“I see.”
“How about you? Are you married?”
“No. And no girlfriend, either. Although some people say I’m in a serious relationship with my job.”
“Ah, you’re one of those.”
“One of those?”
“You know… My work is so important, I have to do it all the time, so people know how important I am.”
I nearly spew the alcohol from my mouth.
“Shit. I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to say that.”
“You sure did,” I laugh.
She smirks. “Okay, maybe I did. But I never say stuff like that out loud.”
“Why now? Why me?”
She presses her lips together. “Never mind.”
I want to press her about it, but I know my tone can sometimes come across as aggressive, so I play it cool. “Alright. Maybe you’ll tell me why later.”
She takes another sip. “Maybe.”
“Do you want to take a seat, or go for a walk around the resort?”
She checks her watch and presses her lips again. “Shoot. Sorry. I’ve got to get back to my room and call my son. I left my phone there. Rain check? Tomorrow maybe?”
“Sure.”
“It was nice meeting you, Caleb.”
She puts down her drink at the bar and walks away.
Her hips sway across the foyer. I rub my mouth, but the words escape, anyway, before I even think about what I’m about to say.
“Do you want to come on an adventure with me tomorrow?”
She stops and looks over her shoulder. “Pardon?”
“I signed up for an Off-road Adventure tour, and I have an extra ticket. Do you want to come with me?”
She bites her bottom lip and looks up for a moment before slowly nodding. “Sure. What time?”
“Everyone’s meeting at 8:00 a.m. in the lobby.”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you then.”
She walks away, looking over her shoulder once more before turning the corner.
I’ve no idea why I invited her to come when I hoped to spend the day talking to Guerrero. But despite the change in plans, I look forward to seeing her again. It’ll probably be the last time since I’ll be leaving after tomorrow.
4
Charlotte