Kenny held her breath while she anxiously watched the little bubbles at the bottom of the screen bounce up and down while Colby typed another reply. She briefly took her gaze away from the phone to scan the decks for any sign of J.P. and when she looked back down, she had a text from Hailey.
Text from Hailey: I c u silly! Look (Emoji: up arrow)
Kenny cautiously lifted her head, afraid of who she might see. What she saw was worse than anything she could have imagined. The tall, skinny woman with the golden curls had turned around. She wore a red visor that hovered over her eyes and an unbuttoned, oversized white blouse draped over a tiny red bikini that drew attention to her washboard abs. The girl enthusiastically waved her hands like she was being reunited with a best friend whom she’d been separated from for years.
Shit. This isn’t happening.
Kenny turned around, again, desperately hoping that the long and lean lady was motioning to someone standing behind her. No luck. There was no one there. Kenny turned back to face the bar. The girl giggled like a schoolgirl, pointed to her visor, and mouthed, “red hat!”
“That’s a visor, not a hat,” Kenny mumbled under her breath as she faked a toothy smile and tried to practice pranayama breathing. She knew she didn’t have the luxury of time on her side, it would be a matter of seconds before she ended up in a full-blown conversation with her new friend turned foe. Any gasps of air she could muster on her short walk over to the bar—or before the excitable creature pounced over the railing—would have to do.
Inhale. Hold. Exhale. Inhale. Hold. Exhale.
“Kenny! You’re even more adorable than I envisioned! I amsoexcited to meet you!” Hailey wrapped Kenny in a tight bear hug.
“Hailey, hi! It’s great to meet you, too,” Kenny lied through her clenched teeth, feeling pathetic and insignificant as she looked up, barely coming to Hailey’s shoulders.
The red visor that kept Hailey’s bouncy curls out of her face had the letters “O-H-H-I-O” scrawled across the front in white embroidery. The “I” was the Hilton Head lighthouse and Kenny knew that the play on letters was a nod to the state who proudly sent hordes of residents to vacation on the island every year.
“Cute visor!” Kenny forced sincerity, having a gut feeling it was on J.P.’s head hours earlier.
“Thanks, it’s adorable, isn’t it? I acquired it this morning,” the bubbly girl laughed. “I knew the shade of red would match this bathing suit perfectly! I spent most of my childhood in West Virginia, but I am originally from Ohio.”
The only thing that annoyed Kenny more than Hailey wearing a hat that surely was J.P.’s was that Hailey was instantly likeable. In a juvenile, sorority girl kind of way, but that’s who she was, and it worked for her. Kenny had been in Hailey’s company for less than two minutes, but she could tell Hailey had one of those magnetic personalities that people were attracted to. Her physical appearance only enhanced her endearing demeanor, and Kenny doubted she had a mean bone in herSports IllustratedSwimsuitbody.
Hailey talked as fast in person as she did on the phone a few weeks ago and used as many abbreviations and acronyms in her spoken English as she did in her texting prose. Hailey did most of the talking while Kenny listened and sipped a frozen pina colada. The irony of the whole scenario made it too hard to truly focus on anything and she wondered if the self-induced brain freeze was a subconscious attempt to numb herself to the conversation and the inner commentary that buzzed around it. The longer Haiely spoke, the more Kenny enjoyed her company and the greater her anger toward J.P. grew.
“Have you met any hotties since you’ve been down here, Kenny? I notice a lot of eye candy,” Hailey coyly winked. “I bet southern men are different than the guys in New York. I love boy talk with girlfriends!”
Kenny took a deep breath and stirred the plastic, red and white bendy straw in her drink while she debated how to respond. She wasn’t sure who the villain was in the J.P and Hailey dalliance. Maybe there wasn’t one at all and Kenny was simply collateral damage. A victim of being in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the wrong person. Although if there was a villain, it had to be J.P. since he was a decade and a half older than Hailey. He could mold her into a world-class trophy wife and proudly display her alongside his numerous golf career accomplishments. There was a slight possibility that Hailey could be the villain, though. Perhaps she was a gold digger playing the part of a naïve and innocent “good girl” from the gateway to America’s heartland, who’s mission was to find her way into the heart of Hilton Head’s most eligible bachelor.
“No, Hailey. I’ve learned men are all the same regardless of geographic location. I did meet one charmer, but it turned out he was already with someone.” Kenny kept it short and simple, deciding it wasn’t her place to insert herself into the affairs of others. Especially people she planned to never see again.
“I’m sorry, Kenny! That’s terrible. What happened to morals? I’m so happy to be out of that rat race,” Hailey began, and Kenny looked at her with wide eyes.
Please stop talking. Make her stop talking. How can I shut her up?
It was too late. The curtain had been drawn, and Hailey was about to storm the stage with a stream of conscious monologue. Kenny didn’t know if the soliloquy was going to be a romantic comedy, drama or erotica but she knew it was going to force the butterflies that fluttered in her stomach when she used to think about J.P., to shrink back into their cocoons. Quite possibly, forever.
“Hold out hope, Kenny! Your Mr. Perfect is waiting for you somewhere. Sometimes it just takes a while. You’ll never believe what happened to me last night,” Hailey opened her performance.
I can’t believe this is happening.
“Three years ago, when I started working down here for the summers, I met this guy who worked at Liberty Oaks Golf Course. Liberty Oaks is part of Low Country Hospitality. Did you know that?” Hailey stopped long enough to notice Kenny’s acknowledgement. “We bumped into each other a lot because of work.”
There it is,Kenny thought.J.P. is a master of manipulation. He “bumps” into women; he plays down “working” at the golf course.
“We got close, quickly, and spent every minute together when we weren’t working; but there was always a blurred line between friends and more than friends. We stayed in touch throughout the year and there was undeniable chemistry when we were together; but we never put a label or set boundaries on our relationship. Mostly because I was still in school at WVU, and he didn’t think I ever wanted to live here permanently. He knows how close I am to my mom and since she doesn’t have any family back in West Virginia he didn’t think I’d ever leave her. But guess what?” Hailey gave a you’re-not-going-to-believe-this look and acted like she was waiting for a drumroll.
“What?” Kenny asked, raising her brows and faking enthusiasm.
“I’m crazy about this guy, and he told me last night he’s crazy about me! I dated lots of boys during high school and college, but none are quite likehim.I can’t explain it. The conversations come easy. I know it’s cliché, but I get butterflies. Plus, I really like working for Low Country Hospitality. Mr. Cunningham, the owner, offered me full-time employment after graduation in the Spring! My mom is optimistic about both opportunities,” Hailey sang. “I thought the highlight of this last-minute trip was going to be meeting you, which I’m still excited about,” she laughed. “But I never thought I’d be flying home with a boyfriend and full-time job! My life is a fairytale right now!” Hailey got louder and more animated with each thought.
“Wow, congratulations, Hailey! That’s great about the job. And whoever the guy is, he’s the lucky one.” Kenny faked a smile.
Kenny couldn’t bring herself to say Hailey was a lucky girl. She hoped Hailey was offered the job because of her work ethic and performance, not because of performances that stemmed from being romantically involved with the eventual second in command at Low County Hospitality. As for Hailey getting into a relationship with that second in command, she still couldn’t wrap her head around J.P. being a two-timing cradle robber. However, if Kenny learned anything from a decade of producing news, it was that truth is often stranger than fiction.
“Thanks, Kenny! We’re going to Charlie’s tomorrow night to celebrate our ‘official first date,’ and me accepting Mr. Cunningham’s offer,” Hailey said dreamily.
