One Too Many

[Rue’s POV]

For the next hour or so, I busy myself unpacking my luggage, and once I’m settled in, I head into the living room and find my mother sitting on the plush white couch that sits in the middle of it.

She’s flipping through a fashion magazine, and when she hears me, she sets it down and turns her gaze to me.

“All done unpacking?” She asks, a smile spreading across her face. “Then do you want to go shopping with me?”

“What about Mr. Owens?” I ask, looking around as though the man himself will appear. “Don’t you want to spend time with him?”

“He had some business to take care of.” She pouts. “Even though he didn’t take over his father’s company, they still bother him all the time, you see.”

“Oh.”

Her words are like a knife stabbing into me as I start to realize how much more she knows about Mr. Owens than me.

“That’s a bummer,” I say quietly.

“But it gives us some time to hang out.” My mother says happily. “We can catch up since we haven’t really seen each other recently. You’ve been so busy with school, sweetie.”

“It isn’t like I don’t plan on coming back home once I finish.” I sigh, suddenly feeling guilty. “You know what, alright, I’ll go out shopping with you.”

I guess that would be better than being cooped up and torturing myself over the way things turned out with Mr. Owens, and since I didn’t have a bikini to wear to the pool or beach, I could grab one.

Maybe I could find something a little on the sexy side. Even if there was no way that I could have Mr. Owens, it would certainly feel good to have him look at me.

Eyes widening, I realize too late what I’m thinking, and when I turn my gaze to my mom once more, I feel a wave of guilt crash into me.

“I need a bathing suit.” I say slowly, feeling so bad that I actually consider covering up my body. “I didn’t bring one.”

“A suit,” my mother repeats, eyeing me. “Why on earth would you wear a suit when you should be in a bikini? I bet there are a lot of handsome men here. It’s about time that you actually got out there and tasted the world of dating.”

“I’m not interested.” I tell her, heading into my room to grab my purse and coming back out. “Come on, let’s get going.”

Smiling, my mother rises from her seat and then wraps her arms around mine while I lead us out of the room and down to the lobby.

As we move, I don’t miss the stares of these eligible men that my mother mentioned, but if I was being honest, none of them compared to Mr. Owens.

Hating that I was even thinking this way, I continue out of the resort and toward the street, where I lift a hand to hail a cab, and then we are moving, heading toward the island's shopping district, where my mother swears there is the perfect boutique for all of our needs.

When we arrive, I’m dragged inside so my mother can start shoving bikini after bikini at me. And when she insists I try them all on, I know that there is no denying her.

I knew my mother well enough to know that when she was in shopping mode, the best thing to do was go along with what it was that she was wanting.

In the past, I would avoid shopping with her, because everything she wanted me to try on looked horrible on me due to my weight, but even then she insisted that I try them on.

“Oh, that one is lovely!” My mother says as I step out of the dressing room with a lacy black number that shows off too much of my skin. “I think that is definitely the winner.”

“Isn’t it a bit too revealing?” I counter, examining myself in the mirror and realizing how much of my ass was showing.

“That’s the point!” My mother laughs. “You want to lure the men in with your skin.”

“You’re making it sound like you’re trying to pimp me out.” I point out, deciding to just buy it so we can leave. “Do you not consider me your daughter?”

“Of course I do,” she responds. “And that’s why I want you to get out there and find someone.”

Sighing, I just shake my head and head back into the dressing room so I can quickly change back into my sundress.

Once I finish, I head back out and pay for the bikini my mother chose.

After that, we explore a few more shops, grabbing gifts for friends back home, and once that is done, we move to a small bar that overlooks the ocean.

“Isn’t it too early to be drinking?” I ask my mother as she orders us two margaritas. “Won’t Mr. Owens be mad?”

“Why on earth would he be mad?” She asks, taking a sip of hers. “We came here to vacation, not to be uptight.”

“Right.” I sigh, deciding not to argue. “Then cheers.”

Smiling, I lift my glass and clink it with my mother's before taking a few sips and turning my gaze toward the ocean.

I had to admit, this was pretty nice.

The ocean breeze, the blue sky that wasn’t marred by a cloud, and the sting of alcohol that slowly numbed my emotions.

Maybe my mother was onto something. If I could just stay drunk the entire trip, then I wouldn’t suffer from the pain of losing my first love to my own mother.

“Careful, sweetie.” My mother says as I quickly down my drink and then lift a hand for a waiter. “You don’t want to get too drunk.”

But I do. I counter inwardly, ordering another drink. I want to get so drunk that I forget everything for the time being.

A few hours and many drinks later, I stumble back to the resort with my mother, where we find Mr. Owens waiting.

When he spots us, he moves forward, but when I stumble ever-so-slightly, he falters.

“Is she okay?” He asks my mom as she helps to steady me.

“She’s fine,” my mother laughs, her own tipsiness showing. “Just one too many to drink.”

“Will she be okay?” He asks, showing the same concern he showed for me in high school. “Maybe we should order in instead of…”

“No!” I announce, a smile spreading across my face. “I’m fine. Everything’s fine. The world is spinning a bit, but that’s no big deal.”

Ah, this was the best.

Right now, I could look at Mr. Owens without feeling that damned sting in my chest. This just meant that until I could get over him, I would have to be drunk when I went to visit.

“We’ve got reservations for dinner, right?” I push as Mr. Owens continues to stare at me. “Let’s get going then!”

“You heard her.” My mother smiles, releasing me and touching Mr. Owens’ chest. “She’s fine. Let’s go.”