Chapter 32
32
ALEJANDRO
It was now Wednesday. The last few days had been torture. Not just because I did not like working with the Dudley, the head chef, but also because I had not seen Jasmine.
When I had messaged her on Monday after work to see if she would like to meet, Jasmine replied saying she did not think it would be a good idea.
I knew that when we returned here, it would be difficult. There were more staff around. But that did not mean we could not arrange to meet somewhere away from the resort.
In just three days, we would start our journey back to Spain and return to our normal lives. Although we would be doing a stopover in Miami this time and not in London, so would have time alone, I could not wait until then to discuss what had happened. And what this could be.
Last weekend may have been something casual for Jasmine, but this meant something to me. I really felt like we had a chance for this to become a real relationship.
That was why I was not going to give up easily.
I dialled Bob’s number.
‘ Hola, Bob! Qué tal?’
‘Wah gwaan, bredrin?’ I could feel his smile down the phone.
‘Do you know somewhere private that I could take someone special, away from the hotel? Early in the morning, before work?’
‘Yuh a luk fi sumweh tuh tek, Miss Jasmine ?’
‘Is it that obvious?’ I said, pleased that I had understood that he was asking if I was looking for somewhere to take Jasmine.
‘Mi did si dem sparks a fly fram daii wan. Mi happy fi yuh!’
I laughed. I supposed it would not take a genius to see the way that I looked at her, but I did not realise Bob had noticed sparks flying between us from the first day. It was a good thing management were not there to see them too.
Bob said he knew just the place that we could visit, but then said there was a problem.
‘What is wrong?’ I asked.
‘Dem get rid ah mi.’
I frowned as I tried to work out what he meant.
‘Somebody got rid of you?’
‘Ya mon. Di management. Dem seh mi unprofessional.’
‘No!’ My mouth fell open. Bob was not like the chauffeurs the Love Hotel normally had, but he was not unprofessional. He always turned up when he was supposed to, he always put us at ease and when he had been drinking, he immediately said he was not fit to drive. Those were important qualities. ‘So you cannot work for the hotel any more?’
‘No mon.’
‘I am sorry to hear that.’ I really was. I needed to find out more about what had happened. Bob was a good man. ‘But just because you do not work for the hotel, I can still book you if I pay for it myself, right?’
‘Ya mon.’
‘That is fine then!’ The tension released in my shoulders. I trusted Bob. I had grown fond of him. I did not want to use anyone else.
Bob told me more about the location he had in mind for my surprise date with Jasmine, then we agreed on a plan. Everything was settled. All I had to do was one small thing: convince Jasmine to meet me, which would not be easy.
After sending Jasmine a text, I pulled on my shorts, put my phone in my pocket, then left my room to go for a run.
It was eight in the morning, so later than I normally ran, but what I had noticed from working with Dudley was that he was not an early riser. So as long as I was in the kitchen by ten, I was sure to be there before he was.
The beach was deserted which was just the way I liked it. As I sprinted along the shore, I took in the sight of the crystal-clear water. It was more translucent than the sea in Spain and I loved it. If I had time this afternoon, I would go for a swim.
As I ran, I tried to clear my mind of the frustration I felt about the whole situation with Jasmine. It all seemed so unfair. We had such a strong connection. Chemistry like that should not be ignored. I needed to find a way that we could be together. Hopefully, that was something we could discuss if she agreed to meet me tomorrow.
My phone rang and my heart instantly expanded, hoping that it was her calling after reading my text. But when I pulled it out of my pocket and glanced at the screen, I saw it was Lola.
‘ Hola ,’ I answered reluctantly. I still had not called since the weekend, choosing only to respond with texts.
‘He speaks!’ she said sarcastically. ‘Are you avoiding me?’
‘Why would I be avoiding you?’ I said, trying to keep my voice level.
There was silence and when I looked down on the screen, she had sent a request to switch to a video call.
This was not good, but I had to accept.
‘Wow. Beautiful!’
‘ Gracias ,’ I grinned, cheekily.
‘I’m not talking about you! I’m talking about the beach.’
‘I know!’ I laughed, feeling more relaxed.
‘So? Why haven’t you called?’
Was I just saying I felt more relaxed? My shoulders tightened.
‘Like I said in my messages, I have been very busy. The chef and the management are back at the hotel now so I am working night and day.’
‘But I called you at the weekend. Before they came back. When you had time off…’ She raised her eyebrow with suspicion.
‘I was out.’ My gaze dropped to the sand. I was not good at hiding things. I always liked to speak the truth.
‘There’s something you’re not telling me.’
I dragged my hand over my face. I would have to tell Lola sooner or later, so there was no point in delaying the inevitable.
‘I slept with Jasmine.’
‘Ale!’ Lola shouted. ‘You promised you wouldn’t!’
‘I could not stop it.’ I shrugged.
‘But what about your career?’
‘Everything is fine. We were careful. We were away from the hotel – on the other side of the island. No one saw us. And you will be happy to know that we have not seen each other since then.’
My chest tensed. I really hoped I could see her tomorrow.
‘Good. You may have got away with it at the weekend, but you’d be an even bigger idiot to risk doing it again. Especially so close to when you’re going back to Spain. Just keep your head down and focus.’
‘That I can definitely do…’ I smirked mischievously. Perhaps now was not a good time to joke, but I could not resist.
‘Get your mind out of the gutter! I didn’t mean like that . Keep your head down is an English saying for avoiding trouble. Keep your head away from between Jasmine’s legs!’
‘I am familiar with the saying.’ I smiled. ‘But I really think this could be something. It is not just about the sex.’
‘Remember our last conversation about how many billions of women there are in the world?’
‘I would not care if there were three trillion. Jasmine is the only one I want.’
‘You’re serious, aren’t you?’ Lola let out a loud sigh.
‘ Sí .’
‘Bloody hell,’ she said and hearing her say such a British phrase with her Spanish accent made me smile. ‘And how does she feel?’
‘I do not know. I have asked if we can meet to talk tomorrow. Away from the hotel.’
‘Has she agreed?’
‘I am still waiting for her to reply.’
‘Keep me updated and be careful. Don’t go to each other’s rooms. Don’t do anything at the hotel. No sneaking off to storerooms or hiding around corners. People always get caught doing that shit.’
‘Sounds like you are speaking from experience.’ I raised an eyebrow.
‘I may or may not have hooked up with a waiter when I was working at a hotel in my early twenties. And getting caught may have been the reason I was asked to leave.’
‘This is news to me!’ I smiled.
‘I was hardly going to share this information with my little brother, was I? Anyway, this isn’t about me. This is about damage control. Before you get in any deeper, you need to make sure you’re both on the same page. I don’t want you to lose your job over this – especially if she doesn’t feel the same.’
As much as I hated to admit it, Lola was right.
‘Understood.’
‘Anyway, I better go. I just wanted to check you were okay.’
‘ Gracias . And everything is good with you?’
‘Yeah. Same old, same old. Not all of us can be having fun on a gorgeous tropical island. Some of us have to stare out of an office window and see grey skies in London.’
‘You love it really!’
‘I love London and my husband. But I don’t love the weather.’
‘You cannot have everything you want.’
‘No. Remember that when you’re thinking about shagging your boss again and throwing away your career.’
Touché.
‘Point taken. Enjoy your day.’
I ended the call then looked at my messages.
My heart jumped.
Jasmine had read my text.
The typing… message flashed on the screen.
She was replying.
Now I just had to hope that I liked what she said…