Chapter 5
CHAPTER 5
W hen Tatum left her staff cabin the next morning, she wasn’t really sure how many people were going to show up for her class. They were arriving in Puerto Rico a little later so she had a
feeling at least a few people might sleep in, or spend the morning getting ready for their activities on island.
Martina had given her a little ‘push’ to get off the boat and do some exploring and that was a possibility, but she also wanted to make sure she kept her focus where it should be, on the couples.
S topping in the café, she picked up a fruit bowl and before she could ask, the young man behind the deli case set her cup of hot water on the counter and set the package of green tea on top.
"Yikes," she laughed, "am I that predictable?"
He shrugged. "I pay attention."
She paid him and put a big tip in the jar. "So do I! Thanks for having it ready."
"That’s what we’re here for." He waved as she turned away to head toward the door.
"Oh! Alexander, what are you doing here?"
He shrugged. "I was debating with myself about eating now or waiting until I’m on island to eat."
"That’s a good question," she held up her fruit bowl, "maybe I can help."
He narrowed his gaze at it. "I’m not eating your breakfast.
"Oh, I wasn’t suggesting that," she laughed and moved to the side as the next customer headed for the door. "I was going to offer to share with you. Share." She nodded. "And don’t get any ideas
about the grapes. Those are all mine."
He held up his hands in surrender. “The grapes are all yours," he assured her, "but I should probably get my own drink."
"Oh yeah," she laughed, "I can’t remember if I put powder on my lipstick this morning and I doubt you’d be okay with my lipstick on the cover."
A strange look passed over his features, but there was no way she was going to ask him what it meant.
She waited for him to get his drink and tried to put her focus on the class, but it was difficult. She’d actually asked Alexander Wen if he wanted to share her fruit? She’d already reminded
herself twice that morning to keep her distance from him.
It wasn’t because he was rude or condescending. He was anything but.
The problem was that he was nice. He was good looking. Very much so.
But he was also a client of her employer.
He was matched with a beautiful woman with a killer body and money of her own.
Rich. Gorgeous. Amazing in so many ways.
And she had to keep her hands off!
So, why in heavens name had she offered to share? Goodness knows he was likely used to a five-star breakfast of dishes so exotic she’d be hard pressed to pronounce the ingredients, let alone
the name of the dish itself. How crazy was she?
"I’ve got my coffee." He walked up to her holding his cup and giving her an easy smile that made her heart beat wildly in her chest. "Do you want to eat here or-"
"We should go to the dance room. That way we don’t have to move again."
Nodding, he gestured toward the door and walked just behind her until he slipped past to open the door and hold it for her.
Oh, manners.
Sure, she didn’t need a man to open it, but it was nice. Really nice.
"Thank you," she walked past him and an indrawn breath told her what kind of cologne he was wearing. Oh, she didn’t know the name, but it was subtle and spicy… and seemed to fit him to a ‘T.’
The room was empty when they arrived.
There was still a good twenty minutes before she was expecting anyone. And as soon as they were through the door, she realized that she’d made a miscalculation when she’d steered them toward the dance room. Someone had removed the chairs that had been against the walls. "Umm…" reaching into her purse she pulled out her phone. "Let me see if I can call someone and ask for-"
"No need on my account."
She looked up from her phone and didn’t see him. Tipping her chin down, she saw him sitting on the carpet beside the edge of the dance floor.
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely." He set his cup down and held out his hand. "At home growing up we sat on the ground a lot. I swear we had enough cushions to seat our extended family in the family room.
"My assistant is a childhood friend, and she was over enough to be my witness if you’re worried."
Tatum held out the fruit bowl and he took it, and her teacup so she could sit down beside him. "No, I trust you. I was just curious because dancers, we’ll sit anywhere."
"Like cats?"
He’d thrown out the question so easily she had to look at him with confusion pinching the skin between her brows. "Cats?"
He removed the cover off the bowl and set it on the floor in front of her. "You know. If it fits …"
"It sits! Are you a cat man? Or a dog man?"
"I don’t know really. My parents weren’t big on pets. I guess I’d have to spend time with them to see."
"My family splits the difference. I’ve had dogs in the past and my sister has cats." She picked up a grape and popped it in her mouth.
He seemed to be thinking over her answer. "Had?" He picked out a piece of melon and mimicked her gesture.
She picked up another grape, but instead of eating it right away, she looked at it as her emotions swam close to the surface. "That’s while I was growing up. When I started competing, I was
always going from state to state and sometimes other countries. I wasn’t at home enough to feel like I was doing right by a pet, but soon…" she let out a breath that she hadn’t known she was holding, "I’ll have the opportunity to find out."
"Hello?"
Tatum turned her head toward the voice.
Pearl was standing in the doorway waving at them.
"Pearl! Come in." Tatum got up and smoothed out her skirt. "Is Ben with you?"
Ben’s larger frame put Pearl in a gentle shadow. "Of course I am."
"Come on in, you two!"
When she turned, Alexander was getting up on his feet. She reached out and took hold of his arm to steady him. "You’re trying to stand with your hands full?"
He grinned at her. "Multitasking."
She nodded, impressed.
"I was glad you gave me a hand though. I was about to drop my coffee."
"I’m so glad I was able to save it… and you."
Pearl and Ben stopped beside them.
"Goodness! Where is everyone?"
Ben draped his arm gently over Pearl’s shoulder. "I had a feeling it might be like this today." He turned a sympathetic look in her direction. "Sorry about this, Miss Hansen."
"Please, Ben. You can call me Tatum." She reached out and gave him a soft pat on his arm since she couldn’t reach his shoulder. "And I had a feeling that some of the pairs might be sleeping in
after last night."
"And still more," Pearl was trying to reassure her, "are likely getting ready. I remember in my day we’d spend hours on our hair and makeup to go to the beach." She lifted a hand to touch the gold
and silver curls at the back of her neck. "We spend all that time to get ready and then we never really made it in the water unless it was just up to our knees! Those were the days."
Ben leaned down and brushed a gentle kiss at her temple. "Don’t say that, sweetheart. We’ve both a lot of years ahead of us."
Tatum could hear the meaning under the words. Ben was smitten and he was already half in love with Pearl. It was hard to imagine that they’d end the cruise as anything but a solid couple.
"Are you headed to the beach today?"
Pearl turned to look at her with an expression of mock horror. "Not me, I burn something awful."
Ben chuckled. "And I’m not a man who has a pair of sandals so I’m staying away from the beach or I’ll bring a bucketful of sand back in my shoes."
Alexander stood beside her. "Be careful. They might think you’re trying to smuggle the beach home with you."
They all had a shared laugh over the idea.
"What about one of the tours?" Tatum really wanted the two lovebirds to enjoy themselves in San Juan.
Alexander must have noticed the look that the sweet couple shared. He beat her to the punch and asked them the question on her own mind. "What’s wrong?"
Pearl shrugged, and her cheeks flushed. "It took me so long to pick a tour that I wanted to take, they were all filled up."
"All of them?" Shaking his head, Alexander reached out and gently rubbed Pearl’s arm.
She brightened at the show of sympathy and answered his question. "I wanted to take the guided food tour. I’ve been a Midwesterner all my life and besides a few years in the Peace Corps, I’ve lived within 100 miles from my birthplace my whole life. Now, with my girls busy with their own families, I admit to ‘binge-watching,’" she used her fingers to make air quotes, "shows about food. I want to try all of the local foods of San Juan, but there weren’t any spaces left."
Tatum couldn’t help but smile and still felt bad about it. "You two could come with me! One of the regular cruise ship staff has the room across from me on one of the lower floors. She gave me directions to find the food trucks and stalls in Old San Juan. I’m sure with the three of us, we’d have no trouble finding it." She saw the hesitant look pass between the two and tried to ease their worry. "I won’t be a third wheel, I promise. Once we find it, you can explore all you want."
Ben spoke first. "Oh, my dear, we’re not worried about having a third wheel."
"We don’t want you to be held back by us."
"No, no," Tatum felt for the couple, "this is my first time here, I’m perfectly happy taking a nice, easy walk and enjoy the day."
The older couple paused for a moment, communicating enough through their eyes that Tatum knew they were destined to be together.
Ben turned toward her with a smile. "We would hate to hold you back. The tour coordinator said if space opened up, they’ll put us on the tour."
"But," Pearl’s eyes were glittering and beautiful, "if they can’t, we would love to spend some time with you."
A weight lifted off Tatum’s shoulders. She really wanted the couple to have a great time on the island. "Now, let’s have some fun. We’ll just practice what you know and if you have
questions or need direction, just ask."
Ben and Pearl moved a few feet over to put some room between them and where Alexander was standing. Tatum could see them in the mirror and admired the way the older couple really showed care and concern for each other. It was so sweet to watch.
And behind her, Alexander was standing alone.
It was wrong. So wrong, that she was hoping that his match, Blair, might be sleeping in. Sure, Alexander and Blair were going to make an amazing couple and they’d probably be all over the
society pages in New York when they went back, but for a few hours she could spend some time with him.
It had only been a curious attraction at first, but it was building, and she knew it wasn’t going to become anything.
Still, she’d spent her life missing out on opportunities to date and have relationships, so for the moment, she’d enjoy what time she had and make sure to keep her heart surrounded in bubble wrap.
The music came on a moment after she touched the control and she turned around.
Wishful thinking. That’s what it was.
Imagining that the look in Alexander’s eyes was something more than a growing appreciation for her as a person. A friend, hopefully.
And when he lifted his hand and held it out to her, she had to work to draw air into her lungs. It only grew worse when she put her hand in his and let him draw her into the proper hold.
She didn’t have to say a word.
He didn’t need reminders.
She felt the subtle pressure of his hand on her lower back and the nudge of her clasped hand as he stepped forward.
Looking up into his eyes, she saw confidence and a thoughtful concern. He was a good man. That was easy enough to see.
As they ended the first full sequence of turns, he leaned in and spoke softly to her.
"I was thinking," he darted a look toward the older couple, "I mean, I think Blair signed us up for that food tour."
"Oh?" She fought down the ridiculous feeling of envy at the mention of Blair. "Are you looking forward to it?"
"Sure," he paused, and they slowed their steps on the floor, "but I’m not sure she’s going to show up."
She winced. "I wanted to ask you about that. I wasn’t sure if something was wrong. Is she feeling all right?"
"She’s busy with work. There’s a problem with some contracts and she’s been on and off the phone with her staff. Just when it seems like the problem’s solved… it just…" His words faded off.
"It gets more complicated?"
"Yes," he laughed.
And while she returned the gesture, she was well aware how her own life was mirroring his. How much more complicated could it get?
W hen Tatum walked down to the tour check-in stand near the parking lot, she adjusted the brim of her hat. It had looked good online when she’d ordered it, hoping for something broad enough
that she’d be able to keep herself from burning in the sun, but in real life it was huge, like Gone With the Wind huge. She should literally be running from the doors of Tara, huge.
Laughing at herself for her always-odd flight of fancy, she almost missed hearing someone call her name.
Turning, she caught sight of Ben and Pearl sitting on a bench near the line. Tatum moved quickly enough to keep Ben seated. The dear man would have gotten up on his feet to be polite, but she
wasn’t about to let him tire out before they went on their tour.
If , she reminded herself, they went on the tour.
And she really hoped they got a chance to go.
"Have you heard anything yet?"
The look that passed between them was so sweet.
Pearl reached over and took Ben’s hand. "No, dear. We checked in and they know we’re interested in case they have a space." She looked up at Ben. "I’m so sorry I took so long to make up my
mind."
Ben lifted his free hand and wiped a tear from her cheek.
Tatum wanted to go find Martina and ask why there weren’t enough spaces for all the couples. She wanted to get someone to find a way to put these two adorable people on the tour.
"Oh, I know that look." Pearl leaned forward. "Now don’t you go getting upset too!"
"Really," Tatum wanted to hug them both, "I just feel horrible. And you two know that I’ll be happy to take you with me." She put her hand over her pocket. "I have the directions here. I’m
sure we’d have a great time finding the location."
Ben’s eyes were so soft as he looked at Pearl. "That’s okay, Miss. If we can’t get on the tour, I think I might just convince this lovely lady to sit out by the pool with me. With everyone off the
ship, it would be like it was our own private moment."
She couldn’t help but smile and feel more than a little envious. Sure, she wanted to find the right man for her, and if she had to wait until she was Pearl’s age to find a man like Ben, it would
be fine with her. That kind of amazing didn’t come around every corner.
"Okay," she leaned in and gave each of them a kiss on their cheek, "I’m going to head out, because thinking about all of that food out there is making me hungry."
Ben gestured toward the town. "Then don’t let us hold you back, dear. Go and find that food. You can tell us all about it when you get back."
"I’ll try to bring some things back with me. And I have my phone." She gave her other pants pocket a pat. "I’ll take pictures of things that I can’t."
Pearl clapped her hands together.
"How lovely!"
With a wave, Tatum walked away along the line of people in the tour line.
She was looking forward to the adventure, but she couldn’t help but wish she wasn’t going alone. Letting out a sigh, she squared her shoulders and continued. It would do her no good to hope
for something she couldn’t have.
No matter how much she was starting to care.