Chapter 10

Bethany

They wrapped up the decorating after a few hours of moving quickly and following Erica's vision to the smallest detail. The room looked incredible, the vision of it bringing tears to Bethany's eyes. She moved toward the door and stepped out into the hall, wiping her face and walking in to take it all in once more.

"Looks good?" Erica called to her.

"I've honestly never seen anything so breathtaking. Great job to all of you."

Bethany's mom walked over and pulled her into a tight hug. "Thank you, baby. There's only a little clean up left to do. Go grab you a magazine and hit the beach. Enjoy yourself, and I'll come find you in a little bit."

"You sure?" Bethany squeezed her mom tightly once more and moved back.

"Yes. Go. I'll watch out for Matthew. I know he's a little nervous around Erica."

"Can you blame him? The woman's a beast."

Her mom chuckled and shook her head before walking back toward the rest of the crowd who seemed eager to keep going. Bethany let out a soft sound of appreciation and turned, slipping out into the hall and walking slowly back to her room.

She closed her eyes and imagined Damon's hand in hers; his strong fingers wrapped tightly around hers. Every part of her wanted him to be there. She swallowed down her emotions, labeling herself as silly and picked up the pace toward her room.

Stopping in front of the room, she glanced down the hall to where Matt's room was, trying to think through how she was going to have a night alone with Damon with Erica in her room and Matt in his. It would make the most sense just to have them switch for that night, but where Erica might be comfortable with it, Matt would probably stain his nice slacks.

Bethany chuckled and pushed the door to the room open, moving in and pulling her bikini out. It was hot pink and had a few ruffles, which wasn't her style, but it accentuated the best parts of her and hid the rest. She changed into it and pulled her sundress back over her head. Grabbing a towel, she stopped by the front door and glanced toward her handbag where the magazine was. Nothing good would come of reading up on Bridget. It would only make her feel less worthy of Damon, and Matt was right. The girl could make you see whatever she wanted to simply because it was an article and not a real life encounter.

Would Bethany want to run into her in real life? No. She had seen her a few times and wasn't interested in seeing her again. Was Bridget a client of Damon's? Surely not. Probably so.

Making a split-second decision, she reached into the bag and pulled the magazine out, tucking it under her shoulder and slipping out in the tropical heat. The beach was just a left turn and out of the side of the building. She moved onto the white sand and glanced up and down the long strip of sand, only a few people laying out or resting.

Bethany let out a squeal of joy as the warm wind blew across her again, the sights and smells ushering in peace. She walked to the edge of the water, dipping her toes in and shivering. The water was far too cold to get into, but something told her that the minute Matt showed up, they would be swimming or fighting back waves like two ten-year-olds.

She laid her towel out and slipped out of her flip-flops before getting comfortable on her stomach. She wouldn't stay too long in case she burned, but an hour or so in the sun would do her good. Pulling the magazine out, she did the exact thing she promised Matt she wouldn't do - she flipped to the article on Bridget.

Miss America Teen. Check.

Works with the poor and homeless. Check.

Makes a ton of money through sponsorship. Check.

Heir to a large hotel conglomerate. Check.

No husband or love interest. Check.

She read the article word for word, the message of how great the girl was only causing her to feel more and more like shit. She closed it and chucked it in the sand next to her before pressing her forehead to her arms.

Why in the world would Damon and her not be together? She was drop-dead beautiful and seemed to have everything going for her.

Matt mentioned she was a bitch, but it was hard to picture a bitch working with the homeless and feeding the poor. Bethany let out a long sigh and tried to think about something else. Why had she bought the damn magazine in the first place? She had enough demons to slay where Damon was concerned and didn't need to add a hot blond to the mix.

She glanced up as someone approached, the sound of singing preceding them. Her mother.

"Hey, baby. Aunt Patty is going to be in later tonight. Something about her flight being delayed. You mind company?"

"Not at all. I can sit up and share my towel." Bethany started to move, but her mother sat down in the sand next to her.

"I'm good just like this." She stretched her legs out, her sundress covering far too much skin. Bethany reached over and yanked it up a little as her mom swatted at her hand.

"I had a cool moment at the airport with Kent." Bethany glanced at her mom before tugging her sunglasses off her head and slipping them onto her face.

"Oh yeah? Tell me what happened."

"He just told me that we're both a blessing to him and that he's not Dad. He promised to never hurt either of us, and he told me to love him enough to come talk to him if I felt like he was slipping on those promises."

Bethany's mom lifted her hand to her face and let out a soft cry. Bethany reached over and rubbed her mom's leg, the years of pain and agony having been a common sharing between them for so long.

"I'm so glad you found him, Mom," Bethany whispered and removed her hand from her mom. She reached out and took the magazine and tossed it behind her, not wanting to watch Bridget smiling up at her any longer.

"Me too." Bethany's mother sniffled once before reaching behind them. "Who is this?"

She held the magazine up and turned it to Bethany.

"It's Damon's ex. I've seen her around the last few weeks, but finding out that she was, or is, a model is a little deflating."

"Why? What she does has very little to do with who she is as a person."

"Yeah, I guess, but she's insanely pretty." Bethany pressed her forehead back to her hands, not wanting to dive any deeper in the self-pity pool that hovered just before her.

"You're much prettier, and I'll point out the obvious for you too... Damon is with you. Not her."

"That's true." Bethany closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the water crashing along the shore. "I wish he were here. I swear just being together has turned me into a basket-case. I hate that I need him to constantly be positive and validating all the time. I'm trying to figure out how to just let him be himself. It's driving me crazy."

"It's all part of the growing process baby. A relationship doesn't develop overnight, and neither does trust nor comfort. You have to continue to work together to dissolve both of your worries and insecurities. Love has the power to do that, but it takes time to develop too."

The touch of her mother's hand brushing along her back caused her to relax. She was right. They just needed time and a lack of drama. Bethany mumbled 'thanks' and let herself drift into a daydream, Damon the center of it and his need for her insatiable.

***

She glanced up a little while later to find the beach empty beside her. Her mother must have gone back in at some point. Sitting up, she brushed the sand from her shoulders before moving to pack her stuff up. The sun had started to set, so it must have been getting close to dinner time. She finished putting her stuff in her bag and tugged it over her shoulder, grateful that she didn't feel the pain of being burnt.

She walked back toward the hotel as Matt walked toward her, his face set in a grimace. Either something was wrong, or Erica had cornered him. The former of the two seeming more likely.

"There you are. Shit. I've been looking everywhere for you." Matt stopped in front of her.

She walked past him, motioning for him to join her. "Let's walk and talk. I need a quick shower before dinner and have had enough sun for one day."

"Yeah, sure. I was in the bar, getting one of those fruity drinks you love, you know, in honor of you, and guess who the fuck I saw."

"In honor of me, huh?" Bethany rolled her eyes at him and stopped outside of her room, turning to pin him with her stare. "Who did you see?"

He reached around her and plucked the magazine from her bag, holding it up and pointing to the pretty model on the front. "Bridget. She's here with her sister’s bachelorette party. I could honestly throw up all of the coconut milk and mashed bananas I just consumed to take the rum down smoothly to my belly."

"You're shitting me." Bethany reached out and took the magazine back, shoving it back in her bag. "Please tell me you're kidding."

"I wish I were. I need to tell Damon, just to prepare him. He can't stand this chick."

Bethany nodded, not able to do much more. She reached out and patted Matt on the chest, trying to keep her emotions on lockdown.

"Tell him I said hi if you talk to him. I'll see you at dinner, and we can talk more." She winked and turned, opening her door and slipping inside. A quick shower and she would be on her way to dinner. It would be a long hour of pretending like everything was fine because she damn sure wasn't going to let on that she felt any intimidation at all.

The girl was only a model, an heiress, a saint. What was there to be intimidated by?