CHAPTER 3

Lea, along with Julie, Shira and Maggie has one of the suites for themselves while the boys; Ryan, Andy and Sam have the other. As the ladies were nearing their suite room, "This is the beginning of your end," Julie devilishly uttered while staring at Lea.

"Hold your horses! I thought we wouldn't talk about it? Didn't we agree that we would only have fun on this trip?" Lea complained.

"I'd have to say Lea's right. You should be fined for it," Maggie added with a wink. "I mean, this is our last vacation before Lea's big day, Shira's venture into their family business and…" Her eyes glared at Julie.

"And what?" Julie interrupted.

Instead of answering Julie, they just burst in laughter. As strange as Julie's approach with men, her fine reputation in school was impeccable, and her genius type of grades was usually in high demand. Surely, she already has a work waiting for her after their vacation.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Wait up! We haven't agreed on the fine yet," Julie complained as she tried to divert back their attention to the fine instead of her. She knew that if she wouldn't avert their interest, she would be the subject for the whole morning.

Julie has a tendency to be egotistic but when it comes with Lea, Shira and Maggie, she has always wished to be in the shadow rather than the limelight. They're the kind of friends who would bombard her with series of criticism that would make her lose the appetite to be in the spotlight.

Lea placed the card on the security and was about to open the door when Julie constrained her hand from opening it. "Let's be fair. The fine should start as soon as we enter this room until we fly back to Los Angeles." Julie looked at them one by one. "If anyone would talk about it then he or she, including the boys, would pay fifty bucks. Agree?" she asked.

Everyone nodded.

"Whatever," Julie shrugged. "Fine, I guess!"

"I'll tell the boys later about it then," Shira volunteered.

"Can I open the door now?" Lea sarcastically smiled at Julie.

"Oh! I'm sorry! Go ahead." Julie released her hand.

As Lea slowly opened the door, a regal view unwrapped before their eyes. It was not what they have expected. The size alone of the room was massive which was illuminated by the stylish and inspiring colors that accentuate the clear warm days and romantic night of Myrtle Beach. Luxury and exclusivity could be seen in every corner of the suite with furnishings exacting the standard of comfort to massive windows that project the pale blue-greens of the water and sky.

"Wow!" Julie shockingly expressed.

"What a view!" Shira coolly seconded as she pointed at the magnificent sea view through the large windows that allowed the natural light into the suite and added the sense of space of the room.

It wasn't as if they haven't been to luxurious suite hotels before. MTL Palace was in fact the fifth hotel they have lodged since the start of the year. They have enjoyed the sunny beach of Caribbean, visited the archaic structures of Rome, gone close with nature in Hawaii, and fed some Kangaroos in Australia. They have been fulfilling their plan to travel many places before embarking on a new life as young professionals. It's some sort of one last adventure, as they realized that a new life would soon overtake them. They understood the level of difficulty ones they would embrace the careers waiting for them.

Surely, such adventures would hurt the pocket of an individual. However, Lea, Julie and the rest of the group could easily afford to travel lavishly since most of them actually came from wealthy families. Their parents have been in different industries related with film and photography just like Julie and Lea's parents who are the co-owners of LALIVE, a television network in Los Angeles. Both ladies have been friends since their childhood as they were brought by their parents in one of their meetings or appointments.

It was actually Lea who suggested to the group that the last station of their adventure would be in Myrtle Beach, taking in consideration that most of them were beach lovers and music enthusiasts. Of course, Lea had another motive why it should be Myrtle Beach. It was quite selfish of her but she didn't want others to find out about it. She thought that it would be a test of heaven's blessing on her part if she would be able to achieve her desire. She wanted to take a leap of fate in finding a person that she promised to find one day since the only information she had was the code name of the person and the location, Myrtle Beach. She didn't want others to know about it since they would surely make fuss over it.

Selecting the Palace as their place to stay in was a group decision. After everyone agreed that Myrtle would be the place, Julie immediately browsed the Internet for available hotels in Myrtle. With more than four hundred hotels to choose from, they narrowed their option according to the distance of the hotel with the venue for the Carolina County Music Festival and other tourist attractions in Myrtle Beach.

The MTL Palace was the only hotel that offered all what they wanted in their checklist. It has one of the most premier views in the North Ocean Boulevard of Myrtle Beach. The owners of MTL have taken a lot of considerations into where their Palace should stand. Would it be in the South Ocean Boulevard where it's nearer to the Old Air Force Base or to the North Ocean Boulevard? The decision came down to Theresa who insisted that it would be at the North. Timely, she was on target since the location of the hotel that they have renovated has the spectacular sunset city view and a beautiful vista onto the sparkling Atlantic Ocean. Their guests would surely love exploring the Myrtle Beach area's natural side and discovering the picturesque South Carolina landscape.

There are also tons of attractions that their guests would surely be entertained aside from abundant sunshine and paradise-like beach. Their guests are only few minutes away from one of the local water parks and many amusement parks for a thrilling roller coaster ride. The North Ocean Boulevard also offers some of the popular water sports, from thrilling banana boat rides to jet skiing to parasailing. And if their guests wanted to walk around and shop, they could always go to Market Common, leading location for sparkling shops and restaurants in Myrtle Beach.

As the ladies were exploring the suite, "Are you sure we're on the right room?" Maggie asked, as she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Well, you have to thank me for complaining at the lobby," Julie boasted as her face lit up. "It was all because of me."

"What? Thank you? You're making a scandal there," Lea complained.

"That's the point. Because of my loud mouth, that hot man gave us these wonderful rooms."

Lea sat on the couch, "Really? And please, don't say hot. He's a family man for heaven's sake," she reminded.

"So what if he's married? He's still hot with great body and with his dark wavy hair matched with light blue eyes completed with his fashionable stubble. Plus, he's got an absolutely killer sense of style," Julie narrated.

"Oh! I saw him looking at our table at the restaurant," Shari shared.

"I know why! He was looking at me. My fallen angel was staring at my beauty!" Julie imaginatively expressed.

"Oh come on!" Maggie said, making a motion as if brushing away a fly and the rest of the ladies complained as well.

"Whatever," Julie said again, dismissing the scolding. "Whatever" had always been Julie's favorite word.

Awhile back at the restaurant, Landon couldn't resist gazing at Lea in utter silence. The way she laughs, the way she smiles, the way she moves her long, shiny and perfect hair behind her ears reminded Landon of Theresa. He knew it wasn't Theresa but he couldn't help himself see Theresa in Lea. There were moments when their gaze met each other and it felt awkward for both of them.

"Are you alright?" Abby curiously asked.

Not wanting Abby to see what he was staring at, Landon said, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"I was planning to talk with Marco about the tomorrow's event. Unfortunately, he said he was on a business meeting. He asked me to talk with you instead."

"Is this about the flowers?" Landon asked.

"Partly yes."

Landon took a sip of his coffee. "Any other options then?"

"I asked the couple and they have agreed that instead of white Ecuadorean roses for the table and top table arrangements, and for the pedestal arrangements, it would be white roses, open cut calla lilies, peonies, star of Bethlehem, delphinium, larkspur, hydrangea, and snapdragon. The problem is that it's way above their budget."

"It was a mistake on our part. The hotel would give it as complimentary to the bride and groom. However, are they available at Enrico's shop?"

"They are. I have just asked him on my way here. The bride and groom would be glad for your generosity."

"You know how it is with the hotel. Theresa started it. We want our guests to be smiling when they leave the Palace."

"That's why I was confident that you would shoulder the cost of the flowers." She smiled at him.

Abby has been partnering with the Palace with her work as event planner. Staging weddings and other events has always given her the comfort from unexpected happenings or miscalculation from her part. She has worked closely with Theresa on similar situations. She knew that the management has imbibed the mentality instilled by Theresa on giving complimentary when things turned out not what they have expected. Knowing Landon, Abby knew that he would do the same as Theresa did before.

"By the way, I changed one of your rooms for tomorrow's event into a King's suite." He took another sip of his coffee.

Abby squinted at Landon, "What! You serious about this? Is that not too much for a complimentary to the bride and groom?"

Abby frequently prefers to work with events that has tight budget. She loves the thrill where she can help others fulfill their dream of having successfully hosting an event or having the best wedding they can have. She may have earned less from them and requires more effort from her but the invaluable gratitude and smiles from people she was able to help gave her strength to do more. She was actually recruited to work for a well known and respect event planner company after she was once interviewed by a local morning show in South Carolina but she declined the offer. She couldn't leave Myrtle Beach at all. Marco and Landon have persuasively tried to convince her that joining such company would only be temporary and after gaining a stable name for herself for around three years, she could come back but there was just something in Myrtle that she couldn't just leave behind.

"It's a complicated situation." He looked at the table where Julie and Lea were. "Can you see that group of guests at the table near the door? The front desk made an accidental mistake with their booking. I gave them one of your suites instead."

Still staring at the guest, "That is why you're giving my clients the King's room?" Abby conformingly asked.

Landon just smiled knowing that Abby got his point.

"We're like them before, carefree and adventurous. It was just like yesterday when we've just graduated from different colleges and wanting to travel to different places," Abby expressed.

"You were still with that guy. What was his name again? Tim?" Landon sarcastically smiled.

"It's Tom. And please, let me be in peace by not reminding me of him." Abby and Landon doubled in laughter after reminiscing the past.

Whenever Marco, Abby and Landon see each other and started recalling the past, the topic of Abby's former boyfriend would always be brought out. It was a way of teasing Abby for her mistakes coming from her principle of loving. Abby has always been weak in terms of love. She would always give everything to her partner, from material to emotional. She believed that whenever a person loves, he or she should always give everything even though it would sting in the end.

Such principle has caused Abby dozen of heartaches and in particular the last guy she was with, Tom. He fooled her in many ways. He was already a family man and only used Abby to provide the needs of his family without telling Abby about the situation. It was through Marco and Landon that the eyes of Abby were opened on the lies that Tom has been feeding her.

Landon brushed his dark hair out of his eye and signaled one of the waiters for another cup of coffee, "Do you still need anything for your event tomorrow?" he asked.

"Nothing so far." Abby beamed. "How's Mavis?"

"He's still looking for her every night. Fortunately, Deanna has been a great help for his recovery."

"How about you? How are you doing?"

Landon's gaze moved from Abby to the window next to them. Abby could sense the tense atmosphere emanating from him. He has loved Theresa above anyone else. He has given up many for her, as most of the town folks in Myrtle knew about their love story. They have been witnesses to the kind of devotion Landon and Theresa had for each other. Moreover, they had no doubt on the sincerity both Landon and Theresa had as a person. They were well loved by many as they share their vision for people in building a local hotel and partnering with small establishments in Myrtle that benefited not only the hotel but also the local markets in Myrtle Beach.

After few seconds of companionable silence, Landon finally cleared his throat. "I'll be fine." Glancing back on the table of Lea, he noticed with disappointment that they were already gone.

Abby felt the tone of avoidance in the answer of Landon. She knew that Landon was a strong man but emotionally especially on Theresa, he would be the most stubborn man, she has known. Abby was among the few who witness the blooming of Landon's love for Theresa. She knew that Landon has been a deep shit after his lost. As a friend, she wanted to help him but knowing Landon; she doesn't need to be pushy for him to open up. It may take some time but she was positive that Landon himself would come to her or to Marco and open his self for an advice.

Back at the suite, "Didn't you see the woman he was with? I think it's his wife. They looked good together," Lea commented.

"Oh please! I'm way better than her," Julie complained.

"Would you just shut your mouth Julie? They gave us these wonderful rooms. At the very least, let's not criticize them," Shira stared at Julie.

Suddenly, they heard someone knocking on the door.

"Maybe it's the boys. I'll get it. You better start unpacking. We'll go out in a bit and start our last adventure," Lea reminded.

As the ladies started unpacking at their rooms, Lea opened the door. It wasn't the boys. Rather, it was one of the hotel staff.

"Good morning ma'am! I'm Anna. I was the one who made a mistake with your booking. I sincerely apologize for my mistake."

Lea smiled at her. "No worries! Besides if it weren't for your mistake, we wouldn't be at this grandiose suite," she reassured.

"If there is anything that you wanted to know, please do not hesitate to ask me."

Lea nodded.

As the hotel employee was about to leave, "Hey Anna!" Lea called out.

She stopped walking, turned toward Lea and said, "Yes ma'am?"

"Do you have any suggestion for us to explore in Myrtle?"

"We do have pamphlets at the front desk containing all the adventures and places you can visit in Myrtle. Let me just get one for you. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Lea hesitated for a moment. "May I know the name of the Chef de Cuisine of this hotel?"

"As far as I know, it's Chef Stephen Rosselle who's in-charge of the kitchen." She scratched the back of her head. "I'm sorry! I'm not familiar with the structure of the kitchen management."

Lea smiled. "It's alright! Thanks again."