At least the sun has almost finished setting, so soon I won’t feel like I’m being roasted alive. Carolina is nearby, chatting up one of the showrunners at X-Stream, while I scan the crowd for Ms. Cooper. My eyes land on Paz Castillo, who is cozying up to one of the young staffers—the one who brought the flowers to my room the day I got here. I’m instinctively bothered by the sight of her laughing as he leans in, and I make a mental note to tell Ms. Cooper to warn her off him.
Eleven minutes. How long can it take to find a microphone?
She finally appears, snaking her way through the crowd towards me. Her long skirt shifts with every step in a way I find hypnotic. When I manage to force my eyes up to her face, I find myself hoping she’ll glance up at me and smile. But she doesn’t smile. She gives me a terse nod instead. Why the hell did I say that awful thing about her being dowdy and poorly dressed? There’s really no coming back from that, is there?
“Sorry that took so long. I had to go to one of the maintenance buildings to have the sound system turned on,” she says when she reaches me. “Would you like to stand where the band is? It’ll make it easier to keep everyone’s attention.”
“If that’s even possible at this point,” I answer, gesturing to a woman and a man who look very close to launching into some PDA.
“Oh dear,” Nora says. “Let’s go.”
I gesture to Carolina, who nods, and I follow Ms. Cooper, itching to rest my hand on the small of her back. But of course I don’t. That would be not only inappropriate, but ridiculous as well. This is a work function. I’m trying to set an example. I have no interest in dating at the moment. Oh, right, and she hates me.
When we reach the stage, we wait until the band plays the last bars of Marley’s “Stir it Up,” then she tells them to take a break for my speech. “Would you like to start or should I?” I ask Carolina.
“You go. I’ll follow your lead,” she says with a toothy grin. Hmm… if I’m not mistaken, she’s had a few drinks already.
I switch on the microphone and my heart starts to pound. I hate public speaking. All those people staring at me, waiting for me to say something intelligent, or worse, hoping I screw up. I lift the mic to my mouth. “Good evening, everyone.” I wait a beat for people to realize what’s going on, but it’s not working, so I repeat myself.
When that doesn’t work, Nora sticks her fingers in her mouth and emits an ear-piercing whistle that makes anyone within twenty feet wince. It works though, because silence falls, and the crowd is now facing the right direction. I glance at Nora, holding the mic away from my mouth. “Problem solved.”
She blushes and actually smiles, which gives me an unexpected lift.
Forget that, you idiot. Make your speech already. “I’m Theo Rojas, president of Rojas Rum. With me is Carolina Armas. Most of you probably know her as head of X-Stream TV. Carolina was kind enough to bring Rojas in on this year’s event, and I must say we could not be more excited.” We couldn’t be less excited either, but… “On behalf of my brother Markos, who is here somewhere, and all the employees of Rojas, I’d like to welcome you to the thirteenth annual World Bartending Championships.” Pause for applause. “I’ve had a chance to watch videos of previous competitions, and I must say that what you do is incredibly impressive. You have managed to turn serving drinks into a real sport. The dexterity, knowledge, and skills you possess are remarkable.” More applause. “Onto business. In order to keep things running smoothly and direct the focus where it should be—on the skills of this year’s competitors—Ms. Armas and I would like to set some ground rules.”
Groans can be heard, so I hold up one hand and nod. “Yes, I know rules are never considered fun, but if we respect them, much fun can be found within them.” Huh, it only took me thirty-six years to sound like every high school principal in every movie ever. “With the advent of social media, we need to be careful about what gets posted. Most of the competitors here are hoping to score a contract with a large restaurant chain or secure funding for your nightclub or pub. With that in mind, we want you to consider yourselves to be at work while you are here and conduct yourselves accordingly.”
“Have you ever been to a bar?” a guy at the back calls. “Because that’s where we work, and it’s pretty much anything goes!”
This earns him a laugh. Oh great, I’m losing them. “That may be the case, but I can tell you investors are looking for people who take their careers seriously.”
“I’m here to beat everyone, so I can take a year off and surf my way around the world on my winnings,” a burly man with a shaved head yells.
Another voice in the crowd follows that with, “Leave me alone, God!” and snickers can be heard from every direction.
Oh perfect.
Carolina takes the microphone from me and says, “Very funny, but Mr. Rojas is trying to give you advice that could carry you through life. In the years since we started this competition, the title generally goes to the most determined, most disciplined person. My staff at X-Stream TV understands our code of conduct applies atall times. Even if we find ourselves in a romantic tropical setting, all the regular rules apply while we’re here.”
Low grumbling follows, but she’s not getting heckled, so she continues. “Physical relationships will not be tolerated. As you all know, you’re under strict orders not to post anything on social media or tell anyone about the results of the challenges, as the last thing we want is spoilers. You may post on social media about the resort or anything unrelated to the competition, but having said that, before you hit that submit button, ask yourself if it will elevate your imageandthat of the competition on the world stage, or will it do damage. If you’re not sure, don’t do it.”
She continues on while I stand next to her, feeling as useless as nipples on a bull. Markos sidles up to me and whispers in my ear, “Maybe you should have left this to me.”
“You think they’d listen to you?” I hiss.
Keeping his gaze straight ahead, he mutters, “Yes, because I wouldn’t have come off like a dictator. That’s not the way to get this group to comply.”
“Thanks. That information would have been useful to me earlier.”
“I didn’t know you were giving a speech.”
“How could younothave guessed that?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know. I didn’t think of it.”
My attention returns to Carolina, who is wrapping up with, “Our competitors have the day off tomorrow, so make sure you use it wisely. My crew will meet in Conference Room A in our building at nine o’clock tomorrow morning. It’ll be a full day of work, so make sure you eat some breakfast first so you’re ready to roll right at nine.” She glances at me and lowers the microphone. “Do you have anything to add?”
I shake my head, wishing I were back in the solitude of my room. Better yet, alone at home.
