Page 24 of Rayna's Daddy

“Thank you for everything.” I sniffled.

“You’re welcome, Rayn Drop.” He kissed the top of my head, released me and left.

I finish unpacking. My jacket, two dresses and two pairs of jeans took up an inch of space in the massive closet. The other door in the room led to an ensuite bathroom. The light illuminated the room when I stepped inside automatically.Fancy.The white tile made me want to find my sunglasses. The light bounced off every service. The white-tiled floors continued into the shower stall and up the walls separated the rest of the room by a sliding glass door. Even the hardware in the bathroom was white. The only item in the room to break up the white was the huge mirror over the vanity and sink. I place my toiletries along the white marble vanity, arranging them neatly against the mirror.

The dark circles under my eyes made me pause. Why was I so tired? Maybe it was the drugs in my system. Kyler was right, but I hadn’t taken a nap since I was a toddler. I walked back into the bedroom and took in my surroundings. The bed looked inviting, with its mountain of accent pillows in different shades of blue and green. The fluffy white duvet cover felt like a cloud. I climbed into the queen size bed and flopped on my back. The shades were drawn on the floor-to-ceiling window to my right. A television was mounted on the wall in front of me. A small white corner desk sat to my left.

I grabbed the piece of paper off the nightstand and programmed his number into my phone. Sending him my grandmother’s information.

Rayna: Here’s my grandmother’s address and phone number. Thanks again.

He responded right away.

Kyler: You are welcome.

I giggle and plug my phone in the charger and dialed my grandmother.

She answered after four rings. I could picture her asleep on her brown leather recliner in front of the television in her small apartment.

“Rayna.” Her deep voice felt like home.

“Hi Nama.” The name I called her as a kid stuck.

“Rayn!” She turned the television down. “Is that you? I’ve been worried sick about you. You were supposed to call me when you arrived.”

“I know.” I covered my head with the comforter. “I’m sorry. We’ve been going non-stop since we landed.”

“So.” She paused. “How is it? You staying in one of them fancy hotels.”

“Yeah.” At least that part wasn’t a lie. “It’s beautiful and big. Lots of interesting people.”

“And, what will you be doing?” She coughed. I waited for her to settle.

“Housekeeping and some work in the kitchen.” Apparently, my bed making skills weren’t up to par since someone came in and made it again after I’d left. And, I don’t see myself doing much cooking. I hated lying to my grandma. Maybe I’d offer to make Kyler dinner as a thank you and then it won’t be a lie.

“Well, that’s going to be some hard work.” I pictured her beautiful face with the wrinkles near her eyes she hated, but I loved.

“I know, but nothing I’m not used to.” I shrugged.

“Yeah, you worked in that small restaurant that was lucky to get a hundred people at dinner service.” She coughed. “They feed thousands of people at a time at those big casinos.”

“Nama, when’s the last time you were in a casino?” I smile.

“Oh, it’s been years, but I watched the show Las Vegas.” She chuckled. “It takes a lot to run those places.”

Where some people used google to learn about stuff, my grandmother's search engine is late night television. She retained every single bit of information she could from those shows. The Law and Order franchise was her favorite. She said trying to figure out those mysteries kept her brain sharp. She’s the one who got me into spy movies. Her favorite was James Bond. I introduced her to Naruto and now she can’t get enough.

“You just be careful.” She coughed again. “The casinos are riddled with mobsters.”

“Yeah, in the 1970’s, maybe.” I scoffed.

“Don’t sass me, young lady.”

“I’ll be careful.” I nodded.

“You see that you are.” She sighed.

“I will. Got to go.” Tears pooled in my eyes. “I’ll call you next week.”

---