Page 34 of Loving London

“I dropped it in the Amazon River and haven’t gotten a new one yet,” she says casually.

“You dropped your cell phone in the Amazon River?” I repeat, realizing how crazy that sounds.

“Yeah, I met this guy, Paco, down in themercadothe first day I was here. He said that he had a small boat and could take me out on the river, so of course, I said yes. Well, we saw this black caiman on the bank, which is like their equivalent of an alligator. I was leaning over the boat, taking its picture, and my foot slipped. I caught myself, but in the process, I dropped my phone.”

I cover my face with my hands. “And, now, I have to worry about you getting eaten by alligators and piranhas. Just lovely.”

“Stop. I’ve apologized. I’m safe. Now, let’s move on to the important stuff.” She grins. “How’s your new job?”

“It’s great.”

“How’s Brad Pitt?” She quirks up an eyebrow, causing me to laugh.

“Brad is fine. He’s my boss. It’s totally professional.”

“Yeah, right. I saw him looking at you on New Year’s. He wants to professionally bend you over his expensive desk and take you from behind.”

I throw my head back in laughter. “Well, when we went out for dinner on my first full day here, he did say something about how we’d end up sleeping together.”

“Ha! I knew it. Ooh…you can live out the hot-boss scenario. You know, doing it in his office and stuff.”

I shake my head. “I’m not going to do that.”

“Why not? You’re single. He’s hot. Live it up.”

“First, because this job means a lot to me, and I don’t want to mess it up. Second, because I don’t want a relationship with him.”

“Londy, I can guarantee he doesn’t want a relationship either. A little bit of hot sex won’t hurt.” She winks, sporting a mischievous grin.

“No, I can’t.”

Just thinking about sex makes me feel guilty, like I’m being unfaithful to Loïc.

“You’re single, babe. You have every right to do what you want with who you want.” Georgia gives me a knowing stare through the computer screen.

“I know. I’m just not ready,” I admit as the ever-present pang in my chest intensifies.

“All right.” Georgia shoots me a kind smile before she squints toward the screen. “Where are you, by the way?”

I laugh, looking around the room with the bright green walls. “My new bedroom. It needs a paint job.”

“Dad picked out this place?” she questions skeptically.

“No.” I shake my head. “I told him that I didn’t need him buying me an apartment. I’m renting this one with a girl from work. I want to start doing things on my own, you know?”

“Aw, my big sister is growing up!” Georgia says. “I can’t believe you’re sleeping in a room with that shade of green though. I’ve seen a couple of tree frogs that color down here.”

“I might be growing up, but I still have taste. The second I have a free day, I’m going to paint it. I’ve just been working so much.”

“You mean, you’re going to hire a painter?” Georgia puckers her lips in question.

I roll my eyes. “Yes, I’ll probably hire a painter. Rome wasn’t built in a day.” I stick out my tongue.

“Aw, if you were Paige, you would have said,Detroit was built in a day, or,The grass is greener on the other side,or something equally ridiculous.”

We both smile.

“How is Paige?” she asks.

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