Page 10 of Love Off Course

Toro—the huge creature—launches toward CZ, otherwise known as the obnoxious co-pilot. They have a jolly reunion while I sit up and blink away my daze. Everyone is piling out of the plane and stretching, smiles on their faces like we didn’t just get dumped in the middle of freaking nowhere.

“Are you okay, Sherrie-dan?” Estefania asks, prancing over to me in her too-high heels that make her legs look impossibly long.

“I hit my head,” I grumble. “I’ll be fine.”

Damian—whom I pegged to be a diva—isn’t unnerved. Instead, he’s preening for the camera that Kyle is holding up for him. “Followers, as soon as we catch a signal, we’ll upload this video from”—he waves his hand in the air—“wherever this is and it is exquisite! I cannot wait to live stream you all and give you a tour! Perhaps we’ll check out the marina! Might find us a fixer-upper!”

Estefania helps me to my feet, a smile on her pretty face, until I jerk my arm from her grip. God, I’m such a bitch. This woman has been nothing but nice to me and I’m unfairly taking it out on her.

No, this ishisfault.

I pull out my phone and am not surprised to find I have no service. It simply adds to the mountain of terrible things. I toss it back in my bag with a growl of frustration.

Abandoning Estefania and my luggage, I storm over to CZ. When he sees me rushing him, he stands up and lifts a challenging brow. The moment I reach him, I shove him with both hands. Of course he’s solid under that pilot’s uniform and doesn’t budge an inch.

“You’ve done this on purpose,” I accuse, my voice rising several octaves. “You think you can play these games with me?”

He smirks. “What games would those be?”

“These!” I cry out, throwing my hands up in the air. “Landing us in the middle of nowhere because of a freaking non-existent hurricane because you’re on some stupid power trip!”

“It was the captain’s call to land, not mine.”

“Where the hell is he?” I growl, not taking my eyes off CZ.

“Waiting for Alejandro.”

“Who’s Alejandro?”

“He owns this airstrip.”

“Good,” I fire back at him. “I’m going to talk to him too. I’ll catch the next flight out of here. Away from you.”

CZ laughs, rich and deep. I hate the sound. “There are no other flights,abejita. You’re stuck here with me.” He reaches down to pet the dog. “Right, Toro? She’s a little bee with no wings.”

Toro barks and smiles at me. Wait. Is that dog actually smiling at me? His tongue hangs out of his mouth and he stares at me with big brown eyes.

Ew.

I don’t do animals.

“Take me to Alejandro,” I demand, pulling my stare from the ugly dog to the annoying idiot in front of me.

“Alejandro will come to us,” he says cryptically.

Awoooga! Awoooga!

The sound of an obnoxious horn cuts through the air, stealing my attention. A green bus bounces toward us along the airstrip. I’m in hell. Only answer for all this. The bus comes to a halt near us and a man bounces out of the bus.

“Camilo,” Alejandro booms, holding his arms out. “La estrella.”

“Alejandro,” CZ or Camilo says, grinning.

They hug and then start chatting in rapid fire Spanish. I cross my arms over my chest and frown at them. Alejandro starts ushering people into the green bus. When I overhear the word “hotel,” I breathe a sigh of relief. At least there, I can gather my bearings and call Daddy.

My head is throbbing from my fall, but I ignore it as I make my way back over to Estefania, who stands watch over my things like an Amazonian princess. God, she’s so pretty it hurts to look at her.

“You like the pilot, no?”

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