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"Where are you going?" Vitto reaches out in the bed and tries to pull me back down. His touch skimming up the side of my body and clenching my midsection to pull me back.
"We can't stay in bed forever," I giggle and pat his hand.
"Yes, we can. There's absolutely no reason why we can't," he responds, grumbling and burying his head deeper into the pillow.
"Well, you might be able to stay in bed for as long as you want, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to. I have to go into town and get a few things from the market." I slide out of the bed, much to his dismay.
"Later," he tries again.
"If I wait until later, I'll never get up."
"That's the plan." He leans up on his elbow and looks at me, his dark eyes glinting with unspoken lust. When we first made it here to the islands, I figured that he'd be cooled off, maybe he'd not want me as much as he had before, but it seems like the desire he has for me just keeps getting stronger and stronger.
"I'll be back, and we can play for as long as you want." I lean forward and give him a swift kiss.
"Promises, promises." He mumbles before falling back into the bed for a few more minutes of sleep.
It was true that I had to get things from the market, but I also wanted to talk to one of the locals about working. As much as I loved that Vitto was willing to take care of us, and I didn't need to worry about anything, I was getting stir-crazy just walking along the beach every day. I needed to be productive.
There's enough tourist traffic around here that I didn't have a very hard time finding a location that was looking for new employees. All I needed to do was fill in the appropriate paperwork and get my new schedule. Hopefully, Vitto wouldn't give me too much pushback about it. That is if the manager allowed me to work at the establishment in the first place.
Shaking the sleep from my body, I wandered over to Chance's room and checked on him once before I walked into the large shower to get ready for the day. The high-pressure water washed away any doubts or tension I had in my body. It's only a matter of minutes before I was able to throw on a quick outfit and make my way to the town.
"Hey, Yankee," one of the locals, I'd yet to learn his name, called out as I walked by him. Everyone was so polite and welcoming here. It's been a rare day that I don't come home without a smile on my face. After spending so much time running for my life, it's nice to be around people who just want to be nice to me.
I walk into the large restaurant, not too far from one of the larger beaches, and mosey on over to Greta. She's the owner of the place, and I can tell by the way she's wiping the sweat off her brow that even though it's still early in the day, she's already swamped. That's good news for—
"Hey Greta, I'm just popping back in to see if you've come to a conclusion about whether or not you were open to letting me work here for you?" I shoved my hands in my pockets and lifted my shoulders expectantly.
"Girl, I don't think I have much of a choice. Another of my waitresses quit this morning. She didn't even give me any type of notice." I bit the inside of my mouth to keep from smiling. I didn't want to rejoice in her obstacles, but that was just better news for me.
"Aw, I'm sorry, Greta. That's bad luck." I did my best to be sympathetic to her plight.
"Yeah, yeah, no need to bullshit me. When can you start?" She asked, and I beamed with a bright smile.
"Tomorrow? Does that work?" I asked, and she nods her head.
"I'd prefer you said today, but I'm not going to be choosy. You can work the lunch shift, twelve to six."
"Sounds good to me!" I replied and reached over to shake her hand. She wiped her hand down the front of her uniform before she reached over and shook my hand.
"I hope you don't make me regret this. I usually take a lot longer to hire people, especially folks that ain't from here. You Yanks like to run off." A twinge of fear sizzled through my body for just a moment before I shook it away. I don't have to run anymore. There's nothing chaining me.
"No, I'm here to stay." I nod once before I step back and let her move down to the next customer. Greta and I spend a few seconds going over what is expected of me before she got too busy to continue. I've never been a waitress before, but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it. Besides, it's not like I'm doing this as a career, just something to get me out of the house for a little while. I know Vitto won't have any issues watching Chance while I'm working. He's so attached to my son it's like he's been with him the whole time.
Once I'm done with my business with Greta, I walk out to the small stalls that line the entryway to the beach just to see if they have anything new that I might need for the house. It's been fun trying to furnish and create a warm space in the new home that Vitto bought for us, but I enjoy the challenge.
"Hey, come, come, I've got new things. Come check it out." One of the vendors waves me over, and I make my way towards him. He's got some new masks and beads, all homemade items that would be good for tourists but nothing I can really see hanging around the house.
I stay at his stall for a few moments before I wander off to the next. I'm not paying attention to anything happening around me. Lost in the ebb and flow of the locals and tourists moving around the area. When the hair on the back of my neck stands up, I dismiss it as the cool breeze coming in off the shore.
It's not until I walk away and still feel the same dreadful sensation that I take notice. Doing my best not to make it too noticeable, I walk down the dirt path leading toward my home. A cold sweat breaks out on my neck, and one bead of sweat rolls down my spine.
I don't see anyone behind me, don't see anyone following me, but there's no doubt in my mind there's someone there. I perch myself against the corner of one of the stands and scan the crowd, trying to make out anyone out of place, but I can't tell who belongs there and who doesn't. There are just too many tourists walking around.
All I can do now is go home. If only I would've stayed in bed with Vitto. Picking up the pace, I walk through the brush and foliage that leads to my house, but it's still another fifteen minutes at best to get there, and that's if I were to go along the main road.
When I get out of range of the large group of people and still feel the eerie feeling along my back, I break out into a run. It's the worst thing I can do, but right now, I just need to get back to Vitto. He'll make sure everything is right.
