“Is there anyone here you don’t know?” I ask over our tamales and a creamy drink Will called horchata that includes a kick of cinnamon.
He grins. “I make a point of spending time in town as often as I can. Not just this one—all the ones near the resort. Surveys and reports never give the full picture. You’ve got to talk to the actual people who live in the area for that.”
“It’s important to you to be respectful of them,” I say, remembering what he said the other night in the hotel bar.
“That and I’d like them to be a real part of what I’m doing. For it to be more of a collaboration than some American company moving in and taking up space. I think it’s better for all of us that way. The hotel benefits from their experience and skills, and it contributes to the local economy.”
“Everyone wins,” I realize.
“Exactly.” He rotates his glass between his fingers, his gaze going distant. “It’s coming along well so far. Hard to make any definitive statements after only a couple years, but I hope this model of sustainability will be viable enough that I can expand to other locations.”
“Where else would you want to develop?”
“Mexico has been good to me, so I’ve considered looking for a spot on the Atlantic coast. Farther abroad, Costa Rica has looked like a solid possibility. Maybe Cuba if I can swing it. I’m keeping an open mind. In an ideal world, I’ll make enough of an impact that my approach inspires some of the other resort chains to get on board.”
“I guess some of them are pretty exploitive,” I say.
“Yeah.” He grimaces. “Some of the things I’ve seen, behind the scenes . . . You get that in every industry, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let it slide and not push back.”
I wonder how his own family’s business measures up by that metric, but that feels like a potential sore spot. I don’t want to sour the day. Instead I say, “It seems like you’re well on your way, in any case.”
“I’d like to think so.” He gives me another bashful smile. “We’re both trying to make our mark, aren’t we? Though I can’t say PR is the direction I’d have guessed you’d go in.”
“I don’t think I did either. But spending time around Hollywood, seeing how carefully people construct their images and manage them . . .” Seeing how easily a guy I thought was one of my closest friends could stab me in the back. Except that didn’t really happen. Am I going to have to re-evaluate my cynicism?
There’ll be time for existential crises when I’m back home. “It’s just as much a business as anything that happens in a boardroom,” I finish. “And I like knowing I’m filling in the gaps for kids who don’t have the experience to protect themselves.”
“Their knight in shining dress suits,” he says with a smile. “Did you get that problem with your client sorted out?”
The night of the tango class—when he brought me dinner.
And then nearly brought me to orgasm.
“All good now,” I say, swallowing hard. “Of course, there’s always some new fire to put out. That’s just the business.”
“It suits you, then.” Will studies me with an affectionate smile. “You were always at your best when you had a dozen plates to keep spinning. In fact, I seem to recall that your usual strategy was to toss up a few more.”
I laugh. “Well, once you’ve got the momentum going . . . I don’t like to be bored, I’ll give you that.”
“It’s definitely looked like you’ve been keeping busy the last few years.”
The comment sends a flutter of warmth through me. “Have you been keeping tabs on me?” I ask, managing to keep my tone light. It wouldn’t be hard—my website lists my clients and their latest news.
“Now and then I’d look you up and see how you were doing,” Will admits. “Hard not to be curious, after seeing you in action back in college. And at first . . . partly I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You did vanish on me.”
My throat closes up. The look he gives me is as tentative as he said that last sentence, but all at once I’m wanting to hail all frequencies for a rescue party. Even knowing what I know now, that is territory I have no intention of exploring with him. It’s easier if he doesn’t know—if he never knows.
Maybe I don’t owe him an explanation, but I do owe him at least one piece of reassurance. “Just so you know,” I start, “what happened there . . .” It didn’t have anything to do with you would be a lie bigger than the Death Star. It’s not your fault? Meh. “It wasn’t because you did anything wrong,” I settle on. “If you were worried about that, I mean.”
“I’m definitely glad to hear that.” He looks sincere. My reluctance to discuss the topic any further must be blaring loud and clear, because he lets it drop. “It’s been impressive watching your career take off, even from afar.” He raises his glass. “To continued successes and innovations for both of us?”
“I’ll drink to that.” I clink my glass to his. Our fingers brush, and an enjoyable little shiver runs down my arm. “Cheers!”
“Now this,” Will says when we’re back in his jeep, “is one of the area’s best kept secrets. Another benefit to chatting regularly with the locals.”
I peer into the vegetation on either side of the dirt road. “Do I get any clues?”
“I promise you’ll appreciate it when you see it.”
He takes a turn in the road and the jungle thins. Ocean water glints up ahead. The jeep pulls to a stop at the edge of a pocket of beach at the end of a little cove.
My breath catches as I hop out. I chuck off my sandals and venture onto the golden sand. The grains are silky against my feet. The stretch of beach can’t be more than a few hundred feet wide, bordered by rocky cliffs on either side of the cove. And there isn’t a single other person in sight. A little piece of totally private paradise.
“Wow,” I say, which doesn’t seem to cover it.
“It’s my favorite spot,” Will says. “Just not quite as easy to duck away to as the waterfall.”
And he’s sharing it with me. On the other hand, who’s to say he hasn’t shared it with other conquests in the past? Am I a conquest? I’m not totally sure what we’re doing anymore.
I walk away from those uncomfortable questions to the water I am sure will be perfect for taking a dip. It’s even warmer than the ocean was out by the reef, gently cool and refreshing. I wade out to waist depth and bask in the shallow waves. Then I notice the prickling sensation on my face with the warmth of the sun. Time to sunblock up.
I go join Will on the blanket he’s laid out under the shade of a palm tree. I sit beside him, not close enough that we’re touching, but that doesn’t stop every nerve in my body from springing into awareness of his body.