by Trina Lane
“There are no guarantees, Mal. Sometimes love really isn’t enough to hold two people together. If we don’t work out, you clearly have dibs on them.”
He rolled them so he covered Javier. “You’re right. There are no guarantees in life. A very wise man once told me that you never see the difficult moments in a photo album. It’s all smiles and laughter, but love is the adhesive that gets you from one snapshot to the next. Before you know it, you have fifty years of photos to look through.”
“Ridiculously cheesy, but there might be a bit of truth in there. Who told you that?”
“My dad. The first time I told him that I’d fallen in love with you.”
Chapter Sixteen
“So, is your mom going to bust out the baby album this week?” Javier asked as they made their way through the terminal at SeaTac Airport.
They’d had to fly into Seattle and would make the thirty-minute or so drive north to Malaki’s hometown of Everett by car. Mal’s dad had offered to pick them up, but they wanted to have access to a car without being an inconvenience to his family.
They stepped outside and Javier took his first breath of Pacific Northwest air. Since they were in the city, it didn’t seem all that different from Dallas. Less dry, but still urban. He shivered as cool damp air hit his neck. Okay, maybe it’s different.
“Let’s go get our car, then I’ll get you out of this rat race and into the mountains where we can breathe.”
Javier pulled his suitcase and followed Mal, who thankfully knew where to go. They had to catch a shuttle bus over to the rental car facility, which was like a giant terminal of its own. At least everything was very well labeled and the process was smooth. Before long, they were secured in their upgraded SUV.
“I was thinking of maybe taking the scenic route to my parents’ place. That way you can see some of the countryside. Unless you’d rather get there the quickest way possible?”
He leaned over the console and pulled Mal down for a thorough kiss. It had been hours since they’d really touched, and as they were on vacation, Javier had every intention of letting himself enjoy each moment.
“What was that for?”
“Because I can.”
“Well, then, I can think of some creative way to use this giant back seat.”
The gleam in Mal’s eyes almost had him removing his seatbelt and jumping out of the car, but they were still in a very public, very large parking lot.
“Maybe later we can sneak out and act like hormone-riddled teenagers. And I’d love to take the long way. Maybe get some fresh air, since my lungs and skin have just about dried out from all the recycled oxygen.”
“I know what you mean. We’re going to get back to Dallas looking ten years younger.”
Mal navigated his way out of the airport. But aside from a really huge-ass lake they drove past, Javier didn’t think Seattle was anything to write home about. They’d been driving for about twenty-five minutes when the urban landscape fell away and he found it difficult to keep his head from swiveling with each mile that passed.
Javier had never seen so many green trees in his life. The tips of the pines seemed to reach to the sky and the branches held out their arms, locking away the secrets of the forest from casual observer.
“So where are you—oh, my God, it’s snow,” he whispered.
“Yeah. Up in the mountains, it can snow as early as October, but in town snowfall is rare. We mainly just get rain. Wait—have you never seen snow before?”
Javier shook his head.
“But you’ve seen mountains, right? When you traveled for games with A&M?”
“No, we never traveled to anywhere north of Kentucky.”
“Oh, shit. That does it—at some point this week, we’re really getting up into the mountains, assuming the passes aren’t closed. Right now, I’m taking you to the nearest waterfall I can think of. We’ll see the peaks, but not from the summit. But once we do…oh, Javi, the views will make you catch your breath, and at night I swear you can reach right out and touch the stars. It’s funny—I don’t really miss this place when I’m gone, but now that I’m back, it’s like I can’t wait to show you all the amazing things it has to offer.”
“Makes sense. You’ve roamed far and wide, but this will always be home.”
Malaki turned to Javier when they came to a stop sign. “Yes, I’m excited for you to get the chance to finally meet my family, but our life together is what home means to me.”
Javier grasped Mal’s hand. “When you suggested we make this trip, I could tell how important it was to you, and I’m happy to celebrate the holiday with your family. But I want you to know that you and our life together is what I’m most thankful for this year.”
Javier jumped when a loud horn went off behind them, making him and Malaki laugh. Mal turned the car and he saw a sign for the parking area for Snowqualmie Falls. He knew he should be trying to play it cool, but he couldn’t help but be a little antsy in his seat. He’d never seen a real mountain waterfall before.
As he stepped out of the car, he was hit with the scent of pine. He closed his eyes and sighed as cool, moist air blasted his skin.
“You ready? It’s about a half mile to the base of the falls.”
“Let’s go.”
The trail was obviously well maintained and marked, making it clear that this was a popular tourist destination during nice weather. However, since it was only about forty degrees, foggy and raining off and on today, they had the place to themselves. He decided to enjoy the moment and took Malaki’s hand. The fog floating through the trees could have lent an eerie atmosphere, but instead a sensation of familiarity pervaded. He looked down at his and Malaki’s joined fingers as they walked in silence.
They exited the forest and the trail changed from compacted dirt to a planked boardwalk. They wound around the side of the mountain and came to a platform. Ahead of him were the falls. The sound of the water pounding on the rocks drowned out the thoughts scrambling in his brain. The spray floating through the air mixed with the fog and obscured the details of the cliffs. He loved Texas, the arid land in the western part of the state and the granite and prickly pear cactus of the hill country, but as he looked around he could understand why the unique beauty of this land called to people.
“You know what I love the most?” Malaki asked
He shook his head.
“I love how the violent pounding of the water freefalling over the cliff turns into this peaceful water flowing calmly right below us.”
Life. The rapids you’re unsure if you’ll survive, the freefall of the unknown, the sometimes crushing brutality, but if you’re lucky, you can find someone to help you navigate the uncharted terrain and find the peaceful waters.
He looked up at Mal. “So what do you say we explore those waters together?”
Their lips met at the moment the sun broke through. Javier smiled as prisms of colors danced in the air over their heads. He took Mal’s hand and led him towards the path into the unknown.
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Turkish Delights
Trina Lane
Excerpt
Garrett glanced up from his laptop and looked around the business class cabin of the airplane. All seemed to be in order, but something had caught his attention. Then he saw out of the corner of his eye, one row back on the opposite side, a man had spilled his drink and was frantically trying to wipe the mess off his dress shirt.
Good luck, bloke. Hope you have a spare.
Garrett had learned the hard way to have a backup shirt and tie easily accessible when traveling for work. He turned his attention back to his laptop screen and clicked Play on iTunes. He always made sure to have music on his flights. There was nothing worse than listening to the incessant drone of jet engines—especially when he had this much work that needed to be done. He blinked a few times as the images on his screen blurred. A cup of tea would really be brilliant about now.
Garrett had checked in at Heathrow at five o’clock that morning for his flight at seven. Of course that meant he’d actually left his flat in Epsom at four. He was a well-seasoned traveler, not unused to early or late flight times, but considering he’d only gotten two hours of sleep last night, Garrett was knackered. Garrett’s boss had called him to say that the officers and board of Totally Five Star Hotels, the company he worked for, had called a late meeting yesterday. They wanted to make significant changes to the design of their newest hotel in the thirteenth hour.
The flight from London to Istanbul was nearly half over, and while he would love to have a lie-down, there was simply too many items still on his checklist before landing. The newest property was scheduled to break ground in a matter of a couple of weeks, and it was now up to him to break the news of the changes to Kyle LaFleure, the primary architect on the project. Kyle had already been in transit to Istanbul when Garrett’s boss had called the meeting. Garrett knew that Kyle was not going to be happy. He’d already spent months drafting and finalizing the blueprints for the hotel. They’d already gotten approval from the building inspector, municipality, infrastructure departments, and had obtained their building permits. Basically, they’d now have to start from scratch.
Garrett rubbed his temples as a headache threatened. He wasn’t even sure if his boss’s ideas were viable for the lot they’d purchased. He sensed many long, late nights working with Kyle in his future. That wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, because Kyle was bloody gorgeous, but Garrett had a strict hands-off policy when it came to co-workers. The last few months working with the Frenchman had significantly tested Garrett’s resolve. It certainly didn’t help matters that he’d caught Kyle glancing in his direction on more than one occasion, either. Garrett jerked his head up quickly when someone touched his shoulder.
“Can I get you anything, sir?”
Garrett removed his ear buds. “A cup of tea? Please?”
The flight attendant walked off and Garrett dug a tiny bottle of painkillers from his laptop case—another thing he’d learned never to travel without. He placed the small capsules on his tray table then looked back at his notes. The proposed changes were complex, but if possible, they would ensure that the new hotel would be the ultimate Ottoman luxury experience, which, of course, was the goal. Since being named European Capital of Culture two years ago, Istanbul had become the fifth most popular tourist destination in the world. According to the demographics Garrett had gathered in preparation for the project, eleven point six million foreign visitors arrived each year—partially due to the city’s historical draw, but increasingly due to its emergence as a major cultural and entertainment hub.
“Here you are, sir,” the attendant said as she set his tea down.
“Thank you. I might just survive now.”
He popped his painkillers and sighed as the warm brew fed stimulants to his veins. Garrett knew he had to have everything organized for his meeting with Kyle this afternoon, and with the pharmaceutical assistance, Garret should be able to get himself back on track.
* * * *
Garrett gathered his carry-on and made his way off the plane. The local time was almost one in the afternoon. His meeting with Kyle was scheduled for three. Fortunately, his company had arranged for a car service to take him from Atatürk Airport to Beyoğlu. They’d also taken care of leasing a flat and a car since he’d be in Turkey for the duration of the project. He was supposed to pick up the car from the leasing office in the morning.
Garrett followed the signs to passport control for other nationalities after retrieving his checked luggage. He’d applied for his extended visit visa before leaving the UK. Since he’d already been to Turkey several times in preparation for the project, Garrett was familiar with which queues to enter. It seemed as if there was light traffic this afternoon, which was very relieving. He made his way up to the counter and handed over his documents to the agent. Garrett watched as the agent slowly entered his information into the computer system then stamped his passport without interest. He nodded his thanks then retrieved his identification. He collected his luggage after checking the monitors for the proper carousel then headed toward customs. Garrett didn’t have to do a spot check, so he quickly entered the arrivals hall. He looked around for the car service driver. He’d been told there would be someone holding up a sign with his name on it, but it was hard to see through the hundreds of travelers dodging each other and toting luggage through the terminal. An older gentleman nearly collided with Garrett, but must have felt that the near accident was Garrett’s fault, because he started waving his arms and cursing at him in Turkish. Garrett had picked up a few phrases on his previous trips and didn’t appreciate the man’s comments about his mother.
There was another bloke dressed in a black suit running toward the customs area. Garrett watched until the man skidded to a stop, looking around the terminal. He held up a sign and Garrett saw his name printed in large letters. He raised his hand as he walked toward the harried driver.
“I’m Mr. Sloan.”
“My apologies for my lateness, sir. Your original driver was involved in an accident, and I’m a last-minute replacement. My name is Semih and I’m from Efendi Travel.”
“No worries. I only just arrived. I hope the other driver wasn’t hurt?”
Semih took the handle of Garrett’s large suitcase and started walking. “No, no. More damage to the vehicle than him.”
They exited the arrivals hall. As he stepped outside the glass doors, natural air hit Garrett. After breathing the canned oxygen of the airplane, the freshness was a pleasant change. The temperature was probably hovering around twelve degrees centigrade, which was quite comfortable for March. Looking up into a blue sky was a nice change from the gray visage he was used to back home. Semih led him toward the area where a bunch of taxis waited. They reached a white Mercedes minivan and Semih opened the rear passenger door. Garrett stood by while Semih loaded his luggage then climbed in.
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About the Author
If you look up the word conundrum in the dictionary, there should be Trina’s photo next to the description. Her multifaceted personality has left her friends scratching their heads in wonder. A scientist with a passion for history, music and photography she loves to travel and experience new places but is terminally shy around people she doesn’t know.
Trina has been devouring romance novels since her tender teenage years. In 2007 she finally took the initiative to write down one of stories that had been rattling around her head for years. Her choices in reading and writing material are as diverse as her iTunes library, which contains music from Mozart to Metallica. Her one concession is all stories must have a happily ever after ending. Did we mention she’s incurably romantic?
Trina loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website details and author profile page at https://www.pride-publishing.com