Sure Thing(54)

“We should stay on schedule,” I add, pointing a thumb towards the door. “Thank you for the thank you.” I wave the card in the air and take another half step. “Give her my regards.” My regards? She’s a child. “I mean, tell her I said hi!” I quickly amend.

“Of course. Kaia adores you. She wanted to tag along again today but she had a traveling soccer game.”

I say a silent prayer of thanks, because you know who’s great at telling twins apart? Children. They’re like little bullshit detectors.

“Soccer is important,” I agree. I have no idea what I’m talking about. “So, ready to get this tour started?” I don’t wait for a response, just spin on my heel and start walking towards the group waiting by the lobby doors.

I make it two steps before Jennings has questions.

“What’s your blog about?”

“It’s a travel blog.”

“A travel blog,” he repeats. “But I thought design was your passion.”

“It is. I just do the travel blog for fun.”

“Right,” he says slowly, as if that doesn’t make sense.

Rightfully so, because who does a thing they’re not really that interested in for fun?

“Well, I’d love to see it,” he says.

“Sure.”

Hell, no. Like I need him asking me more questions I can’t answer? I don’t think so.

“I’ll show you later,” I lie. By then we’ve reached the group, so I do what any good liar does—I change the subject.

“Is everyone ready?” I turn my attention to the group and do a quick head count. “Looks like we’re all here!” I chirp in false excitement. I’m not normally this chirpy. I need to tone it down because Jennings is looking at me strangely.





CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE


Jennings

 We exit the hotel, Daisy trailing the group to keep an eye out and make sure no one lags behind. I stuff my headset into my pocket and walk beside her, neither of us speaking. Daisy seems jittery and I’m not sure why.

We have to talk. Tonight. Tomorrow I fly to Connecticut to bring Nan to my aunt and then I’m on a flight back to London.

There’s no way in hell I’m leaving without knowing when I’m going to see her again.

Or bringing her with me.

“So you enjoy photography?” I ask to break the silence. She shrugs and mumbles something about it helping her blog. How did I not know this about her? There are so many things I don’t know about her.

Yet.

But I will.

Maybe it’s cocky, but I know enough.

I know enough to know what we could be together.

We have a connection and sometimes the intangible force between two people is stronger than reason. Stronger than time and logic. Stronger than knowing things like what flavor crisps they like best. Or their favorite show. Or if they’ve got especially strong opinions on which way the loo roll hangs.

Wait—I do know one of those things. Barbecue crisps, she said. I know amusement rides make her dizzy. I know she’s got no game for picking up men. I know she wants a dog someday but that it must come from a rescue. I know she’s got a quirk about germs in hotel rooms.

I know she’s smart. Has a great sense of humor. I know I’m happier when I’m around her. I know she’s a game-changer.

Yet…

Sometimes I don’t know her at all. Sometimes she’s guarded. Puts a wall up. Gets nervous when I ask too many questions.

Sometimes she’s like an entirely different person.

I know there’s still something she’s lying about.

What is it?

Perhaps she’s just cagey after her last relationship. Perhaps she’s anxious about where this is going.

Except it’s something more than that. Something else. Something I’m not getting.

Maybe she’s in massive amounts of debt or gets sacked a lot. She’s a mediocre tour guide, if I’m honest. She didn’t play any of the scheduled company videos she was meant to during the bus rides. There were a few basic answers she didn’t have for guests. She was more nervous than confident most of the trip—anytime she was in charge, really.

But she said she was new at this, didn’t she? Design is what she normally does. Or wants to do.

Perhaps she changes her mind often?

She’s twenty-six. Perhaps she’s not ready for the things I’m ready for.

I don’t give a toss about any of that other shite. There’s no amount of debt she could have that I couldn’t pay off without a second thought. She can take all the time in the world to decide what she wants to do with her career. She can design or she can blog or she can open up a goddamned bakery shop for all I care.