Page 55 of Vitamin Sea
“I have a feeling I might stay over at Daniel’s tonight,” Lala said casually. “So, you’ll have our little bungalow all to yourself.” She raised her eyebrows suggestively.
“La!” Chloe chided her.
“I’m just saying!” Lala said defensively. “If you want to take advantage of the space, it’s all yours.”
She left Lala at the entrance to Costa Morpho and gave her a hug before getting into the car. As the door closed behind her she heard Lala yell, “She’s going to Coco Beach!”
Chloe smiled and shook her head.
Several minutes later she and Jack were in the back of the car, enroute to the town. It was a twenty-minute drive, which gave them time to chat.
“Lala had a great time with Daniel.” Chloe smiled. “She told me all about it over breakfast.”
The vehicle dropped them off at the farthest point of the town—the beach—where the main road ended. Like the other beaches she had seen in the Central American country, Coco Beach was beautiful. It was also much busier than the ones at her and Jack’s respective resorts. Here, locals mingled with tourists—laying on the beach, building sandcastles, snacking, drinking, and swimming as the sun beat down above them.
Like all the days she had experienced in Costa Rica so far, she couldn’t have asked for a nicer one.
They grabbed a coffee at a quaint outdoor restaurant just steps from the sand and spent the next couple of hours wandering around the tourist shops and checking out various trinkets, clothing, and souvenirs.
Chloe picked out a couple pairs of earrings and Jack bought a shirt before they found themselves amongst a slew of restaurants and bars on the main street.
“Lunch?” Jack asked as they approached the line of noisy establishments.
“Good idea.” Chloe nodded. She was famished and feeling just a bit dehydrated from a combination of the sun and all the walking around. They stopped into the oddly named Z-Lounge, which appeared to function as an open-air restaurant during the day and a nightclub in the evening.
A ping sounded on Jack’s phone, and he glanced at the screen.
“It looks like Lala and Daniel are out for dinner,” he chuckled. “She just texted me that they’ve decided to eat in.”
Chloe snorted.
“Well, I’m glad they’re getting on,” she shrugged.
“It’s funny.” Jack furrowed his brow. “I’ve known Daniel since high school and Lala is much more his type than his ex-wife. Strange how things happen. He goes away on vacation to celebrate being single—a few days later he meets your friend, and, boom, he’s smitten.”
“Smitten?” Chloe was taken aback. She thought Lala had been exaggerating with her description of her and Daniel’s day, but maybe she was being serious. Goodness knew Lala was never one to dip her toe in the water. When it came to men, she went full cannonball, all the way.
Jack looked a bit abashed.
“Well, he hasn’t come right out and said it, but I can read between the lines. And his eyes.”
Thatwasinteresting. Lala’s vacation fling might want something more. Either way, Chloe wasn’t worried about it. When it came to men and matters of the heart, Lala could handle her own and then some. But Daniel’s interest in Lala was definitely something Chloe would be passing along.
They passed the afternoon by walking through the town and stopping into little bars along the street. When the sun began togo down, they headed for The Lobster House restaurant which was on the main street.
The hostess seated them at a corner table that provided privacy, quietness away from the busy restaurant, and a phenomenal view of the setting sun.
The smell of ocean air coursed through Chloe’s nose as the twinkle lights strung above their table swayed in the wind. She zoned out thinking about what a great day she had had when her gaze found its way to Jack’s face.
A playful grin was tugging at the corners of his mouth and there was a twinkle in his eye.
“What?” She smiled at him.
“You.” His smile widened.
“Me?” Her brow furrowed momentarily.
“Yes, you,” Jack replied. “You look beautiful sitting there with the sun setting behind you and total contentment on your face.”
