I don’t know how long I stand here, staring at Kevin with no expression on my face. I’m trying to decide if I should call the doctor for him and wondering if it’s safe for me to close my eyes with him in the same room. “I refuse to dignify that question with a response, other than this one.” I give him the middle finger salute before climbing into my bed.
“Tracy talks about Daisy a lot. They’ve been best friends for years. From what Tracy’s told me, what you see is exactly what you get. She’s not the type to use people or care about status. She wouldn’t tell me what happened, but someone screwed her over horribly a while back. That’s why she’s so reserved.”
I think back over my interactions with her, from the costume party the other night all the way through the moment I left her door just minutes ago. She was reserved at first, but she’s letting me inside her closed bubble little by little. That should worry me, along with the realization that I care whether she lets me all the way in. I care what she thinks about me. I care what the end of the trip will do to her.
I shouldn’t care.
Kevin is still blabbering on beside me, but my mind has latched on to Daisy and won’t let go. Then his voice cuts in again.
“You know, Rod, you may find you have a lot more in common with her if you’d let her get to know the real you.”
“What are you talking about? This is the real me.”
“Ask Juliana and Isabelle if this man is the Rod they know. They wouldn’t recognize who you are away from them. I know Juliana wants you to be happy. She’s told me before how much she worries about you and your commitment to remaining a career bachelor. She doesn’t want you to end up alone and miserable.”
“It’s past time to drop this, Kevin. I have my reasons for wanting to stay single. I’m not the least bit worried about my future. I’m perfectly happy with the way my life is going.”
“Whatever you say, man.”
I won’t say this out loud. Just two nights ago, Daisy was in the arms of a masked man, not knowing it was me. Tonight, she kissed me with a need and urgency that matched my own. Is she truly interested in me or ready to fall for the first guy who gives her attention?
Time will tell.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Daisy
Rod and I take a taxi from the hotel to the national park so we can explore the area on our own. Rod’s backpack is loaded with bottled water, snacks, and everything we could need for getting lost in a jungle ten times the size of the island we’re on. I mean, if we walk straight in any direction, we’ll find our way back to the shore. It’s not as if there’s enough land mass here for us to get lost for too long. But I appreciate the effort he went through to make sure we have extra rations, so I don’t point out any of the obvious.
Plus, there’s no telling how much he spent in the resort’s stores to accumulate all these supplies, complete with an emergency blanket in case we get cold in the sweltering heat of the Caribbean. The driver pulls into the park and drops us off at the visitor center. Rod pays the driver and arranges a time for the same guy to pick us up later.
We stroll through the park toward the mountainous area hand in hand, taking in the beauty of the land, sea, and sky along our way. When we reach the edge of the forest, we stop at the trailhead entrance and examine the park map. I take a picture with my phone, just in case the trails aren’t well-marked in the deeper parts of the woods.
“This one leads to a huge waterfall. Let’s do that one first.” I point to the trail and follow the lines to the water.
“Sounds good to me. My lady wants a waterfall, I’ll give her a waterfall. It’ll be the best damn waterfall on the island, too.” He cuts his eyes over to me and winks. That sexy smile of his gets me every time.
We begin our trek down a well-worn path. The lush green foliage of the forest surrounding us makes it hard to look away. The trees, ferns, and moss-covered rocks are each slightly different hues, but when the streams of light filter through the canopy above, they’re almost iridescent. I can’t take enough pictures to capture the beauty of the real McCoy. They each turn out flat and lifeless compared to the genuine thing. This place is teeming with thriving life and vibrant colors.
“This was a brilliant idea, Rod. I’m officially in love with an island and I never want to leave.”
After a short trek up the side of the first mountain, we come to an opening before the trail winds around to the right. The cliff on our left is nearly straight down, disappearing into the aqua blue water below. The white-capped waves lap at the protected cove beneath us, instantly making me wish I had wings so I could soar off this mountainside and enjoy all the views from above.
“You look more relaxed here, even after climbing that hill, than you have any other time I’ve seen you. You really have fallen in love with this place.”
“I feel at peace here. The trees, the breeze, the sound of the ocean, and the songs from the birds in the trees are all so soothing. It’s heaven on earth.”
After snapping a million and one pictures of
