Chapter 45
Capri
Hayes
How can someone so perfectly bite-size take up so much bed space?
I’m standing behind the untouched couch and in front of the unmade king bed.
Brady is sprawled across the entirety of the mattress with his head in one corner and his arms wrapped around the pillow I propped next to him as a decoy so I could sneak out for a run.
The top sheet only reaches his lower back so I have to make a decision once my sneakers are on.
Do I pull the sheet up and cover him so he can sleep more comfortably, or do I pull it down, take off my sneakers and take care of that sexy ass?
I’m about to take my sneakers off when my logical brain reminds me that in a month we’ll be living together.
Plenty of time for that. I raise the sheet to his shoulders and exit the room without making a sound.
I push open the door to the stairwell and realize that plenty of time is really an exaggeration.
The other day he talked about having lunch every day and it made me wonder if I’ll be able to give him as much of myself as I want to.
But he knows I’ve always put my studies first, or at least very high on the list. He should be first in all things, and he deserves that.
I can deliver. I want to deliver for him.
I head out past the coffee bar to the lobby where I pull my foot behind me and up to my glutes to start my stretch routine before heading out.
I’ve just remembered that I left my ear buds upstairs next to the bed when Aisha, who is not dressed in black today but yellow and aqua, walks over.
“Good morning, Hayes. Have you seen the sky yet? It started off dark pink. Then violet and yellow. Stunning.”
“Everywhere you look on Capri is the next most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen,” I say. I don’t tell her I didn’t dare peek through the curtains this morning so Brady could stay sleeping. I pull my other leg behind me.
“I saw the images from yesterday. Exactly what we’re looking for.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” I hope this means the bonus is in the bag.
She nods and takes out her phone to show me some infographics. “The engagement numbers are beyond our expectations.” She swipes and smiles, then adds under her breath. “Not that we had any expectations at all.”
“Excuse me?” I ask, trying to remain calm and polite.
“Oh, nothing really, it’s just that…”
“It’s just that I know exactly what you’re talking about. I overheard a few of your executives in Barcelona.” I stop stretching and stand facing Aisha. I don’t want to be rude but I know what’s been going on and I don’t want her to think I don’t.
She looks from side to side. “Oh?” Her voice is not nearly as intense and loud as mine.
“I mean I know the only reason you hired Brady for this job. His parents arranged the whole thing. They used their money and connections to make Brady think he was hand-selected for this gig. But you and I have both known the truth all summer. You all think Brady is just some mindless party boy who needs a pacifier to keep him busy all summer.”
A sound erupts from the coffee bar behind the corner. A plate or mug must have slipped and broken, and it reminds me to control my anger. This isn’t Aisha’s fault. I take a beat and find a calmer tone.
“Hayes, I can’t say you aren’t right about how things were arranged. But that’s how the world works. You seem like someone who has already figured that out. But you’re wrong about how I personally feel about Brady. Frankly, in London things were not working out. Surely you could see that.”
I nod, trying to control my breath.
“But I saw how hard Brady was working to deliver. I’ve talked to Mrs. Gibson. She’s…” Aisha pauses to find the most professional word. “She’s challenging, but she wants the best for Brady. Sometimes the people who love us the most are wrong about who we are.”
“I’m not. I know who Brady is.” My voice is controlled but I know there is an intensity building.
I simply want her to know the truth. “He pretends to be a brat because he’s vulnerable.
He’s smart, and he knows how to turn everything into a good time.
Not because he’s shallow. Because he cares about people.
” I think about starting our journey this summer, and how even after everything I said to him in Chicago, he made one of his care kits for me.
I can feel my insides turning warm with the memory.
“Hayes, I wasn’t sure what your actual relationship was when I finally met you in London, to be honest, but I don’t have any doubts now. You love him, and from what I’ve seen, he loves you. Thank you for sharing that love with us this summer. It was a gift.”
I don’t know what to say. Her words are kind and honest and I hear every one. Aisha leaves, scarves flowing behind her, and I jog out of the lobby. The air is crisp and cooler than it has been the past few days. I fill my lungs with it, hoping to get my head on straight.
My feet hit the ground and I head down the street toward the water.
The shops are beginning to open. I breathe in and out, letting my legs extend and retract, trying to get my mind to focus.
I’m uneasy about the intense emotion I displayed with Aisha.
Brady makes me feel everything so deeply, so when I thought she was putting him down I couldn’t contain it.
Left, right, left, right. The repetition is a mantra that help my body connect to my brain. Left, right, left, right.
I can feel my mind clear. But it’s not the connection between my body and brain calling the shots, it’s my heart too.
I stop and stare up at the hotel hundreds of feet above me.
It’s not Aisha I need to say all that wonderful stuff about Brady to.
It’s Brady. And the only way for us to move forward and take the next step is to tell him the truth about what I found out in Barcelona.
I turn back toward the hotel and start running up the hill.