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Who the hell is that?I wonder. If he was dropping ‘family’ this morning, why would he be with another woman today?
Okay, now I am a little mind-screwed.
The waitress, who has been eavesdropping on our conversation, shakes her head disapprovingly. “El gringo siempre esta loco.”
“See?” Our server agrees with me. “He’s crazy.”
“Why would you say that? You’re supposed to support me.”
“Amelia, I do want to support you. And running around with a guy like that? Do you really think he’s marriage material?! He’s the owner of a hotel chain. He’s a billionaire with a million options. You’re going to end up roadkill. Hurt. I’m trying to protect you.” Nora sighs and reaches for my hand. "I'm really, really sorry, Amelia. I don’t mean to cause any problems. I just wanted us to have some fun, relaxing vacation time together. And I thought maybe Jansen had changed, that he could be a part of that."
Our waitress chimes in as she comes over to our table. “That man on the motorcycle is trouble. I wouldn't let my daughter near him with a ten foot pole."
Nora lowers her voice and turns back to me. "I honestly can’t believe you slept with him. He’s hot. I mean, if you’re going to have a vacation fling, well, you did well. But understand what a fling is, and what it means to actually get married and have a family with someone who you’ve known for five years.”
I nod, feeling a twinge of guilt. "Yes, I did.” I grin. “It was…freaking hot.” Nora smiles and pats my hand reassuringly.
"You're technically single now, Amelia. You have the right to be with whoever you want, as long as it's consensual and healthy. That's just dating these days. It can get messy, but as long as you’re honest, well, that’s fine, I suppose. But be careful. I don’t want you to end up with a hurt heart.”
“Nora,” I say, patting the top of her hand. “I’m a big girl. I’ll be okay.”
She nods. “I know you will. Now can we order a second round and enjoy ourselves for a bit?”
“Yes! What are you doing this whole week?”
“Well, I didn’t really want to crash you and Jansen’s reunion party…so I’m going to head up to the mountains for a few days. I hear it’s amazing up there.”
“Oh! Monte Verde? Yeah, I almost booked a retreat there before I opted for the beach.”
She laughs. “Maybe I’ll even meet a guy.”
“What happened to Hans?”
“Wasn’t in the cards,” she laughs. “He was fun but I’m over it. He didn’t want something serious. And I do. His loss.”
My stomach tumbles with anxiety as I consider the possibility that maybe she could be right.
Maybe Jack is just a phase for me that I needed to get out of my system.
Because if he’s riding with strange women on motorcycles…Nora might be right.
I drink, and I think.
18
AMELIA
On Monday evening before dinner, Jansen and I head out to the surf.
“So, how’ve you been?” I ask him.
“Good, you know, I’ve been trying to put everything in perspective. Like, what's more important: my love for you or my fear of sand crabs?”
I laugh at his joke. “I think it's safe to say that love should come first.”
“Yeah, I guess you're right,” he says, shaking his head. “It’s just that seeing you again, it’s like everything has come back into focus.”
As we continue walking, I can’t help but notice Jack surfing on the waves. He looks absolutely furious, as if he’s ready to take on the entire ocean.
