Guilt struck my heart. I hated making them worry, especially since they were so stressed with the hotel’s busy season and the matchmaking. I felt even worse knowing their pick wasn’t going to work. Orson would have been a good match for me, but he already hadsomeone. The more I thought about it, the surer I became.
Instead of agreeing with him, I kept silent, my eyes closed against his worry. I snuggled down into the bed and let sleep take me.
My last thought before I drifted off was the tender way the dingo looked at me. How he’d followed at a distance until I was safely out of the woods, and if I’d been in my rational mind, maybe I’d have tried speaking to him instead of running away.
I knew I shouldn’t go back to the woods, but I was going to find that dingo and prove everyone wrong!
Eight
Sully
WhenIwoke,Iknew I couldn’t let go of what had happened. I also felt terrible. Like absolute dirt. Adrenaline crash coupled with a twisted ankle and a lack of sleep meant I wasn’t at my best. Giving up on being awake, I drifted off for another nap. There was no pressing need to be awake.
I felt somewhat refreshed after my second nap. I was glad I’d gotten a little sleep, but wished I’d thought to wash my face first. It felt all gritty, and I badly needed a shower!
Dad had plugged in my phone and it was lit up with messages from Trisha asking how my date went with Orson. There was even a text from the man himself apologizing for ditching me and pleading with me to continue our ruse. My mom had given me his number after giving mine to him.
I texted Trisha back with the bare minimum before turning to Orson’s texts. Maybe I’d get away with putting Trisha off until I had more details about what happened to me. She was super busy with cases. It would buy me some time.
Orson’s situation proved to be as complicated as I suspected. Nice to have my instincts proven correct after all the doubts about me.
Orson
I’d like to take you on another date, but it would be a platonic situation.
Sully
Look, I know you have someone and that’s fine with me. We can pretend our date went well enough for a second, but you need to come clean to your parents.
Orson
I just need some time. Be my cover until then? I swear it won’t be for long.
I was grateful he wasn’t denying there was someone special in his life. Vaguely, I wondered who it was. My curiosity nearly got the best of me. Before I knew it, I’d typed out amessage asking who they were, then thought the better of it and deleted it, instead sending:
Sully
I’m in.
Being Orson’s cover worked for me as well. If my parents thought I was out with him, then they wouldn’t suspect I was out in the woods tracking down the dingo I’d seen. He meant something. While I didn’t understand the pull I felt, I knew I had to track him down, preferably still in daylight.
“Sully, you’re up!” Mom said from the doorway. “I was just coming to check on you. Hungry?”
“Starving!”
“I’ll go order a bunch of your favorites. Do you need your dad to carry you back down?”
Testing my weight on my foot, I hobbled over to my attached bathroom. “Nah, I’m good. Need a shower, though.”
“Okay, yell if you change your mind.” She left me to get washed.
The hot water was heavenly. I got lost in running the washcloth over my skin, daydreaming about what I thought the dingo looked like in his human form. In myimagination, he had such dark eyes they were nearly black. I could get lost in those eyes, I was sure. His lips were obviously going to be full, and I wondered what kissing him would feel like.
I was all pruney by the time I got out of the shower. My parents were waiting for me to have lunch with them, my favorites laid out and ready for me.
My parents were happy to have me home, where they could bug me about my date with Orson. They were disappointed I wasn’t madly in love with the man I’d met once, but what could I do about their wild expectations?
We hung out, something we hadn’t done for a long time, and just relaxed all day. My parents were scaling back on their hours at the hotel now both my brother and sister were increasingly involved in the day to day running of the place. It meant they had more time for their pet project: mating me off.
