Page 51 of Never With You
But I’m met with the swipe of his hand, pushing me away.
A throat clears, and I pop up. A man in navy slacks and a light button-up shirt stares back at me. His dark hair is patterned with gray streaks, and his dark eyes hold a familiar hue. A pretty woman with a brown bob stands just behind his shoulder, looking at me expectantly.
“Hi!” I jump to my feet with a smile. “Are you with Pureskin?”
“Yes.” His demeanor is intimidating, but my smile holds.
“Welcome to Thailand!” I grab my list of guests. “What’s your name?”
“Mack Farnsworth.”
My eyes scan the list until I get to his name. “Right. Mack and Connie Farnsworth. You guys were the new add-ons to the trip. We’re so happy you decided to come.” I hand them their packet of stuff. Mack stands still, but his wife reaches out and takes the items. “There are some goodies in the bag, courtesy of Pureskin. Then the trip itinerary for Bangkok, and if you’ll notice, we have our first event tonight. A welcome dinner cruise on the Chao Phraya River. There will be a Thai buffet, live music, and dancing. Should be a lot of fun.”
Connie is the first to speak. “That sounds lovely.”
“I know. I’m so excited to see the city at night! So, meet in the lobby at six p.m., and we’ll head to the dock where we'll board the boat. In the meantime, if you have any questions, feel free to come and talk to us. We’ll be here in the lobby all afternoon, welcoming guests. I’m Carly Catterson if you need anything.”
“Thank you.” Connie smiles, and thank goodness for her because Mack seems like a complete dud.
“I’m looking for my son,” he finally says.
“Who’s your son?” My eyes drop to the list of guests. About ten other Farnsworths are on this trip. Nate said they were distant cousins and uncles he never sees.
“Nate. He’s supposed to be running the event.”
Nate.
As in this is the owner of Pureskin, Nate’s dad, who he said wasn’t coming on the trip.
“You’re Nate’s parents?”
“Yes.” His pursed lips show his impatience with me.
I imagined meeting Nate’s mom multiple times over the last nine months. I always dreamed about telling her how much her son sucks and that, as parents, they did a crappy job raising him, because he failed to launch into adulthood like a normal man. But Connie Farnsworth seems kind and lovely, and I suddenly feel guilty for questioning her parenting skills. Mack, on the other hand…not as lovely.
“I thought Nate would be here with you. Or is he off playing instead of working?”
“Um…” My eyes drop to where Nate’s hiding under the table. “No, Nate’s here…close.” He flicks my legmultipletimes, and I shake it to get his pesky fingers away from me.
I could out him to his dad right now. Get back at him for all the late-night phone calls, the extra work he’s made me do, all the trips he’s kicked me off of, but I remember the gift of first class and take pity on him.
“Nate is around here somewhere.” I make a show of looking over the lobby. “He’s definitely working. Workinghard.In fact, I think he left to go help an elderly woman get her bags up to her room.”
Mack’s dark brows fold inward. “Why not let the bellhop do that?”
“You know Nate.” I laugh. “Such akindheart.” I choke on the words a little as they come out.
“Come on, Mack.” Connie tugs his arm. “We’ll see Nate tonight. Let him work right now.”
“Fine.” He flicks his gaze to me while stepping toward the elevators. “If you see him, tell him I’m looking for him.”
“You bet.” My smile is overly big, despite the fact that there is no way Mack Farnsworth could be killed with kindness. “We’ll see you both tonight.”
I wait until they’re both in the elevator before plopping down in my chair.
Nate peeks out from under the tablecloth, mouthing, “Are they gone?”
“Relax. They went up to their room.”
