Chapter 5
July
Shane
“Come on, what’s wrong with you?” Carissa stepped onto the deck of the surf school, her eyes drifting over the water from her deck chair. “Where’s your cook, by the way? I haven’t seen him for a few days now.”
I snorted, not amused. “What makes you think of him? It’s only been seven days since you saw us together. And two weeks since the last time.”
“Oh. You see. I guess I had more important things to do than worry about your love life.”
She smirked down at me. “Seriously. It’s none of my business, but you’re surprisingly quiet this season. The cook is gone. Don’t you have anyone else on the hook?”
Before I could respond, she continued.
“I don’t think it’s bad or surprising or anything. You’re . . . quiet. That’s what worries me. Are you okay? Is there anything I can do to help you with whatever is bugging you?”
I closed my eyes behind my sunglasses. I wanted to reject her offer of help.
What was the point? I was a grown man who had been unexpectedly pulled out of his daily routine by a cute cook.
I should have been grateful for the change.
Still, I wanted to turn back time and have Ruben back in my bed.
Not having to worry about where he was, who he was with, or why he didn’t want to be with me anymore.
Because we aren’t compatible. Nonsense! We were perfectly compatible. In bed. Sharing food. And on the beach.
I growled angrily to myself. Maybe that was exactly what had bothered Ruben. My life, which was meaningless in the eyes of our wonderful society.
Maybe Dick was right after all. I was a failure. Shit. I never wanted to let that asshole get to me again.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t completely ignore the parallels between him and Ruben. Both men were ambitious. Spoke different languages. And I was . . . me. With Carissa next to me in a deck chair.
There was one huge difference, though. No matter what excuses I had come up with for Dick, he had always been a stupid jerk.
Ruben was warm-hearted, sensitive, and passionate.
A wrapped sandwich appeared under my nose, and Carissa nudged my chin with it. “Here. It’s on me. Lunch break. You haven’t eaten anything yet, have you?”
“No. Haven’t gotten around to it yet. Thanks.”
She went into the wooden hut that had been built onto the deck.
Slowly, I unwrapped my lunch and eyed the salad, the tomatoes, the salami.
Without further ado, I took a photo and sent it to Ruben. It took less than a minute for a reply to come back.
Since when do you eat salami?
A pleasant warmth spread through my stomach.
Either Carissa had mixed up her sandwich with mine, or she was even more absent-minded than I had thought.
The reply came immediately.
Either way: Seems like you won’t have any lunch.
Before I could reply, my boss came back and handed me another sandwich package. At the same time, she reached for the sandwich in my hand.
“I was wondering about that.”
“Enjoy yours,” she called over her shoulder as she went back into the school.
I took a bite of my delicious multigrain bread with seitan, salad, sun-dried tomatoes, topped off with a few nuts.
While I was eating, my smartphone vibrated again.
With one hand, I opened Ruben’s message. He had sent a picture. Thick, juicy pancakes with some kind of crispy topping.
I’m trying my luck with something sweet here. Maple syrup everywhere. After four weeks of almost working exclusively with your cheese, this is a nice change. Let’s see how long it takes before I can’t stand maple syrup anymore.
I was itching to write something sarcastic in reply.
I resisted the urge. Instead, I took in the sea in front of me.
My next students weren’t going to be here until three o’clock.
Till then, I would enjoy my life, without obligations, completely relaxed, by the water.
Why the hell did it appear that that wasn’t enough anymore?
Sighing, I took another bite of my sandwich.