“They’re over there! Your shoes are next toMr Ball.” Manuel, who was holding their female companion’s hand, pointed to a table in front of the bar where Lisa’s shoes and his football that had a smiley face drawn on it with Lisa’s shades placed over the eyes, were on a chair in front of six empty cocktail glasses. “Want to sit down? This is Amy by the way.”
“Amy is lovely,” Lisa added, flinging an arm around the tourist they had adopted for the night. “She lost her friends and her phone is dead, so we’re keeping her company.”
“Hey, Amy. Nice to meet you. I’ll make that four cocktails then.” Stella shot them a smile and headed for the bar. As she waited for them to be made—hers without alcohol so she could make sure Lisa would get back safe—she watched them sit down and talk. Lisa was all kinds of adorable when she let her hair down. She wasn’t completely hammered, but she was way past sober, her eyes widening as she discussed something she was clearly passionate about. Yesterday, she would have laughed at people who danced barefoot and drank ridiculous cocktails at the most unappealing bar in town. She’d even told Stella she’d felt intimidated by the holiday crowd on a couple of occasions. But tonight, she was one of them and that was too entertaining not to eternalise. Stella took a picture of her on her phone, making sure she got one of the many ‘Pit Stop’ signs in.
“So, why the party?” she asked as she joined them with four huge glasses that were jazzed up with umbrella’s, sugar rims, glitzy straws, and anything else the bartender could get his hands on.
“Lisa got a job!” Manuel yelled, taking a glass and holding it up in a toast before Lisa had a chance to answer.
“You did?” Stella leaned in to kiss her. “Babe, that’s amazing, I’m so proud of you. Congratulations.” An intense rush of happiness coursed through her at the news she hadn’t even dared hope for. “No wonder you’re celebrating in the weirdest of ways.”
“I know, I can’t believe it.” Lisa was bouncing in her seat as she took a sip of her drink. “Mr Calvo called me late this afternoon. I was going to pick you up from work and tell you in person but then I had one of these, and then a second and well… then Manual said he would message you to come here. Anyway, I’m meeting with Mr Calvo to discuss my contract on Monday.” She tilted her head and locked her eyes with Stella’s. “Come here and kiss me. I’ve missed you, you sexy woman.”
Stella laughed and cupped Lisa’s face as she leaned in to kiss her. “I’ve missed you too, babe.” She pointed a finger from Manuel to Lisa. “And dare I ask how the two of you ended up here together?”
“We met by the bins on the beach,” Lisa said as it that was nothing out of the ordinary. “I was lying next to them and Manuel was rummaging through one of them, so we got talking.”
Stella laughed as she shot Manuel a quizzical look. “Bonding by the bins. Okay…”
“He’s been teaching me how to blend in,” Lisa continued. “We’ve been sitting in the full sun, drinking this crap, I’ve danced and talked to strangers and I’ve sang along to nineties boy band songs. I was surprised I remembered all the lyrics.”
“She just needs to work on her appearance,” Amy chipped in. “She could do with some extra make-up and a bit of glitz. I offered to give her smoky eyes, but she refused.” She turned to Lisa. “You need to look like you’re ‘out’, you know? Like out-out.”
Stella frowned in confusion. “Out as in ‘out of the closet’?”
“No!” Amy chuckled. “Out as in ‘out on the town’. She needs a party dress. I have a couple of nice ones in my room at Sunset.” She glanced at Stella. “You could do with a makeover too, if I’m honest with you. I can make you look really glam.”
Stella shot her an amused look. “Thanks, but I’m—” She was silenced by the sudden increase of volume on the music and the cheering crowd who started singing along to some popular English song. “Oh boy, this is going to be a long night,” she joked, laughing when Lisa pulled her onto the dancefloor and flung her arms around her neck. She wrapped her arms around Lisa’s waist in return, lifted her up and spun her around.
Lisa laughed out loud, and when she put her back down, she pulled her in and kissed her fiercely. “Now we have more time; at least three months,” she said with a beaming smile. “I have everything I wanted now. A job and more time with you. And you know what? This place isn’t so bad either and the people are so nice. I think I can get used to this.”
Stella kissed her and hugged her tight, and she realised then, that she had everything she wanted too. Happy people, happy music, a happy girlfriend… Life couldn’t get any better.
44
“Here’s your contract.” Diego handed Lisa a file with a blue cover. “Once you’ve signed, we’ll sort out your temporary visa. Have you read through the scanned version the HR department emailed you?”
“Yes, everything seems to be in order, so I’m happy to go ahead.” Lisa took her time to check if the document was identical to the one she’d been sent, then signed on the dotted line. Now that she had the contract in her pocket, she didn’t have to play it cool anymore. “Seriously, thank you for this opportunity. I won’t let you down.”
Diego smiled back at her. “I have a good feeling about you, so you’d better not,” he joked. “Now, we’ve put together an initial team; a contractor for the refurbishment, a web designer, an interior designer and a landscaper who will report directly to you during the transition period. Their details are on the additional page in the back of your contract. You’ll be responsible for marketing, branding and all other consumer facing aspects of the business, which means you will also have to work closely with the current general manager to set up programs to retrain the staff. Someone from our group will liaise with you on budget and sort out local permits and such. Timelines are extremely tight, so you’ll have to start yesterday.”
“No problem.” Lisa handed him back the contract and slipped her own copy into her handbag. “Then I won’t have to bother you with anything at all, so I guess I’ll see you in October for the big reveal.” She held out her hand and he laughed as he shook it.
“I might sneak in now and then to see how things are coming along, but yes, I’ll stay out of your way mostly; I’m heading back to Madrid in a couple of hours. Can’t wait to get out of this dump.”
“It’s not so bad,” Lisa said. “If you can’t beat them, join them. That’s what I’ve learned.” She stood up and straightened the new, navy wrap dress she’d treated herself to on the weekend. “I won’t keep you any longer. I’m sure you have a lot to take care of before you head back, so I guess we’ll speak on our first debrief call.”
“I’m looking forward to it.” Diego stood up to walk her out. “You have a nice day, Lisa.”
Outside, Stella was sitting on the bonnet of her car, waiting for her. She’d taken half a day off, insisting on driving her here for her big moment. It was warm today and she looked gorgeous and glowing, dressed in tiny jersey shorts and a white vest. “How did it go?”
“Perfect,” Lisa said, waving the contract at her. When she reached Stella, she stepped in between her legs and brushed their lips together. “Apparently, I’m starting yesterday but apart from making phone calls to set up a ton of meetings tomorrow, there’s not much I can do right now.” She kissed her and moaned when Stella pulled her in and parted her lips to meet her tongue. The deep kiss set her on fire and neither of them wanted to stop, so they stayed there for long moments, kissing in the car park. “I love kissing you,” she murmured against her lips.
“I love kissing you too.” Stella caressed her cheek then ran a hand through her hair. “Can you make those phone calls over a long, celebratory lunch?”
“Absolutely. How about that little beach bar of yours?”
“Exactly what I was thinking. I’ve brought my newspapers in case you had to start right away.”
