Chapter 32
Thirty minutes later, a golf cart drops us off at the villa. Nate reaches into his pocket and pulls out the key card as we walk toward the door.
I lag behind, trying to find the right way to start. Instead, I blurt out the first thing that comes to my mind. “That kiss was terrible.”
Nate stops in front of the door and turns around, amusement brimming in his eyes. “You seemed to like it when we were in the middle of it.”
“That sounded bad. The kiss wasn’t terrible,” I backpedal. “I just meant that it was a terrible idea because we work together?—”
“And you never want to date a coworker again.”
“Yes. I have my rule. Plus?—”
“You don’t even like me.”
“Right.” Except that I’m starting to like Nate more and more each day.
“I mean, you may not like me, but”—there’s a glimmer behind his eyes—“I think you’re attracted to me.”
I puff out a laugh. “No more than you’re attracted to me.”
“I don’t deny it.”
“But we work together, so…” I force myself to look away from his charming smile and stay on topic. “I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about us.”
“Easy there.” It's his turn to laugh. “While I’m attracted to you and thought that kiss was pretty amazing, I’m not looking to start a relationship. I kind of have something going on with a girl back in Arizona.” The shock on my face makes him quickly clarify. “It’s nothing yet. That kiss didn’t cheat on her or anything, but I’m interested in the possibility and want to see where things could go.”
“That’s great news.” I smile, relief apparent. “I actually have something back home that I’m excited about too, and I don’t want to mess it up.”
His brows lift. “The guy you were texting earlier?”
“Yes.” I lift my shoulders. “It’s nothing yet, but it could be something really great.”
“Then it’s solved. We’re back to coworkers who are in a fake relationship but nothing more.”
“We just got caught up in the moment.”
“Briefly,” he adds.
A smile covers my mouth. “Nothing more.”
“Who says you and I can’t agree on anything?”
“Right?” I laugh. “We’re so mature.”
He unlocks the door then steps aside, gesturing for me to enter. “I’ll give you some privacy to get ready for bed.”
“Where are you going?”
“To take a walk. Catch up on some messages.”
I nod, walking past him to the door.
“Oh, and Carly, you can have the bed. I’ll sleep on the lounge or the ground.”
“No, it’s your room.”
“It’s our room.” His smile is ridiculously alluring. “And there’s no way I’m not giving you the bed.”
“Thanks.” I walk inside and slowly shut the door. “I’ll see you in a little bit.”
With the door firmly closed, I lean back, resting my head against it.
I release a long, slow breath.
My work nemesis is in his redemption arc.
And I’m falling for it hook, line, and sinker.
* * *
After I do a quick version of my bedtime routine, I lie on the bed and open my phone to Instagram. There’s already a message from Mr. International waiting for me.
@worth_traveling_to:
I think we should meet.
My gasp is immediate.
@girl_sees_the_world:
You want to meet?
@worth_traveling_to:
I'm thinking about it. Is that crazy?
@girl_sees_the_world:
It’s a little crazy. It kind of feels out of nowhere. Why now, after all this time?
@worth_traveling_to:
I’ve been beating around the bush with you for a while now, but I really like you, and I think you like me. So maybe it’s time to meet and see if there’s something between us.
I don’t know when I covered my mouth with my hand, but it’s there, holding in my shock. If that kiss between Nate and me taught me one thing, it’s that I need to figure out my feelings for Mr. International. Okay, his kiss taught me a lot more than that, but we’re not getting into the details.
@girl_sees_the_world:
I think you’re right. I’m ready to meet you too.
I push send and wait with a pounding heart.
@worth_traveling_to:
Okay. Let’s do it.
@girl_sees_the_world:
Okay. How does this work?
@worth_traveling_to:
I’m on a work trip right now, but maybe the end of next week? We could meet up somewhere local.
@girl_sees_the_world:
Yeah, that’s perfect since I’m out of town too.
@worth_traveling_to:
Are you freaking out right now?
@girl_sees_the_world:
Yes. This is crazy.
@worth_traveling_to:
It is crazy, but I have a good feeling about you.
@girl_sees_the_world:
I have a good feeling about you too.
I close my eyes and kick my feet up and down against the mattress. Nerves and excitement roll through me like a tornado, but I don’t even have time to process it before the door to the villa opens.
“You decent?” Nate calls.
“Yeah, come in.”
I hop to a stand, feeling stupid lying in bed in front of Nate. We pass in crossing—me on my way to fetch a charger and him on his way to the bathroom. We’re caught in one of those awkward dances where we try to walk around each other, but the whole thing is made a thousand times more awkward because of the heated kiss we just shared.
“Sorry,” he says, finally choosing the right path around me. His eyes drop to my t-shirt as he passes, and his brows lift. “Congratulations.”
“What for?”
“For being part of the Colorado swim team.”
“Oh.” I look down at my shirt. “I got this when I rafted the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. I jumped in the freezing water, so I got the shirt.”
“I know. I have one almost exactly like it.”
“You do?”
“Yeah.” He studies me. “I didn’t know you liked river rafting. Or was that just, like, a one-and-done type thing?”
I laugh as I grab my charger. “No, the Colorado River was a few years ago. But it wasn’t my first. Right after high school, I did the Noce River in Italy, and since then, I’ve tried to hit rivers around the world whenever I can. Last summer, I did the class V rapids in Upper Gauley River in West Virginia. The year before that, it was North Fork of the Payette River.” I walk back to the bed and plug in my phone. “I hope to get to the Zambezi River by Victoria Falls next year.”
Nate stares at me with a weird expression.
A confused smile covers my mouth. “What?”
“I don’t know. You’re just different than I thought.”
I think about his statement while he’s in the bathroom, making up his bed on the floor, and even after the lights are out.
“What did you mean when you said I’m different than you thought?” I finally ask when I should be letting us sleep.
“I had this idea of you the last nine months, and I’m realizing it might all be wrong. I don’t know. You keep surprising me. Like at the dance party tonight…” I hold my breath, hoping he doesn’t bring up the kiss. “And then with the whole river rafting thing. I just never pictured you as into adventurous stuff.”
“I might’ve had an idea about you the last nine months as well, but I’m learning you’re different than I thought too.”
“Should we agree to get to know each other better before we jump to more false conclusions?”
“Sounds like the fair thing to do.”
“You know, I honestly don’t understand why Isaac said that you’re an unbearable person who sucks the fun out of life. The more I get to know you, the more fun you become.”
I bite my lip, looking up at the ceiling. The darkness in the room and the fact that Nate is five feet away on the floor make it easier to open up.
“It’s because I never showed him that side of me.”
“Weren’t you dating for a long time?”
“About a year.”
“You were dating for a year, and you didn’t show him that side of you. Why not?” There’s judgment in his voice that conjures up a little defensiveness.
“Because it’s hard for me to let loose in front of people. Growing up, I heard neighbors or friends’ parents whisper about my family. My parents were too loose. Too out of control. Too fun. They never did the responsible things, like cleaning up their house, or yardwork, or making sure my siblings had clean faces and nice hairdos. We were a mess. I heard how people talked about us: the Cattersons were out of control. And it embarrassed me. I decided when I was little that I would never be like that. I’d always hold myself in a certain way, put my best foot forward, be professional.” I lift my shoulders. “Somewhere along the line, that belief morphed into me hiding all the fun and adventurous things about me.”
“I like that you’re letting me in a little bit. I hope I get to see more of this side of you, because you’re not unbearable. You’re actually pretty great.”
It’s no use blinking back the moisture in my eyes. Two tears stream down my cheeks, wetting my pillow.
“Thanks. You’re actually pretty great too.”
“This moment between us is the biggest plot twist Voyager Travel has ever seen.”
I laugh, wiping at my cheeks. “Yeah, Lyle and everyone at work will be surprised that we didn’t kill each other on this trip.”
“We went from enemies to friends.”
Is there a world where I can be friends with Nate without completely falling for him? I don’t know, but I have to try because I love my job too much.
Mr. International’s idea to meet couldn’t have come at a better time.
I’m throwing all my eggs in his basket.
He’s the guy I need to fall in love with.