CHAPTER THREE
“You’re kidding right?” I ask as I get control of myself again.
Before Trey answers our waiter returns, our drinks on his black round tray and a blue Mexican blanket thrown over his arm. I’ve seen blankets similar to these all over with their various striped patterns. They seem to be on sale everywhere, but I haven’t picked one up yet.
The waiter hands me a plastic neon green cup and I place it on the edge of the fire pit while the blanket is wrapped around my back and over my shoulders to create a shawl. The fabric is thick and firm, a little scratchy, but it keeps the wind from my bare skin.
Trey hasn’t continued his answer even as the waiter walks away leaving us alone again, so I decide to prod him along. “Are you from New York? What do you do?”
He breathes in a large gulp of air before the words rattle out of him. “I’m CEO for a digital arts company in San Francisco. We make apps and computer games. I’m not crazy like apparently New Yorkers, but I did make our receptionist order my mom flowers last week after I missed a dinner with her. I might not be much higher up the totem pole.”
“I hope your receptionist knew what she was doing. The trick is to keep the cards short and sweet. If you get too flowery, the wife — or in your case, mom — will figure it out. Then you’re in more trouble.” I try to lighten the mood.
It works as Trey laughs a little with my advice. “If she doesn’t quit like the last one, I’ll make sure and tell her.”
“I’m not big on games, but does your company have any I’d know of?”
“We’re creating a few small in-house apps right now and looking to enter a few new fields. We’re probably most known for Dragons Reborn. Have you heard of it?”
Now it’s my turn to laugh at him. “Heard of it? Yeah, my little cousin refused to eat Christmas dinner last year because he was playing the game. It was quite the topic of discussion for my family. He uses his allowance every month to pay for the subscription cost. My aunt was not happy when my dad gifted him a free year.”
“I can’t think of a better Christmas gift.” Trey’s lazy smile is back. “Anyway, we sold Dragons Reborn last year and moved on to smaller projects. This vacation is my reward for getting the company finalized and running smoothly. It’s been hard on all of us.” His head falls back to rest on the leather couch as he looks to the darkened sky.
His mention of selling the game sparks another memory from Christmas. I don’t remember the exact number, but if Matt, my cousin, was right the game sold for over a billion dollars. Maybe more. The most for any game in the history of gaming. Whoever owned the game rights when the sale happened is now a very rich man. Or maybe the company in general, but they can definitely afford to send Trey on an all-expenses-paid trip to the Bahamas.
My fingers twitch to grab my phone and search Trey’s name, but I still them by asking the question I’ve had on my tongue all day before I think better of it. “You came on vacation alone?” I immediately regret my word choice, but I’ll feel better when I know one way or the other.
By his laugh he doesn’t take any offense to my quest for more information. “Yes. I think Finn, my best friend and company owner, wanted me out of his hair for a while. But I’ll admit it’s nice here. I’m not sure I’m ready to go back to the cooler temperatures yet.”
A silence settles between us and I want to chase it away before it becomes awkward, but of course the only topics I think of revolve around how much his company’s game sold for. I don’t care about the money. You can’t get much farther away from New York than San Francisco, so I’m not worried he’d think I’m some kind of vacation gold digger, but the unspoken facts of his story seem to share the space between us.
Trey lifts his glass to his lips to take a drink, and a tail on one side of the neon green cup catches my eye. It takes me longer than it should, but I finally put the pieces together and practically shout at him once I figure it out. “Is there a cat on your cup?” I lean closer and turn his cup slightly to see the full image. “It is!”
I glance to the fire pit and retrieve my own matching cup to get a better look at the image. In the middle, two pieces of text arch to form an almost circle. The top piece reads “Tom’s Tiki Lounge” while the bottom lists a website for Tom’s. The middle of the circle is the most amazing. Smack dab between the two font arches, in full color, is a picture of a grey striped tabby cat sitting upright.
Trey turns his own cup to see what I’m so excited about. “It’s a cat?”
“Yes. Isn’t it the most random thing you’ve ever seen?”
He takes a drink from the cup and shrugs, I assume saying the liquor is fine. “I guess Tom likes cats.”
His easy acceptance of the situation makes me giggle and we spend a few minutes making up new, more fitting names for the bar. “The Cat’s Meow” the most suitable. Trey promises to find a comment card and make the name suggestion before our trips end in three days.
**
“So we agree then. I’ll pick you up here at 10 o’clock tomorrow morning.” Trey’s body leans toward me closing the distance as we stand in the hallway outside my parents’ suite.
“Agreed.” The words are quiet, but he tilts his head in acceptance at them.
Trey steps the final length to stand beside me as I lean against the green wallpapered hallway. His arm, from wrist to elbow, props him next to me holding his cat glass as his other hand settles on my shoulder. “And you’ll wear the same cute little black bikini you had on this afternoon?”
I giggle at the way his eyes roam over me with the question. It’s the alcohol. I would never giggle like this if I wasn’t under the influence. “That was yesterday. It's definitely past midnight now.”
“Just say yes, Simone,” he makes my name sound sexual again as his tongue rubs the corner of his lips.
I tilt my head up to get a better look at him. Most of our time tonight was spent sitting on the white leather couch outside, so it isn’t until now that I clock how tall he is. When I have to look up at someone, you can guarantee they’re over six feet.
Trey moves his head to lock eyes with mine and his arm swivels to move his body closer. He peers down at me and the new position lines up our lips. One quick move and I’d easily be kissing him. I’d rub my hand along his jaw and let the small beard he's maintained bite into my hand. I want to do all of those things, but something holds me back. Could a simple kiss change it all?
