Page 59 of Promise Not To Fall

1 part raspberry rum

1 part light rum

½ part passion fruit juice

½ part pomegranate juice

½ part mango juice

½ part soda water

Add all ingredients together except the soda water. Mix and strain over ice into glass. Top with soda. Garnish with an orange twist.

When you think about it, your life can change rather quickly, and in ways you never even imagined. You can go from bad to good, and even more quickly than that, back to bad.

The next day after Jake and I spent the night in my room, I find myself at the bar again, even though I told myself I wasn’t going. I tried to think of reasons and ways around his words last night, telling myself he meant none of it and I know he’s going to break my heart, and pushing him away is a natural reaction.

When that doesn’t work, I decide to try a different approach. Being mean. I don’t want my heart broken again. The problem is, it already happened the moment I took him back to my hotel room.

I don’t have to try very hard to be mean either. Jake’s on edge too, sensing my mood. I’d spent the better part of the day there, and, come sunset, neither one of us move or say much to each other.

Around seven, a woman walks into the bar, her smile bright and all for Jake. She’s a middle-aged woman, dark hair, golden skin, with a rough smoker’s voice.

“Shit, woman.” Jake laughs, shaking his head. “Long time no see.”

She wastes no time in coming around the side of the bar to pull him into a hug. “It’s good to see you.” They part, both smiling, as she sits down at the bar, two chairs down from me.

“It’s been at least a year,” Jake remarks, reaching for a glass and two bottles behind him. I notice he’s making her a whiskey sour. Apparently these two have a lot in common.

Immediately, I wonder if they’ve slept together. Sure, she could be his mother, but still, the thought is there for me.

“I’ve been in Australia for a while, but I’m back,” she tells Jake when he hands her the drink he made and a coaster. “I’m working with Atlantis now.”

Jake motions to me with a tip of his head. “Oh yeah, you and Kendall here are in the same business.”

“Is that right?” The woman turned to me, her dark brown eyes shining as the last sliver of sun pierces into the bar through the straw roof.

“What?” I stumble, wondering what the hell he’s talking about. Jake pushes another drink in my direction when he notices I finished mine.

“Stevie here works with the concierge at hotels. She gets the high rollers what they need.”

“Don’t say it like that, Jake.” Stevie laughs. “You make me sound like a prostitute.”

I’m not going to lie, when she walked in, I had some theories on that.

Leaning toward me, she reaches her hand for mine. “I’m Stevie Benton.”

“Kendall Landon.” After I shake her hand, we get to talking about what she does here in the Bahamas and the States. It’s exactly like what I do back home, except she does it for people here while they’re on vacation. I know enough about my job that when my clients go on vacation, they never make their own dinner reservations or schedule private scuba diving lessons. I do that.

So does Stevie.

“Have you ever thought of working on the islands? There’s a lot of business here.”

The thought had crossed my mind more than once since I’ve been here. We get to talking about what exactly she does for guests at the hotels when I ask, “What about the concierge? Don’t they provide your clients with what they need?”

I already know the answer when it comes to my own clients. No way in hell Justin, or even Revel, would allow the concierge to do anything for them. They want someone they can trust and who knows their tastes.

Stevie explains everything about her job here and how she obtains clients. And then, to my surprise, she hands me her business card. “If you’re interested, call me. I’ll set you up. It’s crazy busy here.”

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