Page 72 of Escape To Paradise
Kathleen noticed this too. “He kept swimming around you. He kept touching you. That guy is interested. Forget about Julian already. He’s old news. And also, he lied to you. He lied to all of us. Pretending to be a single guy so he could lure women.” She had her eye mask already on. She was getting ready to sleep.
“Harper, if I were you, I’d just say yes to Maverick,” Zofia said. “He’ll take care of you. Have you seen this place? This place is amazing. You’ll never have to lift a finger for the rest of your life.” She pulled the eye mask over her eyes. “You better snag the guy or another girl is going to snag him if you wait too long.”
I turned off the lamp. It was amazing how fast the girls could fall asleep. As for me, I was twisting and turning in bed, still thinking about Julian’s text messages. I also kept thinking about the way Maverick looked at me. I could sense how much he truly cared for me.
***
The crew stayed at Maverick’s private villa for the next two days. All two days were filled with eating, drinking, swimming, and dancing. We also enjoyed the beach, swimming and just taking a stroll. After that, the crew left to start the next chartered trip. My flight wasn’t scheduled until the following day. I had one night to stay at Maverick’s place before I had to go back to Georgia.
Maverick did good on his promise about going with me to the States for moral support. He booked the same flight as I did. I picked coach, and although I knew Maverick could afford the business class, he had picked the seat next to me.
Maverick wanted to work at the bar on our last night in the island, and I went with him. He was also training the new bartender. I was greeted by Viktor’s smile. He had trained two new cooks and two serving staff. The bar was starting to get more popular as I couldn’t even find a table. There was only one empty stool by the bar. Observing the crowd, I could see a mix of locals and tourists.
I sat by the bar while Maverick was busy teaching the staff and also serving drinks himself. Viktor approached me and served me a sampler plate of the food I had taught him to cook. The plate included a hamburger slider, two types of fried chicken wings, fish and chips, and a meat taco.
“Miss Harper, try the food and see if it is to your liking and specifications.” He was brimming with pride as he presented me the plate.
The plating looked elegant. The portion sizes were good. Visually, the food was very appetizing. Viktor stood next to me while I sampled his food.
“Are you kidding me, Viktor?” I said after sampling the slider. “This is amazing! Did you add something to it?”
“Yes, I added jalapenos to give it a little kick,” he said.
“Yes, just the right amount of spice. Not too spicy but it has a kick.”
The chicken wings, the fish, and the tacos were equally impressive. For someone who wasn’t formally trained, Viktor picked up the skill of cooking really fast, and he had a natural talent for mixing flavors. I had not really told him about plating, but he had a good eye for detail and might’ve paid attention to how I plated my food when I instructed him.
“Do you like it?” he asked eagerly.
“Of course! You did well. You’re an amazing cook!”
Happy and satisfied that I had given him a good review, he thanked me and went back to the kitchen. As I was finishing the food, I saw a familiar-looking girl approach Maverick. It was the short shorts girl. But tonight, she wasn’t wearing short shorts but a short skirt and a skimpy tank top.
She went directly to Maverick and ordered a drink. I didn’t know what she was doing here if they were no longer dating, but it seemed they were still friendly. As he served her a drink, she touched his arm. As soon as she did this, Maverick pulled his hand away. She didn’t seem to get the hint because she kept trying to touch him. After that, he eventually left her as she sipped on her drink.
Maverick couldn’t see me watching them because I was at the far end of the bar, away from him. But based on Maverick’s body language, he wasn’t comfortable with the girl being there. The girl finished her drink and eventually left.
I knew that Maverick and I are only friends, but I felt a sting of jealousy when the girl touched Maverick. When Maverick walked away, I felt relieved. And I was glad when the girl finally left.
I stayed with Maverick until closing time. I helped arrange the chairs while he washed the glasses. Two other workers were sweeping and mopping the floor. In the corner of my eye, I saw a tall figure approaching me. When I turned, I was taken by surprise. It was Julian.
Julian had dark circles around his eyes. His face looked gaunt, and his hair disheveled. “Harper, you haven’t been responding to my text messages,” he said as he approached.
“Julian, what are you doing here?” I was upset that he showed up at Maverick’s bar in the early morning.
“I just wanted to let you know, I didn’t mean to lie to you. I’m sorry. I was estranged from my wife for months. We were thinking of separating. The times we spent together… They meant something to me.”
“Why are you telling me this? And why now?”
“I just wanted you to know. I’m sorry. I never meant to deceive you. I was afraid if you knew I was still married, you wouldn’t choose to be with me.”
“Julian, I don’t know what to say.” I was dumbfounded.
“I’m leaving Grenada soon. Maybe even for good. I’ve decided to work on my marriage.” Julian looked at me; his eyes were teary. “But I want you to know I cared for you. It just wasn’t good timing for us.”
I heard footsteps from behind me before I heard Maverick’s voice. “Leave Harper alone. Just leave, Julian.” He sounded stern. Although Maverick wasn’t as tall as Julian, he had a commanding presence around him, making Julian’s stature irrelevant.
Julian looked at me and said, “Again, I’m sorry, Harper. I wish the circumstances would have been favorable for us.”
