by Paula Kay
Isabella reached out to take his hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Is—I’m Bella.” Using her new nickname seemed fitting for her new surroundings.
Dylan grinned widely at her. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Bella. Hey, I’m happy to show you around if you like. I know it can all be a bit overwhelming when you first arrive.”
She felt herself tense up for a second, but then immediately relaxed when she saw his expression. Dylan was kind. She could sense it, and she wanted to trust her gut about people on this trip. “Really? That’s so nice of you. I’d love it, actually. Maybe tomorrow, after I’ve had a chance to get some sleep?”
“Yes, sure. Let me give you my card. My e-mail address is on there and my Thai phone number, which you probably won’t be able to use yet, but I can help you with all that too—if you want to get a local number. E-mail me later, but I will plan to be all yours tomorrow.”
Isabella felt herself grinning widely as the taxi pulled up beside her. “I’ll do that—just as soon as I check into my apartment and figure out the wi-fi. Thanks again—so much. It was great meeting you, Dylan.”
“You too, Bella. Enjoy your first afternoon in Chiang Mai. Oh, if you have the chance and are hungry, get yourself some Khao Soi.”
“Super. Thanks for that recommendation. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Isabella got into the taxi and confirmed that the driver knew where they were headed. She looked down at Dylan’s card still in her hand.
Dylan Black
Best-Selling Thriller Author
He’s a writer. Isabella smiled. Yes, she was going to learn to trust her instincts—to trust herself—on this trip.
Chapter 10
Isabella opened her eyes, forgetting for a moment where she was. She reached for her phone on the nightstand. 8:00. Was that a.m. or p.m.? U.S. time or Thailand time? It had been three o’clock in the afternoon when her taxi driver had dropped her off at her apartment. Had she slept through the night?
She climbed out of bed to make her way over to the window, where she could see that it was dark out. It was night, and that also explained why she suddenly felt famished. She went into the bathroom to check her face and put her hair up in a ponytail. Should she change out of her jeans? It had felt extremely hot even for the little bit that she’d been outside at the airport.
She rummaged around in her suitcase for a casual skirt to change into, grabbed her purse, and headed down to the lobby. After getting a map and what seemed like easy directions from the woman at reception, she walked outside in search of her first authentic Thai meal in Thailand. The woman had told her to walk two blocks up and turn right—that this would be the main road where she’d find tons of restaurants, cafes, shops, massages, and anything else she might need.
When she’d chosen the apartment, the location had been a big factor for her, so as she made the turn onto the busier street, she was quite pleased at how accurate the description had been. Everywhere she looked, there was something new and fascinating to see. The sidewalks were bustling with foreigners and Thais. People said hello to her as she passed by the shops.
She slowed down outside what looked like a small massage parlor and just as soon as she’d stopped for a second, a small Thai woman came outside to greet her.
“Excuse me, miss. Do you want massage? I give you good rate. Only two hundred baht. One hour.”
Isabella smiled as she took out her phone to check her currency app. Six dollars. Could that be right? Nina had told her about the wonderful Thai massages that she could get, but six dollars seemed too incredible to be real.
She turned to the woman, who was waiting patiently by the door. “Maybe I’ll come back tomorrow. Right now I need to find some food.”
The woman grinned and patted Isabella on the back. “No problem, miss. You go eat good Thai food. Everything here delicious. Go see my cousin. Two more streets. Right side. Called Thai House. Very good food—best in Chiang Mai.”
Isabella smiled back at her. “I will do that. Thank you.”
She continued up the street, soaking in the sights and sounds. She passed several bars with live music and tables filled with people who seemed to be having a good time. There were street carts selling different types of skewered meats and vegetables. On the back of a pickup, there was a guy grilling something while a line of people waited.
When she came to the spot where the restaurant should be, she didn’t see anything obvious right away. There were several bigger restaurants that seemed to have plenty of seating available. There were only tourists or westerners seated inside, from what Isabella could make out.
She continued walking past, thinking that if she didn’t see the other place before the end of the block, she’d come back, as she really was beyond hungry at this point. No sooner had she passed the bigger restaurants than she came upon a smaller one that was bursting with local people—all laughing and eating what looked and smelled like the most delicious food she’d ever seen. Sure enough, on the window she could barely make out the name of the restaurant.
Thai House
Open
She tentatively stepped just inside the door to be greeted just as quickly by a man in an apron. “Come in, please, miss. Sit down.”
Isabella’s eyes darted around the crowded space, quickly realizing that there were no open tables. “Oh, I can wait for a table. You are very busy.” She smiled.
“No, no. Come in, please sit.” The man gestured to a large round table where Isabella could see that there was only one empty chair among the many that were already occupied.
A woman seated at the table, with one child sitting on her lap and another next to her, grinned at Isabella and pointed to the chair. “Sit. Please.”
Isabella made her way over to the table. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. Please.”
Isabella sat down on the small chair and looked at the little boy seated next to her, who’d been watching her with wide eyes.
“Hello.” She grinned at him, thinking how adorable the two children were.
She didn’t miss the little nudge to the back that his mother gave him right before he put his hands together and bowed his head. “Sah wah dee khrap.”
Isabella had done just enough of a quick study of Thailand to recognize the Thai greeting along with the wai—the slight bow with the palms together. From the looks of things, it seemed to be as she’d read—that children learned this at a very early age as a sign of respect. She took a deep breath and decided that it was as good a time as any to try her first Thai phrase.
She looked over at the mother. “Sah wah dee khrap.”
The mother smiled politely, but the little boy burst out laughing as he said something to his mother, who knocked him lightly on the head in a scolding way.
Isabella laughed lightly. “Did I say it wrong? Please teach me the correct way.”
The woman smiled at her. “You say, sah wah dee khaa. No khrap.”
“Only boys say khrap. Girls only say khaa,” the little boy interrupted, his eyes wide again.
The woman nodded her head. “Yes, we say sah wah dee khaa. Men say sah wah dee khrap.”
“Oh…sah wah dee khaa. Is that better?” She smiled at the little boy, who was nodding his head. “It means hello?” she asked the mother.
“Yes. It is our greeting.”
“Thank you.”
“You say, korb kun khaa.” She smiled at Isabella. “This means thank you.”
“Korb kun khaa—for teaching me my first Thai words.”
They smiled at one another and the man with the apron came over to hand Isabella a menu. She looked down at it and laughed. “No English?”
“No, sorry.”
The woman sitting beside her handed the toddler in her lap to the woman on the other side of her. “Here. I will help you. What do you like? Do you eat meat?”
Isabella laughed. “Oh, your English is very good. Thank you—I mean, korb kun khaa. Yes, I do eat meat. Maybe something with
chicken?”
Isabella spent a good ninety minutes or more chatting with her new Thai friends and drawing funny characters for the little boy, who’d brought out paper and crayons midway through her conversation with his mother. He seemed to think Isabella was hilarious and delighted in drawing her items that he could then teach her the Thai word for.
By the time Isabella’s food came, she’d already been having the most delightful night. As the waiter set several dishes of food in front of her, she laughed and invited everyone at the table to dig in and help her. Everything was delicious. Several dishes were more spicy than she’d imagined, and her new friend quickly taught her how to ask for food with less spice—for next time, she’d said.
The owner of the restaurant brought her a Thai beer—on the house, he’d said—“to welcome our new friend to Chiang Mai”—and Isabella couldn’t have asked for a better first night in her new home.
Finally, yawning and shocking herself that she could be tired after the big nap she’d had earlier that afternoon, she said goodbye to her new friends, promising to return again soon.
Just as she was getting up to leave, the little boy whispered something into his mother’s ear, and she nodded. He ran over to Isabella with his hands outstretched and one of his drawings in his hand. “Miss, for you.” He grinned widely.
“Oh. It’s so beautiful. Thank—korb kun khaa, I mean.” She bent down to hug the giggling child, who than ran back to his mother.
Isabella walked back out onto the sidewalk, feeling completely happy and at peace. She looked at the time on her phone. 10:30. She checked her world clock app to see that it was only late afternoon in Italy. If she could manage to stay awake long enough, she’d try to video message Nina. She was dying to talk to her friend—to surprise her with the news of where she was.
Nina was going to be shocked.
Isabella smiled as she made her way back to her apartment, stopping just long enough to get some delicious-looking mango sticky rice from a street vendor. Everything already felt so different here in Thailand, and so far she was loving every minute of it.
Chapter 11
Isabella settled onto the comfy sofa with her laptop. So far, she was feeling quite pleased with her apartment. It was well equipped with a small kitchen, two bedrooms, two baths, and a lovely living room with a desk by a window that looked out toward the mountain, Doi Suthep. She’d read about the temple there and had noticed earlier that she could see it from her window. She also had a big balcony outside of the living room that had the same gorgeous view. Yes, she’d done a good job choosing the place where she’d be living for at least the next month. She had the feeling that she’d be feeling quite inspired to write from her sweet little desk with a view.
She reached into her purse to get the piece of paper with the wi-fi code that had been given to her earlier when she’d checked in. She pulled it out along with the business card that Dylan had given her at the airport. She’d send him a quick e-mail before she tried to call Nina.
She sent the e-mail off, suggesting to Dylan that they meet any time after ten the next morning, depending on what would work best for him. Remarkably, she was feeling pretty tired again so she had high hopes of sleeping through the night despite the potential jet lag that she’d only somewhat prepared herself for. If she woke up early, she’d use that time to catch up on her writing. She’d always preferred to write in the early mornings anyway, so it wouldn’t be a bad habit to start again.
Isabella smiled as she turned on her video chat and clicked on Nina’s profile to attempt to connect with her. The two had last chatted on video shortly after Isabella had arrived in New York. Nina had been renting a room at a beautiful villa outside of Florence and she’d looked happy and relaxed.
Isabella, on the other hand, had felt stressed out when they’d last spoken. She and Thomas had been rushing around the city trying to find furniture and everything he needed before starting his classes. Their whole first week in New York had been a blur.
She smiled thinking about how quickly things could change. It was unbelievable to her that she was now calling Nina—only a few weeks later—from Thailand.
One ring, two, three, four. She was just about to give up and send Nina an e-mail instead, when her friend’s smiling face filled the screen in front of her.
“Bella! What a nice surprise. You just caught me on my way out.”
“Nina, it’s so nice to see you. We can chat later if it’s not a good time for you…”
“No, no. He can wait a few minutes more for me.” Nina’s grin was big and she looked completely happy.
“Wait. He? Who’s he? Do tell.”
“Oh, no. Not much to tell. Just a lovely Spanish man who’s staying in the villa here. I’ll tell you more later—if there is anything to tell after tonight, that it.” She laughed. “But I want to hear about you. How is New York and how are you doing?”
“Well, I have some news myself.” Isabella knew that she was grinning ear to ear as she paused for dramatic effect.
“Okay. Well, don’t leave me hanging, girl.” Nina laughed.
“You’ll never guess where I am.”
“Hmmm, really? Well, last I heard from you, you were apartment hunting in the Big Apple, so I’d guess that you’ve found yourself some fancy-pants penthouse apartment with plenty of room for me when I come visit.”
“Ooh, that does sound like fun. No, I’m no longer in New York, but I do have a spare bedroom where I am—here in Chiang Mai!”
“What? Are you kidding me, Bella? When—and how—did that happen? Oh, I’m so excited for you—and slightly jealous—well, not to say that I’m not loving Italy, of course.” She laughed.
“I only just arrived here this afternoon. I still can’t quite believe it myself. Everything happened so fast.”
“So what exactly does this mean? Not to be nosy, but is everything okay with you and Thomas? I’m only asking because you seemed so set on your decision to be in New York with him.”
“Oh, yes. Everything with Thomas was—is—great. And I think he’ll come to visit me at Christmas if I’m still traveling, so that’s all good. And would you believe that it was my birth mother—once again—who kind of caused this all to happen?”
Isabella had already shared the story about Arianna and her journals with Nina during their time together in Greece. She filled her friend in about the missing journal that she’d received only days ago and read her the entry that had spoken so clearly to her.
“Wow, Bella. That’s pretty incredible. I’m so glad that you listened—to Arianna, but also to your own inner voice. I think there’s a reason behind the timing of everything, and you got that journal exactly when you were meant to have it. I mean, thank goodness you hadn’t just signed a lease on an apartment after all, right?”
“I know. That’s what I was thinking. And—well, if I’m being honest, something wasn’t sitting well with me about New York. I mean, of course I wanted it to work and I do believe I would have made it work, but it was really all about Thomas, you know? Not that he was pressuring me in any way at all. It was never that. Just my own fears, I guess.”
“Do you know what it was that you were afraid of?”
Isabella instinctively looked away from the screen in front of her. Yes, she knew what it was that she was still afraid of.
“Sorry, I don’t mean to get in your business.”
“No. No, it’s okay. I was just thinking for a minute. Trying to find the honest answer to your question.”
“Which is?”
“I guess I’ve been afraid of losing him—that whole out of sight, out of mind thing. His life is so different from mine right now. I’m sure he’s going to be meeting all kinds of women—of people—at school, and—well, I’m not so sure that he won’t forget about what we have. Does that make sense?”
Nina was nodding her head and looking thoughtful. “It does, but it doesn’t sound like the Thomas I met in Greece at all. Bella, he adores
you. I honestly don’t think you have anything to worry about. Is it harder when you are away from one another? Probably. I think it will require some work to keep in touch—to communicate. But I think if the two of you are committed, you can make it work. Or…”
Isabella didn’t miss the strange look that crossed her friend’s face. “Or what?”
“Well, or maybe something else will happen and one or both of you will discover that it’s not the right time.”
Isabella felt her face fall at Nina’s words.
“Oh, don’t go to a weird place because of anything I’m saying. It’s just that you’re both so young. That’s all. And having the gift of a few years on you and also a failed marriage behind me, I just want to be sure that you get a chance to sow your wild oats, so to speak.” Nina winked at her and laughed lightly.
“Oh, I don’t think I need to be worried about that. No one interests me like Thomas does—no one ever has. And I hope it’s the same for him.”
“Bella, I’m sure you have nothing to worry about. And anyway, try not to let it color your experience in Thailand. Now tell me everything. What is your first impression of Chiang Mai? Do you love it?”
Isabella laughed at her friend’s sudden exuberance and then proceeded to tell her all about her apartment, the area where she was staying, and the fun meal she’d had that night. While they were talking, she noticed an alert pop up on her phone that Dylan had responded to her e-mail.
“Oh, and I met what seems like a really nice guy at the airport. He offered to show me around town—tomorrow, actually, which is so cool. He’s been living here for awhile, so I suspect that he will have lots of good recommendations for me.”
“What’s his name? It’s a pretty small circle of expats there and I may have met him.”
Isabella reached for his card that she’d set down on the coffee table in front of her. “Dylan Black.”
“Dylan? The writer, yeah?”