Cherished (Wanted #4)(20)
Author: Kelly Elliott

“Holy shit! That was close. Is there a damn tropical storm coming in this late in the year?”

The wind was blowing so hard that chairs were flying down the beach.

Where in the hell did this storm come from?

I ran into my cabana and went straight to the phone. I picked it up and started telling the operator that I wanted to make a call to the U.S. I reached into my purse for the calling card I had bought.

“Jessie, please don’t do this right now. It’s Christmas Eve.”

I smiled. “All the more reason to call him.”

After I gave the operator all the information, Scott’s phone rang once and then went straight to voice mail. My hands started shaking, and I felt a lump in my throat.

Shit. Maybe I should have called my dad first.

When I heard the beep, I took a deep breath. “Scott, um…hey, it’s Jessie. I, um…I really need to talk to you. I don’t have my phone, so I’ll try to call you in a few minutes or so. I, um…I love you, Scott. I love you, and I just need to talk to you.”

I hung up the phone and then cursed. Shit! Shit! Shit! I didn’t tell him where I was. I picked up the phone again, but another bolt of lightning hit, and then all I heard was a loud crash.

Trey took the phone out of my hand and hung it up. “Come on, we need to get to the main hotel, Jessie. This storm is getting worse.”

“No! Wait! Let me just call him back and let him know where I am, Trey!”

Trey tried to pull me away, but I used all my might to yank my arm out of his hand. I picked up the phone, and it was silent.

No! Oh no! God, please don’t do this to me.

Just as I was about to tell Trey I had no dial tone, there was a knock on the door. Trey opened it, and it was one of the hotel employees.

“Miss Rhodes, Mr. Walker, I need you both to come to the main hotel.”

“What happened to the phone lines?” I asked in a panicked voice.

“They’re probably down from the storm.”

“I thought we were out of storm season!” I yelled over the increasing wind.

“It is very rare for a tropical cyclone to develop this late in the year, but it’s not unheard of.”

Trey and I both said at the same time, “What?”

“A tropical cyclone? I knew there was a tropical storm out there, but the front desk clerk said it wouldn’t develop into anything. Oh my god!” I said.

“Miss Rhodes, it’s okay. It is a category-one cyclone, and it developed rather quickly throughout the day. We put a notice on your cabana doors. Neither of you got it?”

I looked at Trey, and we both shook our heads.

“We’ve been sightseeing all day,” I said.

“Please come now, and let’s get to a safer location.”

I grabbed a sweatshirt, and then I followed Trey and the hotel worker out of my room. I didn’t even have time to take anything else.

By the time we got to the hotel lobby, everyone was sitting around, talking, as the employees did their best to keep the guests calm and comfortable. I walked up to the front desk and noticed the girl was on her cell phone.

Oh my god! She has a signal in this mess?

She hung up and turned to face me. “Miss Rhodes, how are you?” she asked with a smile on her face.

Jesus H. Christ, how does the staff stay so calm?

“Honestly, I’m slightly freaked, but I’ve been told the storm is only a category-one cyclone, so…” I rolled my eyes.

She laughed. “We locals are used to storms like this although it is very rare to get them this time of year.”

“I couldn’t help but notice you were talking on your cell phone.” I looked at her with pleading eyes.

She glanced around quickly and motioned for me to follow her into the office. “I’m not sure how I’ve managed to keep a signal, but my husband is in New York City on business, and I was able to call him. Is there a loved one you want to try to call?”

I jumped up and down. “Yes! I would be forever grateful to you if I could call him.”

She handed me her cell, and I saw she still had a signal. I quickly tried Scott, only to get his voice mail again. I left him a quick message, telling him I was in Belize and that I would be coming home in a few days. Then, I tried Daddy.

“Hello?” he answered.

The moment I heard his voice, I began crying. “Daddy?”

“Oh my god, Jessie! Thank God. Oh, baby, we’ve been worried sick. Scott is about to go crazy. Jessie, why?”

“Daddy, I can’t talk long. I’m in Belize, and we are being hit with a tropical storm.”

“Jessie, you’re going in and out. I think you said you’re in a tropical storm? Baby, where are you?”

“Belize. Dad, I called Scott, but his phone went to voice mail.”

“Jessie, I’m only getting a few words here and there, but if you can hear me…baby, it wasn’t Scott who was with Chelsea. It was Bryce, Scott’s brother. Baby girl, Scott didn’t cheat on you. God, Jessie, can you hear me? Jess, have you met someone new? Scott is not doing very well after your postcard.”

I almost dropped the phone. I knew it. I knew deep in my heart that he would never hurt me. “Daddy, I hear you! I hear you. Please tell him to call me. I’m at the—”

Then, I heard a beep. I pulled the phone away from my ear and looked at the screen.

No service.

I slowly handed the phone back to the front desk clerk.

“The signal is gone,” I whispered.

“Ah…Miss Rhodes, I think you better sit down. You don’t look so good.”

I glanced up and noticed her name was…Chelsea.

Oh god…I think I’m going to get sick. “I feel sick.”

Chelsea ran and grabbed a small trash bin. She held it as I started puking into it. Then, the dry heaves began.

“Ugh…I’m so sorry, Chelsea. I’ve been feeling so bad the last few weeks. I’m not sure what it is.”

She smiled and sat down. “It’s okay. I just hope you are not getting the flu or something.”

I nodded and tried to remember what my father had said.

Baby, it wasn’t Scott who was with Chelsea. Jess, have you met someone new? Scott is not doing very well after your postcard.

Why in the world did he ask me if I’ve met someone new? What did my postcard have to do with—

I threw my hands up to my mouth. Chelsea jumped back up and grabbed the trash can.

What did I write? Oh god…did I write about meeting someone new?