by Claire Adams
I smiled gratefully. Sammy was the nicest person I’d met so far on the trip. I could really see myself becoming friends with him. His husband John was even sweeter. He was so kind to both Josie and me. It was shocking. I’d grown to despise businessmen, and yet, John was nothing like Stanley or Jim.
“I really like them,” Josie said after we left dinner that night. “Can we see them again?”
“I second that,” I said quickly.
Dirk laughed. “They are very nice,” he said. “John is actually going to join Stan and me on the course tomorrow morning.”
Dirk’s words pulled me up short. I bit my tongue and stayed silent until Josie was safely tucked away in bed, sleeping soundly. Dirk came outside to join me at our usual spot.
“What was that about?” he asked without, preamble.
“What?” I asked, though I knew exactly what he meant.
“You made a face when I mentioned golfing tomorrow,” he said. “Did we have other plans or something?”
“No,” I said. “Not at all.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
“I just wonder how well Stan and John will get along. They’re very different people.”
“They’ll be fine,” he shrugged, clearly unconcerned. “I know they’re different, but they’re both businessmen. I’m sure they’ll find some common ground.”
I was glad Dirk felt so confident, but I didn’t share his sentiment. I couldn’t imagine John and Stan getting along in any way. They were polar opposites, as were their spouses. Still, it wasn’t my job to judge or argue. So, instead, I sat back and watched the stars appear over the ocean.
Chapter Seventeen
Dirk
A sharp ringing woke me the next morning. I rolled off the couch and hurried across the room, grabbing the phone before it could wake the girls.
“Hello?” I asked sleepily.
“Hey,” Stan said. “Bring the girls today. Eloise decided she wants to join us.”
“Alright.” I yawned. “I have another couple joining us, too. John and Sammy.”
“Who?”
“You’ll meet them later,” I said. I didn’t feel like explaining everything first thing in the morning.
“Whatever,” he said. “We’ll see you after breakfast.”
“Yup.” I hung up the phone and stumbled back to the couch. I was still barely awake when Marissa appeared in the living room.
“Was that the phone?” she asked, rubbing her eyes.
I nodded, “Stanley wants you and Josie to come with us today,” I said. “Eloise decided she wants to go.”
“Okay,” Marissa nodded and hurried over to the coffee pot. She brewed a quick pot and poured two mugs full. When she handed me mine, I sighed gratefully and inhaled the amazing fragrance.
We sat together for a few minutes, sipping our coffee without speaking. As the caffeine warmed my veins and woke me up, I realized Marissa wasn’t her usual self. She was quiet, but also reserved. Her eyes were focused outside, watching the morning light spread across the beach. Every so often, she would glance at Josie’s bedroom door with a frown.
“You okay?” I finally asked.
“Just worried about this tee time,” she said with a sigh.
“It’ll be fine,” I said. “I promise.”
“I trust you,” Marissa said, but she still seemed worried.
I couldn’t blame her. What she had said the night before was true. John and Stan were nothing alike. The only thing they had in common was business, but I hoped that would be enough to ensure everyone had a good time.
“Are Jim and Tina coming, too?” Marissa asked.
“No,” I shook my head. “They’re only here for a few more days, and I think Tina wanted to do some sight-seeing.”
That seemed to help Marissa relax. She finished her coffee just in time for Josie to wake up and ask for breakfast. The morning went by quickly. We all ate and then quickly got dressed.
“Why are we going?” Josie whined. “I don’t want to go golfing again.”
“I know,” Marissa said softly. “But, it’s important to your daddy, remember?”
Josie nodded and sighed. I immediately felt a sense of guilt well up in my chest. I hated dragging Josie around, but I didn’t want to just leave her with a sitter. The only person I trusted to watch her was Marissa, and she was needed on the course. If I showed up alone, Stan and Eloise would question what was wrong with our relationship. I couldn’t do that after all we’d put into this already.
“It’ll be fun,” I told Josie. “I promise.”
She put a smile on her face, but I knew she didn’t really mean it. I sighed again and looked up at Marissa. She gave me a reassuring squeeze on the arm and led the way to the lobby.
Stan and Eloise were already there, as were John and Sammy. The two couples were standing feet away from each other. Sammy glanced over at Stan and Eloise as if he were wondering who they were. I chuckled to myself and quickly hurried over.
“Great, you’re all here,” I said with a smile. “Stan, Eloise, this is John and his husband Sammy. John, Sammy, this is Stan and Eloise.”
John smiled kindly and extended his hand to Stan, who just stared at him blankly. I cleared my throat, making Stan move into action. He finally reached out to take John’s hand.
“It’s nice to meet you,” John said. “Dirk and Marissa told us a lot about you both.”
“I’m sure,” Stan said, shortly.
Sammy took a step forward to greet Eloise, but was ignored. Eloise just stared out the window, clearly ready to leave.
“Hey, Sammy,” Marissa said, jumping forward to ease the awkward tension. She and Sammy fell into an easy conversation that included Josie while we waited for the golf carts to arrive. When they did, Eloise wasted no time claiming the first for herself and Stan.
John and Sammy took the second while Marissa, Josie, and I all climbed into the last. Marissa kept her arm wrapped around Josie as we drove toward the course.
“Well,” Marissa said softly. “That went well.”
“They’re just warming up,” I said defensively. “It’ll be fine once we start playing.”
Marissa nodded and looked away. I knew she didn’t believe me, but she was nice enough to keep her opinions to herself.
We made it to the first hole and all took our shots. The silence was deafening. Try as I might, I couldn’t seem to bridge the gap between Stan and John. Marissa was doing her best to spark a conversation with Eloise and Sammy, but that fell short, too. Eventually, she gave up and spoke only to Sammy.
The two of them, along with Josie, laughed and had a great time. We made it through half the course before anything horrible happened. While Stan didn’t speak to John much, he managed to keep his judgments to himself. It wasn’t until the ninth hole that things took a nasty turn.
“You didn’t tell me how good you were,” I said after John made a particularly difficult shot. “I may not invite you next time if you keep kicking my ass.”
John laughed, but Stan just snorted.
“Well,” Stan said, “he has experience working with balls.”
Marissa and Sammy were standing back by the golf carts. Even at a distance, I could feel Marissa tense. John, always good-natured, just laughed off Stan’s comments and kept the game moving. Whether he assumed Stan was kidding, or just didn’t want to make a scene, it seemed that the obvious jab didn’t affect him.
We moved onto the next hole, and Marissa kept her fists clenched on her lap the entire ride.
While we took our shots, Sammy tried to spark another conversation with Eloise. He was determined to break the ice, though Eloise was practically a glacier.
“Do you have children?” Sammy asked politely.
“We do,” Eloise said.
“They have two boys,” Marissa said. “Peter and Thomas.”
“Strong names,” Sammy said with a nod. “That’s what we were going for, too. We named our son Noah.”
&nbs
p; “Your son?” Eloise asked with raised eyebrows.
“They adopted him when he was a baby,” Marissa said patiently. “Isn’t that wonderful?”
“Not really,” she said with a hiss. “Poor child.”
Sammy just stared at her, shocked and horrified. Marissa’s face was burning bright red. I could tell it was taking all her strength not to haul off and punch Eloise in the face.
“Why is he poor?” Josie asked from her seat on the cart. “Is Mr. John’s business not going well?”
Everyone froze for a fraction of a second, then Marissa snorted and erupted into full-fledged laughter. Soon, Sammy and John were roaring along with her. I couldn’t help but join in. Stan and Eloise remained stoic, clearly angry that the situation wasn’t going how they had hoped.
The rest of the game was tense and awkward. Thankfully, Eloise stayed quiet, but Stan wasted no time making more inappropriate comments. By the time we finished the eighteenth hole, I was whispering a string of apologies to John.
“It’s fine,” John said with a shrug. “It’s nothing we haven’t dealt with before.”
I felt horrible about the whole outing. When Marissa, Josie, and I finally made it back to our bungalow, I let out a huge sigh of relief and fell onto the couch.
“Why don’t you go get washed up?” Marissa asked Josie. “I’ll order us a snack.”
“Okay.” Josie bounced off to the bathroom, leaving Marissa and me alone.
“I will never not listen to you again,” I told her as she plopped onto the couch beside me. “You were right. That was the worst experience of my life.”
“You might be exaggerating,” Marissa said.
“A little,” I admitted. “But seriously, that was terrible. What the hell was I thinking?”
“You trusted Stan,” she said. “You thought he would behave himself.”
“I really did,” I sighed. “I can’t believe he said those things. And Eloise… God, what was she thinking?”
“I don’t think she was,” Marissa said. “Eloise never thinks. She just lets things fall out of her mouth.”
“You were right,” I said again. “I should have listened to you.”
“Well,” she said. “You can make it up to me.”
“How?” I asked, turning to face her.
She grinned playfully, and I felt my stomach leap. I never wanted to tear my eyes away from hers.
“We could skip dinner with Stan and Eloise tonight,” she said seriously. “That would be the best way to make up for today.”
I laughed and nodded, “Agreed.”
Instead of meeting Stan and Eloise, we called John and Sammy to invite them into town. The five of us took a car to a nice, but comfortable restaurant. It was casual and fun. Josie laughed so much that her face was permanently tinted red. Marissa and Sammy seemed to be bonding easily, becoming fast friends. But as much fun as we had, I still felt guilty for Stan’s behavior.
“Listen,” I told John softly. “About today… I just wanted to apologize again for how Stan and Eloise acted. I never thought they would behave that way.”
“Honestly,” John said, “we couldn’t care less.”
“Really?” I asked doubtfully.
“Really,” he said. “There aren’t many gay men in our industry, Dirk. I’m used to the judgment. It comes with the territory.”
“That’s bullshit,” I said.
“It is,” he agreed. “But, Stan’s behavior was nothing new. And, it wasn’t at all your fault. We’ve learned to focus on the positive relationships and not worry about the others.”
John’s words comforted me. The rest of the evening was spent telling stories and laughing together. John and Sammy were really nice people.
On our way back to the resort, Sammy saw a face painter sitting on the corner. He grabbed Josie’s hand and led her over. She giggled while the face painter gently brushed pink and purple paint over her cheek. She was soon grinning from ear to ear with a butterfly on her cheek.
“How do I look?” she asked Marissa.
“Beautiful,” Marissa said simply.
“I love it,” I said.
Josie hugged me tightly and nestled her head into my stomach. I held her close and closed my eyes. Everything else melted away. Stan and Eloise finally flew from my mind. Even John and Sammy ceased to exist. The only thing that existed was Josie and her tiny little arms wrapped around my waist.
I opened my eyes and met Marissa’s gaze. She was staring at Josie and me with an odd expression. A small smile played at the corner of her lips, but there was something more – something I didn’t recognize. She looked from me to Josie and then back again. She eyes danced with emotion, and her mouth opened slightly. She looked ready to say something, but then Josie spoke, pulling Marissa back to reality.
“This is the best trip ever,” Josie said.
“Is it?” I asked.
“Yes!” she said. “It is.”
I grinned down at her, but my eyes quickly returned to Marissa. In that moment, everything changed. She was no longer watching Josie and me. Her attention was focused on John and Sammy. She linked arms with Sammy, and the three of them bounced down the street with Josie and me following close behind.
Later that night, I wanted to ask Marissa what she’d been thinking, but I never got the chance. She disappeared into her bedroom before Josie even fell asleep.
Chapter Eighteen
Marissa
Friday morning marked two weeks at the resort. In a way, time had flown by. I couldn’t believe we’d already been in California for so long, but when I thought about all that happened since we first arrived, it felt longer.
Luckily, Jim and Tina left early Thursday morning. We no longer had them to contend with, which was a huge relief to both Dirk and Josie. We found ourselves spending more time with John and Sammy and less time with Stan and Eloise.
Part of me felt guilty about how little time Dirk was spending with Stan. After all, it was Stan’s idea for Dirk to come on the trip in the first place. I knew they had business to discuss and that it was important for Dirk to keep up appearances. Still, my guilt faded with each passing day. After the disastrous golf excursion, I found it harder to be polite to Stan and his wife. They had both crossed one too many lines, and I wasn’t sure they could ever make up for it. Not only were they rude to John and Sammy, but they were becoming more ill-mannered toward me, and even Josie.
I woke up early on Friday morning, long before either Dirk or Josie. As I tiptoed into the living room, I did my best not to wake Dirk. I still hated that he was sleeping on the couch, but he didn’t seem to mind. If anything, he looked more relaxed now than he had when we first met. I glanced at his sleeping form for a few seconds before I slipped out into the hallway. After two weeks with Josie, I wanted to do something special for her, so I stopped by Shawn’s desk to make a plan for the day.
“A spa day?” Shawn asked. “We can do that. Just for you and Josie?”
“Yes, please,” I said. “What options do you have? I want to do something kid-friendly. No mud baths or anything like that. And especially no sauna. I think she would hate that.”
“She would,” he said with a laugh. “I don’t think many three-year-old girls enjoy sweating in a box for an hour.”
“I don’t even enjoy it,” I said with a grimace. “It’s awful.”
Shawn laughed with me as we made the reservations. He signed Josie and me up for manicures and pedicures, followed by facials and a hair appointment. It would be a light day. Something easy and relaxing.
I hoped Josie would enjoy herself. She didn’t get to do girly things very often. Dirk was an amazing father, but he often overlooked the fact that she was a little girl who loved to play dress up and curl her hair. I hoped a spa day would be exactly what she needed.
“You’re all set,” Shawn said.
“Perfect. Thank you.”
“All set for what?” The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I knew that
voice. I wiped my face clean of emotion before I turned around to face her.
“Good morning, Eloise,” I said, cheerfully. “You’re up early today.”
“Went for a jog,” she said. “The weather is so gorgeous. It’s impossible to stay inside, don’t you think?”
“Definitely.” I agreed.
“So,” she said. “What are you planning over here?”
I hesitated. The last thing I needed was for Eloise to intrude on my day with Josie. I’d been thinking about this spa day for a while, and now that it was finally planned, I didn’t want anything to ruin it.
“Just a little spa day for Josie,” I said with a shrug. “Nothing special.”
“Oh!” she said. “That sounds very special! What a great idea.”
“Thank you,” I said, hoping that would be the end of it. Of course, it wasn’t.
“Are you going today?” she asked. I nodded. “Hmm. You wouldn’t mind if I joined, would you? It’s been ages since I’ve had a good massage.”
“We’re actually not getting massages,” I said, quickly. “Just manis and pedis, a facial, and a little haircut.”
“Oh, that won’t do.” She shook her head and stepped around me. She tapped on Shawn’s desk, making his head pop up quickly. “I’ll need appointments for the spa as well.”
“Of course,” Shawn said. He immediately began tapping away at his computer.
“Put me in with Marissa and Josie,” Eloise said with authority. “But, sign us up for a massage as well. And a mud bath. Yes, that would be perfect.”
“Actually,” Shawn said nervously. “I believe Marissa said no mud bath. Josie is so young that-”
“Did I ask for your opinion?” Eloise snapped.
Shawn blushed and quickly glanced at me. I just shook my head and sighed. There was no use fighting Eloise. As much as I wanted to, I knew it would only blow back on Dirk. No matter how close I’d become with both him and Josie, this was still a job. I was here to play the happy girlfriend, not stir up trouble between Dirk and his friends.
“You don’t mind, do you?” Eloise asked, her voice sickly sweet. The reservations were already made, so the question was just a formality. Still, I knew the answer I was required to give.