to it.”
After collecting a bit more information, the front desk clerk handed back my license and credit card. Handing me the key card to my room, she gave me some additional instructions for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Glancing around the hotel lobby, I smiled at all the Christmas decorations. My heart instantly hurt when I thought of Christmas without TJ.
Following the bellhop to the elevator, I forced myself to breathe in and out. Once I was in my room, I tipped him and shut the door. Walking into the room, I took a look around. The room was large, with a small kitchen to my right and a king-sized bed to my left. In front of me was a small sitting and dining area. Beyond that were French doors that led to a balcony.
I opened the curtains to reveal a gorgeous view of the ocean. It didn’t take long for my legs to give out and for me to fall to the floor in a jumbled, crying mess. Lying there, I buried my face in my hands and whispered his name, over and over.
“Preston.”
—
Rolling over, my eyes adjusted to the small amount of light coming through the crack in the curtains. I sat up and threw my legs over the side of the bed and stretched. I had pretty much stayed in my room for the last two days, and I hadn’t stepped outside once. Today was my first Christmas alone.
No watching TJ rip open his presents, or Jake trying to guess what I got him. I closed my eyes and wondered if Preston had found the wrapped gifts in the hall closet.
Glancing down at my phone, I picked it up as I got up and headed for the kitchen. Grabbing the jar of Nutella and a spoon, I dragged in a deep breath as I looked down at my phone. I had turned it off the morning I left Boston. Chewing on my lower lip, I debated if I should turn it on. Letting out a sigh, I turned it on and watched as it booted up.
Sucking in a deep breath, I saw I had over a hundred text messages. As I opened them up, tears formed in my eyes when I saw seventy-three of them were from Preston. Twenty were from my brother and six were from Anne.
