Page 62 of The Suite Life
‘I mean, I have no idea who that is, but that’s cute,’ I reply. ‘You kept playing though?’
Jeff nods.
‘Oh, you bet,’ he replies. ‘My parents practically had a second mortgage, to fund my equipment. I had everything I could need – still sucked.’
I laugh.
‘You’re laughing but, you know, what I really wanted was to be an astronaut,’ he tells me. ‘I was fascinated by space, stars, and the great unknown.’
‘Wow,’ I blurt. ‘So, do you work in…’
Jeff shakes his head.
‘I work in finance,’ he tells me. ‘Which isn’t like hockey – although I suppose it is brutal – but working in mergers and acquisitions is nowhere near as interesting as space travel. But, hey, it pays well, and I can still look at the stars, right?’
‘That’s a nice way of looking at it,’ I reply with a smile. ‘My soon-to-be brother-in-law works in finance. My sister, Lucy, says it’s the cure for insomnia. All jobs keep the world turning, though, right?’
‘They sure do,’ Jeff responds with a knowing smirk. ‘It takes a strong… everything.’
I laugh as I glance out of the window. On one side of the car there is lush rainforest, on the other, beyond the roadside, the ocean stretches endlessly towards the horizon. The sun bathes everything in a warm, golden glow as it threatens to set. I wonder what this road is like in the dark, because of course I do, because nothing can be just nice with me, can it? With single-lane roads – and bridges over water – I imagine it can be scary, if you’re not used to the drive. Still, for the views, it’s worth it.
‘So, when’s the big day?’ Jeff asks, pulling my attention back to him.
‘Hmm?’ I reply.
‘You said “soon-to-be brother-in-law”,’ he reminds me. ‘When is the big day?’
‘Oh, it’s this week,’ I tell him. ‘At the resort. The whole family is here for it.’
Jeff raises his eyebrows.
‘Oh, is that why you’re here?’ he replies. ‘I didn’t realise you had family with you. I thought you were here alone.’
‘Sorry if that ruins your plans to murder me and dump my body in the Pacific,’ I joke – even the driver laughs at that one, which is either reassuring, or deeply menacing. ‘I haven’t beenspending much time with them, to be honest, but I promised I’d hang out with them tomorrow, so I’ll make it up to them.’
‘Ah,’ he says simply.
I glance at him curiously.
‘Oh, it’s not a big deal,’ he insists. ‘I was a bit presumptuous and booked the resort cinema, for just the two of us. I thought we could watch horror movies. You know what, though, if you’re wanting to spend the day with your family, it’s not a big deal, bring them along. In a cinema you won’t even have to talk to them.’
I laugh at his joke, but I’m taken aback by his gesture. It’s either incredibly generous or a little intense. It’s nice that he’s willing to include my family, but there is an obvious problem with him meeting them – what if Jeff could be my wedding date? It would be weird, to invite him to the wedding, right now, which means that if he did meet my family tomorrow, and seemingly didn’t know he was my wedding date, but later turned out to be… oh my God, even I’m confused.
‘Wow, that’s really kind of you,’ I reply, trying to keep my tone light. ‘But we’ve got plans for tomorrow and there will be hell to pay if I don’t stick to them. How about we grab dinner together after?’
Jeff looks a tad disappointed but quickly recovers.
‘Sure, I’ve got a meeting tomorrow evening anyway,’ he tells me. ‘But if you’re up for a late dinner, count me in.’
‘Perfect!’ I reply.
As we drive along the scenic Hana Highway, I breathe a sigh of relief, glad that I haven’t put him off. I glance over at Jeff, whose eyes are fixed on the breathtaking views outside the car window. He must have seen it all before, as he seems to know what he’s doing on this island, but it’s nice to see that he still appreciates it… unless he is annoyed at me.
‘Are you sure that’s okay?’ I ask him. ‘I would have loved a cinema day but, seeing as though I haven’t been spending much time with my family, I’m on thin ice.’
‘It’s absolutely fine,’ he reassures me, squeezing my knee. ‘You’re worth the wait.’
My mouth twitches into a smile as I steal a glance at Jeff, and for a moment, it feels like something could actually blossom between us, if I open my heart to it.
