No Looking Back: Happy Endings Resort Read online

  No Looking Back

  Happy Endings Resort

  Krissy V

  Copyright © 2019 by Krissy V

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Epilogue

  Prologue

  I watch the city getting smaller in the mirror of my sun visor as Tom drives faster and faster towards our destination.

  “Now, Kenzie,” he says. “Do you remember everything we’ve talked about? I need you and Jaden to stay under the radar. Don’t do anything that will make you stand out to anyone. I promise it’ll only be for a year and then we’ll move you to somewhere more permanent.”

  “Yes, Tom. We remember.” I turn in my seat to look at Jaden in the back of the car. He’s fast asleep, oblivious to everything that’s happening around him.

  “Good. I’m going to bring you to the resort and take you to your cabin. It’s quaint and quiet; people seem to keep themselves to themselves. No one should be asking questions. Most of the people living there have their own secrets. It has a small garden and looks over the large lake which is the center of the resort. Everything seems to stem off the lake. There’s a playground right by the side of it too, where Jaden can play.”

  I’m not particularly enthusiastic as it’s not my choice to move to a new home, but when I can’t see the city in the mirror anymore, I feel myself relaxing. I’ve been tense since we left Chicago.

  Tom drives for about two hours, and with each minute, I feel calmer. I even fall asleep for a short time.

  I feel a hand on my knee and I jump up, pulling myself into the door as far away from the hand as possible. My adrenaline spikes and my heart races.

  “It’s okay, Kenzie. It’s only me. It’s Tom,” he says quietly, in a bid to stop me from screaming.

  “Sorry. I can’t help myself. Sorry.” I slowly uncurl my body but don’t fully relax. I look around to see where we are.

  “It’s okay. I understand. But you’re going to have to try and control yourself when people are near you. You can’t keep jumping all the time.”

  “I know. I just need some time. Everything will be fine. I know this is going to be good for me and Da... Jaden. You don’t need to worry about us. We’ll be fine and will stay under the radar.” I lay my head back, only lifting it again when I feel the car turning right off the long road we’ve been on for the last couple of hours.

  Looking out of the window, I can see a house as we start to slow down. It’s dark so I can’t see the surrounding area, but I notice some lights in the distance. Tom gets out of the car and talks to the security guard, an older man who looks pleasant enough. He comes over to the car and opens the door.

  “Hi there. I’m Ross. Tom is going to follow me down to your cabin. We’re delighted you’re going to stay in Happy Endings Resort for a while.” He smiles at me and then turns to Tom before getting in his car.

  “He seems nice,” I say to Tom when he starts driving behind Ross.

  “Yes, he is,” he says. “But we can’t be too careful.”

  God, he’s so grumpy.

  When we turn right, I can see the lake, and on my left there are some cabins. They’re cute, a bit small, but look homely.

  “This looks like it’s going to be a good place to stay,” I say.

  At that moment, Ross indicates and pulls in, and Tom follows suit. “Looks like this is yours,” he says, looking at the cabin. It’s like all the other ones we’ve passed, but the lights are on and the curtains are open.

  I wake Jaden and we walk up to the cabin together, holding hands. I think we’re both feeling vulnerable right now. After opening the door, Ross holds it open for us. “Thanks, Ross,” I say before walking past him into the cabin.

  Looking around, everything’s beautiful. It’s compact and open plan. It’s a lot smaller than what we’re used to. The front door opens straight into the kitchen-cum-dining room. The living room is open plan too, and there’s a lovely fire which is burning away, making the cabin all cozy.

  Jaden lets go of my hand and goes running off in search of the bedrooms. There are two of them and they both have double beds and foldout sofa beds. Not that we intend on having guests. We don’t even intend to make friends. Well, I don’t.

  “Ca…” Jaden shakes his head. “Kenzie, look at the big bed! Can I have this room, please?” he says, grabbing my hand and pulling me into one of the bedrooms. The two rooms are very similar so I don’t mind which room he takes.

  “Of course you can, baby,” I say, picking him up and throwing him on the bed.

  He starts laughing. I sit on the end of the bed and listen to his giggles. It’s funny that a small noise like that can make a person feel so many emotions at once. I’m happy because it shows how alive he is when he laughs, I’m sad Mom isn’t here to see how much he has grown up, and I’m extremely grateful that I have him in my life.

  When I walk back into the living room, Tom is shaking Ross’ hand and closing the door behind him. He turns to face me and asks, “Do you mind if I stay here tonight? It’s a bit too late to be driving back. I won’t hang around in the morning.”

  “Yes, of course. That’s fine. We appreciate everything you’ve done for us, Tom.”

  “Ross left you a care package so you’ve got the basics to get you through tomorrow until you can get to the shop. Do you want a cup of coffee? I know there’s some in the package.”

  “I’d love one. I’m going to put Jaden to bed. He can sleep with me tonight and then I’ll move into the other room when you’ve left.” He goes to put the kettle on and I walk back into the bedroom.

  “Hey, baby. Do you want to sleep with me tonight and then tomorrow night you can have your own room? That’ll be fun, won’t it?” I say, hugging him.

  “Yay, I can’t wait.” Jaden jumps up and down on the bed.

  I laugh and reach out to grab him. Then I tackle him down onto the bed and tickle him. He’s laughing so much; Tom comes in to see what we’re doing.

  When I release Jaden, Tom smiles. “You’re a good person, Kenzie. Jaden’s so lucky to have you.”

  Blushing, I say, “Thanks, Tom. I appreciate that.”

  Tom leaves and I put Jaden into bed. He starts yawning so I know he’ll be asleep very shortly. I lean over and kiss him on the head. “Love you, baby.”

  Just as I’m about to walk out of the door, he replies, “Love you too.” It warms my heart so much.

  Tom has my coffee waiting for me on the table in the living room. I notice there’s hardly any noise at all from outside. This is going to take a lot of getting used to after being in a huge, noisy city. I’m used to hearing sirens at all hours of the day and night, the sounds of people walking by, laughing and singing. There’s not a sound to be heard here. It’ll either be bliss or torture.

  When we’ve finished and washed up, Tom goes into the other room and I check the front door and windows to make sure they’re locked. After turning all the lights off, I walk into my bedroom. My bedroom. That sounds so strange. Jaden is spread-eagled on the bed and I smile at him. Our little family is going to be so h
appy here, I’m going to make sure of it. Jaden has suffered enough in his short life. I want his memories to be good.

  Climbing into bed beside him, I give him a sneaky kiss on the cheek and close my eyes, hoping my dreams will carry me into tomorrow and the first real day of our new life.

  Chapter One

  “Get off me! Leave me alone! STOP!” I hear shouting and screaming and I’m afraid. It takes me a couple of minutes of listening to the screams before I realise that they’re coming from my bed. It’s Jaden. I turn the light on and try to wake him from his nightmare. He’s thrashing in the bed and shouting.

  “Baby, it’s me. Wake up. It’s not real. I saved you. I’m here with you now,” I say, rubbing his back gently. “Come on, baby. Wake up for me.” I want to cry. I want to grab him and hold him, but I know he’ll just fight me. I promised myself I wouldn’t cry in front of him. He needs me to be strong right now and that means I can’t break down.

  He starts to wake up and then the door opens and Tom runs in with his gun out. “Are you guys okay in here?” he asks, looking around the room.

  “Yeah, we’re fine. Jaden just had a nightmare,” I say as he lowers the gun and puts it behind his back so he doesn’t frighten Jaden.

  Jaden’s huddled into my body, whimpering. “It… it felt so real,” he manages to get out between sobs. This has affected him more than I thought it would. We might have to see about getting him some counselling or something, although that might be hard as we need to stay under the radar, as Tom keeps reminding us.

  I nod my head to Tom and he knows to leave us alone. Turning to Jaden, I say, “Baby it’s only a dream. It’s not real. I’m here to look after you. You know I’ll always be here for you.” I kiss him on the side of his head and we lean back in the bed and cuddle. We fall asleep like that and wake a couple of hours later to the smell of bacon cooking.

  “Come on,” I say. “Let’s go eat some of that yummy-smelling bacon.”

  Jaden smiles; there’s nothing he likes better than bacon. “Yay, let’s go.” He jumps out of the bed and, turning to me, he says, “What’re you waiting for?”

  I laugh, climb out of bed, and chase him into the living area. He screams with laughter when I catch him and lift him in the air. I love this kid so much. My life would be totally different without him in it.

  Tom has laid the table and is just putting the bacon on our plates when we walk over. “Take a seat. Breakfast is ready.”

  Tom is good-looking in a clean-cut way. He has brown hair which is cut short. He has brown eyes, a good physique, and a handsome face. He smiles when he sits down next to me and pours me a coffee. I’ve got to know him in the last month or so and it’ll be sad for him to leave today, but today is the start of our new life and we are going to enjoy every minute of it.

  After breakfast, Tom leaves and we won’t see him for another six months or so. I can ring him if I need to though, which is comforting.

  It’s only when he drives away that the reality of our situation sinks in. We’re alone in the world, Jaden and I, starting over with nothing except the clothes on our backs. We lounge around in the cabin, chatting about our new life, and as we’re going to get ready to take a walk, there’s a knock at the front door.

  Jaden looks at me, startled, and hides behind me. “Jaden, it’s fine. I promise.”

  As I walk over to the door to open it, Jaden stays behind me. I check out of the spyhole and see a tall, portly man with glasses and thinning hair. He has rosy cheeks and looks like a man who spends most of his time outside.

  I open the door and he looks up and smiles at me. “Ms. Miller,” he says, extending his hand for me to shake. “I’m Edwin, the resort manager.” When I shake his hand, I notice he has a limp handshake. This makes me smile; men with limp handshakes are weak. I can handle weak men.

  “Hi,” I say, gripping his hand and shaking it hard. I need to assert myself from the outset. I move to the side and bring Jaden forward. “This is Jaden, my, erm, son.”

  Edwin bends down and offers his hand to Jaden for him to shake. Jaden looks up at me, waiting for my nod before shaking his hand.

  “Well, little man, how are you today?” Edwin asks.

  “I’m good. We’re getting ready to go exploring,” Jaden says, smiling.

  “Well, there’s lots to see and do here. You’ll be very happy.” He stands and smiles at me.

  I invite him in and he walks past me into the living area.

  “This cabin is beautiful,” I say.

  “Yes, they’re very popular and everyone seems to love them. You’re hoping to stay for a year or so, right?” he asks.

  “That’s right. Unless we like it so much we decide to stay longer,” I say, smiling.

  “You wouldn’t be the first.” He smiles back at me. “I just wanted to introduce myself and give you my cell phone number just in case you need anything. This is a map of the resort, and if you need anything, just ask me or Ross, the security guard you met last night. You’ll slowly meet the other residents. Everyone is very friendly.”

  “Thank you so much,” I say, taking his card. “We’re going to check out the area. Can you tell me where the nearest shops are? I need to buy some bits and pieces to make the cabin more homely.” I smile.

  “They’re in the town. There’s a bus that leaves every half hour from the entrance to the resort, where you came in last night,” he says, showing me on the map.

  “Thank you so much,” I say as I start walking him to the door.

  “No worries. Don’t forget to call if you need anything.” He smiles and closes the door behind him.

  “Come on then, Jaden. Let’s get out of here and walk around. Maybe we can find somewhere that sells ice cream. What do you think?” I ask, knowing his answer.

  “Yay!” He jumps up and down. Sometimes I wish I was him. Life is so simple for him. Eat, play, and sleep. That’s all I want to do some days, but I have to be the adult here.

  We leave the house and it’s a glorious day so the sun is shining, but I have our hoodies in my bag, just in case. Just over from the cabin is a green area and we walk in that direction. The lake is beautiful, the sun is glistening on the surface, and there are already some boats out in the middle with kids laughing and jumping in. Jaden spots the swings and runs over to them.

  “Kenzie, come push me,” he says, jumping up on one. I run over behind him and start pushing him. He’s laughing and having so much fun. When we’ve been doing that for about twenty minutes, he gets bored. Most kids his age are in school, but he hasn’t had chance to experience that yet. I must ask someone about a school for him to go to.

  We sit down on the grass next to the basketball courts, looking out to the lake. “This is great, isn’t it, Jaden?”

  “It’s real pretty. I like our new home,” he says, leaning into me.

  “Where do you want to explore next?”

  He looks around and points to the far end of the lake. I roll my eyes. Of course he wants to explore the whole lot in one day.

  “Okay then. We’d better get going, then we might get some lunch and take the bus into town. What do you think?”

  “I like that idea,” he says, skipping off in front of me.

  We walk all around the outside of the lake and we go past another playground where we stop and go on the swings again. This time, I sit on one too. We’re having a competition to see who can swing the highest.

  “Excuse me, ma’am,” I hear a voice say. I stop swinging abruptly. When I turn to see who spoke, I’m struck dumb. The man behind me is devastatingly gorgeous. He’s tanned and has sandy blonde hair. He’s wearing sunglasses so I can’t see his eyes, but he’s in a uniform. I relax slightly.

  “Yes?”

  “These swings are only for children. Please don’t sit on them. You could break it and then the children wouldn’t have anywhere to play.”

  I laugh. Surely he’s not serious. He doesn’t laugh back or even crack a smile. Oh, he is serious. I sta
rt to giggle; he needs to lighten up.

  “Sorry, Officer. I was just having fun. Obviously, I’m not supposed to.” I take Jaden’s hand and we walk across the playground.

  “It’s not that, it’s just…” he stutters.

  “It’s fine. We’re just having a look around. Promise I won’t do it again,” I say, giggling.

  “Did that man tell you off?” Jaden asks.

  “Yes, he did. He thinks I’m going to break the swing.”

  “Well, that’s just silly. Of course you won’t. You’re little like me.”

  I hug him. Yes, I am little like him. I’m only five feet four. I have short, jet black hair which is backcombed and off my face. I’m super skinny, but shapely. As we walk away, I turn back to the police officer and see him shielding his eyes, watching us. What’s his problem? Why is he staring at me? I start to get suspicious. Then I start to panic. What if he’s not really a cop? What if he’s trying to find me? I need to get Jaden out of here immediately.

  Looking around to see which way to go, I step between two cabins to move out of his eye line. “Come on, Jaden. Let’s go this way.”

  Once we’re walking alongside the lake again, I feel at ease. I need to stop worrying every few minutes that someone’s following me. No one knows I’m here.

  It takes us nearly two hours to walk all around the lake as we have to stop at every playground and use the swings. No, I didn’t get on them again. I didn’t want to annoy the police officer.

  When we get back to the main entrance, I see the bus pulling up. We both run for it and just make it on before he pulls away. Laughing, we take seats and look out of the window, watching the changing scenery.

  Once we get into town, we get off the bus and have a walk around. The first thing we do is stop for ice cream and sit outside on the bench, watching the world going by. It’s a busy little town with lots of shops and people running around. A few stop to say hi before going back to their busy lives.