Page 42 of Buzzer Beater

12

Colin

I had to do something. There had to be something I could do. I stayed up all night wracking my brain for something to show her how I felt.

She was the one that got away. My first and only love. Seeing her again was just a confirmation of what I’d always thought. I’d never dated again, I’d never been interested in another woman, because it was her. All along, she was the one.

I had less than a week to prove that to her. Make her understand how I felt and feel now. I’d been so young and dumb, but I learned my lesson. I wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

Plus, I was different. I was in a different place in life. I was grounded. When I was in college, I didn’t know what would happen in a month or a year. I’d been a tornado blasting through life, destroying others in my path.

I hung my head and continued walking down the jungle-lined path to the front desk.

This was the only idea I’d had.

Forced bonding time. Get her in a situation where she couldn’t run.

A man was standing behind the reservation desk, so I walked up and gave him my best grin.

He looked up from his computer and looked slightly taken back. “Hola, señor. How can I help you?”

“I need to book an excursion for a group of seventeen.”

The man nodded and began typing rapidly. “For what day?”

“Today would be great, or tomorrow.”

His brow furrowed, and he scanned the computer screen before typing again. “We can do deep sea fishing, snorkeling, or one of the two water parks.”

I shook my head. “We have a pregnant woman and two that can’t do anything too strenuous.”

Maybe this wasn’t going to be as easy as I’d planned in my mind.

He nodded once and went back to typing. “No ziplining, horseback riding, or kayaking then.”

I almost groaned. Those all sounded like so much fun. We’d have to come back when everyone could participate in things.

“Got it,” he said.

I waited for him to explain but he just kept staring at his screen, typing, then staring again.

“Ah yes. Seventeen booked for eleven. Meet in the lobby by ten forty-five.”

Did he realize he didn’t tell me what the activity was? Had I missed it?

“Um, what will we be doing?”

He looked around before leaning toward me over the counter. “I have a friend.”

I narrowed my eyes. What on earth had I gotten myself into? “What does your friend do?”

“He gives tours.” He looked around again. “The hotel doesn’t sponsor him, so I’m not supposed to book guests with him.”

I nodded once. “Tours of what?”

“Tulum, Chichen Itza, and a cenote.”

He was speaking words, but I didn’t understand. “What are those?”