“I believe you have a question to answer first.”
“All right.” He took almost all the dressing before he offered some to me. “We are close, yes. I love them, of course, but as far as getting along, it depends on the day. My mother can be a lot.”
I nodded, not overly pleased with his answer, but who was I to judge.
“You’re different, Sienna.” He pointed his fork at me as he chewed loudly. “I think this month will be a lot more fun than I thought.”
“Good.” I couldn’t help but chuckle at his bluntness.
Somehow, the three weeks flew by, and despite the fact that he lived on his phone and would disappear every once in a while, I found myself enjoying my time with him. So much, in fact, that I agreed to stay on longer.
He loved to educate me on his family and where they came from, but I found myself getting frustrated with how little information I was really getting regarding the family’s oil business. Every time he would occasionally touch on what he did in the business, he would skirt over it and never gave me any details that I could use for my article. Sure, I could piece together a story, but certainly not one that had any real meat to it, and that was what I was expected to produce. I needed to know more about the oil business and how and why they started here. That was, after all, the story I was here to tell.
“You seem extra quiet this morning.” He poured himself a cup of espresso and waved at me to take some too.
“Just thinking, that’s all.”
“About?” He tapped away on his phone while I sipped the heavenly brew.
I thought about Wyatt and how he had left for his sister’s wedding in the United States by now and wasn’t due to return home for another few weeks. I missed him.
“Sienna?”
“I was under the impression I was going to get an inside look into your world. Please don’t get me wrong. This has been a lot of fun and very educational in some ways, but I’m expected to produce an in-depth article on your family’s oil business, and so far I only have enough detail to fill about two pages. Where’s the action and adventure that you hinted at when we met at the airport?”
He studied me for a moment then rested his cup on the table and stared directly into my eyes. “I haven’t been with a woman like you before. I have enjoyed your company very much. I guess I got a little swept away.”
Oh…
“This evening, I will share something worthy with you. You have my word.” His smile made me match his, and I was excited to see what he had in store for me.
The rest of the day he worked while I tried to type some more on the article in case tonight’s promised excitement wasn’t what I hoped for. I needed to get something a lot more interesting or I might as well toss the whole thing.
As we drove that evening, my excitement at something happening faded as he talked away to someone on his phone. I finally opened my laptop and clicked on the article, glad to have it with me to occupy my thoughts. I looked up from the screen when the car stopped and immediately felt sick to my stomach as sweat broke out across my shoulders at where we were.
“Are you all right?” he asked as I stood on shaky legs next to the car. I wasn’t even sure my legs were capable of moving at this point.
“I am.”
“Oh.” He made a sound and nodded as though he made the connection. “I’m sorry, I seem to remember something from your article inFab Magazineabout your time at a dockyard? Will this be too painful for you?”
I had never gone into a lot of detail regarding my days at the dockyard or of the nightmare it had been for me in that article, but I had touched on it.
“I’m sorry, Sienna. I wasn’t thinking, but I just need to grab some files.”
“No, no, it’s fine.” I didn’t want my past to keep me from moving forward in this life, and I pushed it down. “Please lead the way.”
He waved for me to follow him through an open gate. The smell of the containers and the sound of the buoys rubbing against the dock made me hyperaware I was out of my comfort zone.
“Tell me, Sienna…” He was most likely trying to distract me. “Why did you agree to write this article?”
I looked up at him and went for it.
“Ricco Oil came out of nowhere and absorbed Vivo Oil in a matter of months. Over the past thirty years, many oil companies have tried to stake their claim here, but they never stuck. You either had one hell of a sales pitch, or you put up a hell of a fight. Either way, your company is booming, and you have many wolves circling waiting to find their way in.”
“You’ve done your research.” He smiled.
“I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t.”