Page 1 of Thanks for the Memories
Chapter One
Ifan my face with my hand. It might possibly be one of the hottest days I’ve experienced since moving to Florida. And just when I thought we were in the clear and the nice weather was on its way! To make matters worse, I now have to worry about hurricane Joanna spinning around out in the Atlantic Ocean. Perhaps she wanted to show up fashionably late since it’s technically fall and hurricane season is supposed to be dying down. Fall in Florida is unpredictable; you never know what you’re going to get. Admittedly I’m a bit freaked out by this pending storm, being that this is my first official hurricane season. Not to mention the fact that it/she has the same name as my grandmother which is a bit of a red flag. Grandma Joanna was a force to be reckoned with too.
As soon as I step into my office, a blast of cold air hits me like I’m walking through a wind tunnel. I was starting to sweat just walking from my car to the building, and now I’ll be freezing in a manner of seconds. Granted, our building is like a deep freezer, which is why I keep one of the heavy sweaters I brought down from Chicago at my desk. Humidity and pending hurricanes aside, I love Miami. Sometimes I wonder why it took me so long to relocate down here. I still remember the first conversation I had with my sister Kennedy after she made the move.
I can still recall every detail like it was yesterday.
“Reagan Elizabeth, while you’re shoveling snow in the single digits, I’ll be strolling along the beach with the ocean breeze blowing through my hair. Jealous?” Her usual bossy older sister tone was in full effect that day.
Needless to say, after the fifth blizzard of the winter I packed my bags and left the Windy City. I was long overdue to spread my wings and, as my grandmother would say, show the world what I’m made of.
Of course, I hear the whole "I was right" and "I told you so" almost daily. And she was right. Although I still haven’t told her that, and I don’t plan on it anytime soon.
She was kind enough to let me stay with her until I got settled, and I’m grateful for that. I lived with her and her new husband for about six months until I couldn’t take it anymore. Being in the same house with newlyweds is something I wouldn’t recommend, especially when you’re single.
Thankfully, I’ve found a new home with two great roommates. And it’s been so easy, I have no doubt that we were meant to come together.
“Good morning, Blondie.”
I turn around to see my co-worker Jeremy holding his phone in one hand and a massive chocolate donut in the other.
“Did you go to the Donut Giant again?” I ask. “Is it the third time this week?”
“Fourth,” he says nonchalantly. “I went on Sunday too.”
I giggle. “I thought you wanted to try Pilates and to eat better?”
“I do, but that excludes donuts.”
I shake my head as I set my coffee down on my desk and take my bag off my shoulder. Jeremy leans casually against the wall.
“Listen, Blondie, if I can eat donuts four days a week and still have these abs, I’m doing it. Go ahead and run your hands across my stomach. These babies are solid.”
I roll my eyes. But the truth is, his abs are damn impressive. Shortly after I joined the marketing and events team at Miami Luxury Hotels (or MLH for short), we had a corporate party at the Fontainebleau, and Jeremy without a shirt on is … well, let’s just say the daily donuts haven’t caught up to him yet. I still don’t give him the satisfaction of touching his abs, even though I kind of want to. I mean, I’m only human.
“Have you seen Carl yet?” I ask. We could talk about Jeremy’s abs all day, so I take the opportunity to change the subject.
“Nope, he went with his son to the college drop-off this morning.”
Oh yes, I totally forgot about that. Carl is our boss, and everyone adores him. He reminds me so much of my father, I’ve often wondered if they could be long lost brothers or something. Even my sister agreed when she met him.
I’ve been working in the hotel industry for as long as I can remember. My father was the regional manager for an upscale hotel chain in the Northeast. I fell in love with the hospitality and tourism industry at a young age. Our family often traveled and visited new hotels while my dad was working. This was another huge selling point when I was making the decision to move. It didn’t take me long to find this job, and so far, I have no complaints. My main focus is on marketing, and I work closely with Jeremy.
“So, any plans for the weekend?” he asks. Thankfully he’s abandoned the request that I run my hands over his rock-hard abs, for now.
I sigh. “Not really, unless the hurricane decides to come for us.”
The corner of his mouth curls up to a smile, and his brown eyes light up. Jeremy is really handsome, and he’s single. When we first started working together I thought about setting him up with my roommate Lila, but then I got worried that if things went south it would make both my home and professional life messy.
“Have you ever experienced a hurricane?” he asks.
I shake my head. “Nope. Not many tropical disturbances hit Chicago. But those nor’easters are pretty brutal when they finally make their way to the Midwest.”
He nods. “Are you freaking out?”
“A little,” I lie.
I’m actually freaking out a lot.
