Page 17 of Duty and Desire

But that day hasn’t arrived yet.

So maybe I should enjoy my island life while I could. And see if Gio was easily intimidated.

God, I hoped not. I needed a break, even if it only lasted for a few short weeks.

More than that, I needed a little intimacy.

Are you the man for that, Gio?

Chapter Seven

April 8

Gio

As soon as I’d cleared up after breakfast, I sat on the couch staring at the card Nick had given me. It wasn’t a professionally printed business card, but a simple white square on which he’d written his name and phone number.

Procrastination is the thief of time.

Sitting there thinking about calling Nick was stealing writing time. Except I wasn’t writing, not yet. I was making notes, sure, and it was getting me back into the swing of things, but I still hadn’t opened the folder containing my manuscript. Hell, I was this close to deleting it, except Patrick would probably kill me if I did that. Besides, it wasn’t irredeemable.

At least, that was what I kept telling myself.

What excuse do you have for calling him? Apart from wanting to get to the bottom of the whole stalker issue, of course.It had to be plausible.

I glanced at the coffee table where Aulani had made a neat pile ofmagazines, and the cover of the top one was of a couple of hikers staring out at the lagoon from one of the two high peaks. Nick had mentioned both of them during our boat trip. In fact, his description had piqued my interest.

Hey, see what you did there? You should be a writer.

I could do with the exercise. I hadn’t visited a gym since I’d left San Francisco, and while I could’ve gone to Vaitape by bike to shop for groceries, I’d chosen a more sedate mode of transport each time. Plus, I was eating more.

Four months of this, and they’ll have to roll me onto the plane.

A hike was exactly what I needed.

That raised a question. Was I fit enough for a strenuous enterprise? Nick had called one of the trails“a good mix of fun and danger”. Was I up for such an adventure?

For God’s sake, quit thinking about it and just do it.

I kicked procrastination to the curb, reached for my phone, and typed in Nick’s number. He answered on the third ring.

“Hello?”

“Nick, this is Gio. The guy you took out in your boat on Saturday?”

There was a pause. “Oh, right. Hi. What can I do for you?”

That pause crushed my ego. Apparently, I wasn’t as memorable as I’d imagined.

“I was thinking about doing a hike up to…” I glanced at the magazine. “Mount Pahia. You said you’ve done it before.” Well, not in so many words, but it had been obvious from what he’d said that he was familiar with the route.

“A few times, yes.”

When nothing else was forthcoming, I grasped the nettle. “So I was thinking about hiking up there, and I wondered if you’d come with me. Seeing as you’re the expert.” Before he could respond, I added, “Unless you think I wouldn’t be able to cope with such a hike. I mean, you know what it requires. I don’t even know if we’d need ropes or?—”

“Gio,” he interjected. “You seem fit enough to me. And it’s not a hike that requires climbing gear. As for ropes, they’re already in place all along the trail.” Another pause. “Sure, I’d be up for a hike. When were you thinking of doing it?”

“I’d leave that up to you. You’re the one with the varied schedule, after all.”

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