Page 13 of Twist of Fate
I lean back against the headboard, choosing to remain upright. I don’t want to accidentally doze off on the lad.
“You make it sound like I’m your lover, and you’re calling to smooth things over.” I grin. “Not to say I wouldn’t appreciate a bouquet of flowers or a box of sweets.”
“I wouldn’t even know where to send them.” He chuckles. “You’re never home.”
“You’re one to talk.” My gaze wanders to the window, which offers a picturesque view of the Irish Sea—the same view I’ve seen dozens of times before.
“I wasn’t joking yesterday when I said I was missing home. This shit is getting old.”
“Yeah? Where’d they send you this time?”
“Seattle,” he says with a sigh. “Again. I’m worried they want me to relocate.”
“Relocated to Seattle?” I find myself sitting up a bit straighter, suddenly much more awake.
“It is where they’re headquartered.”
“Do you—” I swallow, my throat suddenly dry. “Want to? Leave, I mean? Move to the States?”
“If it were temporary, maybe? Or if I had a reason to stay, like a girl or friends, but I don’t. There’s nothing here for me except a job, and that’s just fucking depressing. I don’t want to move somewhere where I have no roots. I don’t want to be here all alone.”
“There’s a chance you could plant new roots,” I say, attempting to cheer him up. But it’s a struggle because I don’t want him to leave either. So much has changed in my life as it is, and yeah, I know that sounds selfish as fuck—but Rian is my best friend. “It could be a grand adventure.”
“Maybe.” He doesn’t sound convinced. “Nothing has been decided yet, so for now, I’ll just be traveling back and forth, carrying on as usual.”
“You must be racking up a load of airline miles at least.”
He snorts. “God knows when I’ll use them.” He lets out a heavy sigh. “But enough about me. I didn’t call you during my precious lunch hour to complain. We were supposed to catch up last night, and I bolloxed that.”
“I told you it’s fine.”
“Doesn’t mean I’m not sorry. I’ve been a shite best friend lately. I’ve barely talked to you in a month.”
“There’s not much to tell. Same shit, different day. Only in my world, it’s ‘same tour bus, different day.’”
“You should put that on a T-shirt. It could be the company’s Christmas gift.” I let out a laugh before he asks, “How’s this new group looking? Mostly silver-haired biddies as usual?”
“It’s a good group. Not nearly as gray as my usual stock,” I tell him. “So fucking chatty, though. I never thought I’d make it back to my hotel room, Rian. I didn’t even have time to change before the group dinner. Just had to roll in there in clothes I tossed on this morning.”
“Oh, there goes your tip money,” he jokes. “So, a bit of a variety, then?”
I’ll say…
“Don’t get me wrong,” I reiterate, gazing at the generic coastal painting on the wall across from me. “Most of them are still over sixty-five, but I’ve got a few younger ones thrown in to keep it interesting. There’s a group of middle-aged women enjoying a family-free holiday.”
“Oh, they must just love you.” He laughs.
I just roll my eyes and keep talking. “There’s another group of guys, although I think they’re a little younger. And then there’s this girl.”
“A girl?” I can hear the amusement in his tone. “Why do I feel like there’s a story there?”
“Because there is.” I exhale while leaning my head back. “And it’s a crazy one.”
I tell him about my run-in with Aisling and how I was nearly late this morning because I missed my alarm. I go on to explain that it cost me precious prep time, and I didn’t get to check everyone out.
“It’s really kind of creepy that you do that, you know?”
“It’s not creepy,” I argue. “It’s thorough. You wouldn’t believe how many times it has saved me from sticking my foot in my mouth.”
