Page 15 of Worlds Apart
Alice leaned on the bar,whispering to Sunny. “What are you waiting for? You should make a move.”
“What?” Sunny heard the squeak in her voice and coughed to clear her throat. “Alice, he’s just being nice. I’m sure he’s like this with all the guests.”
“I’m telling you, he is not. I have managed this camp for over a year now. He is not like this with any of the guests. I mean, he’s more personal with Ethel because she’s been coming here for years, but usually he says hello, waves from a distance, and spends the rest of his time in his office or on the phone. I am telling you, he isin to you.”
Sunny felt her face heating, hating for the millionth time how easily she blushed.
Actually, she usually didn’t blush very often, but for some reason, this week her cheeks had been on overdrive. Maybe it was the latitude.
“I don’t even know what to do.” She swallowed the rest of her gin and tonic and held out her glass. “How do you make a move? What does that even mean? Do I just run up and kiss him? People don’t do that!”
“I feel like that might get the message across.” Alice shrugged. “Why not?”
“Alice!”
“Sunny!” Her friend rolled her eyes and refilled her drink. “You wait for everything in your personal life to happen, and I have never understood why. You’re not like this professionally. When you want something or have an opinion, you speak up. You renegotiated your contract six months ago and they gave you more than you were asking.”
“That’s work.”I know what I’m doing at work.“I’m just not….” She leaned closer to Alice “I’m not very confident with men. Lulu was always better at flirting and dating and all that. When a boy made friends with me, it was usually because they wanted to get to know my sister.”
“That is ridiculous!” Alice laughed. “You are beautiful. Talented and smart. You are easy to talk to and you’re interesting. Everyone on staff was shocked when I told them you were single.”
“Why were they asking?” Sunny’s eyes went wide. “People were asking if I was single?”
“Of course. When they saw how the boss likes you—”
“No! Men don’t see me that way. I think you’re mistaking politeness with romantic interest. Martin has been nothing but friendly—”
“And that’s all he will be unless you let him know that you’re interested in him. He is very respectful of boundaries. It took him weeks to call me by my first name when I started here because he wassoprofessional.”
Sunny took two big gulps of her gin and tonic, feeling the burn on the second gulp. “You put more gin in this one.”
“For courage.” Alice took her by the shoulders and spun her around. “Martin! You’re taking Ethel and Sunny on their night drive tonight, aren’t you?”
Sunny felt like dying when she realized the subject of their conversation had been in the mess tent right behind her.
“Hey.” She raised a hand and waved weakly.
Martin smiled and it transformed his face from stern to playful in a second. “I was just coming to find you, Miss Randolph. Ethel says she’s happy to skip the night drive tonight, but Mingati and I are still here if you’d like to go.”
“She would.” Alice nudged her forward. “We were just talking about how amazing it is when you put the camera aside and experience the savannah in the dark.”
“Absolutely,” he said. “It’s a tremendous experience. I wouldn’t want you to miss it.”
“I’d love to…”
Martin cocked his head. Sunny’s attention was a little wobbly from two quick cocktails, and he looked as put-together as he had that morning.
“To go. On the night drive, I mean. Even if it’s just me.” She turned to Alice. “Do you want to go? Can you?”Please?
“Of course,” Martin said. “Alice is more than welcome to come along.”
“No, I can’t,” Alice said. “Don’t be silly. I’ll be here when you get back but it’s Leboo’s night off. I have to make drinks.”
“So we’ll meet her when we return.” Martin smiled. “Ready when you are.”
Sunny turned to Alice one more time with panicked eyes.
“Make a move,” Alice whispered. “Jumping on him and kissing him will be fine. I promise he won’t object.”
