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I gave her a nod, hopeful we would both get a kick out of that.
She walked back to the parking lot with me, the site office now almost entirely defunct. A restaurant was in front of it, hiding it from view, and most of the meetings now happened there in several out-of-the-way alcoves. It was already just about up and running, and supplying food to the guests here already.
Beside it was a general store, one that sold basic supplies and souvenirs, and then a reception and help desk area. It was very well organized and I had taken a quick tour in preparation for my friends getting here.
As we made it to the parking lot, I sucked in my breath. There was only one of Lukas’ cars there, but I didn’t know if Henry had arrived alone or if that meant Lukas was here as well.
“I’m surprised Lukas lets Henry drive such expensive cars all the time. But he seems to think it’s a way to give his PAs a perk.” Sarai shrugged like it was a random piece of trivia and held little interest for me, but I appreciated what she had done. It put my mind at ease. Lukas wasn’t here right now.
I gave her a hug, not sure I could put my gratitude into words, and hurried toward my chauffeur and the car that had been assigned to me for the last few weeks. Since we had gotten back from Chicago this man had graced my every working day and made sure I got from the small apartment to the site whenever I wanted, no matter how early or late in the day.
“Heading to the airport to meet the new party?” he asked, already holding the back door open for me.
“Sarai said I probably should, and I’m done here. I’ll only fret over tiny details if I don’t go.”
He let out a chuckle and waited for me to get inside and comfy before shutting me in and taking his seat.
“I’ve been keeping an eye on their flight. Looks like they’ll land a little early, but we should still be there in time to meet them.”
“Perfect,” I replied, feeling my whole body relax. Inside this car, I was safe. I couldn’t be seen, and I was finally going to see my friends after several months of not getting to be with them at all.
CHAPTER EIGHTY-THREE
As I saw my friends’ faces I knew I had done a good job. They’d been happy with their hut and the rooms they’d been given when they’d arrived three days earlier, but now they were in the first group tour to go around the rest as part of the showcase.
Not all of the huts were on display, some of them having guests inside still. But many of the guests would be checking out today and had already cleared their belongings. By the time we got to their huts they would be clean, tidy and ready to show off to the showcase guests.
Although I knew a lot of very rich and important people were here to check out the place and get ideas for their own projects, as well as the press and possible future customers, I hadn’t looked at the guest list. I didn’t want to know who they all were and how much money they had or if they were important.
All I wanted to do was enjoy the reaction of my friends, party with them when I was done with answering questions, and then avoid Lukas as much as possible.
So far, I hadn’t seen him. He hadn’t arrived before all the guests like I had, and thankfully he wasn’t on this first tour, but I knew I would be forced to see him at some point. I just didn’t know when that would be.
The few weeks that had passed had barely dulled the pain of having him ditch me. I didn’t want him to assume the worst of me and think I had treated him like a stepping stone, but I also knew there was no way I could defend against an accusation like that. I also still hadn’t told my friends exactly what had caused the breakup and how it had all gone down.
Stacy knew more than anyone, but even she didn’t know everything. I didn’t dare breathe a word about learning to be his submissive. I missed it. Being encouraged and cared for, but also the pleasure and passion had been intense. When I had been nervous, Lukas, apart from the eventful game day, had taken care of me.
And now that I had taken time out to think about it, if he had seen the interchange with Peter and assumed I’d wanted the attention, it explained his mood change. It all made sense if I thought about it from the point of view he’d expressed. That made me hurt even more.
I had no idea how to get him to see I was trustworthy, and I was still hurt that he had assumed I wasn’t rather than giving me the benefit of the doubt. No matter how much time passed and how much I had tried to focus on work and then taking my friends sightseeing, I couldn’t help thinking about him.
Nothing would help my heartache but heading back to England and forgetting all of this. I was going back with a lot more money than I’d arrived with and experience that would hopefully help me get more jobs where I already lived. If nothing else, I wouldn’t have to worry about paying bills for a very long time. Possibly ever.
I was going to be able to mostly pay off my apartment, or buy a little secondary place and rent it out. All sorts of possibilities. It wasn’t much of a consolation prize to getting my heart broken, but it was why I had said I would come out here and work. I hadnever intended to fall in love. In that way, I was no worse off than when I got on the plane.
No matter how much I tried to tell myself this, I knew it wasn’t helping. I’d have given all the money back to have my heart mended. But nothing would do that now.
By the time the tour was done, my face was beginning to ache from all the smiling and yet I was still expected to greet people.
“Kit, isn’t it?” A young man came up to me, another with him who was carrying a camera. Both of them were wearing press badges and I wasn’t sure what they really wanted with me, but I confirmed.
“Can we interview you for the article?”
“Sure,” I replied, grateful that Sarai had coached me a little on how to handle this.
The guy who had called out to me asked me a few questions while jotting down my answers with the old-fashioned paper-and-pencil method. At the same time, the cameraman with him stole convenient moments to get me to pose in front of one of the huts for him.
I tried not to feel too self-conscious, but thankfully he told me exactly where and how to stand and made it much easier than it could have been.
