Chapter Ten

I stared out the glass doors of my room in awe. Outside the ocean sparkled in blue jewel tones against pristine white sand, rolling and dancing together like lovers. Even through the glass, I could hear the song of the sea, calling me like a siren's song. The bright blue sky stretched out into infinity. It was possibly the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life.

I looked down at the schedule in my hand. I was going to get some good time in with that perfect turquoise water. The schedule looked more like a vacation than a conference. There was barely a meeting a day and never for more than a couple of hours. Most of the items on the schedule were for fun events like wine tastings and dancing. Alexa and Calvin could suck it in Texas while I vacationed with Kathryn in the Caribbean. I sent Alexa a silent thank you for taking my spot. She was going on thankless coffee runs while I sunbathed.

It wasn't just the vacation that was making me happy. It was my job. In just two weeks, I