She opened the timer. “Okay. Go,” she said, pressing start.
“Carter Clynes. Also known as Triple C, which stands for Captain Carter Clynes, sometimes shortened to Trip. Almost thirty years old. Grew up in Michigan. Class clown. Catholic family. Parents still together. Two sisters. One girlfriend. Broke her heart before I went away to college. University of Michigan. Played the field. Dropped out. Went to flight school. Fly all the time now. Get lonely sometimes. Own a condo in Boca. One niece, one nephew. Upfront person. Love pizza and every kind of music. Horny as hell. Sitting on the beach in Rio.”
That was pretty much it. It’s funny how a life could be dumbed down to just a handful of details. Of course, there was one thing I chose to leave out. Not that I wouldn’t tell her, but it was neither the right time nor place to elaborate on Lucy, so I chose to omit the one not-so-minor detail that had basically shaped who I am.
“Wow. That was exactly thirty seconds.”
“Now you know almost everything you need to know.”
She squinted. “Almost?”
Ignoring her question, I grabbed the phone for the timer. “Your turn.”
“Hang on. I have to think.”
“No. That defeats the purpose. You’re not supposed to think about it. Just say the first things that come to mind. Those are the most significant details.”
She took in a deep breath, and I started the timer.
“Okay. Kendall Sparks. Dallas, Texas. Twenty-four. Only child of rich parents who blew through most of their money. Grew up on a ranch. High school cheerleader. Father is dead now. Mother is an alcoholic. I skipped college. Worked on and off for the family business. Charmed life on the outside but not so much on the inside. Unsure of where I fit in this world. Scared for the future. Sitting on the beach in Rio.”
When she looked down away from me, I placed my hand on her chin, bringing her eyes toward mine. “That last part is nice, though, isn’t it? Our one commonality.”
Closing her eyes briefly, she said, “I have to say…it is.”
“Thank you for sharing this time with me, Perky.”
I stood up, and she followed me as we walked back in the direction of Maria Rosa’s.
“What are we going to do tomorrow?” she asked.
“That’s the beauty of a vacation, right? We don’t have to decide.”
“I suppose.”
Just before heading back up the hill, we stopped at a shopping plaza. I noticed a lingerie shop. An idea popped into my head. I was hesitant to leave her alone, but I didn’t want her to see what I was up to, either.
“Stay right here. I’ll be right back.”
When I returned with a small plastic bag, she was smiling from ear to ear.
“What did you do?”
“I bought you a present.” Handing it to her, I said, “It’s for tomorrow.”
“Can I open it now?”
“I insist.”
She shook her head when she peeked inside and got a look at the white full-coverage bra I bought her. The material was completely opaque. It was the unsexiest bra I’d ever seen.
“This reminds me of the Cross Your Heart bra my grandmother would have worn.”
“Did I get your size right?”
“Actually, you’re close. I’m 34B, and this is 36B. It’ll fit.” She draped it over her chest. “Well, there is definitely no way anything is showing through this material.”
“Exactly. If I have to be good, they can’t be saluting me every second of the day. It’s too tempting.”
“I do own a bra, you know.” She laughed. “I just don’t wear it. But I’ll wear this if I’ve been distracting you.”
“It’s more of a joke than anything. But you should consider wearing one if you’re traveling alone.”
A bad feeling at the pit of my stomach developed at the thought of her continuing this trip by herself. I definitely wasn’t ready to leave her after tomorrow.
“Thank you for looking out for me, Captain.”
“Anytime.”
We were halfway back to Maria’s when I said, “Kendall…”
“Yeah?”
“I want to hold your hand.” My mouth curved into a smile. She immediately got it.
“I Want To Hold Your Hand. The Beatles song. I thought you were serious for a split second.”
Laughing, I said, “Actually, I am serious. Very serious. Can I?” I reached out my hand.
She handed me hers. “Yes.” Her fingers looked so tiny intertwined with my large ones.
I didn’t let go the entire way back. The truth was, I wanted to do a hell of a lot more than hold her hand…I wanted to wrap my entire body around her.