“Did you have a nice time at the conference yesterday?” Dad asks. He comes and joins me at the small kitchen table, coffee cup in hand. He's almost ready for work, his suit pressed and perfect. There are no wrinkles on his pants and his vest and jacket hang neatly from a hanger by the door. They're perfectly pressed, too. “The conference was fine,” I tell him. It's not a total lie. The conference itself wasn't bad. “You sure? You look exhausted this morning.” Dad raises one eyebrow, the coffee mug halfway to his mouth. He has the paper in the other hand. “I've just got a lot on my mind,” I reply. I spent most of the night tossing and turning, thinking about Jonathan and Christopher. I still don't know what I want to do. I don't know what the right thing to do it. “Okay. Well, I'm off to work. Apparently there's been some sort of incident today. It's going to be a busy day.” Dad loses the stern look and smiles at me. He gets up and rinses his mug in the sink before putting it in t
The helicopter is waiting on the pad for us. The blades already whirl and spin as we approach, ready for us to take off. “We're taking the helicopter?” I ask, sure Christopher had said something about a plane. I realize that I have no idea where we are going. Christopher looks at the helicopter and then at me. “Saves time,” he explains as if it should be obvious. “The plane's waiting for us at the tarmac.” I frown, wondering what a helicopter like this must cost and what the hell I have gotten myself into. “What, you'd rather sit in traffic?” Christopher asks me. With that he walks out to the helicopter, right under the blades, and steps inside. He doesn't duck as he walks. He doesn't look afraid. He walks into the helicopter the way I walk into a subway car. Like it's something I've done all my life. I swallow hard and follow him. I duck low under the swirling blades. They're noisy and I can feel the wind they make. I pull myself up the stairs and into the cabin of the helicopt
I finish my lemonade, but before I can even set the glass down, I have a fresh one. When you are the only customer, the service is pretty amazing. It probably helps when the boss is flying with you, too. Christopher finally finishes his business call. He looks to put the phone in a suit coat pocket, but since he's dressed casually, he has to adjust and put the phone in his pants. He looks awkward and annoyed. “Sorry about that,” he says as if we didn't just have a forty-five minute interruption. “Business.” “It's always business with you,” I reply. “That's my lot in life.” He shrugs, but doesn't deny it. He motions to the file in my hands. “So, what do you think?” “It looks like a great resort and hotel,” I tell him. “I'm not sure if it's a great price, though. I'm afraid I don't know what private islands are going for these days.” “It's a seller's market,” he says with a shrug. “If the amenities are what they claim to be, it could be a good investment. The nearby ecology sanc
Blue skies and leafy green palm trees greet us. I step off the plane and take a deep breath in. If I ignore the scent of jet fuel, I can almost smell the ocean. It's different here than in New York. The ocean here is lighter and more tropical. The sun is different here, too. There's more yellow and colors seem brighter. A man in a dark blue suit is waiting for us at the base of the stairs. He's smiling as we carefully navigate the steps from the plane. Christopher leads. The wind whips at his brown hair and he squints in the sun. “Mr. Lewis, your suite is prepared and ready for you. As requested, there is a fax machine and video conferencing equipment available in your room,” the man says. Christopher glances in my direction. I cross my arms. He's not getting out of this. He doesn't get to fly me out here and leave me on my own. “Actually, that won't be necessary,” Christopher tells the man. “I'll be accompanying Nora.” “Of course, sir.” The man smiles and nods. “If you'll come
The limo stops and we get out at paradise. I can hear the soft song of the ocean. Birds call overhead and the wind caresses the palm trees. The world is warm and made of liquid sunshine and green plants. I love the islands. A woman in a suit with a name tag comes out to greet us. Behind her is a large open air lobby. The building is made out of local materials, giving it a very tropical tiki look. The decorations inside are a subdued tropical design that reminds me of a fancy spa I once went to. “Welcome to the Ocean Retreat. My name is Anna and I'm here to help you with anything you need.” Her bright smile is warm and welcoming. “If you'll follow me, I'll take you to your room.” I grin over at Christopher as she motions us to walk through the lobby and out onto a boardwalk. The lobby is cool with fans blowing softly. There's several comfortable chairs and a large check-in area. A man stands at the desk and smiles politely as we pass. I gasp as we cross the boardwalk. It's an ove
“This is beautiful,” I say, turning away and facing the water so he can't see the effect he's having on me. “I didn't know there was an over-the-water bungalow place like this in the Caribbean. I've seen pictures of the ones in Bora Bora, but this is amazing.” “The over-the-water bungalows are a newer addition,” he informs me. “There's a regular hotel and private bungalows on the shore as well.” I nod. “That makes sense.” I'm waiting for my heart to stop thudding in my chest. I didn't expect to ever think Christopher was attractive. I mean, I always thought he was handsome, but thinking it and experiencing attraction to him because of it, are two very separate things. “What would you like to do first?” Christopher asks, looking around at the lagoon. I can tell that laying poolside doing nothing would drive him crazy. Christopher is a doer. He doesn't know how to sit down and relax. Trying to get him to sit in the sun and enjoy doing nothing would have him hugging the fax machine
“The boat's here,” Christopher says, clearing his throat and pointing.I look up in surprise. I thought we still had a few more minutes alone. Time went faster than I expected. Especially since I was contemplating telling Christopher I needed more sunscreen on my back.I greet the boat driver and he helps me climb aboard. Christopher is right behind me. The boat is small with a seat in the back and on the sides. Right now, the two side benches have snorkeling gear and a cooler on them, taking up most of the sitting space. The bottom center of the boat is made of glass and we can see all the way down to the bottom of the ocean. Fish dart beneath my feet. I point them out to Christopher and he grins.We sit next to one another on the small bench at the back. There isn't a lot of room in this small boat. Our legs are touching and once again, I can't stop thinking about his touch. I try to look around at the beautiful lagoon and not concentrate on his half naked body next to me.The drive
We swim back to the boat after a while. It's more because we're both hungry than because there's nothing left to see. We could stay all day at the reef and never grow tired of it. However, my stomach is growling and so is Christopher's. “That was amazing,” Christopher says, flopping into the boat. He takes off his mask, leaving a big red mark where it pressed into his skin. He's grinning from ear to ear. “Did you see that stingray? And those little blue and purple fish?” I laugh, enjoying his delight. “I'm glad you liked it,” I tell him. I stand in the middle of the boat, wrapping a towel around my torso. I hand him a towel from the stack near the unused snorkel masks. He drops onto the bench, wiping his face with the towel. “Liked it? I loved it.” He sighs with pleasure, leaning back against the back of the boat, his eyes closed and grinning. He squints one eye open against the bright sun, the grin still plastered on his face. The red goggle marks change his serious face into som