Two weeks.
Two weeks was how long her wife made her promise to take some time off. Billie had been working nonstop the past year managing a new artist while completely neglecting everything else around her.
She knew for herself how tired and worn out she was, but to her the grind never stopped. She loved taking on young fresh talent and turning them into stars, even if they were the hardest to deal with. There was no giving that up.
But losing her marriage wasn't something she necessarily wanted either. She loved Jacqueline more than anyone she had ever been with, so her request for a long vacation was a no brainer. The two had started to fight more frequently resulting in one of them always choosing to sleep elsewhere in the house. Billie could barely get through a conversation without being nagged and hearing all of the ways she was failing as a partner.
Obviously Billie wanted to do right by her wife, she wouldn't have married her otherwise. Her career was just too demanding to ever step away even for a second. She was constantly feeling as though she was swimming against a strong current and being pulled under. As much as she tried she could never get a real handle on anything in her life.
Billie's stress was at an all time high which led to her needing anxiety medication and some occasional therapy. That started a year ago though and it still wasn't enough to slow down her fast paced life.
An ultimatum from Jacqueline and a lot of tearful one on one talks with her mom is what really brought everything to a halt. If she wanted to keep everything she loved and not lose her sanity, she needed to take a break.
Of course her overly enthusiastic wife had the perfect idea. A retreat of sorts with just the two of them and their married best friends. Drew and her husband Neil had gone to this place in the mountains where there was nothing to do but relax.
Clear Skies Oasis was a family owned property that hosted couples year round in a serene area in Montana. Pricey yes, but according to Drew it was worth it to be cut off from technology and just enjoy the outdoors.
Jacqueline took it upon herself to rent out the entire place so the four of them could really unwind. Although Billie hadn't been in the public eye in that way since she put down the mic in her early twenties, she was still well known and often hassled by fans. Her wife wanted her to be able to be herself with no other distractions or bodyguards lingering around. This needed to be a change of pace from their everyday lives.
"Thank you for agreeing to this," Jacqueline said as she took Billie's hand in hers. The car ride to the ranch had been mostly quiet up until this point.
Billie looked over at her and smiled. She could tell Jackie was both excited and grateful which made her happy. "Of course baby. Thank you for suggesting it," Billie lifted her wife's hand to her lips, kissing the back of it gently.
A short time later the two blacked out SUVs carrying both couples pulled up to the enormous property. It was definitely large enough to house at least fifty couples and Billie wondered how weird it would be with just the four of them over the next two weeks.
Billie stepped out first then helped Jackie before tipping the driver who was unloading their luggage.
"Hello," a cheerful woman with chocolate brown skin called out from the main entrance. She was joined by a white man who looked a few years older than her and another man who looked a little younger than Billie.
"Hi," Jackie beamed. "Thank you so much for having us."
"It's our pleasure," the older gentleman smiled. "I'm Thomas, this is my wife Diane and our son Zion."
"It's nice to finally meet you all," Jackie said. "This is my wife Billie who I was telling you about, and our friends Drew and Neil."
Diane walked forward, her hand reaching forward to grab Billie's. "I'm so glad you decided to come. You won't have to lift a finger while you're here. We just want you to enjoy yourself fully."
"I really appreciate that," Billie smiled and shook the woman's hand briefly. "I can't wait to see the rest of the property."
"Well we will show you the main areas, but we really encourage you to explore on your own. It's part of the experience," Thomas explained. "And any activities you want to partake in like kayaking or horseback riding we will be glad to assist you with."
"We definitely want to book some massages at some point. They were amazing the last time we were here," Drew chimed in.
"Oh absolutely," Diane said as she passed out room keys. "We'll get that taken care of. For now, Zion will take your bags and you can follow me inside for some lunch."
The group followed the owners inside and were taken to what would usually be the in house restaurant on the property. Massive amounts of food was already being laid out before them as everyone took their seats.
"Please enjoy your lunch and let us or anyone on staff know if you need anything," Thomas said.
"And if you see a teenage girl running around here that's our daughter so pay her no mind. She's a little hard to keep up with these days," Diane said before leaving them alone to eat.
"I love this place already," Billie smiled, piling different food onto her plate.
"I know something else you're going to love," Jackie smirked knowingly. "Finneas and Claudia will be here tomorrow."
Billie could feel herself getting excited at the news of her brother and his wife joining them. He was just what she needed to let extra edge off because the two of them could always joke around and be silly together.
Even though Billie was twenty-nine and Finn was in his thirties, the siblings still acted like school aged children whenever they were around each other.
After that news lunch carried on with some light conversation and planning of activities over the next few days. Billie knew that for at least the first day or so she didn't want to do much other than checking out the property and catching up on sleep. Once she was well rested she knew she would be ready to do whatever everybody else wanted.
With empty plates and full stomachs Drew, Neil, and Jackie went off to take naps while Billie, who was too giddy to sleep, went off on her own. She wandered around checking out the stables and all of the animals on the property. She found the resort style pool and jacuzzi that she knew she would be indulging in at some point, along with an enormous lake that looked almost too beautiful to be real.
Finally she found the hiking trail and decided to follow it until she got tired. Only a few minutes in, a noise in the distance caught her attention and she paused to listen.
Humming is what she heard and it intrigued her enough to keep pushing forward. The closer she got the more distinct it became until she came up on a girl sitting under a tree with a book in hand. Billie could only make out her side profile, but she looked fairly young with short curly hair that barely reached her shoulders.
The sound of a stick crunching under her foot brought the brown skinned girl to attention as her head snapped in Billie's direction.
Two sets of eyes locked on each other like magnets as both women seemed to be dazed. Billie felt like she had forgotten how to breathe once she was finally graced with a look at the girl's full face. And a blessing it was because she was beautiful with her baby doll face and sun kissed skin that looked like she was glowing from within.
She smiled sweetly, her eyes squinting and teeth shining. "Hi," she called out. "You scared me."
Even her voice was stunning Billie thought. It sounded like something you'd expect from a Disney princess. She could listen to it on repeat for days on end.
"I'm sorry," Billie smiled in return. "I heard you humming and I just followed the sound."
The girl stood to her feet and dusted off the tiny material she called a dress. She was a petite thing, with slender legs and a tiny frame. She could probably be a model if it wasn't for her height.
"You must be with the group renting the place out for the next two weeks?" She asked as she walked closer.
Billie mindlessly met her halfway. "Yeah. It's actually supposed to be a relaxation trip for me."
"And what's got you so stressed out?" She asked, her tone teasing.
"Hell, life in general. My wife thinks I need a break from work."
The girl's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Wife? You don't look old enough to be married."
Billie chuckled, amused by the obvious compliment. "I'm almost thirty."
"Thirty isn't old," she shrugged her shoulder with a smirk.
"I guess you're right," Billie agreed. "What about you? You look pretty young. Definitely not old enough to be stressed about life yet."
"I'm eighteen. My birthday was last month," the girl informed her.
The revelation was no surprise to Billie. It's like she could smell the youthfulness on her. Not a wrinkle or sun spot on her delicate face, and there was still a playfulness about her that Billie remembered having at her age.
"I remember that age. Almost grown but not grown enough," Billie joked.
There was a silence between the two as the girl looked Billie up and down slowly. "Not grown enough for what exactly?"
The flirtatious tone in her question caught Billie off guard and she quickly cleared her throat in an attempt to regain composure. "Uh, I just meant not grown enough to be considered an adult."
"Hm," the girl hummed with a sly smile. She stuck her hand out to the black haired woman in front of her. "I'm Cinnamon by the way."
Something about the name fit her perfectly and had the older woman licking her lips at the thought of it. Their hands connected and Billie was sure she felt a spark between them.
"Cinnamon," Billie repeated.
"It's silly," she said with a small laugh. "You'll have to ask my mom why she picked it."
"No, I like it. It suits you," Billie confirmed. "I'm Billie."
"You used to sing right? I think you stopped when I was ten."
"Yeah I uh got tired of performing and decided to step behind the scenes. I just manage new artists now."
Cinnamon nodded her head in understanding. "That's still cool."
They stood there holding each other's hand and staring each other down. It was like they were both trying to figure something out without actually saying what it was out loud.
The ding from Billie's cell phone pulled them back to reality as they released the grasp they had on the other's hand.
"I thought there was no service out here," Billie mumbled as she pulled the device from her pocket. She had a message from Jacqueline asking where she was.
"It is," Cinnamon spoke up gaining her attention again. "They just don't want you to use it as part of the experience. I'm sure my parents will collect your phones before the day is over."
"Ah, ok," Billie nodded. "I guess I should get back and let you finish reading."
"Oh you're not bothering me. I'm supposed to make your stay as enjoyable as possible. I am apart of the staff too."
As soon as the words left her mouth Billie could tell there was a hidden meaning behind them. Fortunately she was level headed enough to know she wouldn't be crossing any lines with this girl verbally or physically. She was happily married and not one of those weirdos with money who like women half their age.
"I'll keep that in mind," Billie told the girl before turning away and walking back down the trail.
When she made it to her room Jackie was just stepping out of the shower. "There you are. Did you have fun sightseeing?"
"Yeah it was cool. This place is huge," Billie said, leaving out the details of her run in with the owner's daughter.
"You should nap too. That way you can shower and be ready for dinner later. We can stay up and have a few glasses of wine with Drew and Neil tonight."
"Yeah ok," Billie agreed. She kicked off her shoes and made her way to the couch in the room, not wanting to get the sheets dirty with her clothes she's been in all day.
As soon as she got comfortable her eyes shut and a new face appeared in her head. Billie knew that if she kept running into the young girl it was going to be a very long two weeks.