Page 72 of Fake It For Love (Faux Love)
“About six years,” he said.
“Where are you originally from?”
“Tampa, Florida,” he said. “You?”
“New York.”
He nodded. “I don’t think I could do the city thing anymore.”
“It’s pretty busy out here,” I said.
“Yes, but there’s a different vibe here. Everyone is more laidback. No one is rushing to work. Everyone just wants to chill and have a good time. Even the locals are way more relaxed.”
“I’ve noticed that,” I said.
“How long have you been flying?” he asked.
“About fifteen years,” I answered.
“How long have you been with your girl?”
That was a tricky question. “We actually went to high school together.”
“Are you married?”
“No, not yet,” I said. That wasn’t such a hard question.
“Are you guys here for that big reunion?” he asked.
“Yes. That and friends of ours are getting married.
“I heard it was some fancy private school in Manhattan that was having the reunion here, is that true?”
It was a little embarrassing to be known as the rich kids. We were, but sometimes that came with some preconceived notions. I was used to it. I knew we were privileged. “It is,” I said.
“Damn, you guys are lucky.”
I scoffed and pointed out the window. “Yeah, real lucky.”
“This isn’t bad.”
I was going to take his word for it. The wind was still howling and rocking the truck back and forth. The sound of debris hitting the windows was almost impossible to distinguish from the rain. “Do you think the resort will be okay?” I asked him.
“Oh yeah,” he assured me. “Those things are built to withstand the weather. The windows are the kind of glass that doesn’t shatter. They’ve got pumps to move the water out of anywhere it might flood. If this thing shuts stuff down for a few days, they’ve got plenty of food and clean water.”
“That’s a relief,” I said. “What about generators?”
“They have them, but it’s unlikely they’ll start them up this soon. They’ll keep the refrigerators and stuff going, but they’ll wait until it’s to a point they need to.”
I nodded and felt better about her being there. She was safe. Ever since the power had gone out, I thought of her sitting alone and scared in the dark. It was probably my alpha male coming out. She wasn’t a little woman that needed saving. She was plenty capable. It was more about me getting to her and satisfying my own need to take care of her.
I leaned back and stared at nothing. This was going to be a long night. The last thing I needed was more time to think. I had done plenty of thinking. I was ready to start doing. If this was some kind of reality check, I got it. I got it loud and clear. I was ready to take advantage of this second chance.
I felt myself drifting off. The excitement and adrenaline were wearing off and I was crashing hard. I closed my eyes and saw her face. She was probably in bed sound asleep. I doubt she even knew I was out here. She sure as hell wouldn’t believe I was thinking about her.
“Hey,” Eddie said and hit my shoulder.
My eyes popped open. “What’s wrong?”
