“This hasnothingto do with my weight andeverythingto do with how bloated I’m going to be from all this food! Already, I have a food baby. His name is Rex and I am taking you to court for child support,” I say patting my bloated belly.
“Is a shopping spree not enough?” he offers with a chuckle.
“I accept your terms, but for the love of all that is holy, keep your long-legged running around town to a minimum. Not only am I damaged from the accident, but now you’re going to have to roll me out of here,” I joke.
He doubles down by ordering flan for dessert.
The rest of the afternoon is uneventful as we do some light shopping, finding more reasonable shops that I can get some clothes and accessories in. I try to object to him paying again after I get an entire vacation wardrobe from one shop.
“Please, let me pay for something,” I say, reaching for my small wristlet.
“I doubt that your credit card covers international fees. Also, no,” he says, handing over his black card, pushing my hand away.
The hotel sends a taxi to collect us and as soon as we get back to our villa, I let out a huge yawn. As much as I want to pick up where we left off, I can barely manage standing on my own two feet. I rationalize that I’ll just go into my room and lie down for a minute. I rest my head on the pillow and fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Chapter 7
Iwakeupdazedthe next morning and emerge from my room to find Charlie hunched over his computer with his glasses on, a steaming mug of coffee beside him. The table has a fresh breakfast spread. I pad over, grab a strawberry, and then wait until he is at a pausing point in his work.
He finally looks up at me and leans back in his chair. He’s wearing a green t-shirt with his alma mater emblazoned on it. If he’s already working, it means I missed out on the morning workout show.
“Welcome to the land of the living, sleepy head.” He smirks, taking a sip from his coffee.
“I guess the jet lag hit me harder than I thought,” I say, pouring myself a cup from the carafe. “Not all of us can be used to jet setting around the world.” I smile when he laughs.
“Well, it’s good since you obviously needed the rest. I think we both forget that your body is still healing,” he points out as I rub my shoulder, trying to loosen it after a night of sleeping awkwardly. Of all my injuries, my shoulder healed the fastest. Still, it likes to remind me that it wasn’t just my leg and head that were damaged.
“PT Dan is going to be really mad at me. We are three days into this trip and I still haven’t done any physical therapy.” I try doing a few easy stretches just to get my body looser.
“Dan will be fine. Besides, aqua therapy is a thing. We’ll just have to make sure we go swimming a lot. There is an awesome hike that I was thinking we could do, but only if you’re up to it. I know your leg isn’t always the most cooperative. I think it would be a good challenge nonetheless.” He folds his hands behind his head, watching me as I pick out breakfast foods.
I want to squirm under his keen eye. He seldom wears glasses, but has broken them out a time or two when his eyes are fatigued from all the screens. If our relationship were more familiar, I might brush a lock of blond hair from his eyes and remark on how it makes him look like Clark Kent.
“Do you order breakfast like this all the time?” I ask, looking at the fresh fruits, pastries, and yogurt.
“It’s part of renting a villa; we get breakfast every morning. I just tell them the night before what time I want it and if there are any special requests.” He motions at his usual omelet: egg white with vegetables.
“You are so spoiled,” I say, sitting down and taking a bite of a chocolate croissant.
“I’m less picky than others. Some people want all the mirrors removed or they want specific soap in the bathroom. You name it, someone requests it. They just need a more streamlined way instead of me having to call and ask for what I want for breakfast.” He is on a roll, ready to keep talking about this issue. “Example: I asked for my usual omelet.”
I cut him off. “Egg whites, spinach, tomatoes, and green bell peppers with a dash of garlic.”
He smirks. “Right, so today, they brought me all those things separately because when I ordered, I said ‘salt and pepper on the side.’ Whoever wrote the order wasn’t clear or whoever made it was confused, whatever the case may be. I ate the omelet and moved on with my day. Other assholes may not.”
“You sound like you know ‘other assholes,’” I say.
“I was raised by other assholes. My dad once threw a 14-ounce porterhouse at a wall because it wasn’t rare enough. That’s the mildest I’ve ever seen him overreact. There is a reason why he is working on divorce number four.” Charlie’s mouth purses as if he’s tasted something sour.
“How much work do you have?” I ask, changing the subject.
He shakes the cobwebs free from his mind, dropping the train that was steamrolling right into negative territory. “Always a never-ending amount, but I already had a call with Jack this morning and he said that we should be in good shape. The hotel dropped off snorkeling gear and a waterproof camera. If you want, we can go snorkeling and you can take photos. You mentioned you liked photography.” There are two cameras sitting out: an underwater camera and a digital SLR.
“All of this is making me uncomfortable,” I say honestly. My reaction is not what he expected and he is clearly dismayed. “I don’t want you to think I’m ungrateful because I’m not. I just...you’re so generous, and I have nothing to offer you in return. I’m not loving this power imbalance,” I say, holding the box for the digital SLR in my hands.
He gets up and walks over to me. “Can we start with the facts again? Fact one: my car hit you, a person on a bike. You suffered serious injuries, including a traumatic brain injury that resulted in you losing five years of your life. You tore ligaments in your knee, had bones protruding from your ankle, and broke your wrist, among other injuries.”
He takes the box from my hands, setting it back down. “Fact two: this accident resulted in a loss of income, a loss of your bike, and actual memory loss.”