Page 24 of A Savior for the Arrogant Dragon

He grinned at her, “Good, I like being in your life,” he said, grabbing her chair and cooler. “I’ve got this stuff if you can get the rest.”

Before she could move, he started down the beach toward the village, leaving her standing there watching him, a warm spot in her middle. Groaning because she knew she was in trouble, she grabbed her bag and started after him, knowing she was making a mistake but unable to stop herself.

CHAPTER 14

***SIMON***

Simon helped Kira off the boat, a little nervous about their shopping trip, but ready for some adventure. “Thanks for the ride,” he said to their captain. “If you could meet us back here at four, that would be great.”

“Sure thing, I’ll be waiting for you right here,” the young man said. “Have fun today.”

After untying the boat, they watched until it disappeared from sight, then he turned to Kira, “So, where do we go first?” he asked. “I’ve been to Bermuda several times, but to be honest with you, I never even left the resort.”

“You never left the resort,” Kira repeated looking at him like he was crazy. “You came all this way and just ignored the entire island?”

He shrugged his shoulders and nodded, “I didn’t think there was anything to leave for,” he said. “I mean, we had the beach, a pool, a nightclub, and a bunch of restaurants. It just didn’t seem worth it, and well……I didn’t want to run into any……poor people.”

“Wow, you really are a snob,” Kira said, shaking her head. “But that shouldn’t be a problem anymore. After all you’re one of us now.”

“That sounded better in my mind, but you’re right, I was a snob,” he said, with a sigh. “But I’m willing to change. That has to count for something.”

Kira studied him for a second, “We’ll see,” she said, then looked around the marina. “Just let me get my bearings, and then we’ll figure out where we’re going.”

“Wait, you don’t know where we’re going?” he asked, feeling a little panicked. “We can’t just start wandering around, we’ll get lost. We have to be back here at four.”

“Simon, relax, we’re not going to get lost, we just need to find someone to ask,” she said. “This is a small island; it shouldn’t be hard to find what we need.”

“What if they don’t speak our language or something?” he asked, following her up the dock. “We could get all turned around or something.”

Kira stopped and looked back at him, “Simon, this is a British territory, they speak English,” she said. “What’s with you? Why is this freaking you out so much?”

“I’ve just never done anything like this before,” he said. “Someone usually takes care of these details for me. I’ve never really even gone shopping before.”

“Well then, you’re in for a real education today,” Kira said, not slowing her pace. “There should be a marina office around here somewhere. They’ll be able to help us.”

“Do you do stuff like this all the time?” he asked, looking over at her. “I mean……you’re not nervous or afraid that……I don’t know, someone will tell you the wrong thing or something.”

Kira looked over at him, “You mean, do I act like an adult all the time?” she asked, rolling her eyes at him. “Stop worrying, Simon, or I’m going to make you do the talkingwhen we get there.”

That shut him up, and he followed Kira in silence until they found the marina office, “Do you want to come inside or wait out here?” she asked when they got to the bottom of the steps. “You might have to interact with someone inside there.”

He looked up at the door, “I’m coming in,” he said. “I have to learn how the world works sooner or later.”

As it turned out, the girl behind the counter was prepared for their questions and only a few minutes later, they walked out of the office with a map, bus passes, and enough cash to get them through the day. Kira gave him a smug smile as they walked out the doors, but he didn’t care. He felt more encouraged than he had since he’d woken up a different person.

It was a short walk to the bus stop and he began to get nervous again as they stood waiting, “Tell me again what I’m supposed to do,” he said. “I don’t want to embarrass myself.”

“All you have to do is show the driver your day pass,” Kira said, holding up the laminated card on the lanyard around her neck. “The bus will be crowded, so we may not get seats, but if we do, you’re expected to give them up for older people, mothers with children, or someone with a disability.”

“Okay, I got it, that doesn’t sound so hard,” he said, letting out a sigh. “How much longer do we have to wait?”

Before Kira could answer, the bus came rumbling up and came to a stop, belching out a puff of smoke, and he jumped back, afraid it would explode. Kira laughed, the door slid open with a hiss, and he was staring at the driver, “You go first,” he said. “I’ll be right behind you.”

Kira shook her head, a smile on her face, but didn’t say anything, just climbed the steps, showed the driver her pass and waited for him in the aisle. Feeling adventurous, and trying to look more confident than he felt, he climbed into the bus, showed his pass, then turned to Kira with a smile.They found seats in the back and the bus pulled away from the curb with a jerk and a rumble that he felt in his chest.

A burst of what felt like excitement exploded inside him as they took off down the street, and his face was glued to the window taking in everything they passed. The people, the traffic, the buildings, it was all new and suddenly very interesting to him, he’d never thought about how other people lived, but that’s what he was seeing through the window. Thousands of other lives played out right before his eyes, and he began to wonder what they were doing, where they were going, and what heartaches they suffered through every day.

For the first time in a long time, he was thinking about someone besides himself, and it felt good, felt right, and he realized that he’d let himself become a selfish, entitled jerk. Trying to punish his parents had turned him into a horrible person, and the only one he’d ended up hurting was himself. He’d missed out on so much in life spending all his time chasing women and partying. It was time to stop wasting his life and live it.

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