Ophelia was exhausted as she hit the city limits for Oak Island. She had been driving for four days to get from L.A to Georgia. The others had flown, but she had offered to drive Polly out so that she could be with them for the duration.
It also meant that she delayed her arrival to a place where she didn't want to arrive.
To get onto the island, she had to pay a toll. They called it a parking fee, but it was a toll. It was the town's way of collecting money for infrastructure, and it beat parking meters. Ophelia knew the older man working the booth, he had been a friend of her father, and she assumed he still was, even though more than nine years had passed.
She pulled to a stop with her money in hand, ready to go. She was hoping to keep the transaction short and go unrecognized.
"Ophelia Carter! Is that you! It's been what, nine or ten years?" he asked as he waved her money aside. "Are you here to see your father?" he coughed at the cold air he was breathing.
It wasn't freezing in early December, but it was chilly, especially for someone who was southern born and raised.
"No," Ophelia said, keeping it simple and changing the subject. "How is Mrs. Brown? She's well, I hope?"
"Oh, Bea's all right. Her arthritis acts up in the cold. You should try to see your father while you're here. I know he misses you." Mr. Brown tried again.
"I'm sure I will see him, Mr. Brown. It's not a big place, is it?" Ophelia gave a little smile and wave, then slowly drove away.
There was no way her father missed her. He couldn't wait to get rid of her since she was six years old and her mother had left. She had reminded him too much of her. She reminded the entire town of her mother, and they all expected Ophelia to turn out just like her.
"We're almost there now, girl," Ophelia said, reaching over her shoulder and giving Polly a scratch on her neck. Polly traveled well and hadn't caused her a bit of trouble.
The island was small, and it only took her about five minutes to arrive at her destination, which was the resort's hotel. She parked her small car and got out, taking her time stretching and looking at the sunset over the marsh. It was beautiful.
The water was high, and the reflection of the pinks and purples was dramatic. There was a shrimping boat coming up the river and returning to the dock, and the Spanish moss hung dreamily from the oak trees that were perched on the banks of the river.
Her childhood should have been ideal in a setting like this, but the small-town mentality had needed a scapegoat for her mother's scandal, and Ophelia had been it.
Ophelia watched the shrimp boat in the distance for a few minutes, wondering if it was her father's before she turned and tugged on Polly's leash. She gave Polly a few minutes to take care of her business; then, they walked towards the hotel's main entrance.
It hadn't changed either in the last ten years.
As she pushed through the door, she stopped mid-step when she saw who was standing behind the reception counter. It was Justin Cross. He had made her life a living hell in high school. It wasn't surprising that he had remained in town. He was too small-minded to think of a life outside of it.
When he spotted Ophelia, he stopped talking midsentence and stared at her, watching every step she took towards him. Ophelia felt her heart rate accelerate, and her hands start to shake. Polly gave a little whine, sensing that not all was right with her. Perhaps her trembling hands had been felt through the leash that she had a death grip on.
"What are you doing here?" Justin asked as he eyed her and the dog. "Dogs aren't allowed in here, you know that!" he crossed his arms as he looked down his nose at her.
Justin's look sent her right back to high school when every day had been a trial. Ophelia forgot that she was there to work, that she had arranged an entire movie production company. It was like she was sixteen all over again.
Ophelia took a deep breath and smiled at the young girl standing behind Justin.
"Hello, Justin. I'm here to check-in. Arrangements have been made for the dog." The best way to keep control of the situation was to act like nothing was wrong.
"I don't have a reservation for you," he insisted without looking.
"Would you please look in the system? I'm sure you will find it there." Ophelia pulled out her hand, doing her best to keep it as steady as possible while she pulled up the email with the confirmation number. "I confirmed it two days ago."
Ophelia set her phone on the counter and turned it towards him.
"I'm sorry, check-in was at two o'clock. You weren't here, so we gave your room away. Besides, the only reason you want to be here is to watch the movie stars, and we don't need gawkers. Mr. Richards has asked me to keep out any potential troublemakers, and you're a troublemaker, always have been." Justin pushed her phone toward her.
Ophelia knew that Sullivan had said no such thing, especially to someone like Justin.
"Legally, you cannot give my room away until after 2 am, the day the reservation is made. I suggest you find me a room, Justin!" she insisted, crossing her arms.
"Sorry, we're sold out." Justin shrugged, knowing he had all the power in this situation. Ophelia could mention that she was part of the movie crew, but she doubted he would believe her, and without one of them standing right next to her, she had no real proof.
Kaylee Barrett came flying down the grand staircase and stopped at the front desk as he said the words. She had on large sunglasses, a tight wool dress, and high boots. Her outfit was out of place for where she was, but she looked young and beautiful with her artistically mussed hair and skillfully done makeup.
"Thank you soooo much, Justin, for finding me a room. I knew I could count on you. I'll be sure to let Daddy know that you helped me." She leaned over the counter and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm off to watch the filming!" Kaylee waved her fingers and turned, walking right into Ophelia.
Ophelia watched as all color drained from the girl's face at the shock of seeing her.
"Ophelia! What are you doing here?" she insisted, looking anxious.
"I'm trying to get my room, but it seems it was given to someone else, even though legally it is still mine." Ophelia did her best to keep her voice even.
Justin had given her room to Kaylee, the mayor's daughter, so that she could be close to the action. He had done the very thing he was insisting Ophelia was trying to do, but then Ophelia wasn't the mayor's daughter.
"Oh, that's terrible, but you could go stay with your father, couldn't you?" Kaylee gave her best smile. The girl was barely twenty-one and could have been thirty with that charm.
"Or I could go stay with my mother," Ophelia suggested. The comment made everyone uncomfortable as she knew it would.
Kaylee's smile was a little more force. "You'll figure it out, I'm sure," she insisted before she breezed out the door as if she hadn't a care in the world.
"A room?" she said as she turned toward Justin.
"I'm sorry, I can't help you," he said before he turned his back to her.
"May I talk to the manager then," Ophelia insisted, but Justin answered the phone, ignoring her.
She moved towards the lobby with a steadying breath, stopping to look out the window as she thought about her options. She could tell Sullivan the problem, and she knew he would fix it in a minute, but it would be humiliating to admit that she couldn't fix it, and she had promised him that her past wouldn't be a problem while they were filming. I hadn't even been half an hour and who she was was already a problem.
It would be something to put Justin in his place by having Sullivan fix it, though.
However, if she did that, she would have to admit part of her history to Sullivan, and she didn't want to do that either. It was going to be impossible to keep a low profile while she was here. She didn't know why she thought she would be able to.
"I'm sorry, Ophelia, the hotel is for guests only, and dogs really aren't allowed," Justin shouted across the lobby, causing a few guests to turn their heads and look at her.
"Call the police!" Ophelia said, pulling out her phone while staying where she was as she texted Sullivan. The first thing to do was hand off Polly so she could find a place to stay. There was a motel just off-island. It was a dump, but it had a bathroom, and she wouldn't be spending much time there.
Sullivan texted her to meet someone out front in ten minutes. Ophelia took out her phone and tried to find a motel, hotel, vacation rental, anything within fifty miles, and there was nothing available. Everything had been booked because of the movie.
After ten minutes of fruitless labor, Ophelia wandered out to the parking lot and went back to her car. What was she going to do? She didn't want to cause a scene, make Sullivan think she was incompetent, or in any way cause stress to anyone.
The golf cart pulled up, and a young girl she didn't recognize was in it. It was probably a runner.
"Ophelia Carter?" the girl asked, eyeing her and Polly.
"Yes," she confirmed.
"Mr. Richards said to give this to you." The girl shoved an envelope at her then took off, eager not to miss anything that was happening on the movie set.
With a sigh, Ophelia opened the sealed parcel to find room keys and a list with everyone's room number on it, and there was a note;
"I know you must be exhausted. Take the rest of the day to recover. You can leave Polly in my room. S-"
Ophelia grabbed her overnight bag and walked to one of the side entrances, where Justin wouldn't see her enter the building. She knew Sullivan would be gone for the rest of the day, and she would use that time well, and hopefully, no one would be the wiser.