Rain on the island meant a busy day at the front desk. The phone had been ringing off the hook as people asked for suggestions on dinner plans, things to do when you couldn’t be out of doors, and for new batteries for their television remotes.
But now it was evening. Cars had been ordered, guests had been sent to dinner in town. A few stragglers were seated at the bar, but for the most part things were quiet. Bex had sent the staff home early that evening, promising she could man the desk on her own until the evening shift arrived. She didn’t mind the quiet. She quite liked it every now and again.
She’d been clacking away at the computer keyboard attempting to catch up on emails when Jason arrived, dripping all over the lobby and looking a bit like a mad man if she didn’t know him better. She knew he was harmless. She also knew him might be a bit off this evening.
Bex prided herself on being rather perceptive. She’d known, even at 18, that when Andrea had told her she was doing fine on her own, what she actually meant was ‘I’m fine… but things would be better if I had my friends.’ She also knew that Jason wasn’t standing in her lobby simply because he wanted to make sure all the batteries were working and the basement hadn’t turned into a second pool. Bex knew where Andrea and Emily had gone that evening and who, despite Bex’s advice to Emily this was a task best left to mother and daughter, had accompanied them.
But Bex simply smiled at Jason’s comments however, not wanting to give away in the slightest that she knew his reasons for stopping by. Jason wasn’t one to just stop by for a visit; he didn’t pop in just to say hi on a regular basis. In fact, Bex was sure he’d probably have little to do with her had they not both been so close with Andrea and Emily. Bex often winced as she thought of their first interaction upon her arrival at the island. (”Andrea, why are you letting this man touch my things? He smells of fish!”) Luckily, their relationship had improved since then.
“I hadn’t thought to check the basement,” Bex said as he approached. She leaned down to grab a towel from beneath the desk and handed it to Jason in case he might want to dry off a bit. They’d had the basement sealed a few months back, but it honestly never hurt to check.
“Though I do have a better idea, if you’re up for it. Might you consider grabbing me a seltzer water from the bar, whatever you’re up for, and one of those little bowls of popcorn and then keeping me company for the next…” she paused, glancing down at her watch, “Forty five minutes? I’m worried I might fall asleep if I don’t have someone to chat with… its been quite the day.”
Jason was grateful for the towel. He hadn’t realized the disheveled state he was in until she’d handed it to him. “Always prepared,” He said, managing to crack a half smile. Not it was surprising to find a freshly folded towel behind the desk of a resort, but Jason suspected that, even if it wasn’t, Bex would have somehow anticipated the need for it, anyway.
It used to shock him, back when they’d go places with Emily when she was just a kid. Andrea always made sure they had the necessities, of course, but Bex always seemed to have everything on hand that they ever needed: crayons for when she was bored, snacks for when she was hungry, band-aids for when she fell and scraped her knees, and even tissues for when she sneezed.
He supposed it came from the years of looking out for her own siblings. She’d never said it to him, directly, but he could imagine the sort of upbringing the Wells girls had had. He doubted that her parents cared much for the life she had now.
She’d been here sixteen years and, unless they had somehow snuck onto the island in the middle of the night on some private boat, they’d never once come to visit.
“As long as you don’t think I won’t scare off any of your guests,” He said, grabbing them both something to drink from the bar. Truth be told, he would have prefered to have been kept busy in some other way ... to have something to do with his hands. He was better at that, he felt, than conversation. But he wasn’t about to complain about this arrangement, either. Jason would be happy to listen to her; happy to focus on her problems (and happy to forget about his own). He wasn’t sure he could offer her much, but he would at least be someone to talk to. (And, for when they were finished, he made a mental note to double check that basement).
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