Page 84 of The Player in New Zealand
“Bali! Which is in... Indo... Indonesia? Yes, Indonesia! Did you know Bali isn’t a country? I didn’t.”
“You are flying to Bali?”
“Well, actually, I’m flying to Tokyo first, then Bali.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Iris, what is happening right now?”
“Well, you paid me back another thousand, and I have no place to live, no boyfriend, and some vacation time saved up, so I thought, why stay here? You flew halfway around the world with no major plans because there was nothing holding you to Boston anymore. It’s inspirational. Claire,youinspiredme.”
“You don’t have to sound so in awe about your big sister inspiring you,” I grumbled.
“Oh, babe, you know what I mean.”
“That still explains nothing. What the hell are you going to do in Bali?”
“Rico’s in Bali.”
That was the last thing I’d expected her to say and my brain literally stuttered. “Rico’s in Bali?Rico, as in, the foreign exchange student you had a massive crush on when you were twelve? That Rico?”
“Yes,” she said.
“I don’t even know where to start.”
“You don’t have to start anywhere,” Iris said, her tone turning serious. “You inspiring me is a good thing, Claire. I’m going to be out of my comfort zone, but I think it’ll be exactly what I need. Like New Zealand has been good for you.”
I swallowed the big lump in my throat. “I hope it is.” We had a nice pause, the kind that feels like a moment where you’d hug in real life.
“So what are your plans in Bali, then?”
“Oh, I have no idea.”
The statement was so unlike her that I burst out laughing. She told me Rico was the one with the plans. He’d been traveling solo for nearly a year, and my sister, my brave, ballsy sister, had called him up and invited herself along on his trip.
I’d known that they were still close friends who kept in touch through the years like new age pen pals, but she hadn’t mentioned Rico in a while. Talk had tapered off once she’d started dating Chris, and I wondered if that was her decision or Chris’s influence, but it didn’t matter now.
“All I know is that we are going on a boat somewhere. Actually, it’s two nights in Bali, and then we fly... somewhere else in Indonesia to get on a boat? Anyway, like I said, Rico has made a plan.”
“And you can afford this with the money I paid you back?”
“Well... Rico offered to help me out a little bit. You know, you might be able to learn a thing or two from me, Claire.”
“I thought I was the one who inspired you? Why you gotta turn the tables on me?”
She laughed. “You know, when you came to me asking for help, I had no problem lending you the money. And Rico’s done the same for me. I asked him for help, and he’s helping me. It’s what you do for people you love.”
“So how can I help you?”
“Not me, you doofus. You.”
“Me?”
“Youwantto be in Wellington. Tane’s offered to help you, and you love him. Why shouldn’t you accept his help?” Tane had begrudgingly gone back to Wellington after Devon was arrested, but we’d talked every day between shifts and obligations.
“I don’t want to take advantage of him.”
“But,” Iris said gently, “he’s offering. Don’t you think he’ll get something out of this too?”
It was on the tip of my tongue to make a joke—banging-hot sex, of course—but I knew what Iris meant. I loved Tane. And I’d make sure he knew it.
