“No.” That would be the opposite of brave, doing what otherpeople wanted instead of following his gut. “There’s something I have to take care of first.”
“What am I going to tell your mom and dad?”
“Tell them not to worry. I’ll be fine.”
Maybe even better than that.
Jean’s search history
biggest snake ever
most dangerous snakes
unusual snakes
weird facts about snakes
funny looking snakes
snake puns
are snakeskin boots made with real snakes
Chapter 5
Jean watched the pen’s rotation slow, waiting until the last possible second to flick it again. This game sucked, but she was too fidgety to sit still and couldn’t leave the concierge desk until Pauline got back from break.
Was there such a thing as a two-night stand? Jean couldn’t shake the feeling that it would look pathetic to show up at Charlie’s cottage again. She was debating an ironic towel delivery (was it too soon for inside jokes?) when the phone rang.
“It’s an amazing day at Dolphin Bay, even in the middle of the night,” she said, trusting that whoever it was would pay more attention to the faux cheery tone than the actual words.
“Jean?”
She slammed a hand over the pen. “Who wants to know?”
“It’s me.” There was a long pause. “Charlie.”
“Refresh my memory.”
“Well, I’m tall and I have glasses—”
“Charlie,” she chided. “I’m kidding.”
“Oh.” He sighed in relief.
“You’re still around, huh?” Jean already knew the answer, because the fancy phone system had lit up to show it was a guest call, not an outside number. This way she sounded nonchalant, which was essential to maintaining the correct power dynamic. Jean refused to be one of those chumps who lets herself fall for a tourist, especially after watching her roommate go gaga over a short-timer who (shocker!) ghosted her after returning to the mainland. That was Dating While Living in a Vacation Hotspot 101. Know the score going in or live to regret it.
“Would you maybe want to come over after work?” Charlie asked, all shy and uncertain. Before she could answer, there was a surprising addendum. “I’ll make it worth your while.”
“Are we talking money or sexual favors?”
“Not money. I have something of yours.”
“You stole my panties?”
“No! It’s your cards.” He lowered his voice to a whisper, even though Jean was the one in a public building. “I’m holding them hostage.”
“How devious of you, Dakota. Perhaps I’ll swing by.” She could kiss him for making it so easy to do what she wanted.
