Page 37 of That Birthday in Barbados
But as my eyes adjust to the dimness, I see that the chair is empty. And he is gone.
*
I ORDER COFFEE and bring myself fully awake now, sitting on the balcony and staring out at the ocean where the waves are tame this morning. The sun is up, tinting the sky with pink. And the birds are singing their songs of happiness, sometimes solo, sometimes in unison.
I’ve finished my third cup before I cease the self-flagellation, grateful that Anders had let himself out.
It would be hard to blame him for wanting to avoid an uncomfortable exit.
I try to remember everything I said to him when we were on the beach, and there are some definite blanks. I would very much like to kick myself.
I could hide out in the room all day. Take every precaution to make sure I don’t run into Anders Walker again. Which won’t be easy, true.
Or check for an afternoon flight back to New York.
I give both options a good bit of consideration before I dismiss each of them.
I hear my phone ring through the crack in the doors between the bedroom and the balcony.
When had I turned it back on? I have no idea.
I could ignore it. But I don’t. I get up and grab it from the nightstand by the bed. It’s a FaceTime call, and I click on the icon, James’s face filling my screen.
“Oh, thank God, you’re alive,” he says.
“Sorry,” I say, trying to sound as if I really am. “I should have told you where I was going.”
“You think?”
“I know,” I admit on a sigh.
“What the heck, Catherine?”
“I wanted to turn forty alone.”
“You knew about the surprise party?”
“I got wind of it.”
“I figured.”
“How was it?”
“A blast, actually.We set a picture of you in the center of the food table and sang happy birthday to it.”
A laugh sputters out of me. “You did not.”
“Did too. No point in wasting a good catering.”
“I’m sorry. Really.”
He shrugs. “I should have asked you if you wanted the party.”
“If I weren’t such a control freak-”
“You wouldn’t be CEO of ActivGirl.”
“I’d have a lot more friends though.”
