Mattheus paused a moment. “Yes, that’s so,” he replied, “so what? Are we different people when we’re working and when we’re not?”
It was a good question. Cindy smiled to break the tension. Her time alone working on the last case in the Dominican Republic had affected her a great deal. She was surprised that she’d done so well by herself and also by how much she’d enjoyed her independence. Cindy had also been grateful when Mattheus had returned, offering much needed assistance. They had a fine line to balance, she thought.
“You didn’t answer my question,” Mattheus continued, his brow furled. “Are we different people when we’re working and when we’re not?”
Cindy paused for a long moment. “We’re different people every day,” she replied. “We grow, we change.”
“You’re avoiding my question,” he said.
“No, I’m not,” Cindy answered simply. “I’m grateful for everything, Mattheus, I really am. Let’s just enjoy ourselves and let whatever’s going to happen be revealed on its own.”
*
After a beautiful dinner in their suite, complete with Champagne, strawberries, and the very best chocolate, Cindy and Mattheus both felt tired. To Cindy’s relief, the moment they went to bed, they immediately fell asleep, wrapped in each other’s arms. Before her eyes closed Cindy remembered thinking that it was a good thing that they fell asleep quickly. Cindy knew she loved and cared for Mattheus, but he also felt a bit like a stranger to her now. She needed time to get used to being back with him. When she’d left for the Dominican Republic to work on the last case alone, Cindy had thought that their engagement was totally over. She’d thought that despite their love for each other, they’d decided that their different needs and styles of life couldn’t be reconciled. Now Cindy wanted to be open to what might be possible between them, but it was a big leap into this honeymoon suite. Cindy wasn’t sure she was ready for it yet, and obviously Mattheus must have felt the same way. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have fallen asleep so fast, she thought.
In the morning Cindy woke early and got right out of bed. While Mattheus slept, she headed to the bathroom to shower and dress. As the warm water from the shower ran over her body, Cindy wondered how they would spend the day.
Once out of the shower, she slipped on a light, colorful summer dress and a favorite hand-printed scarf. When she went to the sink to put on her makeup, Cindy suddenly saw Mattheus standing in the doorway, looking for her.
“You certainly jumped up out of bed quickly.” He seemed disconcerted.
“I had a good sleep,” Cindy replied lightly, “and I didn’t want to wake you up.”
“There’s all kinds of ways you could have woken me up.” Mattheus tried to be playful, referring to the many mornings in the past that they’d lingered together in bed together for a long while, before approaching a new day.
“Should we go down for breakfast or order up?” Cindy deflected his comment.
“Let’s go downstairs,” Mattheus replied. “It seems like it will be good for us to get out of the room and mix it up with others for a while.”
“Great,” said Cindy, not knowing exactly what Mattheus meant, but not wanting to make much of it, either. She was hungry for breakfast and eager to explore the magnificent island she’d found herself on.
*
The hotel had several dining rooms and the one they went to for breakfast was graceful and sprawling, taking up almost half a block. Cindy felt as if she were entering a garden as there was a huge potted fern plant placed behind every wicker table.
Cindy and Mattheus sat at a table near the front, in full view of the ocean. They picked up the latticed menus and began scanning them for what to order.
“Is that Mattheus?” a young woman’s voice broke their concentration.
Cindy and Mattheus looked up over their menus at the same moment. A beautiful young couple stood at their table. “Yes, I’m Mattheus, but who are you?” Mattheus looked puzzled.
The young woman had long, wavy brown hair, was dressed in expensive summer slacks with a light lemon blouse. The young man beside her was tall and attractive with dark, sandy hair and deep-set blue eyes.
“I’m Kara, Rod’s daughter,” the young woman replied, delighted to have taken Mattheus by surprise. “And this is Rowley, my new husband. We’re on our honeymoon here. First of all, thank you for sending us such a beautiful wedding present.”
Mattheus paused and rubbed his forehead, incredulous. “How in the world did you recognize me?”
Kara laughed freely at the look on Mattheus’s face. “It’s simple,” she said in a lilting, almost sing-song voice. “My father keeps pictures of his friends from the past all around. And he updates them as the years go by.”
Mattheus grimaced. “The years have certainly gone by. I remember when you were born.”
Kara laughed again. “Do you really?”
“You were a beautiful little girl,” Mattheus mused.