Standing up, I exited the program on my tablet and locked the screen, which was probably unnecessary. That wasn’t going to stop me, however, as I left the tablet there, trusting no one would mess with it but unwilling to risk someone seeing something I didn’t want them to.
I always kept my phone on me and kept a close eye on it for years now, even when I was off the clock. I had been told to fit in with the people at the resort, so it made sense not to have myphone. Reality was, I was enjoying not being tied to the damn thing all the time. I had no idea what was going on in the world, and since I hadn’t heard of anyone getting hurt via text, I didn’t know what was happening with my family or the business either.
“I’m well,” I assured her as I walked around the corner to the station to brew a cup of tea. “It’s strange being here.”
“You sound strange,” she said, sounding like she was trying to find the words to describe what kind of strange.
“I’ve been here for a month and have been...I don’t know, I suppose you could say I’m enjoying myself.”
“Oh, that’s what it is; you sound relaxed,” she said with a laugh. “Normally I wouldn’t have to remind you that you’re there for a job and not a vacation, but it sounds like I might need to.”
“No,” I said with a snort. “I haven’t forgotten.”
“That’s a shame. I would have loved a chance to remind you that you have responsibilities and shouldn’t be screwing around. Oh well, maybe there will still be time,” she chuckled. “Been keeping up on your reports?”
“Yes.”
“I would love to see them.”
“No.”
She sighed. “You’re so stubborn.”
“No one sees my notes; you know that,” I reminded her as I went back to my table. “You’ll see my final report.”
“It’s notes and reports, not a diary.”
“You know my feelings on the matter.”
I suppose someone else would call it a stubborn quirk, just as Hannah had . My preliminary reports were strictly for my records because I put things in them that didn’t always make it to the final one. Sometimes, my initial impressions changed with more knowledge. Other times, I put personal commentary in there to express something I usually wouldn’t. My final reportcovered my true assessment; everything before that was simply for me.
“Do I at least get a glimpse into how you feel overall?”
“You do not.”
“Ugh, why do you have to be this way?”
“I am compelled by forces beyond your understanding,” I told her calmly as I grabbed my tablet, then decided to leave it there. I wasn’t going to get anything else done while on the phone with her. “Perhaps one day your mind might ascend to the level where it can comprehend what motivates me, but until then, you will have to live as an ignorant mortal.”
“How dramatic,” she said dryly. “And the fact that you’ve rediscovered your sense of play means you really are relaxed. Are you getting laid?”
“I have not had sex since arriving,” I said. I didn’t count a mutual jerk-off session as sex. It was an inherently sexual act, of course, but it wasn’t sex as far as I was concerned. Such a technicality wouldn’t impress her, but God, she was a lawyer; she won her bread on the back of technicalities, so she couldn’t betooupset. “Not that it is any of your business, so thank you for prying where you are not welcome.”
I could hear the grin in her voice. “What can I say? I like to make sure you’re being taken care of. But you’re going to tell me?—”
“Nothing,” I interrupted. “I’m going to tell you nothing. And you’re going to have to deal with that somehow, but that’s okay, I believe in you. I have faith that you’ll find a way to cope with this new disappointment.”
“Spoilsport,” she grumbled, but I could hear the smile in her voice. “Well, whatever the case, I’m glad you ended up going there. Because it sounds like it’s doingsomethingto help you. Maybe not turn you into a normal person, but definitely helpyou sound like you don’t have a stick lodged firmly somewhere uncomfortable.”
“Charming,” I said. “Did you call to pry into my business and give me a hard time, or did you have another reason?”
“Uh, am I supposed to have any other reason to call you?”
“I would hope so.”
“You clearly don’t get this whole sibling thing, do you?”
“I think you and I have very different definitions of what makes a sibling relationship.”
