Page 59 of XOXO, Valentina

“Life is much simpler here. It’s slower paced, but you get used to it.” I pointed out the window at a sloth lounging on a tree limb. “That guy isn’t going anywhere for a while.”

Gabriella dug out her phone and snapped a photo. “My niece Becca loves sloths.”

Her brow furrowed as she swiped her finger across her phone and realized she didn’t have cell service.

“Like I said, it takes getting used to.” I laughed when she dropped her phone in her lap. “You can send it from the hotel. They will have Wi-Fi.”

We turned onto the bumpy, pitted lane that led to Santiago’s surf and yoga retreat.

“I feel bad for taking you away from your family,” Gabriella said.

I grabbed her hand and squeezed. “Don’t worry about it. I will be here all summer. My family will be sick of me.”

When I’d told my family my plans to stay at Santiago’s for a few days, they’d given me a pretty hard time. Rosa had piled on the guilt and Ava had given me the cold shoulder, but my parents seemed to understand. My mother was more curious than upset. She had made me promise to bring Gabriella to dinner.

We arrived at the hotel, which was barely visible from the road behind a canopy of trees. I parked the truck and hopped out to grab Gabriella’s suitcase.

She climbed out of the truck and turned in a circle, taking in the views of the mountains and the ocean.

I gave her a minute to take more pictures, then led the way up the wide stairs to the lobby of the retreat. The hotel was rustic, with wooden-beamed ceilings, handcrafted furniture, and open terraces overlooking nature.

“Fernando! My brother. I thought you were going to be here an hour ago.” Santiago came out from behind the front desk, grabbing two cocktails from a tray. “I was going to send out a search party. Thought you forgot how to get here.”

“Santiago, this is Gabriella Salinger.”

“Pura vida,” he said, handing her a drink.

“Pure life?” Gabriella asked.

“Yes,” I said, pleased she’d been keeping up her Spanish studies. “But it means a lot more than that in Costa Rica. It’s the Tico way of life. No worries. No stress. No fuss.”

Gabriella laughed. “In a nutshell: you.”

I winked. “That’s right.”

Santiago’s eyebrows raised, but he said nothing. The boy he’d known growing up had been just the opposite of laid back and easygoing. I’d been driven and determined. I’d refused to settle for anything less than perfection. I wasn’t that kid anymore after living in America for nearly a decade.

Ignoring Santiago, I took a sip of the ice-cold drink. “You must be starved,” I said to Gabriella. “We can grab a snack at the bar or get changed and go into town for dinner.”

Gabriella slid her arm around my waist and stretched up to whisper in my ear. “I’m starving.”

The husky tone of her voice told me she wasn’t talking about food. I brushed her lips with mine. Electricity sizzled between us. Our connection seemed to have grown since we’d been apart.

Her scent overwhelmed me. I hadn’t even realized I’d missed it, but breathing her in made me want to scoop her up and carry her off to our bungalow for the rest of her stay.

I tightened my arm around her waist and kissed her again, tasting the mint and lime on her lips.

“Get a room,” Santiago said and laughed at his own joke.

I lifted my head and looked at my friend. Santiago was laughing, but his brown eyes were full of bewilderment. He was my oldest friend, and he’d never seen me like this with a woman. I’d never brought anyone home before, and he hadn’t known me to have a girlfriend since Maria. I was sure he was dying to know our story. He would be peppering me with questions at the first opportunity.

I grabbed her luggage and led the way out of the lobby. “Come see the pool first, then I’ll show you the room. Bye, Santiago.”

“Bye, Fernando,” he said, then added in Spanish, “She’s too classy for you, you know?”

“I know,” I said in Spanish.

“What do you know?” Gabriella asked.

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