Bargain Chances Are

The warm sun on my face and the sound of crashing waves in the background were enough to lift part of the heavy load I'd been carrying lately. Just a few more steps to a stress-free weekend, I thought to myself as I took a deep breath of salty sea air and walked into the main lobby of the hotel I'd booked for the next couple of days. The tall white columns and royal blue carpeting directed me toward the reception area, where a long, dark-haired lady about my age waved me over to check-in.

The thought of going on a vacation alone never sounded appealing to me. Still, when my older sister Lydia shared the bargain she came across, it was hard to pass up. I needed it, too. The past couple of months after my break up with Mick was rough - especially since we still had to see each other at the office. Lydia suggested a little sun and relaxation may be the best way to help me reset.

 "Okay, looks like you're all set for your king-sized bedroom suite, Ms. Bianca Jones." Jane, the receptionist, handed my credit card and license back to me. "Here is your key card with the room number printed on the bottom." I nodded in acknowledgment. "And it seems your bunkmate has already arrived." 

The pleasant smile on my face slowly slid into slack-jawed surprise. "My what now?"

 "Bunkmate," Jane smiled back at me without a hint of concern. "The person sharing the suite with you as read in the fine print of the agreement you digitally signed when you booked the hotel." She pointed to a fine print section on a copy of the agreement with my e-signature just below.

My eyes blinked rapidly while I tried to process what Jane said.

I read over the agreement, and sure enough, much to my dismay, I read I'd be splitting the cost and sharing a hotel suite with another person. How, as a Legal Proofreader, had I missed this vital piece of information when booking my getaway? I partially blamed Lydia for pushing me into something I wasn't entirely ready to do. Ultimately, I knew it was my fault.

 "Yep, there it is," I said with a defeated sigh. "Are there any other rooms available? I'll just take another."

Jane shook her head. "Sorry, there's a technology convention this weekend. The whole city is booked."

Of course, it was, I thought to myself. "Okay, well, I can't share a bed with a stranger."

 "There's a pullout couch in the living area," Jane said, trying her best to offer a fast solution. When I didn't answer and only offered a blank, are-you-kidding-me stare, she quickly added, "He seems like a really nice guy, if that helps?"

 "It doesn't at the moment, but I guess we'll see," I said, grabbing my suitcase handle and walking away from the receptionist desk. 

At the elevators, I made my way to the fourteenth floor - which everyone knows is really the thirteenth floor - and found Suite 14B. I slid the key card I received into the card reader and pushed the door open to reveal a rather large kitchen area. I wheeled my suitcase through the kitchen and into the living room, where I noticed another suitcase sitting next to the palm tree printed couch. I peeked around the bedroom and bathroom doors off to the right of the living room. Still, I didn't see anything other than bright white sheets on the bed and a sea shell patterned shower curtain pulled back, empty.

Convinced I was alone, I left my suitcase next to the television stand. I opened the sliding glass door to the balcony that stretched out toward an ocean view. Leaving the door open behind me, I walked toward the balcony railing to take in the scenery. 

 "B?" I heard from behind me. My stomach flopped at the sound of that familiar voice. Slowly, I turned around to see Mick sitting in a chair off to the side of the balcony doorway with his cell phone in hand. He looked almost hopeful in his confusion. "What are you doing here?"

 "I'm on vacation." I lifted my arms, gesturing around me with an uneasy smile on my face. He shook his head with a hesitant smile. "You know, airplane?" I said, making an airplane motion with my hand and rolling my eyes.

Mick cleared his throat to stifle his laugh, which quickly irritated me. "I know, but how are you here? With me?"

 "First of all, I'm not here with you," I said, almost too eager to point out to him, "and second of all, I think Lydia had something to do with all of this."

The glimmer of hope in his eyes faded with my quick response, and the realization hit. "Lydia. That explains it."

 "Why? What do you know?" I cocked my head to the side and pulled my cell phone out of my back pocket, ready to dial or text, dependent on his answer. 

 "Well, as you probably know, we just won a pretty important case-"

 "Yeah, I'm well aware," I said, glowering, cutting him off. "Congratulations, by the way."

 "Yeah, thanks," Mick said, eyes down and reserved. "Well, Lydia mentioned the company policy to take some time off to relax and recharge after working on a high-profile case like this one. I wasn't completely convinced, so I checked with my Uncle David, and he urged me to take the time."

 "The perks of working for your family," I said, mumbling more to myself than speaking to Mick.

 "Lydia said she came across a really great deal for a couple day getaway, and she gave me the details."

 "This has her written all over it. She must have requested the hotel place us together."

 "Well, anyway, I'm wondering if David was in on it, too. Is Lydia going on a vacation or taking some time off, too? She worked just as hard, if not harder."

 "No, she didn't mention anything," I said with a sneer, turning away from Mick. I selected Lydia's number in my phone to dial, only to have it go straight to voicemail. I tried calling Greg, but even my brother-in-law's phone went straight to voicemail. 

 "Anything?" Mick asked. I shook my head, unable to look his way as I made my way back into the suite.

The long flight made me tired, and the surprise of seeing Mick didn't help my attitude. I didn't usually act this way; it was awkward and embarrassing. Mick was a genuine, kind guy - something I admired from the very start - and he didn't deserve this. 

Pacing from the kitchen to the living room and back again, I searched for flights home. Since it was a short vacation, I couldn't find anything within the next day or two in my price range. Frustrated, I began to type out a lengthy text to Lydia to air out my mounting anxiety.

 "Look, I can find another hotel, if that would be better," Mick said, walking into the suite.

 "Can't. There's a tech convention in the city." I dropped my arms and tossed my head back a little more dramatically than I intended before tossing my phone onto the couch. "No, you know what? We're adults; we can handle this. I'm going to the beach."

I dragged my suitcase into the bathroom and closed the door before I let my emotions get the best of me. I refused to let Mick see me in a moment of weakness, and he certainly wasn't getting a free show. Once I changed into my suit and cover-up, I wheeled my suitcase back out into the living space.

 "B, can we-"

I held my hands up to stop Mick from saying any more. "It's vacation. We're splitting the cost of the room, that's it. I'm going to the beach." I couldn't bear to say much more. I grabbed my phone and a towel and walked out the door.

That afternoon, I spent lying on the beach, soaking in the sun and trying my hardest to relax, but my mind kept drifting back to Mick. As much as I thought I progressed in healing from our break up, seeing Mick outside of work opened up old wounds. I hated the weight it bore over me and how it made me feel so unsure of myself.

Rumors I'd heard involving Gwen the Paralegal and Mick certainly didn't help anything. Whether they were true or not, I didn't have any evidence, but we had already called it quits at that point, so it wasn't technically my concern, either.

By the time I left the beach for the day, I felt unsettled. Not quite ready to go back to the suite yet, I remembered I'd seen a convenience mart a block or two down from the hotel and decided to walk there to pick up a few items. When I got back to the suite, Mick was nowhere in sight. Relief washed over me, thankful for a little more time to myself. 

I unpacked the grocery bag full of items I wouldn't have normally purchased if it weren't for an empty stomach and a heavy mind: boxed macaroni and cheese, cheez-its, strawberry fig newtons, and two bottles of wine. I popped the cork on one bottle of wine while I boiled some water for the macaroni and cheese and started to indulge. 

 "B?" I heard from behind me while I was shoveling the last spoonful of noodles into my mouth about an hour and almost an entire bottle of wine later. I turned around to see Mick standing just inside the suite's doorway, grocery bag in hand and mouth gaping open. "Are you okay?"

 "Me?" I asked mid-chew. "Absolutely. Why?" I looked down and noticed my arms were a little pink-ish but didn't seem to hurt. 

 "Your back looks like it's on fire." Mick walked toward me, carefully grabbing my macaroni and cheese bowl from me to set down on the television stand. "You should let me help you put some aloe on."

I pulled away and took a step back, backing directly into the coffee table. An unfathomable sting shot up my calves and shook my core, instantly bringing tears to my eyes as I let out a weak cry.

 "Oh, honey, come on," Mick said, gently placing his hand on the part of my arm the sunscreen managed to cover.

 "I'm not your honey," I said with a pout, stifling a sniffle. 

At that point, I couldn't tell whether my tears were from the pain of the sunburn or happiness from the endearing name. Everything seemed blurrier than it had just a moment before Mick walked in the door. 

 "Okay, let's go," he directed me into the bedroom. "Lay down on the bed, and I'll grab the aloe."

 "No tricks, mister." I pointed my finger while I backed up into the bedroom, banging the back of my arm off the doorknob. Frozen in place from the searing pain that rippled up my arm, I felt my breath hitch, and more tears trickle down my cheeks. 

Mick cringed but continued on his way to his suitcase. "Well, the wine probably wasn't the best idea considering you were out in the sun all day-"

 "Well, eating a whole box of mac and cheese probably wasn't the best idea I'd ever had, either, but that still happened," I said, interrupting him. I carefully peeled my cover-up off and continued my way toward the bed to lay down. 

I heard Mick chuckle as he made his way into the bedroom to sit next to me. "Really? The whole box? You didn't save any for me?" I heard the teasing tone of his voice and realized how much I missed him. 

Mick shook the aloe bottle and squirted a little onto my back. I arched up in surprise at how cold it felt but relaxed once he started massaging, closing my eyes.

 "Nope. Maybe Gwen the Paralegal could make you some." He stopped massaging momentarily, and I instantly regretted my loose lips. "I'm sorry." It came out almost as a whisper as I stifled the fresh tears that threatened to escape. 

Mick continued to massage, squirting more aloe on my back as he continued. "You know nothing happened with Gwen." I blew a raspberry in response. "No, I'm serious."

 "Okay," I said, motioning that I didn't care. 

 "No, I'm completely serious," Mick said, stopping again. "She wanted something to happen, but it didn't because I love you."

 My eyes popped open, unsure I heard him correctly. I sat up and scooted away from him, steeling my face when my eyes met his. "What?" Mick's eyes fell, and his cheeks pinked at his admission.

 "B, nothing happened because, believe it or not, I love you," Mick said while he fiddled with the cap on the aloe bottle. He only glanced up at me briefly when he said those three magic words we never mentioned before.

I stood up before saying something else I regretted and walked out to the balcony, grabbing my glass of wine along the way. I took a nice, long swallow of wine before I turned around, eyes blazing, ready to storm back inside to give Mick a piece of my mind when I almost ran directly into him. 

 "I made a mistake," Mick said, steadying me. "We made a mistake."

 "I didn't do anything. I saw a man who was invested in his work. I understood and supported that." I took a deep breath and stepped back from him. "But what am I supposed to do when that same man is obviously disinterested and tells me it would be better if we broke up?"

  "I wasn't disinterested," Mick said with a heavy sigh. "Can we talk about this inside? Maybe with some water instead of wine?" 

I thrust my wine glass against Mick's chest and stomp-stumbled inside to the kitchen, opening and slamming cupboards, trying to find a water glass. "If you weren't disinterested, what was it, then?" 

Mick walked over and placed a hand over the last cupboard I was about to open. "Relax, B, I'll get it." I stood back and leaned against the oven for some stability with my arms folded. "Look, it wasn't anything to do with you, and I'm sorry it came off that way." He opened the last cupboard to pull out a water glass and filled it from the tap. "I'd never been in a relationship like ours before, and admittedly, I was scared." He handed me the glass of water and leaned against the sink across from me. "I was thrilled when I was added to the case with Lydia, but I had no clue how to balance the new workload and our relationship dynamic. It just became too much all at once."

  "So, rather than talking to me about it, you just gave up?" I scoffed before taking a gulp of water. 

  "Yes, I panicked, but I quickly learned that I made a mistake."

  "So quickly, we're just now talking about it?" I narrowed my eyes at him. 

  "I've been miserable ever since we broke up. I talked to Lydia last week about it and asked how she managed to spend time with her family and still be successful at work. She said she and Greg hit some bumps in the road, but overall, it was about honesty and compromise."

  "Rocket science," I said, grumbling over my water, my eyes beginning to feel heavy-lidded. 

Mick chuckled, nervously chewing on his bottom lip. "I know, I'm sorry. Would it be too much to ask for one more try at this?" He motioned between the two of us. "Honesty and compromise, all the way. I promise."

My head began to spin and pound at the same time. "I'm really in no shape to answer that right now. I think I just need to get some sleep." I set my water down on the counter and stumbled toward the bedroom. When I got to the doorway, I turned around and said, "You get the pullout couch."

The next morning, I woke to the smell of bacon and coffee. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and ambled out of bed. Mick looked up from reading something on his phone and a plateful of bacon and pancakes at the kitchen table. He moved to stand up when he saw me, but I motioned for him to stay seated. 

I poured myself a cup of coffee and took a few small sips, still facing away from him. Silence lingered in the air while I mulled over what I wanted to say to him. After processing everything he told me last night, I had a hard time fully forgiving him. Still, I also found myself having a hard time accepting the idea of letting him go.

I turned around and sat at the kitchen table next to him. "Hi," I said.

  "Morning," he said hesitantly, looking me over, trying to get a sense of what kind of mood he was about to encounter.

  "I'm Bianca," I offered my hand for a handshake, "but most people call me B." Mick looked at me quizzically but took my hand in his and slowly shook it. "If we're going to do anything, it's starting over. Fresh. Which means you're going to have to really impress me because the last guy I dated let me down, so my expectations are much higher."

Mick's shoulders relaxed, and he tried to stifle a grin as the realization I was giving him another chance finally dawned on him. "I'm Michael. My friends call me Mick, but you can call me all yours."

  "Yikes. Strike one." I cringed with a playful laugh. "This is not looking good for you, Michael."