Chapter 3
Alysa
Staying at a five-star resort hadn’t been part of the plan Burke had described. It made it feel more like a vacation than a mission. Good thing I hadn’t packed a bathing suit, or I might be tempted to combine the two.
Nothing about how I was dressed at the moment pegged me as a tourist. At least wearing this high-buttoned blouse and straight, knee-length skirt, I looked the part. Even with the hidden earpiece I wasn’t so sure Jasper would believe I was the person attached to the résumé. With any luck, he’d be too busy to even give me the time of day.
Glancing at my watch, I wondered what was keeping Mikal. He’d sent me the itinerary and stressed for me to be on time. The least the guy could do was follow his own instructions. I’d been waiting, impatiently, for more than thirty minutes.
I was just about to get up and head back to my room when a woman approached, eyeing me. “You must be here on business,” she said.
Nodding, I replied, “You’re correct.”
She shook her head. “I spent years dressed like that. Can’t say that I miss it.”
I looked her over. She wore a loose-fitting floral maxi dress. “You must be on vacation,” I said.
“No. I’m here with my fiancé. He works here. Well, I guess technically I do too, in a way. Really, just a consultant.” She extended her hand and added, “I’m Robin.”
Shaking her hand, I responded, “Alysa. Nice to meet you. So, what type of consulting do you do?”
“Right now, I advise on contracts regarding teakwood.”
“Teakwood?” I asked.
“Yes. There is a long, romantic story behind it, but I was on vacation here, met my fiancé, and found out Tabiq has an amazing amount of teakwood. So here I am. Pretty much living on a resort and ninety-nine percent of my stuffy suits were donated to charity,” Robin said.
That is where mine are going after this mission, too.
“What did you do before…consulting?” I asked. Normally I didn’t ask personal questions, but Robin seemed willing to chat and at least this was filling my time while waiting for Mikal.
“I was lawyer.”
I couldn’t help myself and felt my nose wrinkle. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to make a face. It’s just–you don’t look like a lawyer.”
Robin laughed. “That’s what James said, too. But yes, that’s what I was. I guess I still am, but now I work for myself and on things that mean something to me.”
“James?”
Robin grinned. “My fiancé. He is head of security here at New Hope. So if anyone gives you a hard time, let me know. He’ll handle it.”
Burke is engaged!That was news to me. We just had that long flight from the States, and not one word about Robin. Apparently, he hadn’t told Robin about me, either. I wasn’t ‘the other woman’ or anything like that. Burke and I were close, but no closer than anyone else on our team. Had to be. Our lives depended on complete trust. No way was I going to let Robin know anything Burke didn’t want discussed.
“Thank you, but I can’t imagine needing any help in a beautiful place like this. Besides, I’ll be spending most of my time working in my room.”
Robin sighed. “That’s unfortunate, but I have to admit, I was the same when I first arrived. The only time I came out was to eat or take a walk. James changed all that. Even now, he’s full of surprises. Romantic dinners, walks on the beach, secret getaways.”
Guess a lot’s changed since Burke left the Corps. Judging by Robin’s expression, they were happy, even though I personally never would’ve thought Burke would settle down. The Marines had been his life. It was mine once, too.
Robin’s demeanor changed, and she mumbled, “What is he doing here?”
I didn’t even need to turn to know that whoever was approaching, Robin wasn’t a fan. Trying to be discreet, I slowly turned my head just enough to catch a glimpse of the man out of the corner of my eye. It was Jasper Florraz. Yeah, what is he doing here?
He was heading in our direction. In a deep voice, he asked Robin, “How are you?”
Even though we’d just met, I could tell Robin’s smile was forced. “I’ll be doing much better if you tell me you’re here to finally have the economic development meeting for Tabiq that you’ve promised me.”
“Not today. I’ll have Mikal reach out to you regarding my availability,” he replied.