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“You need something, Leela?” He asks, drying his hands on a towel before tossing it onto the table near the grill.
“Giana. Evan said she could grab me a shirt. I’m starting on the dinner shift.”
He glances toward the back door. “She went out to smoke.” His gaze meets mine again, then he turns and strides toward the door. “Come on.”
I follow him to the gift shop, and he scans the shelves of shirts. He pulls down a purple tank top and hands it to me, his eyes drifting lingeringly on my body. “I took a guess.”
“You’re not wrong. I have a theme.”
“I know.” He glances toward the dining room, then back at me. “Shirts come out of your first check. Evan will want you to grab a few more after your first service, and he’ll discount them. But if you wait until Carolyn’s here, she’ll give them to you for free.”
“Thanks for the tip.” I turn toward the double doors to leave.
“Leela,” he says after me, and I turn back to face him. I hate that I’m answering to that. “Welcome to the shit show.”
I can’t help the amused smile that finds my lips. I nod and walk out.
The lobbyof the Sunrise Motel is busy as I step inside, with guests wandering between the pool and the Motel’s small cafe space for sandwiches and drinks. I squeeze by a group of people examining the coupon wall, deciding what attractions to attend, and approach the front counter.
“Hey,” Raven says, glancing up from behind a pile of paperwork on the desk. “How did your interview go?”
“I start at three,” I reply, shoving my hands into my pockets. “So… good, I guess?”
“Congrats. It’s not a bad job. The Jacobsons are quirky, but you’ll get used to it. We have a good team.” The phone starts to ring, and she raises a hand to stop me. “Hold on a sec,” she says,disappearing into the back office. When she greets the caller, I carefully peer over the front of the desk and pull a dry-erase marker free from a cup of writing utensils. I slide it into my pocket just as she hangs the phone back up.
“Sorry about that,” she says. “Did you need something?”
I shake my head. “No, I was just stopping through to say hi. I’ll catch up with you later.”
The loud thundering of a passing helicopter echoes through the halls of the motel. I follow the sound as it soars by, watching as it curves down the beach along the line of the land. By the colors and shape, I know it’s the Coast Guard. Still searching.
I glance back at Raven, her face softening as she chews her bottom lip. When the helicopter is out of sight, she returns her attention to me, takes a breath, and settles into her desk chair.
“They’re looking for her, aren’t they?” I ask, nodding at the beach. “That girl who went missing?”
Raven nods. “It’s been steady since early Saturday morning. I wonder how long they’ll search before they give up?”
I shrug. “I hope they don’t stop until they find her,” I answer honestly. “Did you know her? She worked at the Sandbar, right?”
Raven nods again. “Yeah. She started in April. Really fit in with everyone. Surfed. Hung out after work. Came to our shows. I liked her. When Evan brought her on at Aurora, I was skeptical because it’s really fast-paced, but she could handle herself. I don’t know, I just can’t believe all of this.”
“What happened?” I dare to ask. “That night when she went missing? Were you working? Did you talk to her?”
She shakes her head. “I spoke with her that morning, but I only worked first shift. I didn’t notice anythingoff. She had a bubbly personality, happy and optimistic, one that you can’t help but smile around. That day was no different. She was excited about the nightclub. Excited to spend time with Evan. We had plans to hit the beach on Sunday. She was supposed to be helping Mia with some videography stuff for the band. I never saw this coming. It’s like a bad dream,” she explains, glancing back at the beach.
I look away before she can see the emotion on my face. It’s hard to miss her, and even harder to pretend like it’s not destroying me. “I’m sorry,” I tell her after a moment, when I’ve pulled myself silently back together. “That you lost her. She sounded like a good friend.”
Raven nods. “Yeah. There was something about her that clicked with me. I don’t really mesh well with many women, but we had a lot of similar interests. And she was an awesome artist. Check this out,” she says, sliding out of her chair and walking over to her backpack lying on the back counter.
She pulls out a sheet of paper, and hands it to me. I scan over the image, hand drawn, pen and ink, of a woman with dark hair and an electric guitar, singing on a stage. Behind her is a drummer, a bass player, and a pianist. The crowd is packed, with spotlights crossed in the background. The words across the top read ‘Jupiter Crash’, with concert details along the bottom. I recognize the artistry right away as Paige’s.
“She did this?” I question.
“Yeah. I asked her to make us a flyer for the concert tomorrow night. She was mad talented.”
I meet her gaze. “Hold on… Are you Jupiter Crash?”
A smile lifts at her lips, and she takes the flyer back from me, placing it on the counter and pointing at the lead singer. “I’m this one.”Her finger moves across the page. “Ryan on bass. Nick on drums. Steph on piano. If you haven’t met Ryan and Nick yet, you will. They also work at the Sandbar. Steph is Ryan’s girlfriend.”
