“What a way to start a second honeymoon,” Caryn lamented.
“Don’t call it that!” Jon snorted.
She wanted to ask him why not but didn’t have any more energy to get into a discussion right there in the middle of the airport. She had already packed for 4 people—the two children to go stay with grandma for the week, and for Jon and herself for the trip. She was too tired to go on. But she presumed it had to with why they were making this trip to Maui. Their fifteen year marriage was on the brinks and their marriage counselor had suggested a second honeymoon to try and rekindle the romance.
“Oh, I found it!” the agent said triumphantly. “They misspelled your name as Campton, not Compton.”
“Just check our luggage before we miss our plane!” Jon grumbled.
Caryn stood there a bit embarrassed. Jon found little pleasure in life these days. While she continued to look for the positive, he always looked for the negative. And his outward display of his pessimism could even embarrass the unsuspecting bystander caught in the crossfire.
The five hour flight from Los Angeles to Maui was just enough for Jon to down a couple of Gin and Tonics on the plane, then fall to sleep.
‘How will we ever make this marriage work?’ Caryn thought, shaking her head. She wanted to make it work. She thought back onto the days of their courtship when Jon showered her with compliments and made a special effort to make sure she knew how special she was. But over the years, Jon had become a totally different person. He had become absorbed in his own joys of life, like sports and spending time with his buddies. There was no longer any time to spend thinking about someone else.
But Caryn was still determined to find out once and for all if there was anything left to salvage in their marriage. This trip would determine whether she stayed or left. Was there anything worth working for anymore.
The plane touched down late in the afternoon. However, the three hour time difference made them tired, although Jon had gotten some sleep on the plane. Dinner time in Maui felt like bed time to their bodies.
They rented the car and Jon drove to the other side of the island, all the way to Kaapalua. Caryn had found a sweet deal at the Ritz Carlton of almost half price on the room if they stayed on the garden side and stayed a full six nights. Jon still complained that it was too much money to spend, but Caryn rationalized that they had not taken a decent vacation in over seven years and she deserved it!
They pulled into the hotel. The bell man removed their luggage and the valet whisked away the car. “I wonder how much that is gonna cost me,” Jon grumbled under his breath. Caryn threw him an evil look to stop him from going further.
They entered the grand lobby to check in. As Jon took care of the arrangements, Caryn slowly spun around taking in all the sights and sounds and smells of the open air. This was her first trip to Hawaii and she wasn’t going to miss a thing!
Suddenly, her vision stopped on a tall, blonde, young, very attractive man across the lobby who seemed to be staring at her. His stare took her by surprised, and he didn’t remove his gaze when he knew he had been caught. His mouth simply began to turn slowly upright into a soft smile. Before she knew it, she was smiling back at him. There was a connection between the two of them. She didn’t know what it was and felt a bit guilty about it, especially with Jon standing right behind her checking them in. But his piercing blue eyes and his gorgeous smile captivated her.
Then there was a high-frilled shriek which shot out from behind him. A thin, young woman with long blonde hair and purple sun glasses stepped out to face him catching his gaze away from Caryn. The woman barked out orders as Caryn continued to watch from the distance.
The woman’s voice was so loud that it made the young man cringe a bit. And Caryn heard her from across the room.
“This way,” the bell man said, ready to escort them to their room. Caryn looked up to find the young couple had already left.
They settled in the room and decided to order dinner in since it was so late on their internal body clocks. Immediately after eating, Jon collapsed into bed. One way to get him to go on this trip was to tempt him with the Master golf courses on the island. And he was ready with his first tee time early in the morning.
As Caryn lay in bed that evening, she thought about the tall, blonde man in the lobby. Nick. She remembered hearing the girl with the high-pitched voice say his name. He was intriguing, to say the least!
