“Well then, what did—”
“I have to land the plane,” I smirk. “Otherwise…”
Her eyes go wide. “Oh! Yes! Please do land the plane!”
As if in a dream, I stumble back into the cockpit, disoriented but pleased. Quickly my fingers find the switches and buttons that I need to disengage the autopilot and resume manual landing protocols.
But I can’t seem to wipe the smile off my face. It’s been a long time. A very long time. And yet, I know exactly what this is. It is a sensation I could never forget. The simplest thing the world.
I feel happy.
Chapter 12
IRVING
For some reason, when I see Cal escorting Opal across the terraced gardens toward the hotel, my stomach cramps. It’s such a strange picture. Cal’s hair is blown by the wind in such a way that it looks shorter. His swagger is somewhat less exaggerated than usual. He looks at ease, smiling next to her.
He looks a lot like me.
And there she is, talking, gesturing with her hands, her head swiveling as she takes in the modestly sized buildings of the resort. He is giving her the investor speech. He is pitching her on this idea. She’s going to be completely drawn in before I even get a chance to talk to her about my concerns with this project.
That’s it. That’s the source of my discomfort. I basically feel like he is making a business move on my asset. I need Opal to have a clear head. I need her critical thinking skills.
Instinctively, I set a course to intercept them before they reach the entry to the hotel. The breeze is heavy enough that I can’t make out what they are saying, but they do seem quite at ease. Friendly. Almost intimate.
“Opal!” I call out, snagging her attention away from him for a few brief seconds.
She raises a hand to wave to me, an elegant gesture. She doesn’t flap her hand around, just shows me her palm, with her fingers lightly splayed and curled.
I ignore Cal’s insufferable smirk as I intercept them. Why couldn’t he have been more forward with Veronica? Why did he have to use his charms on Opal?
“Glad I caught you,” I huff, careful to keep my voice even, not to sound too annoyed. “Opal, did you bring your Honduras report?”
She takes a quick breath, then catches herself. “I’m sure I can find a copy of it,” she replies calmly.
For a moment, we just look at each other. I’m not sure what to make of her expression. She doesn’t seem guarded, but she does seem… different. She certainly didn’t shrink away from my Honduras comment the way I expected her to.
“Yes, well. Okay. We have a lot of catching up to do.”
“Of course you do!” Cal grins, holding out her overnight bag to me so that I can take on the job of carrying it for her. “Opal, it was a pleasure. Irving, let’s reconnect tomorrow, okay? Sound good?”
Cal and Opal share a brief look before he turns the other way. She smiles at me expectantly.
“The resort is simple, but nice,” I explain to her, forcing myself to regain a professional composure. “I trust you’ll find your suite acceptable.”
“Great. Lead the way,” she smiles.
With every step, Cal is farther away and I feel more like myself. I don’t know why, but he makes me somewhat edgy. It’s nothing I can put my finger on. I certainly can’t think of anything in particular that he ever did. I just feel better when I am away from him. More solid. More secure.
“See? It’s not bad,” I murmur as I open the door.
Opal walks past me into the suite, but not before she gives me a slow, appraising glance. It’s such direct eye contact, I’m a little bit startled. Normally she is not that forward. Normally, if I look at her, she looks away. I’m not sure we have had more than seven or eight seconds of sustained eye contact in the entire time I have known her.
“It’s lovely,” she smiles, nodding, dragging her fingers across the lacquered bamboo tabletop near the wide windows.
“It’s adequate,” I counter. “The entire resort will have to be rebuilt. Cal wants five-star accommodations and nothing I have seen here so far is salvageable.”
She stops walking and quirks an eyebrow at me. “Does that mean you are considering an investment?”