I chuckle as understanding dawns. “Yes. Exactly. We’re your assistants, of course. Here to…”
To do what exactly? I have no badge, no camera, no notebook.
“Make me look good.” He waves us to follow after him.
I look at Simone and she lifts her brows. “He’s cute,” she mouths.
I’m still not convinced I want to go inside Sabor a Sol. It’s going to be just as crowded inside as it is out here, but a part of me is eager to see Cristiano’s vision come to life. He’s told me about the restaurant and I know he’s proud of what his team has been able to accomplish. Somewhere, deep down, I’m happy for him, even if I feel strange about being here now.
Logan’s plan works, surprisingly. Behind the step-and-repeat, at a side entrance, he shows his credentials to a security guard and explains we’re with him. The man looks at me a beat too long and asks me to repeat my name. For a moment I panic, andthen he waves us through, looking around us to the next person to try to alleviate the congestion at the door.
“We did it!” Simone cheers. “What a master plan. Are you off to work now or can we tempt you with a drink?”
Logan grins, emphasizing his boyish charm. “I could be lured to the bar with two pretty ladies, sure.”
Simone laughs, but I’m already scanning the restaurant, taking in the high-vaulted ceilings and bold artwork on the walls. Cristiano told me they commissioned a local Ibiza artist to create the geometric paintings, and the large hanging sculpture in the center of the space was done by the same artist as well.
Cristiano is now standing near the sculpture, surrounded on all sides—the center of the universe. Juan Carlos and Daniella are still with him, but I don’t recognize the others in their group. They could be anyone: investors, journalists, guests. My first instinct is to stay right where I am, but then I look down and catch sight of my tattoo. Right.Point taken.Just because the night has started strange doesn’t mean I have to let my feelings get the better of me.
With newfound resolve, I decide to steel myself and go over now, to let Cristiano know I’m here even if he’s too busy to talk. I tell Simone my plan, then start to slice through the crowd, but I’m only a quarter of the way there when an older woman comes up to Cristiano so she can steal him away and introduce him to two men who seem extremely eager to meet him.
Feeling deflated, I turn back around just in time to reach the bar and accept a cocktail from Logan. Simone’s nowhere in sight.
“Your friend said you might like that drink. It’s one of their signature cocktails.”
I dig deep to produce a friendly smile. It’s not Logan’s fault I’m having an off night. “Thank you. Where did she go?”
“Bathroom.”
There’s an awkward lull where Logan and I both take a sip and survey the crowd before glancing back at each other. He tips his head and grins. “So you’re American, too? Where from?”
It turns out Logan is a Colorado native and spent eight years as a sports journalist before he decided to switch gears. My parents have a house in Vail, and it blows our minds when we figure out Logan grew up only thirty minutes away. He recognizes their cross streets and his brows almost hit his hairline. “What are you,royalty? Those houses are insane.”
I cringe. “Yeah, some of them are pretty big…” I sip my drink and look away, trying to downplay things.
Logan’s nice enough not to pry, shifting into a different topic when it’s clear I’m slightly uncomfortable. It’s fun to rehash memories of our favorite runs in the Blue Sky Basin.
“I haven’t been to Vail in years, though. I’m a little rusty. Isn’t there one called Lover’s Leap?”
He smiles. “Yeah, it’s a black diamond. I’ve wiped out there a few times, actually.”
“Yes!That’s right!”
I crack up as I retell the time my dad accidentally put Winnie and me on the wrong chair lift and we somehow ended up at the top of Lover’s Leap when we were eight and nine years old.
“What’d you do?” Logan laughs.
“We took one look and immediately decided we’d break our necks if we tried to ski down it, so we just sat in the snow nearthe lift and waited for someone to come rescue us. We really thought we were going to die up there.”
“How long were you stranded?”
“Probably only thirty minutes, but it felt like a lifetime! I remember my sister digging around in her snow bib. She found a half-eaten granola bar and we were discussing plans for how to ration it throughout the day.”
I’m still laughing about it when I glance across the room, keeping my usual tabs on Cristiano. How many beautiful women surround him now? How many people are waiting patiently for his attention?
Only, when I turn this time, I find Cristiano isscowlingin my direction. His jaw is clenched in annoyance and his dark gaze is so intense I shiver.
Is he upset?With me?
