Page 18 of Paradise Found
“Hi, Axel. This is Oleanna’s aunt.”
“Where is she?” he asked brusquely.
“So she… she didn’t tell you she was leaving this morning?”
“Where is she?” he repeated in a whisper. Anything louder and she would hear his annoyance.
What kind of game were they playing? It was a simple fucking question.
“She went back home, Axel.”
“You mean she doesn’t live here? Why wouldn’t she tell me that?” he growled because now he wasn’t annoyed. He was confused. And nothing pissed him off more than being confused.
“I don’t know,” the woman said softly, as if she was just as baffled. And then she cleared her throat and, with more authority, declared, “But if she had her reasons for not telling you, I’m sorry I can’t betray her decision.”
Her decision?Her decision to leave without saying goodbye. No, that can’t be right.
“Wait a minute,” he blurted. “Reasons? We’re together—” he began to say before stopping himself. “I mean we’ve spent time together. She…”
“Axel, I’m sorry. Is there anything we can bring you to make your stay more comfortable?”
“No,” he mumbled. “No, I... um, no.” When he hung up the phone, he pressed his head against the wall.
Was he in some kind of twilight zone? Without a note or a call, there was nothing to explain why the woman of his dreams disappeared into thin air.
Except for her shell bracelet left on the nightstand and the pictures he took of her during yesterday’s sunset, there was no evidence of their time together.
Both Eleanor and Greg brought baked goods in what seemed like a peace offering. Or a pity party, it was hard to tell. Prompting them yielded nothing. He would have begged, if there was any indication it would work.
All they could confirm was that Oleanna hadn’t lived in Hawaii for years. However, because she never disclosed where she permanently resided, neither would they.
He stayed for two more agonizing days, thinking she might show up. To say what?
Surprise! Just wanting to check if you’d miss me!And fuck, did he ever.
Her laughter echoed in his mind, her scent lingered on the sheets, her taste owned his tongue, and her beauty haunted his dreams.
Hopeful anticipation made him restless until something beyond confusion lodged deep in his belly.
Resentment.
Anger.
Actual physical pain more acute than his back spasms.
How dare she act like the most incredible experience of his life meant so little to her?
That’s when he packed his luggage, left a note instructing them to keep his payment for the two weeks, and drove to the airport where he would catch the next flight home.
He didn’t put on any sunscreen, because fuck it.
Fuckall of it.
“Yes, Mrs. Smith, we’re ready for your daughter’s birthday party,” Oleanna said into the phone, appeasing a customer who was worried about the fifty guests expected to attend her six-year-old’s celebration.
Oleanna hung up and updated their schedule. She also reviewed other contracts for the month and audited their inventory. She was the jack-of-all-trades in her family’s business, doing everything from marketing to staffing when she wasn’t part of a cleaning crew.
She had kept herself as busy as possible since returning from Hawaii five weeks ago. The longer her hours on the job, the less likely her thoughts would stray to the man who kissed her lovingly and held her tight.
