* * *
“I needyou to do me a favor,” I told Jameson as he drove me to the airport. I’d left my rental car with Mia, after transferring the car in her name with the company. And I refused to let her drive me to the airport, since she’d already started to tear up at the bungalow.
All I needed was to see her cry and get emotional at the airport. My entire flight I would’ve been clawing the walls with worry that she’d become too emotional while driving and get into an accident on the way back to Tulum. I’d call her from the airport to hear her voice one final time before I boarded.
“What’s up?” Jameson asked.
“You’re still in between jobs, right?” I asked.
“Yeah. Client won’t be back in California for another couple of months.”
“I need you to stay on in Tulum for another week and then head down to Colombia.”
He lifted an eyebrow and gave me a sideways look. “You want me to keep an eye on Mia.” A comment not a question.
“Yeah.” I nodded. “I can’t be there to watch over her.”
“You know Colombia is pretty safe. There are a lot of expats, especially down in Medellín where she’s planning to stay.”
It was my turn to give him a look. I glared. “I don’t give a shit about other expats. Safe or not, I don’t want her down there by herself without someone watching over her.” I preferred to be there with her, but I had a job to do back home.
“You know …” Jameson started.
I knew from his tone I wasn’t going to like what he had to say.
“Just hear me out,” he warned. “You seem pretty serious about this girl.”
“She’s not a girl, and I don’tseemanything. I am serious as fuck about her.”
“That’s great and all. I can’t remember the last time you were serious about a woman,” he continued. “But have you thought about what it will be like when you're both back home?”
I didn’t want to hear what he had to say, but I let him keep talking.
“I’m asking because I’m the one with two failed marriages under his belt.” When we reached a red light, he turned to me. “You know more than anyone what this life of ours is like. You just had your first vacation in how long?”
“What the hell is your point?” I knew what his point was, but I wanted him to spell it out.
“You’re far from stupid,” he responded. “You know what I’m getting at.” He leveled a look at me. “I can’t tell you how many arguments Melinda and I had because I had to drop everything and fly halfway around the damn world for a client.”
His lips pinched and eyes narrowed. I knew he was thinking about his first wife, who I knew, that despite a marriage and plenty of throw away relationships in between, he wasn’t over.
“In our world, the client comes first. They have to because their lives depend on how focused we are on the job. One slip up means the difference between them staying alive and death. Our families can get left behind.”
“That won’t happen,” I said firmly.
He glanced over at me again. “Relationships are hard enough to maintain without us having to work twelve to eighteen hour days. Are you prepared—”
“I said it won’t happen.” My voice came out harsh.
He quieted for a few beats.
“I’m just asking if you’ve thought about it all. Our life isn’t a vacation.”
“I hear you, but I’ve got this all handled,” I told him. “Can you do me this favor or not?”
This conversation was over. I refused to admit it out loud, but Jameson was partially correct. He knew it and I knew it. The past three weeks with Mia had been a dream. A real-life dream. But back home was reality.
My very real life in which the bulk of my days and often my nights were dedicated to managing Townsend Security. Even with my highly trained employees, it was more than a full-time job. It was a lifestyle.
