The Holiday Package Read online

  The Holiday Package

  A Jake Davis Novella - Part One

  Leigh Lennon

  Contents

  Copyright

  About This Book

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Untitled

  Note to My Readers

  What I Have Learned

  Unfiltered

  Justine

  Nick

  Also by Leigh Lennon

  Also by Leigh Lennon

  Also by Leigh Lennon

  About the Author

  The Holiday Package

  Copyright @2017 Leigh Lennon

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any written, electronic, recording, or photocopying without written permission of the publisher or author. The exception would be in the case of brief quotations embodied in the critical articles or reviews and pages where permission is specifically granted by the publisher or author.

  Although every precaution has been taken to verify the accuracy of the information contained herein, the author and publisher assume no responsibility for any errors or omissions. No liability is assumed for damages that may result from the use of information contained within.

  The eBook copy is licensed for your personal enjoyment and may not re-sold or given away.

  This book is a work of fiction and is the product of the author’s imagination.

  Editing by Mad As A Hatter Author Services

  Proofreading services by Ink It Out Editing

  Formatting by Ink It Out Editing

  Cover design by Kasmit Designs

  Beta Readers: Ann Barajas, Auden Dar, Jo-Anne Joseph, Emma Aldridge, Tammy Buck and JJ Lawson.

  About This Book

  The Holiday Package

  Ten days.

  The Cayman Islands.

  A holiday trip to forget the woman I lost.

  Suddenly, I’m face to face with the sassiest and hardest of women, who may be able to make me forget all I left behind.

  And I want her!

  This vacation is about moving on.

  The saucy little ginger flaunting her perfect curvy body in her next to nothing bikinis could be the distraction I need to forget it all.

  Her fire and brimstone attitude leaves me in constant state of arousal.

  And she proposes a holiday affair, one I gladly accept knowing this is a hell of a risk to my already floundering heart.

  But in the end, will I be able to say goodbye?

  To Dawn, my best friend.

  You’ve always had my back in all I do! For the twenty-five years I have known you, my life is brighter because you’re a part of it!

  As always, I will continue to thank my mom. I miss you every day but you are forever in my heart!

  The Holiday Package (A Jake Davis Novella Part 1)

  1

  December 2012

  Since she started wearing that large rock on her ring finger again, this is one of the days I have been dreading, for months. Looking out my window, my body betrays me as I find my hands clenched and my eyes glued to her. Not only do I have to look on as my jealousy grows, but those women are loud as fuck. All these party guests spreading their good news my way but it isn’t fucking good news, not for me anyway. However, I can’t help but be happy for her. No one knew how much I had cared and I won’t fucking admit it to anyone except myself.

  What I felt for Justine went far beyond platonic. When I opened up to her about my parent’s deaths; then went inside her house to get us beer, I was going to take a chance and finally ask her out. To my surprise, stood the man who’d abandoned her three months earlier. I left immediately like any decent man would have, leaving those beers on the railing of her porch.

  After two weeks, it was obvious that she was back together with him and those damn beers I had left on the railings stood there mocking me about how close I got to her. I finally threw those fuckers away as I said goodbye to what could have been.

  When her boyfriend left her, she was devastated. For three months, I saw her often, as our friendship strengthened. We'd hang out at her house since mine would remind her of the douche who'd left.

  What’s worse for my bruised ego is the fact that Nick isn’t a douche; he really is a good guy who made a fucked-up mistake. Justine, the girl who I was falling for more by the second, did the right thing when she forgave him simply because she loved him. It was evident in the way her eyes danced whenever his name was mentioned. Still, I see it in her eyes, nearly seven months later, as they plan this wedding and their life together.

  Now, shy of a month before their wedding, all the fun pre-wedding festivities have started. Justine has no idea how much I was falling for her. I wasn’t even conscious that I was falling for her at first either, not until I had a strong awareness of how my heart had beat differently around her.

  It was never difficult finding a gal that was mine, even if that time was short and sweet. I don’t do messy. Although that doesn't explain why my breath quickens as Justine immerges to greet Hildy. It’s bad when I know her friends. We spent hours with a couple beers on her porch as she told me about the whole sordid gang of people that she considered family. I knew she trusted me when she opened up about the loss of her best friend.

  I saw a glimmer of hope that morning before Nick returned. If I had to describe it, I would say I had this flitter and lighthearted feeling. Girls would define it as butterflies the day I intended to tell Justine how I felt. What the fuck is wrong with me? I’m a dude and I’m talking about butterflies.

  I’ve got to get out of here and right in this moment, I realize I’m due a vacation. I haven’t taken one in years due to my boss being a fucking bitch. But now, she can take her assignments and shove them up her fucking pussy for all I care. That is about the only action that part of her body will have received in years anyway.

  Picking up my phone, I think of Christmas in the warmth of the Florida sun. This is what I need. Waiting for my sister to pick up, she cuts to the chase, not even saying hello when she answers, “I was just about to call you, big brother.”

  The sound of her cheery voice puts a smile on my face as I continue to punish myself, watching more guests arrive. I see Nick’s daughter and that is when it hits, falling for someone and putting myself out there fucking sucks.

  I forget that Hannah is chatting on her end when she finally says, “Jake, Jake, are you listening to me?”

  “No,” I say when I hear her gasp.

  “Well, thanks for the honesty. So, I guess I should repeat myself about Christmas plans.”

  “Oh, see, we are so much alike, sis. That’s what I was calling about. I wanted to come visit you for Christmas.”

  In her sigh, I know I’ve missed something important. “What, Hannah?”

  “That is what I was saying, Jake. Sylvie and I are going to Maine for Christmas. I mean, you’re welcomed to come with us, but I won a trip to the Caymans. It’s ten days in the sun and surf but I already have my plane ticket and ski resort booked.”

  The second she says Sylvie, I grit my teeth. I’m glad that I’m not near my sister with the pinched expression I feel taking over my face. Stiffness in my neck and jaw accompany the emotions I feel at the onset of her name. Fucking Sylvie! How can I ever tell Hannah they aren’t the best friends she thinks they are? What the fuck does Sylvie have planned, I wonder. She always has something that is underhanded and I’ve warned her on many occasions to stay the fuck away f
rom my sister.

  “What do you mean, a trip to the Caymans?” I ask. I hate the snow and skiing. Why is it that my boss knows my little sister’s plans when I don’t?

  “I had entered in the spring. The letter with all the information got lost in my mail and they called me a couple weeks ago. They said I could gift it so I’m gifting this holiday package to you.”

  “Are you sure it is legit?” I ask. This is what happens when you have a brother with the type of job I have, not that Hannah knows this. She thinks I’m in exports and imports with a startup company in China. Hell, everyone thinks this.

  “Of course, it is such a wonderful place and let me mention, it is gorgeous. I’ve been there before with Sylvie. That’s how I had entered. Remember when I went on a trip in the spring? Seriously, Jake, I know you’re grumpy with your hot sexy neighbor marrying, well—not you,” she says and the sting hurts. I’m not the sort of man that ever cared about settling down. My job has never allowed me the security of a possible family but with Justine, she showed me I really did want what I never thought I might. Anyway, maybe my job has run its course. It would allow me to break ties with Sylvie and more important, come clean with Hannah.

  “So, what is it, Jake? Maine with me and Sylvie or the Caymans by yourself?” she asks.

  As much as I love my sister and want to spend time with her, that means I’d have to endure Sylvie and I can’t stomach her on a professional level. Why would I torture myself on a personal level? It is no surprise when I say, “Caymans, Hannah, and thanks.”

  Hannah squeals that same annoying girl cry that she had when she was younger. Taking the phone away from my ear to ensure I can still hear on my trip, she continues, “I’ll work on the transfer for everything. Expect the tickets in your email in the next couple of days.” Hanging up the phone, I curse. As much as I need out of here, I wanted my holidays to be quiet with the only living woman that I’d lay down my life for.

  I then think what Sylvie could be up to and with her, my mind wanders to the worse scenarios though she promised me repeatedly that she became friends with Hannah by happenstance. Then again, I don’t trust the narcissistic sociopath that has caused so much heartbreak in my life.

  Walking away from my torture at the window, I head toward my office for a whole new type of torture, calling my boss, the bane of my existence. Retrieving my secure phone from my locked drawer, I enter the security code; I’m transferred immediately to Sylvie. Boy, I hate this bitch.

  Like Hannah, those in my personal life are not aware that Sylvie and I have a working relationship. When they see the dread that accompanies my face when her name is mentioned, they think I have a history with her, in a sexual way. Sure, when we met, I thought she was attractive and I felt we could have something for a night, at least. Then she revealed her true colors when she recruited me and it has been a hate/hate relationship since.

  “Ah, Jacob. I was wondering when I would be hearing from my favorite guy.” Her voice is a steely and screechy sound that is worse than fingernails on a chalkboard.

  “Sylvie, cut to the fucking chase. What are your plans and why is my sister going all the way up to fucking Maine with you?”

  She sighs over the phone, “I adore your sister. I swear, when it comes to Hannah, I’m not the overbearing bitch you think I am.” I choke on her words because she’s the overbearing bitch, always. For my sister, she masks it, as though she’s covering her persona with a Band-Aid, just for her. “We’re going up to ski, you know your sister and her love for snow.”

  She’s not wrong, Hannah loves to ski. “Somehow, you have proven time and time again, I can’t trust you,” I say as a warning.

  “Hannah is always safe with me. She’s the only person I can call a friend. I swear.” She pauses and sounds almost sincere but over the years I’ve known Sylvie, I realize she lies like some people drink water. It is second nature to her. “So, Hannah said she was going to invite you to Maine,” she casually says.

  “I’m not going. I’m sure ten days in a small cabin with you and me could be very dangerous for all of us.” I add, “I’m sure you know about this holiday package she won. She wants me to take it.”

  “Oh, in passing, but I didn’t know she could just give it away.”

  I don’t want to go into the reason for my quick departure from Spokane, Washington to the Caymans, yet she must know for logistical reasons. “Can you give me ten days off?”

  “Of course, Jacob. You’re not the only person I can use, you know.”

  Then why suddenly am I taking all the fucking “trips” to China? is what I want to ask yet I keep my mouth shut. “Then we agree, I’m off the grid from December 20th to the 30th, right?” I ask hopefully.

  “Yes, you deserve it, especially now. I know you were looking for a normal life with your neighbor.” Now in her tone, she’s taunting me. I know Sylvie well enough that her laugh is the I’m so pleased with myself sort of chuckle.

  How the fuck did she know? She’s fucking Sylvie, of course she knows and this time, I’m sure she didn’t get it from Hannah. “Is any part of my life off limits to you?”

  “Ah, Jacob, you know better than that.” Not even able to mix pleasantries, I hang up the phone before I screw up the only vacation I’ll have in years. All my fake trips to China don’t count.

  2

  Pulling my suitcase behind me two weeks later, I’m outside, just in time for my Uber to arrive; however, I’m unable to avoid contact with Justine. She approaches me with her sweet look that not many get from her, but for me, it’s present. It’s a smile that makes me warm all over. As we close the gap between us, I ache for her tender touch. Hell, what the fuck is wrong with me? I feel more for this woman than I did the many I’ve slept with and I’d never even kissed her.

  “Jake,” she calls out. “I’ve been trying to catch up with you.” She doesn’t know I’m avoiding her like the common cold. Never knowing my true feelings, thank fuck, telling her I’ve yet another business trip to China satisfies me. Though this time, I think I will just tell her the truth. It’s such a rare commodity to have the truth on my side this once.

  I say, “Oh, I’m busy. I know you have been, too.” Shit, she looks happy and I can’t be upset for that, not after the hell she’s been put through this year.

  Reaching into her purse as her lips form into the sexiest smile I’ve ever seen on a woman’s face, she clears her throat and hands me what I’m sure is the fucking wedding invitation. “I wanted a New Year’s Eve wedding but it just didn’t work out with everyone’s holiday plans. It’s January 15th. I wanted to hand deliver this to you myself and say thanks for all the times you were there for me.”

  Ah, fuck, what do I say? It’s as though she knows and can read my mind and how difficult this is. Taking the invitation, our fingers touch for a second. I know she doesn’t sense it, she’s too in love with the animal doctor but holy hell, I feel it as though lightning strikes me directly.

  “Thanks, Justine,” is all I can say when she notices the suitcase in my hand and the anxious Uber driver tapping his nails in waiting.

  “Are you going somewhere?” she asks, curious.

  “Um, yeah. My sister, Hannah, won an all-inclusive trip to the Cayman Islands. She can’t take it since she’d made plans to go to Maine to ski.”

  Narrowing in on me, she directly says, “Um, as much as you talk about your sister, I’m surprised you’re not spending it with her.” Her stare is intense, almost requiring an answer from me as to why I’m bailing on Hannah this Christmas. Using Justine as the reason will not work, though it’s the truth.

  I only chuckle because again, I can tell her some of the truth here, unlike all the times I’ve lied without flinching. “Yeah, she’s going with her best friend whom I fucking hate and I’m not one for skiing,” I state plainly. Again, this part is the truth. I could get used to living a life like this, revealing my true intentions.

  “Um, history with this said best friend?” She�
�s now quizzing me. Her emerald green eyes are beckoning the answer to this question.

  Holy hell, do we have history, just not in the way Justine is imagining. If I had ever slipped my dick into Sylvie, I’d be afraid it would fall off due to her pure evilness. I only laugh, letting her guess for herself and that is about as much honesty as I can muster for one day, apparently.

  * * *

  Air travel has never been longer and I’ve been to a lot of remote areas in my life, but never for a vacation. In all my travels, I can’t remember taking five different planes to get to one location. From Spokane, I flew to Seattle, missing my fucking connection to Atlanta. Once they get me to Atlanta, I miss my fucking connection to the Cayman Islands. One little detail my darling sister hesitated to mention is my resort is not on the Grand Caymans, but on the small remote island of Little Cayman. In order to get my fucking ass to a bed and sleep away the misery of my flights, I must take yet another plane to the small island.

  As I read up on this mystery island I’ll be inhabiting for the next ten days, I’m shocked to know that iguanas outnumber the residents on this island and it is some sort of law to yield to these dragon-like creatures.

  One more little fact Hannah didn’t quite divulge is this is not an all-inclusive resort but a bed and breakfast. I hate Bed and Breakfasts. It means; I must congregate with the other guests and the owners of this facility. Maine is looking so much better than Little Cayman at this point, even with fucking Sylvie.