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“Why would you want to leave here?” Bastien said. “Sun, surf, sex. It’s a trifecta of pleasure.”
“Well, before you, I didn’t have any sex and I was working too hard to enjoy the sun and surf.”
“Where would you go?” he asked.
“Back to New York. I feel the pull of the city sometimes.”
“Not in March you don’t.”
“True. I should wait until after the last snowfall to ease my way into things.”
“I didn’t know you used to live in New York.”
“I went to NYU and then after college I didn’t feel like going back home to Miami. I worked my way up a corporate hotel chain and then decided I didn’t like the corporate bullshit.”
“Preach,” he said, crouching down to pick up a few shells. “Kitty wanted me to bring some home.”
She pointed a small conch shell out with her toe. “Just make sure it’s empty of critters before you take it home or it will stink to high heaven. Why didn’t she ask Jace?”
“Because Jace will forget. What happened after you got sick of the corporate bullshit?”
“I worked at a few boutique hotels in midtown for a while.”
“What made you come back here?”
“I got fired. Too many days off. I was lucky that Kirk hired me, and I’ve been here ever since.”
“Would you try to go back to a boutique hotel?”
“I think so. It might be time to send out my résumé and see if anyone bites.”
“Let me know if I can help. I might know a few people who can put a good word in for you.”
“Thanks,” she said.
“I’m being selfish. If you move to New York, I can see you more often than if you’re down here.” He put his shells in his pocket and turned to face her. Holding both her hands, he kissed her as the waves crashed into their ankles. “I don’t want this to end next week,” he said. “You know that, right?”
A lump appeared in her throat. “I don’t want this to end either.”
What would he say if she told him about her father?
“I’m hoping you’d be my date to my sister’s wedding.”
“You’re kidding?” She smiled so hard her face hurt.
“No, you’ll keep me sane. I’m going to bribe the priest to start out the vows by going ‘Mawwiage. It’s what bwings us together today’ just like in The Princess Bride.”
“You’re a nerd. Your sister will kill you and no priest in the world is going to do that.”
“Takes one to know one. She’d have to catch me first. And I plan on making a large donation to the widows and orphans fund if he does. Plus, you get to meet all parents and the whole family all at once. They’re going to ask you a ton of questions, so be prepared for the third degree.”
Like that didn’t sound like her own personal version of hell.
“But don’t worry,” Bastien said. “You’ll already know half of the bridal party. Unfortunately, they’re going to make you do the chicken dance.”
“Really?” She scrunched up her nose.
“And the Macarena.”
