Page 71 of Escape To Paradise
I went to the office to check my email. I talked to the recruiter, informing him that I needed to go back to the States for a week, and then rest for another week in Grenada before signing for another three months of work. The recruiter was okay with me taking a break and told me he would hire a temporary cook for the next two charters. Next, I called my lawyer and told him about my plans. He said he would set up an in-person meeting with Benoit after I’ve booked my flight. I just had to email him the date and time of my arrival in the U.S.
When the crew came back that evening, I was happy to be reunited with them. I told them that Maverick had invited us to his villa, and they seemed pleased by this.
“Glad he recognizes us as loyal customers,” Zofia said.
“What’s his private resort like, Harper?” Kathleen asked with eagerness.
I described the private resort in detail, skipping the part about the honeymoon suite.
“So all this time, Maverick was a secret multi-millionaire. Who knew? I really thought he was just the bartender,” Zofia added. “You should have hooked up with him from day one. I told you he was into you.”
“Yeah, he seems to really like you, Harper,” Kathleen said. “Especially since he invited you to his private resort.”
“I don’t know about liking me. We’re just friends,” I lied. I failed to mention that we had kissed. I really wanted Maverick to just be my friend for now. I wasn’t in a good position to be dating again.
Zofia raised her eyebrows. “Friends? The guy invited you to his private resort. You stayed at his home. I don’t think he wants to be just friends with you, Harper.”
Kathleen joined in. “Yeah, just friends wouldn’t invite the girl to their home. I mean, we didn’t get invited.”
“Well, he’s inviting you now,” I pointed out.
“Yeah, but he invited you first. He’s inviting us because we’re your friends.” Zofia was making a good point there.
It was undeniable; Maverick was really interested in me. But I was still healing from Julian, and I didn’t want Maverick to be my rebound. I still had feelings for Julian, and yet I couldn’t help feeling this way.
We gossiped for a while. I, however, noticed that Julian had sent me text messages. Most of them were apologies. The first two messages were very long, asking for forgiveness for leading me on. I didn’t even read the rest of them. He was just feeling guilty because he got caught.
I had cooked dinner for the crew. After dinner, we had music, dancing, and drinks. I tried to shake off my sadness at losing Julian, and hanging out with the crew really helped to lift my spirits. Before I retired that evening, I deleted all of Julian’s text messages.
Chapter 13
New Horizon
When our charter ended, we returned to Grenada and spent the weekend at Maverick’s private resort. When we got there, the girls were so excited seeing how fancy it was. The captain had joined us, as well as Paul. Maverick had reserved two of the newly built villas for us. Paul and Captain John stayed in one villa while Zofia, Kathleen, and I stayed in the other.
We brought food and drinks. We used the outdoor grill for some barbecued meats; the captain oversaw the grilling. Paul was tasked with making the drinks, and the girls were tasked with preparing the salads and the sides. I oversaw making dessert.
Maverick joined us for our barbecue party, wearing shorts and a tight white shirt. He looked dashing, with a five o’clock shadow on his face. His curly, dark-brown hair was growing long. He noticed I was looking, and he smiled at me. I invited him to join me as I made dessert.
“Thanks for inviting us here.”
“You guys are my most loyal customers. It’s the least I could do,” Maverick said.
I already had banana pudding and cheesecake bites with the crust that I had pre-made at the Sea Eagle. I just had to assemble it with whipped cream, fruits, and the cheesecake pieces, which Maverick helped me with. He stood very close to me that sometimes our arms would brush against each other. The sexual tension between us was still there.
We served dinner by the outdoor patio, where we sat on the outdoor table. The captain handed out the meat, Kathleen handed out the sides, Zofia scooped the salad onto our plates, and Paul served the drinks. Maverick lit the outdoor tiki torches. Then he played music. We kept the drinks flowing, and soon, there was dancing.
Eventually, Paul and Zofia paired up. The captain and Kathleen paired up for a friendly dance. Maverick had been dancing with the girls but somehow made his way to me and danced with me. We drank a lot of wine and other alcoholic drinks so it might be why I started touching Maverick’s shoulder, and he touched my waist. And before we knew it, we were almost kissing. I was already tipsy, and he was too. It took every ounce of my willpower not to allow myself to be kissed by him.
I wasn’t ready yet. I was still thinking about the text messages that Julian had sent me. It still pained me to receive them, and especially to read them.
After dancing, we all went to the swimming pool and swam into the lukewarm water. The girls started chasing each other. I was laughing with them as they splashed each other. Everyone was in a jovial mood.
Maverick was swimming close to me. At times, he was pressed against my back, and I wanted to touch him. A part of me was curious what it would feel like to be intimate with him, but I tried to shake the feeling off. I reminded myself that Maverick and I were better off as friends. I didn’t want to lose his friendship and complicate things.
It was past midnight when we all decided to go to sleep. Maverick bid me goodnight. The girls and I stayed in the same bedroom with two twin beds. Zofia and Kathleen slept on the same bed and I slept on the other. We chatted before we went to sleep. The girls kept teasing me about Maverick.
“Just say yes to him. Didn’t you see? He kept following you the whole night.” Zofia was wearing a pink nightgown, and had an eye mask on her forehead.
