Page 33 of Escape To Paradise
He was hesitant to try it and sniffed it before tasting it. Then his facial expression changed to that of satisfaction. “Well, it’s good.”
“That’s how you make it. Did you pay attention?” I asked him.
“I was a little distracted.”
“I noticed. You weren’t really watching me how to make the drink. It seems you were watching me,” I teased.
“Well, it’s not every day that a beautiful woman walks into my bar and makes herself a drink.” He was obviously flirting.
“Oh, Maverick, you’re so hopeless. Your charms won’t work on me.”
“A man can still try.” He laughed nervously.
I didn’t notice it before, but he was attractive, though a little too short for my liking. I’ve never dated a guy not much taller than me. Both Benoit and my college boyfriend were over six feet tall. But what Maverick lacked in height, he compensated with charm.
I sat back in my seat and grabbed a slice of pizza and wings that the girls had ordered. When Kathleen ate the food, she wrinkled her nose.
“How is it?” I asked her.
“Well, the pizza crust, it’s too chewy. And the wings are too salty.” That was Kathleen’s critique.
“That’s not good.” I tasted it myself. I loved the garlic taste on the chicken wings, but it was indeed too salty. The food needed some work. The pizza had the right flavor, but the crust was too thick and chewy.
Maverick stood there and took in all our feedback.
“See? That’s why I need you, Harper. Can I hire you to work for me in developing my menu? I mean, you can teach my cook. He’s a decent cook, but he’s no Gordon Ramsay.”
I smiled. “You know what? Yeah, you can hire me as a consultant. I’ll help train your cook.”
“Great. Name your price.” Maverick looked serious.
“I’ll help you out as a friend.”
Maverick winced. “Friend? As a friend? Is that an insult? I’ve been friend-zoned?”
I laughed. “Of course. You suck at flirting. But at least you get to have my phone number now.”
“Oh, that.” Maverick looked disappointed. Accepting his fate, he extended his hand for a handshake.
I shook his hand. “You’ve got a deal.”
“Can I have your phone number now?” he pleaded.
“You’re insufferable, Maverick.” I sighed.
We exchanged phone numbers. And when the girls and I left to go back to the yacht, I received a text message. I was hoping it was from Julian. I was disappointed to find out that it was from Maverick. He had texted me goodnight. I texted him with an obligatory reply.
Chapter 6
The Love Story Begins
We went on another 7-day charter. The route was from Grenada to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and then back to Grenada. Maverick would text me ‘Good morning’ and ‘Good night’ every day and send me memes. He would also just randomly text me throughout the day. Most of the time, I ignored his text messages. I wasn’t really that interested in seeing his texts. Deep inside, I was hoping they were from Julian. I humored Maverick because he was a good guy, although he was trying too hard to win me over.
Julian finally texted me when we had gotten back to Grenada. At that point, I didn’t expect him to call or text me anymore.
Julian: Hey beautiful, are you back in Grenada?
Me: Yes, we just got back.
