Anything You Want: River Jewel Resort Series Book 1 (2 page)

What sickened Sydney the most was
that she never even saw Roger’s betrayal coming at her. He had always been supportive and caring. Their relationship was an easy-going one, one in which they could laugh, cry and share everything with each other. Roger had made Sydney believe in true love, in honesty and happily-ever-after. The devastation he caused by cheating went beyond Sydney’s ability to understand.

She’d fallen in love with Roger, gave him her all. He knew all of Sydney’s weaknesses and strengths, he knew more than any other human being besides her best friend, Lexi. Facing life without him, without the love she thought he felt for her was too much to think about and having Lexi by her side while she wept was a godsend.

“That rotten jerk! Do you know he called me? He said what you saw was misunderstood. Ha! When I asked him exactly what you’d seen, he explained all right! Has he been home yet? No? I suppose not. Too chicken to face up to what he did.” She shook her head as she rubbed Syd’s back in comforting strokes. “I hope he shows up when I’m here. He won’t know what hit him!”

Sydney didn’t say a word. She allowed Lexi to say everything she felt and wanted to say but couldn’t. Saying it made it all too real and in those first hours after she’d seen her world tilt upside down, Sydney was nowhere near ready to face reality. She silently begged and pleaded with the forces that be to; “Erase it, turn back the clock.” Those pleas were never answered. If she hadn’t decided to surprise him, if she’d called first none of this would’ve happened. Somehow, she turned the whole incident around and took responsibility for the bomb that destroyed her marriage, her trust, her hopes and dreams.

Lexi stayed with her until three in the morning. Sydney assured her she would be fine alone and not to worry, she’d call her later that day. Roger didn’t come home for two days. He didn’t call, text or send anymore messages through Lexi. That was fine with Sydney because by the time seven o’clock rolled around on day two, Sydney threw all of Roger’s things in the front yard. She then found an old yard stick lying in the garage and she stapled a ‘FREE to any man that isn’t a cheating, spineless jerk!’ sign to the piece of wood before poking it into the ground in front of the enormous pile.

Sydney had never felt so alone. Lexi lived across town and besides, it wasn’t Lexi’s or anyone else’s job to take care of her. So, she packed some of her belongings and checked herself into a hotel. The following morning, she had Roger’s name removed from her bank account and credit cards. By that afternoon, Sydney had a tiny, affordable, apartment and a sparse arrangement of furniture.

It was great for the first few days, but by day four, Sydney became so depressed and lethargic that she never left her humble abode. Lexi called and texted, demanding to see her but Sydney did her best to assure her friend she was fine. Lexi of course knew better and started stopping by Sydney’s place every day. After seeing her friend wearing the same pajamas and her totally unkempt appearance, Lexi drew the line.

After the day’s coffee date with Lexi, Sydney listened to message after message from Roger. He claimed he was sorry, he pleaded for to call him back. He needed a second chance. Maybe Lexi was wrong. She didn’t need to getaway, she needed to save her marriage.  Sydney felt she owed it to herself to at least speak with Roger before she proceeded with the divorce. Maybe there was a still a chance for them after all?

Chapter Three

The large, Tudor-style house was dark when Sydney pulled up outside. She parked her car in the same spot she did when she lived there with Roger and sat there for a moment steeling her nerves for the conversation they were sure to have. Whether Roger liked it or not, things needed to change. Sydney wanted more from life than sitting home and waiting on him. Though she wasn’t exactly sure what she wanted, she knew there had to be something for her in the world.

Thinking Roger was probably in his office downstairs in the basement, Sydney grabbed her keys and the divorce papers her lawyer had drawn up. When Roger was working on spreadsheets and proposals he never answered the phone or the door. No, that’d been Sydney’s job. For some reason, the thought of that irritated her now. She’d never minded taking calls for him or telling visitors he was busy, but after a month long respite from it, she found she enjoyed not being his impromptu secretary and butler. If Roger couldn’t agree to the changes and make a commitment to a fresh start, he could feel free to sign the divorce papers. The choice was his.

Just as she thought, the door was locked. She fumbled with her keys on the darkened porch, finally getting it right on the third try. Memories assaulted her senses and tears threatened as the huge oak door swung open. That home was all she ever wanted. The winding staircase, the hand-carved molding, it was all customized to Sydney’s requests. Roger had hired contractors to build Sydney’s dream home as a wedding gift. Now, it made her sad. Everything reminded her of what Roger had done. Could she even handle living there again? With him? All she could do was try.

“Roger? Are you home?” Her voice sounded loud as she stepped into the hallway. Though Sydney rarely raised her voice, it seemed to bounce off of the walls and echo.

Sydney flipped the light switch located next to an antique wardrobe, a gift from her father-in-law, and the instant brightness caused her to squint against the glare. When her vision returned to normal, she made her way through the various downstairs rooms and found everything to be just as she’d left it. When she didn’t find Roger, she headed to the basement thinking that’s where he’d be. The basement door was slightly ajar and when she opened it further, she saw the light wasn’t on down there either.

“Hello? Roger, are you down there?” No answer.

“Where is he?” She went to the door in the kitchen that connected to the garage and opened it. His car was there. She placed her hand on top of the hood and it was cool to the touch.

“Okay, you’ve been here for a while, Rog. So where are you?”

It suddenly occurred to her that Roger could be hurt. He could be lying lifeless on the bathroom floor, or at the bottom of the basement stairs. She retraced her steps, flipped the basement light switch on and ran down the steps. Upon seeing he wasn’t lying lifeless on the cold concrete floor, Sydney was relieved but still concerned; she raced back up to the first floor.

Heart still pounding, she climbed the steps two at a time to reach the second floor. Sydney flew past the guest room, the hallway closet and the nursery without a second glance. The door to the master bedroom was closed and Sydney plowed through it.

“Rog…”

The word died on her lips. Her blood ran cold as she stood frozen in place, one hand upon the door knob, the other hung limp at her side. Roger lay face down on the king-sized bed with a sheet draped seductively across his lower body. Moonlight danced across his chiseled jaw-line and his sandy-blonde hair mussed and sexy. The air in the room carried the musky scent of love making and it infiltrated Sydney’s nose, making her nauseous. The sheet shrouded form on the other side of the bed stirred, drawing Sydney’s attention to the arm lying across Roger’s back.

Slender, unadorned fingers searched and found bare skin to tease. Sydney’s eyes traveled to where the arm attached to a pale ivory shoulder and on up to a head covered in tousled, short red hair.

Sydney’s own hand flew to her mouth and she backed slowly out of the room without closing the door. She walked into the kitchen and opened the drawer labeled ‘stationary’. Her notecards, pads and pens were inside. Sydney pulled out one of her favorite pens, gifts from Roger, and she signed the divorce papers while tears rolled silently down her cheeks. She placed both pen and the manila envelope full of legal documents on the beautiful marble counter. Sydney took one last look around the gorgeous, custom eat-in kitchen and removed her house keys from her key ring and placed them on top of the envelope.

She silently said goodbye to her gorgeous home, her old life and the old Sydney before she walked out of her former home for the last time.

Chapter Four

Numerous thoughts pummeled Sydney’s mind as she drove back to her apartment, but the one at the forefront was one of relief. She was free to move on. When she’d seen Roger, lying, cheating Roger, for the second time with his pants down something snapped. In that moment, she no longer cared or loved him. Sure she was sad, but it was a strange kind of sad. One Sydney couldn’t describe.

There were no more tears. And as she followed the winding road up the hillside to get home, she almost felt giddy. After spending the last month and a half feeling sick, depressed, foolish, paranoid and worthless, it was nice to know none of the disaster her marriage had become was her fault. Lexi had been right. She always was. Roger was a ‘class-a-asshole’ and he would never change.

Sydney knew better than to hold on. She refused to be like either of her parents. Her father had put up with Sydney’s mother’s demanding ways and wandering eyes until he died at thirty-seven, when a concrete wall at a construction site had fallen on him, crushing him into nothing. Somehow, Sydney always believed that wall had to have hurt less than the things her mother had done to him and right then, Sydney had vowed that she would never stay with a cheater. For the past agonizing weeks, she’d done the exact opposite. Now, she knew why her father had stuck it out. He’d had hope; hope that Sydney’s mother would see how great she actually had it with her husband. Hope was a foolish thing to have. Her mother had never changed and the years her father had wasted, waiting on a miracle were destroyed in a flash.

No, that sounded morbid even to Sydney and she chided herself for the thought. She’d just be more selective in what she chose to be hopeful about. Her options were wide open. Sydney could go where she pleased, do whatever she wanted but what would she do? Her trust account was still full thanks to the prenuptial agreement she’d had drawn up. Roger couldn’t touch any of it. His name would be removed from the other account in the morning and he had his own money. What he did with his was his own business. Now, Sydney just had to figure out what she wanted out of life.

She decided that would be her first order of business. Sydney pulled into her parking spot and got out, locked her car before letting herself into her apartment. Tonight, her cramped apartment wasn’t so oppressive. She was grateful she had a place to go, even if it was small and lacked the atmosphere of a huge, decorated home. It was hers and that’s all that mattered.

Sydney tidied up and made a cup of coffee. Once she’d added a virtual ton of cream and was satisfied with it, she sat at her desk and sipped her favorite beverage while she deleted spam and other e-mails.

“Where do these weirdoes get my e-mail address? I’ve never signed up for anything, yet they show up in droves every day.”

She paused as one message caught her eye.

“River Jewel Resort? I swear that sounds familiar.” She clicked open and was immediately enamored by the photographs of the gorgeous hotel.

“Marble floors? Cathedral ceilings and a full-service spa? Sounds perfect. Right about now, I could use some r and r.”

Sydney perused the various amenities and ‘about us’ section. Apparently no request was too outrageous. They offered everything from turn-down service to therapy sessions.

“I don’t think I’m in need of therapy,” She laughed aloud. “But this place almost seems too good to be true.”

Sydney logged off and dumped the remainder of her coffee in the sink. The pictures of Jacuzzi tubs at the River Jewel Resort reminded her of the sunken, garden-tub she’d had installed in the home she’d shared with Roger and left her longing for a relaxing soak. Once she’d arranged her various candles around her modest, apartment-standard tub, she drew a steamy bath of her own. Nothing close to the decadent basins at the Jewel, she toyed with the idea of making a reservation.

“It must be so expensive, but what else am I going to spend my money on?”

After soaking and alternately refilling the tub, she got out and continued the nightly ritual of bedtime duties. Without Roger there to tell her what to wear every night, she slipped an oversized t-shirt over her head and slid between her Egyptian cotton sheets. Just as she found her ‘comfy’ spot, the phone rang.

“Damn. I forgot to shut it off.”

The machine picked up as she sat alert and listened to the voice of her soon-to-be ex-husband.

“Um, Sydney, I think we need to talk. What is the meaning of leaving signed divorce papers on the counter-top? I thought we were going to work this out?”

Was he serious? She padded out to the living room and stared at the answering machine as he rambled on. “Fuck you, Roger,” she grumbled. It took all she had to not yank the damn phone cord out of the wall.

“Call me, Sydney.” Roger hung up and Sydney shut the ringer off.

Her relaxing soak now forgotten and her nerves were on edge. She knew she’d never find any peace if she stayed in that town. What was keeping her there anyways? Nothing. She turned on her computer and made next day reservations at the River Jewel Resort and Sydney was going to see what the world offered and maybe she’d find herself again in the process. That decided, she returned to bed and while dreams of making love with a handsome stranger in a grotto left a satisfied smile upon her face.

Chapter Five

Sydney awoke refreshed and went about the long list of necessary tasks she needed to accomplish before leaving on her trip. She packed up the few things in her apartment she wouldn’t need for the next month or so and called a moving company to transport the boxes to a storage facility. After she contacted her landlord, utility and phone companies, informing them she would no longer require any of their services, she braced herself for the phone call to Lexi and prayed Lexi would understand.