“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” Kenzie Howell sighed when she reached the hotel and saw her best friend’s arms outstretched toward her.
Jillian Swansen chuckled and said, “It wasn’t that hard to convince you. Plus, you could use the change of scenery. I don’t know how you stand staying in Riverview all the time. Everything looks the same!”
Kenzie allowed Jillian to envelop her in a friendly hug. She only wished she could have brought Sage with her. Unfortunately, dogs weren’t allowed in any hotel in Starlight Shores, and explaining that her dog was a genius, and therefore capable of caring for herself, would make her sound like a complete imbecile. So she’d reluctantly left her trusty companion at home with her parents.
“I’ll get your bags,” the bellhop said as he approached.
Kenzie and Jillian followed the bellhop inside, where Jillian’s suitcases were already strewn about on the floor. The room consisted of two queen-size beds, a desk, dresser, and even some living furniture.
“Will there be anything else, ladies?” the bellhop inquired. The best friends shook their heads. Jillian handed him a tip, and after he looked at her quizzically, Kenzie followed suit. The bellhop thanked them and left.
Jillian looked at Kenzie and raised an eyebrow. “No offense, but do you really think you should be doing that?”
“Doing what?”
“Giving him a tip. I mean, you don’t have to, you know. Don’t you think you should be saving your money?”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve got plenty saved up.”
Jillian shrugged her shoulders and got her first real look at the room, since before she’d rushed back outside to wait for Kenzie. “Wow, look at this place! I feel like a movie star!”
“You should. I mean, you are the next up-and-coming fashion designer.”
“Oh, stop. I have to graduate first and then I have to get some halfway decent agent to look at my stuff, probably with actual models on a runway, and then they actually have to like it.”
Kenzie just rolled her eyes playfully. She had been invited to come to Starlight Shores for spring break as an early birthday celebration. It hadn’t been her idea – Jillian had talked her into it in a misguided attempt to try to cheer her up. She’d even offered to pay for most of the expenses, but Kenzie wouldn’t have that – money was tighter for Jillian than it was for her, especially now that her dream job had gone down the drain due to one stupidly fatal mistake.
Because of that, Kenzie had been taking her friend’s advice by trying to become a private investigator. Unfortunately, to be qualified for that, she had to have a special permit, and in order to have that, she had to take more college classes.
She felt so out of place being in a classroom with 18-year-olds, all determined to live out their dreams, while she’d managed to shatter hers. It was bad enough that she’d had to pull some major strings to get into the already-in-session fall semester at the Riverview college. It was also very ironic that her ex-boyfriend’s dream had been to become a private investigator and she’d encouraged him to pursue that dream, so he was back in college in Twinbrook for the same major as she.
Jillian was also still in school, but that was because she’d changed majors. It was by choice. Kenzie, on the other hand, loved being a detective and firmly believed that’s what she’d been born to do. Having that taken away from her was like having a piece of her heart stripped away. A PI wasn’t the same thing, but it was better than nothing. She was determined to get her life back on track.
Now that it was spring break for both her and Jillian, the two welcomed the vacation (though one was half-hearted). They planned to enjoy touring the city for the spring break week, and the sunny beaches and hip clubs sounded promising.
Plus, the two hadn’t seen each other since before school started last fall, when they’d visited Hidden Springs. They had a lot to catch up on.
“So, what’s new with you?” Kenzie inquired.
“Well...I do have some pretty exciting news, but we’re here for your birthday...”
“Tell me. You won’t steal my thunder.”
“Well, that’s not it.”
“Jill...”
“Promise you won’t get upset?”
“I promise.”
Jillian took a deep breath and let it out all in a rush with, “One of my professors thinks I might be able to impress a modeling agent, and I have a new boyfriend.”
Kenzie’s first instinct was to be happy for her friend. Why had she been so hesitant to tell her about that?
Then it hit her. She was currently unemployed, having lost her dream job because of a stupid mistake, and with a guy who happened to be an old boyfriend. Jillian’s career was possibly taking off and she had a new guy in her life. She obviously didn’t want to rub it in her best friend’s face.
But she couldn’t be angry with her friend. Concerned perhaps, considering her past issues with guys, but not angry.
So she gave her a hug and said, “Congratulations, Jill! That’s great!”
“You really think so?” Jillian replied skeptically as she returned the embrace. “I mean, I don’t want you to feel bad...”
“I don’t. I’m happy for you. Your fashion concepts are great and you’ve worked hard on them. You deserve this. Now, as for the guy...”
“I swear he’s a good guy. He’s not like any of the other loser jerks I’ve dated.”
“I’ve heard that before.”
“Trust me, you’ll like him. And you’ll get to meet him pretty soon.”
“How soon would that be?”
“Um...tomorrow.”
This time Kenzie raised her eyebrows. “Tomorrow? You planned to have me meet him tomorrow, while we’re supposed to both be on spring break?”
“He wanted to see Starlight Shores too. He’s never been here and a lot of his favorite bands are playing. I told him I already had plans to hang out with my best friend, so he said that’s fine, he’ll get his own room and everything. He’s just coming to see the bands and I can introduce you guys.”
“How considerate.”
“I’m sorry. I can tell him not to come...”
“No, don’t do that. I don’t mind, it’s just, I don’t know...I guess I’m worse at dealing with change than I thought. I had plans for us and now I hear they’ve changed.”
“You always were stubborn when it came to new things.”
“Yeah, and it sucks, I know. I wish there was some way to be more tolerant.”
“Hey, you don’t have to change anything about yourself. If someone doesn’t like you for who you are, they can shove it up their ass.”
Kenzie let out a chuckle. Then she decided the two better unpack. Along with enough clothes for the week, pajamas, and her swimsuit in case the weather was extra hot, Kenzie had packed a limited supply of money.
Money. That was something that had always seemed like a bonus to Kenzie. She’d enjoyed her work and the paycheck was just a bonus of that. But now that she didn’t have it anymore, she’d been searching for new ways to get a halfway decent income to pay her bills. She was frugal like her father, so she had plenty of money saved up, but the supply wasn’t unlimited. Eventually it would run out.
In the meantime, she’d tried to find other things she enjoyed and turn them into somewhat of a career until she obtained her private investigator license. She’d tried writing a novel but so far she hadn’t had any luck getting it published. She’d also entered a dog show with Sage, and though they’d taken home the prize money thanks to Sage’s intelligence, that money was hardly enough to live on. She was lucky she wasn’t completely ostracized in town; she’d cut a deal with her former boss into not spilling the beans to the newspapers when they began questioning why Kenzie wasn’t in there any longer offering to help anyone who needed it. Elliott had simply said that Kenzie was “pursuing new things” and left it at that. So at least her job record wouldn’t be completely tarnished.
Still, it was hard to even think about having a good time with such worries hanging over her head.
It was still early by the time all the unpacking was finished. Starlight Shores was full of exciting things to do, and the two had a week to try them all out.
“What should we do first?” Jillian wanted to know. Kenzie picked up a nearby brochure and skimmed it.
“Looks like there’s a karaoke bar here, and lots of clubs and venues. And according to this, there’s a concert tomorrow night at the Binder Clips Center. All kinds of celebs are going to perform.”
“Who?”
“Cadie Berry for one...”
“Are you serious?! Cadie Berry?!”
Jillian started jumping up and down in excitement, causing Kenzie to wonder if any unhappy neighbors would bang on their door and tell them to shut the hell up.
“Yes, I’m serious,” Kenzie replied with a chuckle. “I’d like to see her too.”
“We have to! She’s my favorite singer of all time! We should see if we can find her house!”
“I’m sure she’d sue us for stalking. Maybe we can get her autograph after the show.”
“That would be sweet!”
“Okay, well that’s tomorrow night. Tonight, there’s a magician named Elijah the Enigmatic performing at Rodeo-Go-Go. I wouldn’t mind seeing that.”
“You and your magic tricks.”
“I’ve always like magic tricks, remember?”
“Yeah, I remember how you used to stick a string on a bill and then put it on the floor so you could snap it up before anyone could grab it.”
“That was nothing. What about the rabbit in a hat trick? Or turning a wand into flowers?”
“You do know it’s all an illusion, right? I mean, you’re supposed to look at the logical side of everything. You practically know all the tricks out there. How do you still manage to enjoy them?”
“I don’t know how they all work, just the simple stuff. And I know it’s all an illusion, but come on, everyone knows that.”
“Okay, well I guess we can go there tonight. Actually, I think I heard there’s a mechanical bull at that place. We should try it!”
“Go right ahead. I have no desire to fall on my butt.”
Jillian playfully smacked her friend before the two headed out. They took Jillian’s car since she lived closer to Starlight Shores, and had therefore burned less gas in her tank getting there.
As they drove, Kenzie leaned her head back against the leather seat. She had to stop dwelling on the past. It was time to focus on the present. She was making a fresh start in her life, and in order to do that, she had to move forward. And what better place than Starlight Shores, where she’d be surrounded by lovely palm trees, gorgeous weather, and nothing that could possibly go wrong?
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