Chapter 13
“So, what did you think of the shopping spree?”
After spending the whole morning together, any bad impression I had of Melissa evaporated.
Now that I can think calmly, since I left home yesterday, I’ve been abnormally suspicious. I usually err on the side of being too trusting, but there have been so many new things happening in my life all at once that I think it put me on high alert somehow.
The only person I remember feeling uncomfortable around from the start was Thomas, especially during the night shift when it was just the two of us. I would keep my eyes wide open and even left without my coat sometimes just to escape the café before the last customer left.
And time only proved my intuition right.
As for Guillermo, so far he hasn’t given me any reason not to believe him, although I still find it totally unreal that such a rich man came to my house and, to complete the madness, offered me a job simply because he liked my coffee.
After two hours in a shopping marathon, I have to confess that I’m starting to understand Melissa. I think her bluntness when we first met was more due to curiosity than malice. Slowly, I managed to relax and even laughed at some of the silly things she said.
I like people. To be honest, it’s quite difficult to find someone I don’t get along with, and keeping my guard up all the time isn’t something I’m used to. So I can’t deny that I’m relieved she turned out to be a down-to-earth woman, not a snob.
“Do you want to have a big lunch, or is a sandwich okay?”
“I should choose a salad,” I say, smiling.
“Why?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“Not really.”
“Melissa, all the dresses were tight in the wrong places.”
“I disagree. You looked really hot in them.”
I widen my eyes because I wasn’t expecting such informality after the way we started.
“You can relax; I’m into guys,” she continues.
I chuckle, finally noticing that beneath the sophisticated woman facade, there’s a girl as silly as me.
“Now seriously, Olívia. There’s nothing wrong with your body. I’d kill to have a butt like yours.”
“Your body is beautiful, Melissa.”
“Because I starve myself. Not everyone is lucky enough to be—” She stops talking suddenly and looks everywhere but at me.
“Lucky enough to be what?”
“Forget it. I shouldn’t say these things anyway. There’s no point in speaking ill of the dead.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Forget it, please. You must have noticed by now that I blabber without thinking, right? I only needed five seconds for you to consider me a bitch.”
“I didn’t think you were a bitch, just blunt.”
She shrugs. “It was out of curiosity. I have no intention of hurting you, Olívia.”
“I believe you.”
“Thank you. Anyway, I want to apologize for that. And now that we’re practically friends, I’ll give you a warning: be careful who you talk to in the hotel, or even what you say.”
“What do you mean?”
“Except for Ivy and me, whom I’ll try to introduce you to later when we get back, all the other employees are under Kathleen’s thumb, the bi—”
I gesture with my hand to interrupt her. “I get it, I think. Kathleen isn’t one of your favorite people.”
“That’s one way to put it.”
“Melissa, you’re being honest with me, so I’ll be honest with you too.
I don’t want any trouble. Until yesterday, I didn’t even know how long I’d have a roof over my head.
” I notice her surprised look, but I continue: “Mr. Guillermo is giving me a chance to get my life in order. The last thing I need is enemies. So don’t take it the wrong way, but I’d rather not hear about conflicts between employees.
” I don’t want to make her uncomfortable, but I also don’t want my name dragged into gossip.
“You’re right.”
“Anyway, thank you for the warning. I’ll be extra cautious around her.”
“Kathleen is the senior secretary. I didn’t mean to gossip,” she says as if she can read my thoughts. “But you really should watch out for her.”
“Why?”
“You’re a smart girl. You’ll figure out why I’m saying this.” She laughs awkwardly. “I’m sorry for how I treated you this morning, Olívia. I’m so used to living among snakes that when I meet someone good, it takes me a while to recognize them.”
“Alright, how about we eat now? I’m starving.”
After buying sandwiches and juice, we sit on a bench outdoors to have lunch. The temperature is pleasant, not too hot, and it’s delightful to eat at Boston Harbor watching the boats. I feel relaxed in a way I haven’t allowed myself to be for a long time.
“God, this is so good. I’ll never be able to lose weight.”
“Stop that—you’re beautiful.”
“But have you seen my height? If I’m not careful, I’ll turn into a ball.”
“I saw you in your underwear, remember? There’s nothing extra there besides the generous butt, and I can assure you men love that. And speaking of men, do you have a boyfriend?”
“Several.”
She pauses mid-bite and smiles mischievously. “Tell me everything.”
“I’m joking. My boyfriends are all fantasy. The heroes from books.”
“Unbelievable. You’re very pretty.”
“I had a few boyfriends in high school, but then my mom got sick and there was no time for anything else. After she passed away, I was too worried about surviving to think about relationships.”
“I’m sorry. I can’t imagine being without my mom. And the rest of your family?”
“It was just the two of us. I was adopted.”
“Oh! So you’re telling me you have no one?”
I know she didn’t say that out of malice, but it still hurts to admit my loneliness out loud. “Not that I know of.”
“Have you never tried to find your biological mother?”
“I did try, and my mom, Heloísa, even helped me search for her, but we never got anywhere since we had no clues about who she was. I still plan on investigating that one day.”
“Okay, enough talking about sad things.” She smiles and nudges me with her elbow. “Let’s talk about guys. What do you think of a date in about fifteen days?”
“What?” I ask, thinking I didn’t hear correctly.
“A date. Me, you, my boyfriend, and his hot cousin. Logan will be arriving in the United States soon.”
“Logan? You’re talking about a blind date?”
“Sort of. I’ve thought of showing you each a photo, although I’m sure you’ll think he’s a hottie.”
“And what about me? He might not think it’s a good idea to go out with me.”
“Stop with that insecurity.”
I look at her, tempted to accept. Not because of the guy himself but because I haven’t gone out for fun in so many years. In fact, I’ve never had fun as an adult, since my mom got sick soon after I turned seventeen.
“It would be a real date? Like . . . going to a bar?”
“Yes. Nothing involving sex, if that’s what you’re thinking, unless you want it, of course.”
“I just want to go out for a bit. I don’t even remember what that’s like anymore.”
“How old are you?”
“Twenty-three. Why?”
“Just to know if you can drink.”
“Oh, I don’t drink, but I don’t mind if you do in front of me.”
“Okay. Want to see his photo?”
“Look, it really doesn’t matter. Nothing’s going to happen.”
She ignores what I say and seems to be accessing a social media account. “I need to save your number later,” she says while continuing to search, I believe, for the guy’s profile.
“Okay. You save mine, and then you can text me, and I’ll save yours.”
“Found it!” she squeals, looking satisfied.
When she turns the phone to me, I think it takes me about three years to close my mouth.
“Wipe away the drool, Olívia.”
“Is he a model?”
“No. He’s in the military. Delicious, isn’t he?”
“I can’t deny that.”
I take the phone from her hand without asking for permission because I need to look at it up close. I swear to God, you could wash clothes on his abs. There are so many abs that I could count and recount them endlessly.
Melissa picked a photo of him on a beach, shirtless and wearing loose shorts that reveal the perfection of his body—at least the top part. The guy is blond and has almost shaved his head. His skin has a sort of natural tan.
Too bad I recently changed my erotic dream avatar. My current boss has been keeping me company every night, even last night. I have to confess that my fantasies have improved in quality because now I can hear his voice too.
Although the blond guy is gorgeous, I’m committed to my fantasies. I only live one relationship at a time.
“Logan Player,” I read on the phone’s display. “That doesn’t make me very enthusiastic.”
“It’s his nickname in the army. So, can I schedule our date?”
“I’ll be honest with you, Melissa. He’s drop-dead gorgeous, but honestly, I’m not looking for a relationship right now. Even if he sees my photo and says okay, I’d only agree to go out if it’s just as friends.”
“Hey, you’re not obliged to do anything you don’t want to. Let’s go out and have some fun, what do you think?”
“Alright. If it’s as friends, I’m in.”
“Okay. Now we need to finish lunch. We have to go to HR, hand in your documents, and schedule the medical exam. Let’s get your health insurance set up.”