Chapter 5

I had moved into my condo and asked Lindsey to help me decorate, which she and Beth were all too happy to do. I have to say it was homey and comfortable. I heard through Brian that they dragged the court case out for nine months, before Barbara lost. The driver that had hit Caleb and Greer, had only started fixing his records and driving past his limit. His past record books, that were brought in were completely in order. It was only after his wife had left him, that he began fixing his book, which did not give Connor and Son's trucking a red flag. To them his book looked as normal as all the others, so the judge ruled they had no way of knowing he was falsifying his book. With all that behind me I decided maybe Beth was right I should just go on a vacation.

One Sunday night at home, I opened a bottle of wine and sat down on my over stuffed couch with my laptop in front of me. I started thinking of Beth's urging to go to that spa island, that one of our clients owned. I pulled up the website and sipped my wine as I scrolled through. "A questionnaire are they serious?" I scoff to myself. I sit at the edge of the couch and set my wine class down on the coffee table next to my laptop and click on it, what's the harm. First few questions are basic, name, date of birth, gender, interested in men or women or both, any allergies including food, detergent, lotion, etc.. By question four it's dives deeper, Any significant loss within the last five year? I click yes and the next question, Reason for loss: Death, breakup of long term relationship, terminal illness….etc. "Wow," I say out loud as I wonder what services they provide to anyone who's been diagnosed with a long term illness. I click death and another question pops up, "Please list relationship to deceased," it reads with a blank line underneath. I type in husband and daughter with a bite, I take a sip of wine and almost close the browser. The next question, "How long ago?" The pain stung and I swished the wine from one side of my mouth to the other and typed in, 1.5 years. I click next now ready to completely shut this down but not sure of what I would do after if I did. The next question was, "Any history of medical conditions we should know about, and it gave a list. I checked no on all, I'm a pretty healthy person. Any history of STI/STD? No. How many sexual partners have you had? I furrowed my brow I don't think this is legal to ask, well they have a skip button so these are obviously optional. That's how they got around that. I have no shame, Caleb was the only guy I had been with so I type one. Next question was about fetishes, I put none. I paused, no I really didn't have one particular one, I was open to just about anything. A few more pages asking about food and beverage preferences and it asked, my religion. I paused, I didn't really think religion had anything to do with a spa day so I skipped it. Next it asked when I would be planning my visit I just picked May since my birthday was in May. They gave me three options for stays, 1, 3, and 6, months. Why were the stays so long? I shrugged and click 1 month, another screen popped up asking if I wanted to add an extend anytime clause to my contract. Wow they really thought highly of themselves. I clicked yes and it took me to a payment page, I clicked the promo button like Beth suggested and there it was. Beth had explained in the promo section there was a button that read friends and family. I clicked it and it asked for my involvement, I typed in the law firms name, not really sure I wanted anyone to know I was there. Instantly it went back to the payment page with a massive discount. It was only going to coast me $2,000 for a month long stay with an extend anytime clause. I put in my credit card info and went ahead and booked it. What was my alternative? Throw my own party or hear from my parents that I should've come home. This way I can tell them I'm going on a spa vacation and that's the end of the conversation. I think I've got enough vacation time saved up for this. I check my email for a confirmation or receipt and got plane tickets for a privet plane. This was very weird.

The next few weeks I work and come home. I put in for the time off but I told everyone I'm going back to see my parents for my birthday. Beth corners me the Friday before my vacation starts, "I know you're not going to see your parents," she states sitting in my office. "How do you know?" I asked. "You just confirmed it, but I knew you didn't want to spend your birthday in that small town," she replies sitting back in the chair pleased with herself. "So where are you going?" She asked. "Ok, don't tell anyone. I'm going to that island spa you suggested," I answered once the door was shut. "I knew it, but why did you take so long off?" She questioned. "Four weeks was the shortest amount of time they had," I explained. "Really?" She asked. "Yeah, and I had to fill out a questionnaire," I told her. "Wow, this place is really uppity," she said. "Well, I put you down as my emergency contact if anything goes wrong," I told her. We sat for a minute, "Has anyone else from here been there?" I asked. "Yeah, I over heard Mr. Holloway's secretary say he goes every other year. He's the whole reason they give all of us a discount," she explained. I begin to wonder what I've gotten myself into.

I went home that night and packed up a few bags, they did say there would be shopping on the island, so I didn't want to bring to much, incase I find a lot of cute stuff. I didn't sleep well that night, about one in the morning I gave up and tried to find anything I could on Zandar Island Spa. Unfortunately everything just leads back to their website fulled of pictures of sandy beaches, relaxed couples, pools, fitness rooms, couples drinking and dancing. I was a single and I was hoping this wasn't going to be more geared toward couples.

It was finally eight am on Saturday and a privet car showed up to take me to the tarmac. I boarded the plan, I saw a two women neither of whom I knew. I sat in my spacious seat that was a plush and soft leather. "Would you like a beverage Miss Clark?" The stewardess asked. "Sure, um," I paused thinking. "Oh we already know your favorite drinks, from the questionnaire you filled out," she reminded me. I nodded and she brought me a glass of peach tea, and by the taste of it there was whiskey in it, it wasn't bad actually she had a pretty good ratio, enough tea to tame the taste of whiskey but enough whiskey to bite back. It was a rather long flight so I paced myself, I did not want to show up for a spa vacation drunk, unlike one of the other women on the plane who were completely wasted when we landed, like college girl on spring break. We walked off the plane and onto a tarmac that looked as if it was hidden in the amazon jungle. There were cars to take us to the hotel, which looked more like a mansion when we pulled up. It was smaller than normal hotels which made me wonder how were we all going to have rooms here? It was a beautiful white stone victorian building that was lit up in the evening sunset. It wasn't to hot here, there was a cool gentle breeze caressing my skin with perfumed air of the ocean and Jasmin. I stop for a minute and closed my eyes breathing in the fresh air, before continuing on into the great building. We stopped in the foyer between two large curved marble stair cases with black iron decorative railings.

A dark haired woman wearing a tied together strapless white dress walked out from behind one of the staircases and stood in the center of the five of us women, she seemed as if she were glowing. "Hello my lovelies," she greeted her voice soft but thick with some sort of accent, I couldn't place. "I am Madam Yasmin Zandar, welcome," she said with a bow of her head. "Over the next few days I want you to be out and around, the staff will assist you with anything you need. Over the next week we will focus on rejuvenating your mind and getting you relaxed for the next three weeks," She explained. My mind was swirling with questions, first one, What was going to happen in the last 3 weeks? She clapped her hands and suddenly men came into the foyer, "Take them to their rooms, get cleaned up dressed and come down for dinner. I will explain more then," she finished with a nod and walked away. The men who appeared each took one woman and her luggage, a young man approached me and picked up my bags, "Miss Clark, I can show you to your room," he said. I nodded and followed, maybe it was wrong to go back to my maiden name, maybe to soon, but I didn't want to hear anyone call me Mrs. Rivers.

He lead me up one of the stairs and down a hall to the right. The marble had continued all the way up the stairs, and down the hall way with cream colored rug running down the middle. Three women went to the right with their luggage, while me and another lady were escorted to the left. The bedrooms on the far wall so rooms had the view of the ocean. The walls were a mocha cream color, with the doorways being a dark brown stained wood. We stopped in front of double doors and he opened them, the floors were now a dark bamboo the walls stark white, the bedroom area was sunken down and doors to the balcony were open with the breeze coming in. Plants all around with balcony area inside and out gave me privacy. "If there's anything else you need I'll be just outside the door waiting to take you to dinner," he said bowed and left me alone. I felt like I could breath better here, maybe it was the air, maybe it was the fact that no one here knew who I was or what happened to me. I walked into the bathroom which was as big with a separate big soaking tub and walk in shower with a bench. The closet was attach and bigger than I needed. I put my things away quickly and got in the shower. There were so many different shower settings, I chose rain and quickly washed the travel off my body. I loosely curled my hair and pulled out a backless dark blue and white polka dot fitted short summer dress. I put on a little natural make up and blue heels and walked out the door. The man was standing guard just like he said, he offered his arm, I took it as he escorted me downstairs and out to a pool area, "Cocktail hour will be here," he explained and let me go. I walked out a little farther and a woman gave me a drink, it was pale purple with a lemon floating on the ice, "What is this?" I asked. "Lavender Lemonade, an evening drink," she smiled nodding her head and walking away. The pool area was beautiful, acid washed concrete gave it a marble look. The pool opened to a view of a white sand beach, I was standing there taking in the beautiful vista when I felt someone next to me. I turned to see a perfectly built blond man, his blond hair fixed ever so perfect, his white shirt unbuttoned a bit, too perfect. I turned back to enjoy the view, "Enjoying yourself miss?" He asked. I smiled, "Beautiful place," I replied. "Miss Clark," a deep voice asked from the other side. I turned he was tall, asian with tousled thick black hair, in a black shirt with the buttons unbuttoned into a v-neck cotton shirt and black pants. He had a beard coming in, and piercing brown eyes that felt like they were staring into my soul. My breathing hitched and I hadn't noticed the other man had taken off. He smiled as if he had won, "My name is Juan Shin, but you may call me Jack," he said in his deep voice that seemed like music to my ears. I shook his hand, "You can call me Whitney," I squeaked out.

Another man approached, "Miss Clark," he said. "Hmm," I said tearing my eyes away. "Do you need a refill?" He asked. "Oh, um no I think I'm ok thank you," I said.

"So Whitney, what brings you here," he said cocking his head slightly to the right.

"Well, a friend suggested I get away for my birthday," I explained. "That was stupid," I thought.

"It's your birthday?" He asked.

"Um not today, in two weeks," I said blushing.

"We will have to have a celebration," he told me.

"I dunno about that, I don't really do much," I explained. "WHY WHY are you being such an idiot," I beat myself up in my head.