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I had my suspicions but didn’t say anything about them. Instead, I got Alicia and myself a cab to the guesthouse I’d gotten for us. It was a sweet, spacious traditional home at East End, in Grand Cayman. It was a hot night, and as we pulled up and made our way through the dense buzzing of insects and inside, I suddenly realized I was exhausted. I took Alicia to bed, where, still in the clothes we’d worn that night, we both collapsed, and were quickly lulled to sleep by the sounds of the sea.
Inthemorning,Aliciaand I sat quite happily on the porch of the guesthouse. I’d had some provisions placed in the kitchen, and for once, I was happy to fix myself a meal. I woke up an hour before Alicia and went into the kitchen.
When she finally woke up and came onto the porch, I’d prepared a meal for us. In addition to some bacon and a few fried eggs, there was tropical fruit, orange juice, and coffee. She smiled at me blissfully, wearing nothing but her blouse, her underwear, and some flip-flops. I liked her messy hair and watched, a little turned on, as she tossed it over her shoulders and yawned.
“How long was I out?”
“About nine and a half hours. It’s almost ten o’clock.”
“Sounds and smells like breakfast time.”
I laughed. “Go on then. Help yourself.”
Alicia ate for a little bit and helped herself to more than one cup of coffee. Then she stopped, looking at the spread on the table.
“Did … did you do this?” she asked.
I nodded. “Surprised?”
“I didn’t know that you could, like, cook.”
“Cook? Of course, I can cook.”
“I mean, everyone can cook alittle. I guess I thought you just didn’t.”
“You thought I had all my meals prepared by servants?”
“Youareone of the wealthiest men in America.”
“America’s most eligible bachelor, too.”
“So, youdoread Vogue Magazine!”
We laughed, and then we were quiet for a while. I looked out across the field before us, which stretched down a hill to the sea. It was a perfectly manicured lawn, dotted with palm trees and a colonial garden that stretched in elegant, geometric squares around the house. Beyond that, I could see the sea, a pale azure. The sun was already high in the sky.
“I can’t believe,” said Alicia, “that we’re here talking about this after yesterday.”
“I’m sorry about that.”
“It’s okay. I guess ‘danger’ is your middle name.”
I shook my head. “I never meant to put you in any danger. I would never. I mean, after all …”
We both knew what I was going to say next.
“Anyway,” I said. “How’s your swimming coming along?”
“I haven’t had a chance to practice since we were in Florida!” said Alicia.
“Shame,” I said. “We might be stuck here for a while, you know.”
“I’m sure you can think of some other things to do,” Alicia said, coyly.
“I sure can,” I replied.
I was talking, of course, about water skiing.
“No,”saidAliciawhenwe finally got to the dock. “No, no, no, no.”
