AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What the hell happened?” she asks. When I explain the event that took place, she starts laughing.
“This is not funny, Sherry.”
“No, you’re right. It’s not funny. It’s fucking hilarious.” She’s now hunched over, resting her hands on her knees. “The hottest man at the resort ends up in your room, potentially sees you naked, and you don’t find any humor in this?”
“No, I don’t.” Not a speck of humor escapes my lips.
“Oh c’mon, Callie. You have got to show some emotions.”
“Anger. That’s an emotion.” I leave her laughing in the hall and head into my room to get ready for the dinner meeting tonight.
CHAPTER TWO
“Welcome,” Julie Cox, the coordinator of the retreat announces just as dinner is almost over. There are about sixty of us. She’s standing on the stage where the luau was performed. We were laid as we arrived. “We decided to wait until we met tonight to give everyone the rundown.” She explains that we each have a folder in a bag that’s hanging on the back of our chairs that has our itinerary.
“Inside your bag is a lanyard with a number. Since there are sixty of us, we decided to break down our groups. We will start out in groups of six. Then break down into twos. Our goal is to hope we can get some good writing and inspiration within each group. Now, these groups are completely random as there are no assigned seats, whatever chair you sat at, that’s the number you got. Tonight, let's enjoy some amazing food, dancing, and drinks. You can choose to wear your lanyard or be surprised in the morning when we start the first session. We will be meeting right here at the beginning of each day. And for the thirty or so personal assistants that attended, we have some fun activities for you as well.”
I look around the room and hope to be grouped with some of the amazing authors I’ve met on my journey as an author myself. I also hope to be inspired by some of those authors I crave to be as good as.
Dinner was excellent and the music began. Sherry and I are in line for some drinks, and she nudges me on the shoulder. She nods her head, and I follow to find Ryan standing behind us. He’s making me regret coming and it’s only been a few hours.
“What number did you get?” he asks.
“I don’t know. I decided not to look until tomorrow morning.”
He’s tall, dark, and handsome and I swear, if he weren’t such an ass, I’d find him attractive. He smirks. I know he has dimples, only because I’ve seen them when we shared a table together. But his beard is hiding them. His black hair is the kind you crave to run your fingers through. And those eyes. I know we as authors like to enhance on details, but damn. If I had to look into those eyes every day, I wouldn’t complain. He breaks my thoughts with his reply. “Same.”
Ignoring him and my fanaticizing thoughts, I turn away and step up to the bar to order a Long Island. Sherry orders her drink, and we move to the side. Ryan brushes up against me and I must regain my nerves. Ever since Sherry mentioned that Ryan had a crush on me on the plane, he’s been in the forefront of my mind. And here he is, right next to me. It’s not just how he brushed up against me, he had his hand down and I swear, he grazed my ass.
Evidently, Sherry ordered shots for the three of us and when we’re all served, she gives a toast. “Here’s to two weeks of writing, fun, and amazing adventures to come.” She raises her shot glass and Ryan and I follow. We look at each other for a split second before raising our glasses and clinking them with her.
Starting the morning off after a night of drinking and dancing isn’t the best idea ever. But when in Rome, do as the Romans do, right? Thankfully I took a few pain killers before passing out and I tried to spread my drinks with water in between.
“Good morning.” His deep voice vibrates my eardrums before I can even get my door open.
“Do you always have to be so chipper in the morning?” His chuckle is annoying and a turn-on at the same time.
“So, what number did you get?”
“Don’t know. It’s in the bag.” The door closes behind me and we both make our way to the meeting area. When we get to the tables, I look inside my bag and get my lanyard. Number One. Looking up, I see what number Ryan has hanging around his neck.
Number One. Great!
“Looks like we’re not just neighbors.”
“Whatever. Let’s get to work. The sooner we get done, the sooner I can get away from you and have some fun.”
Aside from Ryan, we’re grouped with two very seasoned authors and a couple newer ones. We find a location under a bunch of palm trees, and we brainstorm some of our issues. It’s refreshing to see who else shares the same concerns. Once we finish, we’re able to do whatever we want for the rest of the day. We meet every day for the first four days and like Julie says, we are split up into groups of two. Unfortunately, I was randomly partnered with Ryan. Just my luck.
Yippee!
Now that we’re paired up, we can do our sessions anywhere we want. He has this great idea to take our notebooks and pens and go on a little, two-person boat ride on the property. This is one of our free days. The coordinator has scheduled team building sessions throughout the week. To accommodate each of our groups, we have some independent days.
We’ve pushed off the dock and are about fifty yards away from the shore. The waves are relatively calm so we’re swaying softly.
“Has this retreat helped your writing skills much?” I have to give him credit, Ryan is trying to make small talk, but I’m still annoyed.
“It has.” My book is open, although nothing but doodling has been written on the page.
