* * *
TO-DO LIST (Home Version)
Laundry – rewash musty load AND DRY IT IMMEDIATELY!
Clean out bathroom drawers for real this time
Vacuum floors
Get rid of dead plants (including the fern that could have easily been saved from fungus with $0.99 worth of vinegar)
14
Just What a Guy Needs…a Lying Scoundrel Making Me Look Worse Than I Already Do
Theo
"To recap,I'll make sure Diana has the quarterly reports to you by tomorrow night, it's a solid no to Carlos’s birthday party, with your apologies, and I’m to arrange a gift to send him," Jaquell says, leaning closer to her laptop and squinting at me. "Now, are you ready to tell me what's wrong with you yet? You’ve been off your game for two days."
"I’m just tired." I sit back in my chair. “I’ve been staying up late to keep an eye on the contestants and crew.” I don’t bother telling her I’m keeping a log of when people go back to their rooms for the night.
Jaquell stares for a second, then says, “That’s not it. You can function on two hours of sleep without anyone noticing. Something is clearly bothering you. Do you want to talk about it today, or do you want to stew over it a little longer and tell me later?"
I stop just short of rolling my eyes and let out a sigh. "Did you know Paz Castillo is here?"
A look of understanding crosses her face. Jaquell is the only person who knows what happened. "I see."
"He's one of the competitors actually."
"Since your stepmother isn’t there, I suppose he can't do the family too much harm, can he?"
Nora's face pops into my mind, as it has repeatedly since I saw them walking down the hall together. She was lit up with hope, which is the last thing anyone should have around that scoundrel. "I’m not worried about us, but there’s a young woman who works here. I think he might be trying to get his claws into her."
She tilts her head and pauses for a beat before answering. "This concern of yours, could it be because you might be interested in her?"
The word yes pops into my mind, shocking the hell out of me, but I shake my head. "Of course not. It's just been jarring to see him, and as far as I can tell, she's a good person. I don't think she deserves to be put through the hell he put Alaina through."
"I'm sure she doesn't, but is she really at risk? If she works at a hotel, I doubt she's loaded with cash."
Nodding, I say, "I suppose you're right. Anyway, it's none of my business, and it shouldn't bother me to begin with."
"True. You have bigger fish to fry."
"On that note, I will let you go and get on with business."
We ring off, then I push back from my desk and cross the tile floor to the balcony. Staring out at the pool below, I see my brother standing in the water, waist-deep, sipping some pink drink while he chats up a couple of hotel guests.
"Oh, to have his life instead of mine," I mutter and return to my desk.
After an hour of answering emails, I decide to go for a stroll and find a bite of lunch. I’m also hoping to run into Nora and find some way to warn her about Paz without saying too much. After stuffing the card key in my pocket, I hurry out of the room, not bothering to put on my suit jacket or tie. When the elevator door opens on the main floor, I notice my heart rate picking up a little. A sense of disappointment comes over me when I see that Nora’s not at her desk. Exiting the building, I take the path to the hamburger shack adjacent to the beach bar.
What I need is an excuse, a reason to talk to her in the first place, then hopefully I can find an in to casually bring up Paz. As I pass the pool, I give Markos a quick wave. He salutes me in return… and that will conclude the sum total of his work today.
My eyes pass over the pool bar, and suddenly I see the answer I’ve been seeking, lined up neatly on the shelf behind the bartender. It’s the perfect excuse to talk to Nora. I just have to find her.
When I arrive at the beach bar, I see a group of three contestants standing behind it, wowing the guests with their skills. Nora is among them. I take my opportunity and walk over to her. Coming to stand next to her, I offer her a smile, and I get a scowl in return. I have a sneaking suspicion Paz has shared a wildly inaccurate account of our history.
"Mr. Rojas, did you need something?"
