Page 8 of Passions & Peonies

“Hey. Yeah, I’m on my way. Bye.” That was short. Interesting.

A stack of papers and mail waits for me on the desk. Josh and I have been gone for ten days, and from the looks of our shared office, all hell broke loose. Apparently, most of the boats were rented, and the day cruises were all booked out.

That sounds good, but with both of us gone and another employee who got sick, things have been crazy. Not only did we have to cancel some cruises, but one motorboat broke down and almost sank. No one got hurt, but it wasn’t easy for us on the back end. And dealing with all of this over the phone was a nightmare. Of course, it didn’t help that my phone died today too.

I turn on my laptop and watch the screen light up. The password prompt appears, but I just stare at it. Work mode has not kicked in yet. My mind is only on Lacey. Not even Sawyer, which makes me feel like shit.

I couldn’t walk away from her without knowing what it’d feel like to kiss her perfect lips. If circumstances were different, I would’ve asked her to dinner or to meet me for a drink. But I live in St. Thomas, and she’s somewhere on vacation. She isn’t someone I could be with for just a week. She’d be a forever kind of girl. But forever doesn’t work with my lifestyle and career.

The bell rings as the front door opens. I lean back in my chair so I can see who it is. Josh walks around the counter toward the back.

“Hey, man.” Josh and I fist bump. “Looks like you could use a beer or two, just like me.”

He removes his sunglasses and lays them on his desk. “After being in frigid temps in New York, eighty-five degrees feels like a sauna. But I’d take this over that any day.”

“Amen. I’m happy to be back too.”

He cocks an eyebrow. “Did you finally get some sleep or something? You look much better than you did this morning, and you’re not wearing your sunglasses inside. Back in the city, you were walking around like a gorilla with your arms dragging on the ground.”

That’s true. Sometimes I wonder why death affects everyone so differently. Two of the most important women in my life have been taken away from this earth too early and too suddenly. My mom, and now Sawyer’s wife, Deb. She was like a sister to us. Sawyer, Deb, Josh, and I grew up together. I was closer to Sawyer and Deb than Josh was. It crushed Josh, but not as much as me. I think he mourns for a moment, gets it out of his system, and then he’s good to go.Wouldn’t that be nice?

“I asked Mike to stay a couple extra hours so I could take a shower and get some sleep.”

He rolls his eyes. “How much did you have to pay him? Forty bucks?”

“I talked him down to thirty.” He nods as if impressed, then rests his hands on the windowsill to look out at the boats.

“I wasn’t sure I could sleep, but I don’t remember hitting the pillow.”

That’s because of Lacey. Somehow, she helped relieve some of the pain in my heart and replaced it with a piece of her. How can I say that about someone I met on a plane and talked to for a couple of hours? She hardly even told me anything about herself. I know that she lives in the city, likes the Red Sox and Yankees, and her parents are divorced. I don’t remember her last name, though.

Maybe it was the kiss. It sucked every sad emotion out of my body and filled me with pure lust, need, adoration… and something else I can’t quite define. All I know is I walked out of the airport with a big smile on my face, not a scowl.

I check my phone to see if Lacey has sent me the picture of her yet. My heart sinks. Nothing. What do I expect? She’s somewhere having fun. She’s probably forgotten me already.

“Hey, is that your new one? Did you splurge and get the latest iPhone?”

“Yeah.” I smile. “I said I wouldn’t, but I gave in. It was time for an upgrade anyway.” I unlock it and give it to him.

He fiddles around with it and checks out the camera. “Sweet. Because your phone died, I was bombarded with calls while I waited in the airport. Did ole man Jorge hook you up?”

“Yep. I went straight to his shop and, within minutes, the phone was in my hand, ready to go. I love it here.”

“Me too, but man, there are some fucking weird guests at this resort right now.” He gives me the phone back, then sits down. “Get this. Some chick with her friend stopped me on the way here, acting like she knew me. Then she got all pissed off when I told her I had no idea who she was. Almost as if we went on a date and I ignored her the next day.”

“Well, that’s you in a nutshell. So maybe you did go out with her.” I’m joking, but I really kind of mean it.

“Not my type, but her friend was pretty hot.” He motions with his hands that she had a big rack. “I would’ve liked to have knownher.”

“Not surprised. You love the lifestyle here because you know these women won’t be around more than a week or two. There’s never enough time for either one of you to get attached.”

“Oh, and you never flirt with the guests here? Give me a break.”

I shrug. “Not like you. We’re thirty years old and you’re still a dog. I should put a sign on the office door —‘Beware of dog.’ Don’t you think it’s time to start acting your age?”

He rubs his chin as he contemplates what I just said. “Nah. It’s too much fun!” He laughs and I shake my head.

Josh has a new girlfriend every other day. Wait, I can’t even call them girlfriends. Acquaintance is a better term. Me, on the other hand, I haven’t met someone I like enough to go on a date. I’ve met some nice women here, but not anyone I wanted to pursue since they’re always gone in a couple of days.

---