Love In The Empire State

Chapter 2 - Tristan

December 24th - 3:30 pm

The guys and I, a boisterous pack of three, arrive at the Aurora Valley Resort which we collectively own at around 3:30 pm on this beautiful Friday evening. We are instantly recognized and given the key cards to the Masters’ Lounge amidst a whirlwind of inside jokes and booming laughter

As the concierge hauls our bags toward our rooms, I lag behind, a dark cloud hanging over my usual benign disposition.

"Dude, what's with the long face?" Jake, the instigator of the trip, slaps me on the back. "Oh, let me guess. You have a s**t ton of work to do and you’ll rather not be here."

“Well, as it happens, Jacob," I respond to him in a most sarcastic manner which I know will annoy him, “I do have a lot of work indeed and I'm not too pleased about being here.”

“Come on Man,” Will chimes in. “Even I wasn't happy about this at first but I can tell you now that I'm sold. What's the matter, man? Can't take a few days off to relax and catch your breath? We're finally at paradise, and you look like you just ate a box of lemons.”

I sigh, forcing a smile. "Alright, alright. What have you guys got planned?"

“That's more like it, man. And you know how it is for us, we have a pretty good itinerary. You won't regret being here with us for a single moment."

"Okay, first things first though. I got some work stuff I need to catch up on before we hit the bar tonight.”

The others exchange skeptical glances. “Seriously, man? You are making the rest of us feel so unserious. " Jake retorts

"It's nothing much honestly, I just need to answer a few emails, really," I mumble, avoiding eye contact. Internally, I’m stewing. I'm supposed to be working on my pitch for the acquisition and this vacation is already throwing a wrench in my plans.

I just know I’m going to be so behind schedule because these guys are going to tire me out with their adventurous spirit that I’ll be too tired to do anything but hit the hay when I get back to my room.

Will and Jake boisterously discuss the plans they’ve made for us for the evening beginning with an all-you-can-eat buffet service that would leave us groaning with pleasure. Honestly, I’m beginning to see the appeal of the whole situation and if I wasn't so engrossed with my work, I would enjoy it too..

With a final wave and promise to catch up with them later, I retreat to my room, and boy is it everything and more than I hoped it would be. Very cozy. Very nice, indeed.

I get to work immediately checking and responding to emails and making phone calls to instruct my assistant to handle things properly while I'm away. I also attend a couple of conference calls with a few of my business associates, my lawyer, and a real estate agent.

10:45 PM

I do not even realize that I’ve been working for so long until my alarm rings informing me that it's time to take my flu medication. Shoot, I missed dinner with the guys and I know they’ll be really pissed but I guess I could always tell them in the morning that I fell asleep.

I decide to take a shower, raid the mini bar afterward, and then go straight to bed because I'm sure Jake, ever the enthusiast, has some crazy idea for how we’re going to spend our day tomorrow.

The lukewarm shower does very little to wash away my frustration. I toss my wet towel aside, a sinking feeling hitting me like a rogue wave as I burrow myself under the covers.

I close my eyes and start to drift off for a bit when it hits me. I turn on the light and as true as the miserable sensation I feel in the depths of my stomach, my laptop has gone missing. Panic claws at my throat. This really cannot be happening.

I frantically search every nook and cranny of the room, my heart pounding a frantic rhythm against my ribs. Gone. My laptop with all of that previous information, with all my work on it, has vanished.

Almost immediately fury replaces panic. Had some opportunistic thief snuck in while I was showering? Or is someone trying to play some huge prank on me? In which case, I would advise the person to quit. This is really not funny at all.

Determined to find someone on whom to unleash my pent-up frustration, I storm down to the lobby. The laughter and loud but indecipherable conversations of guests, mingling with the festive Christmas carols playing overhead are beginning to get on my nerves.

I turn off my charm and put on my serious look as I march towards the receptionist, a young woman with bright red lipstick and a smile plastered on her face that seems to annoy me rather than make me call.

"Excuse me," I bark, my voice tight with anger.

Her smile falters slightly, but she remains professional, a dance I assume she’s done a thousand and one times. “Of course, sir. How can I help you?"

I take a deep breath, trying to control my rising temper. "My laptop. It's gone. Stolen from my room."

The receptionist's eyes widen. "Stolen? Are you sure, sir? Did you check all your bags? Perhaps you left it…"

"I checked everywhere!" I snap. "It was there when I went to shower, and now it's gone! Don't you have security in this place?"

A thunderous bout of laughter, melodic but misplaced, drifts towards us. I whip my head around to see a sizable crowd gathered around a woman in a garish hand-knitted Christmas sweater, a harp propped against her like a shield. The woman is beaming at the people, handing them flyers, and talking about God knows what.

I scowl. How can she look so happy, so excited.?I feel very weary about people who have a generally pleasant disposition towards life. I can't put my hands on it but I just know they can't be trusted and look at her, it's like she just stepped out of a Christmas novel. She couldn't be more infuriating. I shake my head, annoyance replacing my anger.

“What the hell is happening over there," I ask the receptionist.

“Oh, that? That sir, is Katherine Jessup. She’s the residential ‘Miss-does-it-all’ and she's trying to get the guests to sign up and come support the kids of the town at some Christmas fair or something.”

"Why's she using the lobby then? Can't she go do this somewhere else?”

“Oh, but she has, she has already been around town and gotten everyone to sign up. She's just here to try and lure the out-of-towners too.”

“She sounds real committed," I say, my silly attempt at dry humor, making me feel lightheaded.

The woman, oblivious to my scorn, continues her performance, her voice clear and surprisingly beautiful. I, however, am unaffected by her enthusiastic spirit and I turn back to the receptionist, my voice lower but no less firm.

"Look, I need someone from security to investigate this. My laptop has my entire work schedule on it, and I’m fairly certain it didn't just grow wings and disappear from my room.”

" Okay, sir. You need to calm down. I think what we're going to do is review the CCTV footage outside your room to check if anyone other than you had been inside.”

“That would be very much appreciated. Thank you." I say to her as I join her behind the reception desk and we go through the tapes with an unvarnished concentration. “Could you not make it go any faster? At this rate, we’re going to be here for ages."

She speeds it up and I don't see anything suspicious happening until a few minutes later.

“Stop. I think we have our thief. Could you zoom in any closer?” She does and what I see nearly knocks me out of my breath.

It's Jake. Oh, it makes so much sense now. It's a prank. Well, one that I particularly do not find very funny at all. I say as I thank her and begin heading back across the lobby to go find my friends and confront them for stressing me like that.

I'm on my phone trying to text the guys and not paying attention to where I'm going, barely registering the people around me. Suddenly, I collide with someone, the woman who was singing Carols earlier, sending her sprawling to the ground as she talks flat on her bottom.

"Hey, watch it, asshole!" she snaps, but I'm too distracted by her mesmerizing blue eyes to offer any help. By the time I regain my composure, I offer her my hand but she won't take it. She just looks at me like I've grown a second head with a frown that burns really brightly and gets up on her own while ignoring kt outstretched hand.

I just scowl, shake my head, and walk away, completely absorbed in the unexpected encounter.