33 - Joanna

33

Joanna

It all happened so fast. Austin tackling the guy, Landon knocking the drink out of my hand. The police showing up and taking our statements. They offered to take me to the hospital for monitoring, but that was the last thing I wanted. I'd only drank half my beer, and the tablet wasn't fully dissolved.

"How do you feel?" Landon asked when we got to our room.

"The same way I felt when you asked me that question in the elevator a minute ago," I replied. "I'm a little queasy, but that's probably just from the adrenaline."

"If that changes, let me know."

"You'll be the first person I tell."

I changed into pajamas and got ready for bed. Landon sat in the chair next to the TV, watching intently.

"Stop it," I told him. "You're watching me like I'm going to suddenly pass out at any moment."

"Well… you might."

"Go put some clothes on. You're still just wearing a bathing suit."

"I'm fine."

"Get dressed and go have fun. A live band is playing by the lobby bar tonight."

"Not really in the mood for that now," he replied.

"I don't like being babied," I insisted. "I just want to curl up in bed and forget all of this happened. And I can't do that with you sitting there."

Suddenly, I felt a little light-headed. Landon was on his feet and across the room in the blink of an eye, a steadying arm wrapped around my waist.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine," I said, but I wasn't as emphatic now. I felt a little dizzy.

"Let's get you in bed. Here we go. Just like that." I allowed Landon to pull back the sheets on my bed.

"I'm not a baby. You don't have to tuck me in."

"I know."

"Promise you'll go out and have fun?" I asked. "I don't want everyone being all depressed just because of what happened."

"I promise," he said.

I closed my eyes and fell asleep almost instantly.

I woke up five minutes later. At least, it felt like only five minutes had passed, but morning sunlight was streaming through the window. I was facing the other bed, the one Landon was using.

Except it was empty.

For a few seconds, I assumed that meant he was in the same bed as me. Like the morning after the wedding. That was a pleasant thought, and I pushed my butt back, waiting to feel him. But he wasn't there.

I sat up and immediately found Landon. He was sitting in the chair next to the TV, facing my bed. He was still shirtless, with only his bathing suit on, and his head was slumped back as he snored softly.

"Landon?"

He jerked awake, blinking and looking around. He relaxed when his almond eyes settled on me. "Oh. Hey."

"You promised you were going to go back out," I said.

"I lied. I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"You could have slept in your own bed, though!"

He rubbed his eye with a fist and stood up to stretch. Every muscle stood out in beautiful contrast thanks to the morning sunlight. "I was going to watch you a little while, but I fell asleep. My spine isn't happy with me." He pressed a knuckle into his lower back.

I wanted to berate him, but I couldn't find the energy. Or the anger. "Thanks. I appreciate you looking out for me."

He shrugged awkwardly. "How do you feel?"

"Like I got a really good night of sleep. I kind of have a headache, though."

Landon sat on the edge of the bed next to me. "Listen, Joanna. I wanted to apologize to you."

"Why? You're not the one who slipped a roofie into my drink."

"But I'm the reason you're here in Jamaica. I convinced you to pretend to be my girlfriend, and then I encouraged you to come on the honeymoon with us. If I hadn't…"

"Stop," I said, holding out a palm. "It's nobody's fault except the asshole at the bar. You guys are the ones who saved me from him."

"I feel like I didn't do enough," Landon revealed. He stared down at the floor. "Austin tackled him so fast his foot blisters broke open. And Theo… man, he really lost his shit. If we hadn't held him back, I think he might have beaten that guy to within an inch of his life."

I vaguely remembered that part of the events. I could picture Theo red-faced and shouting, while Austin and Landon each held one of his arms. My memory was fuzzy. Probably the drugs.

"It's not your fault," I repeated. "But if you really want to make it up to me, you can buy me breakfast."

"Breakfast is included."

"Exactly! And right now you're delaying my path to pancakes."

Downstairs, before we reached the breakfast room, the resort manager quickly intercepted us. "Mr. Cozart. Ms. Pullen. On behalf of the resort, let me extend our deepest apologies for what transpired last night."

"It's fine…" I began.

The manager shook his head emphatically. "It is certainly not fine. We take these incidents with the utmost seriousness they deserve. To help make up for this unfortunate situation, we have refunded your room and resort fee for the entirety of your trip. I have also authorized the resort sommelier to make available a variety of select wines that we typically reserve for high-profile guests, including a bottle of 1996 Dom Perignon which will be brought directly to your new room."

"New room?" I asked.

"We have taken the liberty of upgrading you to one of our penthouse suites."

"That's really not necessary…" I began.

"My girlfriend is still dizzy from the drugs she was slipped last night," Landon quickly explained. "We would love an upgrade."

"I don't really care about the room," I told Landon while eating breakfast. "We'll be spending almost all of our time at the beach or by the pool, anyway."

"Speak for yourself," he said around a mouthful of eggs. "I want to see how much nicer the rooms can get. We should probably give the bottle of Dom to my brother and his wife, since it's their honeymoon."

"Probably," I agreed. "Or, we can drink the whole thing ourselves and not tell anyone."

Landon gave me a cutting grin. "That's also an excellent idea. You probably need to wash the taste of roofies out of your mouth."

"I really do!"

"Hey, uh, Joanna," came a smooth Texas voice. Austin approached our table.

"There's the man of the hour," Landon said. "How're the blisters this morning?"

"I've had worse." Austin cleared his throat. "You mind if I chat with Joanna for a sec?"

"Go nuts. I'm getting another serving of waffles."

As soon as he left, Austin sat down in his seat. "How're you feeling today?"

"I feel fine. I heard your blisters broke open last night and you left bloody footprints all over the resort, like a cartoon crime scene."

"Heh, I guess I did." He ran a hand through his blond hair and looked down at the table. "I owe you an apology, Joanna. This is all my fault."

I sighed. "For fuck's sake…" Why was everyone so intent on taking the blame for this?

"I'm the one who convinced you to quit your job and come on the honeymoon. If not for me, that wouldn't have happened last night."

"And if not for you," I pointed out, "I wouldn't have known I was drugged, and would've drank the entire beer. You saved me, dude."

Austin shook his head and stared off at nothing. "I should've been faster. I saw the guy drop something in your drink. I know I saw it. But I still hesitated before saying anything. I second-guessed myself. That's not the kind of accusation you randomly make. If I'd been quicker, you wouldn't have drank anything."

"Apology accepted," I said. "Now, you can make it up to me by not feeling so guilty about the whole thing. You look like a goddamn puppy who got into a box of chocolates. You did the right thing last night. Act like it. All right?"

"Yeah, all right," he begrudgingly said, rising from his chair. "I just want you to know I won't fuck around with you anymore. No jokes, no blackmailing, no nothing. I'll let you and Landon pretend to be what you are, and you can have all the fun you want with Theo, and I won't get in the way or tease you about it."

He started to walk away, but I jumped up and grabbed his arm. Austin blinked at me in confusion until I wrapped him in a warm hug.

"Thank you," I whispered. It still felt inadequate after he had saved me, so I kissed him on the cheek. His skin was smooth; he must have shaved this morning.

Austin's eyes went wide and he stared at me for three long seconds. Was he blushing?

"Just, uh, doing what anyone would do." He nodded at me, muttered, "Ma'am," and then left the breakfast room.