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Not complete mush,he reminded himself.I’m getting more sex than I ever have.
But that didn’t matter to him. If he could trade in all the sex and passion for a stable home, like he’d had before, he would do it in a heartbeat.
No more. Vince was done with his life falling apart. The thing he needed most was a break from it all, from the whole damn world, and that’s exactly what he was going to get.
For months now, his company had been flirting with a big financial conglomerate. They were undecided on where they were going to put their headquarters, no matter how much they were pressured. Vince had had enough. He packed a bag with all of his warm-weather clothes, took his passport out of his nightstand, and called the airline to book the first flight into Costa Rica. He’d been there so many times—mostly for work but also for pleasure—and he loved the country almost as much as he loved America. He just needed to sit on a beach with the jungle at his back and unwind. Out of all the places around the world he’d been, Costa Rica called out to him the loudest.
As soon as he got off the phone, he started making arrangements to leave. He called his wife, leaving a message on her voicemail, telling her he’d be gone for a couple of days. He collected all of his important belongings, including his work laptop. Vince stepped outside. When the door was closed and locked behind him, he turned around on the front porch. He felt something soft press against his side, followed by a small yelp and the sound of staggering feet. Vince looked over his shoulder just in time to see Claire rolling her shoulders, trying to keep her balance.
He reached out, grabbed her arms, and cemented her to the ground. The expression on her face was that of shock and surprise—her mouth hung open, her eyes scanning him up then down and again.
He had his hand luggage thrown over his shoulder and chest, the thick strap digging into his pectoral muscles. In his left hand he had his large suitcase, filled to bursting with his clothes and shoes.
“Are you … going somewhere?”
“Work,” Vince said quickly. “I gotta run, Claire.”
Claire pouted and folded her arms across her chest. Her shock was clearly being taken over by petulance.
“Look, I really don’t have time.” Vince sighed. “We can talk about this when I get back, all right?”
Claire shook her head. “When will that be?”
Vince shrugged, feeling the exasperation building in his body. “I don’t know,” he said curtly. “I’ll be back when I’m back.”
Claire narrowed her eyes. “Is this normal?” she asked. “You just rushing off whenever you feel like it?”
Vince scoffed. “Whenever I feel like it?” he asked, his voice rising. “This is work. You’re not my wife. Take my answer and leave me alone, okay?” He didn’t wait for Claire’s reply. He clutched the handle on his suitcase and strode down the small path between the two patches of neatly mown lawn.
“Seriously?” Claire screeched, following him. “You’re just leaving?”
Vince tried to keep it together, but he could feel the frayed fibers inside of him slowly tearing more and more. Claire somehow knew where all of his buttons were, and she was pushing them one-by-one.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Claire asked. “We were supposed to hang out today.”
“My job is more important than hanging out,” Vince snapped. “Besides, I didn’t know until half an hour ago that I was leaving.”
“This is outrageous,” Claire shrieked. “You’re not leaving me!”
Vince stopped, feeling himself slowly start to seethe, and dropped his cases. “I’m not?” he asked, raising his voice to match the volume of hers. “Well, I do believe there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”
“Take me with you!” Claire screamed, stomping her foot as she clenched her hands into fists.
All of the anger washed out of Vince’s body almost immediately. It was like the storm had been blown aside and clear skies ruled once more. It was a crazy idea. Something he had never considered, not even a little bit. Taking his mistress away with him, into the depths of the jungle, so he could spend some time relaxing with someone else.
A broad smile crept over his lips. His eyes unfocused, looking at Claire’s blurry expression.
***
A short five-hour flight later, they landed. The air was humid, wet against Vince’s skin. Gone was the smog and the soot and the dirt, replaced with salty-smelling air. It was as if they were standing on the edge of the ocean, breathing in the clean breeze. They weren’t, though. They were standing on the runway in San Jose, hours from the nearest sea. That was going to change soon, however.
Vince had booked a car to take them to his favorite little getaway: a small cabin caught between the sea and jungle.
He took hold of Claire’s hand and led her through the crowds of tourists and holidaying families. Claire was mostly silent on the ride to the coast.
They reached the cabin in record time. There were hardly any other cars on the road; they had missed the commuter’s traffic. Vince led her through the area, between the cabins built on stilts in the sand, holding her hand tightly.
At the very end of the row was their cabin, tucked away from all the others. The jungle loomed behind it, desperately trying to claw its way onto the beach.
