“I can never go back there, Ano.” I looked at the water.
“You can and you will. You say that now, but once you get further along and become more aware of who you truly are, you’ll know it’s the right thing to do. You’ve come a long way since the day I found you hiding in that cave when you were just ten years old, but this time, I’m not convincing you to go back. That’s something you need to do on your own and on your own terms. You’ll know when the time is right. Sometimes you need to get lost to be found.”
After having dinner with the family, it was time for me to head back to the hotel. As I was in my suite, pouring a glass of wine, there was a knock on the door. When I opened it, I was surprised to see Drew standing there.
“Hi.”
“Hi.” He smiled.
“Come on in.”
As soon as he stepped through the door, I looked down the hall.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Where’s Jess?”
“She’s up in the room. I saw you come back to the hotel and I wanted to talk to you for a minute.”
“Oh. Okay. What’s up? Do you want some wine?” I asked as I picked up my glass.
“No, thank you. If by chance you run into me and Jess, could you please not mention that we ran into each other today and the whole paddle board thing?”
“Why?” I asked with a twisted face.
Drew placed his hands in his pockets. “She’s a very jealous person and she would take it the wrong way.”
“Sure. I won’t mention it.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
“No problem.” I grinned.
Removing his hand from his pocket, he rubbed the back of his neck.
“I should get going.”
“Enjoy the rest of your evening,” I spoke.
“You too.” Walking to the door, he stopped and turned around. “Did you have a nice visit with your friend?”
“I did. Thanks for asking.”
He gave me a small smile as he opened the door and walked out. I stood there, biting down on my bottom lip. He seemed stressed. Maybe I was imaging things. No. He had a stressed look on his face and it made me wonder what was going on.
Chapter Eight
Jillian
I took the elevator down to the restaurant to have breakfast before I started my day. I felt great today. I slept like a baby all night for the first time in years. As the hostess was taking me to my table, I saw Drew and Jess. I pretended not to notice them, but she called me out as I walked by.
“Jillian.”
I stopped and plastered on my perfected smile. “Good morning,” I spoke.
“Good morning.” Drew gave a small smile.
“Do you have dinner plans for tonight?” Jess asked.
Shit. Really? Oh God, no. I started to fumble with my words and just thought to hell with it. She’d know I was lying.
“No. Actually, I don’t.”
“Excellent. Drew and I would love for you to join us. Right, baby?” she asked as she placed her hand on his.
“Sure.” He looked down.
“I would hate to impose on your vacation,” I spoke.
“You wouldn’t be imposing at all. If I thought that, I wouldn’t have asked. So, yes?”
“Yes. That would be nice. Thank you.”
“Great. I’ll have Drew make reservations and then we’ll pick you up at your room, say around seven o’clock?”
“Seven sounds good.”
“Which room are you in?” she asked as she cocked her head.
“The Presidential Suite on the ninth floor.”
“Perfect. We’ll see you at seven.”
“Enjoy your day.” I smiled as I walked away.
My mind went back to what Drew said to me last night about her being a jealous person. Why would she invite me to have dinner with them? She knew Drew and I met on the plane and I could tell by her reaction when we first met that she instantly hated me. Why the sudden change of heart? I sighed as I sipped my coffee. Now that I thought more about it, Drew never looked happy when I saw the two of them together, and it was like he was a different person when he was with her. It was almost as if he was a different man than the one I met on the plane and paddle boarded with yesterday.
When I headed out to the private boat I rented, Juno was there to greet me.
“It’s nice to see you again, Jillian.” He smiled as he hugged me.
“It’s good to see you too.”
“Are you alone this trip?”
“Yeah. I’ve decided to embark on a journey of self-discovery.”
“Self-discovery is good.” He smiled as he handed me some scuba gear. “And what better way to get in touch with yourself than to swim with the dolphins? I’m going to take you to a special place not many of us take visitors. But for you, I’ll take you there.”
Juno started the boat and took me to a cove. As I stood there, looking over the side of the boat, I saw a group of dolphins swimming around the crystal clear, aqua blue water. I would never grow tired of this. I’d been swimming with the dolphins for years and loved every minute of it, but this time, it would be a different experience for me.