CHAPTER THREE
THE FOLLOWING morning Randi was boisterously awakened at six-fifteen when Scott and Sandy bounced on the king-size bed. “We’re on vacation, guys,” she moaned. “You’re supposed to sleep late. Ump.” Sandy plopped on her stomach, stared down at her.
“Do they have cartoons here at Snowridge?”
“Yeah,” Scott snuggled at her side, “can we watch Tom and Jerry?”
“Why didn’t you go bounce on your grandfather?” she groaned as she reached for her robe and stumbled down the steps towards the living room. She shouldn’t have drunk all that wine last night.
Randi reached for the remote and surfed the channels. Sure enough, there was Tom and Jerry. Just like in Edmondsville. She chuckled, amazed that they always asked about the old cartoons.
She settled the boys on the sofa with their favorite blankets and thought about going back to sleep for a while but didn’t dare. Not after last night. She’d forgotten to tell Marcie about the fiasco with the Jacuzzi.
While her Dad cleaned the dinner dishes, she had let the boys bob around in the Jacuzzi. As soon as the timer stopped, she left them to play with their Avengers while she went in search of their PJ’s. She was gone only a few minutes, but in that short time, Scott and Sandy had managed to jam one of the figures in a Jacuzzi jet.
“We thought he could hide in the cave,” Sandy had said.
Her father had simply laughed and suggested that she call housekeeping this morning. “With the luck you’ve had today, one of us will do more damage if we try to fix it.”
Randi glanced at the clock on the stove while she poured water into the coffee maker. Surely no one would be there at this hour but maybe she could leave a message. Hopefully, the earlier they got the message, the earlier they could be here to fix it. And she wouldn’t have to waste the whole day waiting. She hated wasting time and was sure the boys would be raring to go somewhere after breakfast.
She dialed the number, expecting it to ring endlessly before going to voice mail and was surprised to hear a breathless male voice on the sixth ring.
“Yeah.” The voice was brusque and husky.
Randi stared at the phone and wondered if she might have dialed the wrong number. “Is this the Snowridge business office?”
Trevor recognized her voice. “Last time I checked.” He had been out for his early morning jog and detoured by the office to leave a message for Sandra, his office manager. Technically, they weren’t open yet but he decided to answer. Was glad he did.
“Oh- ah- this is unit thirty-eight. I have a slight problem with the Jacuzzi and was wondering if you could send someone to fix it.”
Trevor frowned. The Jacuzzi systems were top of the line. “What’s the problem?”
“Ah- one of the jets is jammed with an Avenger figure. I would have tried to get it out myself, but I thought it might be best to leave that job to maintenance.”
Trevor shook his head and chuckled to himself. This lady was a regular calamity.
“Hello?” Randi asked when she heard no response on the other end.
Trevor cleared his throat. “Yeah, we’ll send someone to look at it as soon as we can.” He looked at the clock on the opposite wall and calculated that he should be finished with his jog, shower and breakfast by eight-thirty. Then he had a nine o’clock appointment with one of his foremen. “It might be ten o’clock.”
“Ten o’clock,” Randi tried not to groan too loudly. “Does someone need to be here? I mean, you should have a master key to the unit. Right?”
“Somebody’s got to show him which Jacuzzi.” Trevor knew it would only be a matter of checking the different bathrooms but this way he could guarantee she would be there.
“Oh, I guess you’re right. Okay. I’ll stick around then. And thank you for taking care of this so quickly. I really hate to be a nuisance.”
“No problem. That’s what we’re here for.”
Trevor broke the connection and laughed out loud. She could be a nuisance anytime she wanted. He smiled as he left the office to resume his jog.
Randi hung the receiver on the wall and frowned. That last phrase jogged her memory. It was the second time she had heard it and decided it must be the Snowridge motto.
While the boys watched cartoons, she fixed a big breakfast of cereal, fruit, eggs, bacon and biscuits. Knowing she didn’t have to rush around or get the boys ready for school, she suddenly felt alive and full of energy.
The aroma of the coffee lured Sebastian into the kitchen just as she was putting the food on the table. “Well, well, what have we here?” He smiled, rubbed his hands together and sat at the table. The boys were already munching their cereal, their eyes glued to the TV.
“Okay kiddos,” he asked reaching for some bacon. “What do you want to do today?”
“Go swimmin’” they answered together, never once looking away from the TV.
Randi reached for some melon. “I wonder if the Club has any special activities planned? Maybe we should check their schedule of events.” She winked at her father. “And I think I saw the Water Park on the way in to the resort.”
“Water Park?” Scott dropped his spoon and stared at his mother.
“Can we go? Pleeez?” Sandy pleaded.
“It’ll depend on how well you two behave. We’ll also have to wait for the maintenance guy to look at the Jacuzzi.” She frowned at her sons. “To get Ironman out of the jets, remember.”
“You’ve already called?” Sebastian asked.
“Yeah. I took a chance and called the office. Some man answered. Said he would send someone by this morning. Let’s just hope the boys don’t do anything else in the meantime.”
“How about if I take them over to the Club and let them swim? Then you can join us after the Jacuzzi is fixed.”
Randi smiled. “Okay with me. Okay with you guys?” she asked her sons.
“Yeah!” The twins started to jump up from the table.
“Not till you finish your breakfast,” Randi laughed. “Besides, the pool isn’t even open yet!”
After breakfast, Randi took the boys on a short hike while her father researched the resort online. When it was time to go to the pool, she helped the boys change into their suits, stuffed their towels and some toys into the bag. She was reaching for a change of clothes when her father hollered from the bottom of the stairs. “Are we ready yet?”
She laughed to herself. Her father seemed almost as excited as his grandsons.
She made it a point to leave the front door ajar when she followed everyone out to the car. Sandy said his goggles were missing so Randi dashed back inside to find them. She raced back to the car and failed to hear the door close behind her.
Minutes later, she waved good-bye and promised to join them as soon as possible. As she made her way back to the unit she shivered. Spring might be here but the mornings were still cool. Maybe she’d have time for another cup of coffee before the handyman came.
She approached the door and turned the knob but it wouldn’t turn. She nudged the door, hoping it wasn’t completely closed but it wouldn’t budge. She pushed and rattled the door harder but it remained steadfast. She was locked out of the unit.
She threw her hands up in defeat. “This just can’t be happening,” she cried out in frustration. Yesterday was Friday the thirteenth, her bad luck day for this week. Today was Saturday, the first day of her vacation. She should be enjoying herself. Wanted to enjoy that second cup of coffee.
She searched her jeans pockets, hoped that the key card might still be there from last night. No such luck. She looked in the window beside the door and there it was. Next to her cell phone. Not only was she locked out but she had no way of calling anyone.
“What is the matter with me?” she thought out loud. She hadn’t been this forgetful in a long, long time. Not since she came home from the hospital with two small babies and a mountain of bills to pay. She survived then and she’d survive now.
She leaned against the door. Feeling sorry for herself wouldn’t solve anything. She needed to do something. She squared her shoulders and headed towards the parking lot. Maybe another vacationer was out and would give her a ride to the office that was two miles up a steep hill.
She found no one and after last night, she didn’t feel like another hike. She also didn’t want to have to explain her klutziness to a stranger when he arrived to fix the Jacuzzi. Even though he might have a master key, she just didn’t want to have a reputation of being an absent-minded nut. Especially if he talked to the other guy that gave her the ride to the unit.
There were three decks outside different rooms on the other side of the unit. Maybe one of the doors would be unlocked. She was pretty sure the upper deck off the boys’ room was locked because she remembered checking it when she put them to bed last night. Her father had the downstairs bedroom. Maybe he had stepped outside to enjoy the sunrise and prayed that he might have left the screen door ajar or unlocked. She jogged around, jumped over the railing and pulled on the sliding doors but they wouldn’t budge.
Randi glanced at her watch. Almost ten. Guessed she’d have to wait for the handyman after all. But what if he didn’t believe her? She could be anybody, as far as he was concerned.
She remembered having coffee with her Dad on the deck off the den and stepped away from the unit to see if the door was open. Breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that it was.
Unfortunately, this deck was higher. She studied the arrangement of decks. If she stood on the railing of the lower deck outside her Dad’s room, she might be able to reach the floor of the upper deck and pull herself up. At this point she was willing to do anything. Might even be lucky enough to get inside before the handyman arrived. She rolled up her sleeves and advanced towards the railing.
At the Club, Trevor shook hands with his foreman then sprinted across the parking lot towards his truck. Steve Green was competent and organized but he talked too much. He looked over and saw two red-headed boys entering the front of the building. Both talked at the same time to an older man that walked between them. Trevor could understand their excitement. That early morning phone call kept replaying over and over in his mind.
Finally, he was on his way to unit thirty-eight, anxious to get reacquainted with the lady of the house. She had not only detained him from his dinner last night but haunted his dreams too. His heart hummed as he recalled some of the wild fantasies.
Five minutes later Trevor parked the truck outside the unit and sprinted up the steps to the front door. He knocked, waited and frowned when no one came to the door. He distinctly remembered telling her someone would have to be there to show him which of the three Jacuzzi’s was jammed.
He started to knock again but thought he heard some noises coming from the other side of the unit. He vaulted the railing and dashed down the slight decline. Someone could be trying to break in from the wooded side. He rounded the corner and stopped in his tracks. His heart skipped a beat when he saw the woman of his dreams trying to balance herself on the lower railing while reaching for the wood beam in the floor of the upper deck.
“What the hell are you doing,” he roared. His heart skipped another beat as he watched her lose her balance. He bolted quickly and caught her in his arms just as she fell backwards.
Reeling in shock, Randi wrapped her arms around his neck, hugged him tightly. Where had he come from? And why had he hollered at her? Caused her to lose her balance?
She leaned back and stared into familiar chocolate brown eyes.
“What do you mean, what am I doing?” She wiggled, trying to get out of his arms but he held her tighter. “C’mon! If you hadn’t hollered at me, scared me, I would be on the upper deck by now.”
“There is no way you would have been able to pull yourself onto that deck. Your arms are too weak.”
“Well, we’ll never know now, will we?” She wiggled again but he simply smiled.
“You seem to be a regular damsel in distress. What happened this time?”
Since he wasn’t going to put her down, Randi slid her arms from around his neck and crossed them beneath her breasts. She planned to wait him out but quickly realized that the top button of her shirt had come unbuttoned and he was enjoying the exposed cleavage.
“This is so ridiculous,” Randi groaned. “Would you just put me down?”
“Please,” he answered. When she stared up at him in disbelief he laughed. “After I just saved your life, the least you could do is say please and thank you.”
Randi squinted her eyes up at him. “Please and thank you.”
Trevor released her legs but hugged her closely as she settled in front of him. He rather enjoyed the feel of her breasts against his chest and took his time letting her go. “That’s better. Now,” he put his hands on his hips and stared down at her. “Why were you trying to climb to that deck?”
“I locked myself out.” She stood her ground and stared up at him. “And was trying to get back inside before you got here.” Randi turned and headed towards the front door. “I hope you have a master key card or whatever you call those things because I can’t get inside.”
Trevor watched her stomp away, appreciated the long legs and sway of her hips. “It just so happens that I do,” he spoke softly to himself as he followed her.
She was waiting for him at the door and had obviously forgotten the unbuttoned shirt as she once again crossed her arms beneath her breasts. He smiled down at her as he leaned forward to unlock the door. Giving her exposed skin one last look, he pushed the door open and stepped aside for her to enter ahead of him.
Just as Randi stepped past him, something scurried across the carpet from under the table and ran into the wood box on the fireplace. She stopped, then backed into him.
Trevor had also seen the mouse and wasn’t surprised when she backed into him. Hadn’t met a woman yet that had a fondness for mice. He felt the shiver and saw that her face was chalky white. “You okay?” He whispered into her ear.
“I. Hate. Mice.” She stated flatly.
Trevor chuckled as he nudged her aside. “Wait here.”
He quietly made his way into the living room, grabbed the newspaper from the table and placed it over the top of the box. In one brisk movement, he whisked it out the door next to the fireplace, stepped across the deck and turned the contents onto the ground below. The timber scattered and the mouse ran for the woods.
When he returned to the room Randi was leaning against the door. “I just don’t understand how something so small can upset me so.”
“We all have our phobias. I’m not crazy about snakes.” He stepped towards the stairs. “Now that I’ve done my two good deeds for the day, why don’t you show me which Jacuzzi I need to fix.”
Randi started to answer him but stopped. There was something about that swagger that was awful familiar. She shook her head in confusion. Probably because of last night she thought as she followed him.
He waited for her at the top of the stairs, then followed her to the master bathroom. Squat down to check the tub and smiled up at her. “Surely a woman your age should know better than to get your action figure stuck in the jet.” She squinted down at him, opened her mouth to speak but turned and left instead.
Trevor watched her sashay out of the room and imagined those long legs wrapped around him. Flashbacks of seeing and feeling her breasts pressed against him gave his body a jolt and he doubted that he’d get any sleep again tonight. This lady most definitely affected him and he decided he just might enjoy making sure her stay at Snowridge was a memorable one.
He reached for the action figure stuck inside the opening, gently twisted and tugged until it came loose. Chuckled when he recognized Sgt. Slaughter. He didn’t know G.I. Joes were still around.
He returned downstairs and wasn’t surprised to find her gone. With her run of bad luck, he couldn’t blame her for not wanting to stick around. She obviously seemed to have a problem with keys and now action figures.
Trevor reached for a paper towel, scribbled a note about Sgt. Slaughter being the culprit and left the note and figure on the table. He added a postscript, “I’ll also pass your message along to the boss.”
He smiled. Might keep his identity a secret a little while longer.