It’s not on the way at all, but I have to try.
“You seem really intent on getting back there, Will.”
Nodding, I say, “Truth be told, I am a little concerned about Arabella. Things have not exactly been easy since the first episode aired, and I definitely should be there to support her.”
“Why don’t you invite her to come along?” Kenneth asks, leaning back in his chair and wrapping his arm around Lara’s shoulder. “Whisk her away from her worries.”
“Ooh, yes!” Lara says, suddenly perking up a bit. “It’ll be fun—kind of like a wild several-day double date. She could climb too. Then I won’t look like the worst one out there.”
I hold back the defensive retort on the tip of my tongue and exchange it for a clearing of my throat. “Well, I can ask her, but she’s getting ready for a United Nations Conference next week so I can’t see her being able to drop everything to join us.”
“Invite her, and either way, we’ll carry on,” Kenneth says. “At least if you’ve extended the invitation, she can’t be mad at you for not coming back when ordered.”
“Oh, hey,” I say, holding up my palms. “She didn’torderme to come back. In fact, she’s been extremely supportive of what we’re doing. It’s just that with the show and all, she could use a friendly face, even if I’m only there for two days, maybe?”
He gives me that ‘you better play ball look’ he gets once in a while when I’m not necessarily on board with his latest idea. It’s the kind of thing a guy like him gets to do because he holds all the cards. And since he’s pretty much the only person waving huge wads of cash in my face, I should grab my glove and get in the game.
“What about Germany?” I ask, offering him a location that’s closer to Avonia. “We could head over to Devil’s Crack. Amazing scenery, totally different than what we’ve got here, and they’ve got some terrific short climbs that would be perfect for all three of us, really.” I offer an amiable smile to Lara, who wrinkles up her nose.
Kenneth shakes his head, “Been there, done that, you know. Ooh! What about Railay Beach in Thailand? It’s supposed to be amazing, and that long flight will give us ample time to hash out some ideas for your new outdoor gear line.”
Oh, shit. How do I turn that down? It is literally my best chance at giving Arabella the life she deserves, and, based on what I’ve seen of her family so far, she desperately needs out. I nod, even though I know that in the short term, this is a very bad idea. “Sounds perfect.”
* * *
Thailand - Friday Morning Indochina Time
“Christ, I’ve missed your voice,” I say to Arabella, who has finally picked up the phone after the sixth attempt on my part. I’m sitting on the bed in my hotel room, staring out at the unbelievably beautiful Andaman Sea, but instead of enjoying the view, I’m miserable. “Actually, I’ve missed all of you. How’s my favourite girl?”
“Fine,” she says, in a slightly formal tone. “Doing really well despite everything.”
Uh-oh. “That doesn’t sound good. What’s going on?”
Arabella lets out a long sigh. “Nothing worth talking about. How’s life in Railay Beach? Hot and fabulous?”
Shit. She’s mad. And she has every right to be. Twice now, I’ve promised to come back, and both times, I broke it. When I told her we were boarding a flight to Thailand, there was a pause on the line that was so long, I checked my phone to make sure we weren’t disconnected. “Honestly, it’s kind of tiring, even for me. Kenneth’s like an animal. I don’t know how the guy never runs out of energy. He literally does not need to sleep.”
“Cocaine?” she suggests.
I bust out laughing, and she joins me. After a moment, I say, “God, it feels good to laugh with you. I wish you were here.”
“Me, too,” Arabella says. “But you’ll be back soon enough. No sense in dwelling on it.”
“Pivot and press on, right?” I ask.
“Right.”
I lie back on the bed and stare up at the slowly spinning fan above my head. “Did you find anyone to watch the show with you tonight?”
“Dexter,” she says, trying to sound upbeat about it.
“I’m sorry, sweetie, I wish I could be there.”
“Oh, it’s not all bad. I’ll crack open some wine and a bag of crisps and curl up on the couch with my other favourite pig.”
“Hey, was that a shot?”
“If you have to ask, it means I missed.”
