Page 5 of Trust and Obey

“I don’t know.”

“Come on, you can have a nice meal and tell me all about the delights of the resort.”

Again, there was a slight gleam in the other man’s eyes. “I really shouldn’t.”

“You’re a relaxation consultant, aren’t you? Look, I said I came here alone to get away from things, but I am a people-person. One of the things I like to do is to share a meal with interesting people.” I paused. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable though. I just don’t want to eat alone tonight.” I wasn’t going to go into the details of my divorce, at least not until I’d had a couple of Long Island Iced Teas, but hopefully he would get the gist.

Perhaps he did know how to read between the lines. The glance he gave me was a little bit sympathetic before it was gone in the flash of a smile. “Well, I’ve never eaten with a guest before so… sure, why not?” He flashed another smile, this one showing a dimple on his cheek. “Lucky for you, I have a good thing going with the chefs. I’ll be back with your drink, and our meals.”

He walked away and I allowed myself a moment of slight triumph I watched him go with another half-smile on my face and then hurried to my bedroom to get changed.

Kendall arrived a half-hour later with a cart including a nice spread of tasteful surf and turf: a small steak, a lobster tail that was definitely imported to this tropical island, a nice garden salad, and of course my drink.

“I can’t drink when I’m on the clock,” he said regretfully, setting the table with brisk efficiency for two before sitting down on the other end himself. He held up a glass of water in a toast. “To the start of your very relaxing week.”

I returned the toast and thought to myself, To the beginning of a new chapter of my life. I drank. The Long Island was exactly as ordered.

I tucked into the meal. Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t eaten anything proper since before my first flight out.

Kendall seemed to be hungry too, and the next few moments were spent eating.

Then Kendall put down his fork and said, “So tell me, Mr. Helman—”

“Remember, call me Deacon, please.”

He smiled. “Deacon. What are your plans for your vacation? The survey you filled out was a little light on details.”

I cocked my head. “I didn’t think that vacation and planning went hand-in-hand.”

“Oh, you have no idea. Some people have every last-second outlined with bullet-points.” He waved an airy hand around. “And for some, lounging around on the beach is enough.”

“I… um, I hadn’t really thought about it. This vacation was kind of a last-second decision.” I had to get out of the states and clear my head. Every city block reminded me of Lauren, and her betrayal. The private detective I’d hired had provided a list of restaurants she had visited with her lovers.

Yes, lovers. Plural.

As if reading my mind, Kendall’s smile softened and became more genuine. “I’ve seen my share of those, too. Needed a break from the real world?”

Oh, you have no idea, I thought.

He must have caught my look because he said, almost slyly, “How long until you sign the divorce papers?”

“Wow,” I said. “Am I that obvious?”

He tilted his head in a knowing fashion. “No, but you are the right age, and I can’t help but notice you came by yourself.”

I let out a sigh. “Not soon enough.” But I didn’t want to ruin a lovely dinner with talk of Lauren. So, I kept it at that.

Again, Kendall seemed to get the hint. “Well, that is doable. We have plenty of things that will take your mind off the mainland.” He started to rattle off events, activities, and resort-type things. Most of it washed over my head. With the combined stress over the last few months and the flight it took to get out here… I had hit my mental wall.

I interrupted him. “What do you recommend?”

He didn’t pause for a second. “My specialty, among other things, is as a masseuse. And you,” he pointed at me with a fork, “look like you could do with a massage.”

He wasn’t wrong. Now that I thought about it, I was aware of how tense my neck and shoulders were.

“I think I’ll take you up on that. Tomorrow morning, perhaps,” I said.

We talked of a few other things, and I found out not only did he recommend scuba diving, he was PADI certified and could take me out himself. “It’s not the right season for whale watching, but we have a colony of sea turtles nearby and several reefs that are shallow enough to access by snorkeling.”

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