CHAPTER5
GEORGIA
ELEVEN YEARS LATER
“It is just you?” The man in charge of the ATV rentals checked his clipboard again, as if he had to have seen wrong.
“That’s right. Just me.” I clenched my teeth and grinned.
His question alone might not have bothered me, but the fact that I seemed to be the only single person at the rental stand was a bad place to start off. Two couples had been in line ahead of me, the youngest pair unable to keep their hands off each other.
“Georgia Cormack,” I confirmed, pointing at my name on the reservation sheet.
“Yes, yes. You are on a Love, Pray, Eat?” He got a helmet down from a shelf.
“Nope. Just on vacation.” I drummed my fingers on the front desk, eager for the conversation to be over.
It wasn’t my first solo trip. In fact, I’d been making them annually for the past five years. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the first time someone had looked at me sideways for traveling alone, and it wouldn’t be the last.
Going solo had its benefits, though. There were never questions about the day’s itinerary. I did what I wanted to do, when I wanted to do it. Who, going on a trip with a group or a partner, could say that?
“Here you go.” He handed me the helmet, and I gratefully put it on. “Now sign this waiver, in case of death.”
“How many people have died on your ATVs?” I asked, completely joking.
He didn’t so much as grin. “A few.”
“Oh.” I scribbled my signature before I could think too much about it.
“Yours is the last one left.” He pointed out the window. “A single ATV for a single woman.”
Was that supposed to be funny? Or was I being too sensitive?
Either way, I felt better the moment I was outside and settling into the ATV seat. Pulling out my phone, I took a few selfies to send to my best friend Maddie later.
On second thought, I took a few more, this time paying more attention to my expression and the angles of my face. Selecting the best one, I started a social media post.
Back in Rio,I wrote.The most beautiful city in the world.
A memory hit me like a freight train: dancing in a dark bar, firm hands on my waist and warm breath raking across my neck.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I pushed the memory away. It was often like this. I couldn’t visit Brazil without thinking abouthim. Rodrigo.
Even though this was my third trip to Rio de Janeiro since my semester studying there, I still associated the city with him. It was hard not to. My first stay in Rio had revolved almost entirely around my first love.
My only love.
Shoot.
Without posting the photo, I put my phone away. I needed to clear my head, and a ride along a scenic route was the perfect way to do that.
Starting the ATV, I took off along the dirt trail. The couples who’d rented ahead of me were already far down the trail, which meant I would get some much-desired privacy.
The ATV rumbled underneath me, and my long hair slapped against my bare shoulders. A thrill rippled through me, and I gunned the engine.
The ATV zipped around a curve, and I let out a whoop. My first day in Rio had been fun, but this morning was what I’d really looked forward to. The taste for speed had never quite left me, and I didn’t get near enough opportunities to feed it in my daily life.
The dense foliage parted, and suddenly I was out in the open, sunshine beating on my arms. Slowing the ATV, I arrived at an overlook.