Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 113330 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113330 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
“He’s going to get him another Hawaiian ice,” the woman mumbles. “I swear, our grandson’s got my husband wrapped around his little finger.”
I chuckle through my tears. “But not you?”
“No, me too,” she admits with a grin. “But only to the point where I’d let him have one Hawaiian ice per day. Not two.”
Against all odds, she’s made me smile through my tears.
“Your grandson is adorable. If he were mine, I’d be wrapped around his finger, too.”
“He’s a cutie. That’s for sure.”
On the flight here, I promised myself I wouldn’t tell anyone about Brandon during my stay. In fact, I decided never to speak of him again. But now that this lovely woman has already overheard my situation, I feel the urge to provide some details for context so she doesn’t think I’m a sobbing hot mess for no good reason.
“I’m usually a happy, bubbly person,” I say through a sniffle. “But two days ago, the night before our wedding, I found out my fiancé has been cheating on me for a very long time.”
“Oh no. You poor little thing.”
“That’s why I came on this trip by myself. To try to have fun and heal, rather than sitting at home feeling sorry for myself.”
“Good for you,” the woman says. “As hard as this must be for you, I’m glad you found out the truth before you married that man.”
“Me, too. That’s definitely the silver lining in all this.” I take a deep, steadying breath. “I feel a lot better. Thank you. I can drive safely now.”
“Are you sure?”
I nod. “If you’re late for your flight because of me, I’ll never forgive myself.”
The woman stands and smooths down her skirt, so I stand, too.
“Enjoy this week to the fullest, my dear,” she says, taking my hand and patting it. “Whatever you want to do, whatever it is, promise me you’ll go for it.”
“I promise. Thank you.”
The woman lets out a sympathetic tsk. “Shame on that horrible man for hurting you.” She pats my arm. “Have the time of your life this week and beyond. That’ll be your best revenge.”
“I’ll do my best.”
We share a smile. And then, the kind woman—the guardian angel who was surely sent by my mother in heaven—heads off to reunite with her lucky family to board her flight to who-knows-where.
When she’s gone, I take a deep breath and traipse out a sliding door toward my rental car, even though all I want to do is follow that beautiful soul to wherever she’s going like a wounded, heartbroken little puppy.
Chapter 5
Roman
I’m dripping with sweat as I amble down the winding, plumeria-lined path from the hotel gym toward my bungalow at the farthest corner of the resort. After that workout, I’m ready for a hot shower followed by a double-decker sandwich and another spiced rum punch, all of it enjoyed while gazing out at the ocean from the comfy couch on the deck.
As I reach the front door of my unit, my phone buzzes with an incoming call from Cameron. My stomach seizes. If he’s calling instead of texting, he must have something important to report.
“Good news?” I ask in greeting.
“Great news. I floated the idea of Coach Hardy coming aboard with you, and—”
“I haven’t even talked to him yet, Cam.” I’m in the bungalow now, but I’m too amped to sit, so I pace around the small living area. “You’re putting the cart before the horse.”
“Rome, I merely floated the idea, like I was brainstorming. Trust me, I handled it perfectly.”
“And?”
“They went batshit crazy over the idea. To be clear, they want you any way they can get you, with or without Coach coming along; but it sure sounds like a package deal would bring them all the way up to our asking price.”
“They’d have to pay Coach whatever he wants, too.”
“They know that. His salary would be chump change compared to yours, though, so it’s barely worth stressing over. They said the two of you together would be a ‘dream team’—too big an opportunity to pass up.”
“That’s good to know.”
“No, it’s great to know. Are you sure you don’t want me to fly out there and join your golf game on Friday?”
“Having you there would only fuck up the vibe.”
“But what if Coach has questions about—”
“He won’t. Cam, I don’t want it to feel like a business meeting, okay? I want the conversation to unfold organically throughout the day.”
“Yeah, that’s probably the best strategy.”
“It’s not a strategy. That’s my whole point.”
“I’m just saying, whatever tack you want to take with Coach is great with me, as long as it gets the job done.”
“Would you take your agent cap off for a minute and be my best friend? You know Coach is like a second father to me, so I’m not gonna push him into doing anything he’s not completely sure about. He’s an institution at Michigan, so I don’t want him risking his legacy if he’s not one-hundred-percent certain that’s what he’s willing to do.”