Chapter 20 – Katie
Twenty
PRESENT DAY
KATIE
“If this doesn’t work, we’ll just let things play out on their own…” Asher held open the door to a rental car. “Unless you have any other ideas.”
“I do,” I said. “We can just let them say ‘I do’ and act like this entire thing never happened.”
He tapped his chin, looking as if he was considering the idea.
“Did Michelle text you anything today?”
“She asked me if I knew any good lawyers.”
“Get into the car,” he said. “Now.”
I obliged, and he slid behind the steering wheel. We trailed five cars behind Michelle and Chris, weaving past lush forests and white-sanded beaches.
It wasn’t until they turned off to a movie theater’s parking lot, when Michelle very obviously moved between Chris’s thighs, that we waved the white flag on another day.
“Do you want to get lunch?” Asher asked.
“Sure.” I looked down and realized that my hand was entwined in his, but I didn’t jerk it away.
We parked our car under a palm tree and paid an attendant extra money for promising to watch it while we followed a mile-long trail to a cafe.
* * *
Three Hours Later
When we returned to the tourist zone, the only sign of life was the guy at the ticket booth. All the cars that were in the parking lot—including ours—were long gone.
What the…
“What happened to our car?” I asked Asher.
He didn’t answer.
He strolled toward the stand where we’d checked it in and held up his keys. “Where the hell is my car? I paid you fifty dollars for parking.”
“Ah, yes. I remember you, Mr. Brooks.” The guy smiled. “I’m Omar. Nice to see you again.”
“I won’t be able to say the same until you tell me where my car is.”
“I see how it is.” Omar nodded, then he looked at me. “What exactly is his problem, Miss?”
“We actually have the same one today.” I cleared my throat. “We arrived here in a car and it seems to be missing.”
“It’s not missing,” he said. “I loaned it to a friend so he could run a few errands in town. It’ll be back before sunset.”
“You did what?” we yelled in unison.
“No worries, no worries.” Omar smiled. “I told him to bring it back with a full tank of gas. Go enjoy some activities until then.”
We stared at him.
“I’ll give you a great discount on snorkeling.” He pulled out a brochure. “You’ll pay half price.”
“We’ve had enough activities this week,” Asher said. “We need to get back to the Excellence Resort.”
“Oh.” He tossed the brochure into a bin.
“Is there another sentence coming after that ‘Oh,’ Omar?” Asher asked.
“Yeah…” He nodded. “I can have my friend drop off your car there as well. So, if you’d rather not wait, you can walk to the bus station.”
“Where is it?”
“Down there.” He pointed as if there was something in the distance other than a winding road. “See?”
“No,” I said. “Are there signs we can follow?”
He shook his head. “You’ll know the stop when you see it. Blue and white, right in front of an old coffee warehouse.”
“Okay…” I held back a sigh. “How far of a walk is it?”
“Eh, six miles, give or take, if you cut through that walking path instead of walking alongside the road.” He smiled. “But for two young folks like you? It’ll probably feel like just one.”