“That’s beautiful,” I told him. “Don’t forget to sign it.”
He added his initials in the corner and asked, “Do you really think it’s okay? I feel like it’s not very creative.”
I took a picture of it with my phone and said, “It’s fantastic, and I love it.”
Wes seemed pleased by my compliment, and he grinned self-consciously as he returned the book and art supplies to the chest. Meanwhile, I took a powerful flashlight from another chest and shone its beam at the walls and ceiling, and he asked what I was doing.
“You’ll see.”
After a minute or so, I turned off the flashlight, which had charged up the glow-in-the-dark paint of a hidden mural. The tentacles of a giant squid were all around us, reaching into the ship’s interior, and three pirates were trying to fight it back with swords. Wes’s breath caught, and he murmured, “That’s astounding. All of this is. Thank you for bringing me here.”
We lingered for a while, just taking it all in. Neither of us wanted it to end, but finally he murmured, “As much as I hate to say it, we should head back. I have an early day tomorrow.” I nodded and followed him out of that magical oasis.
I told him about the local arts scene as we returned to the Castro. When we were back in my apartment, he called a cab, then turned to me and sighed. “So, I guess I won’t see you again until Saturday morning.”
Even though I was disappointed we wouldn’t have more time during the week, I pulled up a smile and told him, “I’m looking forward to our trip. It’s going to be great.”
When his cab arrived, he hooked his satchel over his shoulder, and I gave him a hug. “Thank you for everything,” he whispered, as he held me tightly. “I can’t begin to explain what tonight meant to me.”
Once he was gone, I sat down at my desk and replayed the last few hours. I would have called that the best date of my life…except that it hadn’t actually been a date.
I made myself take the contract from my desk drawer and read every word of it. There, spelled out in black and white, was the reality of this situation. I’d been hired to do a job, and a lot of money had changed hands. I needed to remember what this was and keep my emotions out of it.
Yeah, good luck with that.
I already knew it would be impossible not to get attached to him, especially once we were together for days on end. But I wasn’t about to miss out on those nine days with him, and no way was I letting him face his family alone. So I was going to go on that trip, have a great time, and then deal with the fallout once it was all said and done.
If I ended up heartbroken when we went our separate ways at the end of it, that was a price I was willing to pay.
Chapter 5
The next day, Jasper and I decided we really needed to upgrade my wardrobe for the upcoming trip, so we raided his closet. Luckily, we wore the same size, so he loaned me two beautiful suits and several shirts.
But I also needed some resort wear, so I dipped into the fat envelope in my desk and took us shopping. We both picked out some new clothes and shoes, and I insisted on buying him the things he selected for himself. Jasper tried to argue, but finally relented by saying, “Okay, fine, but only on one condition—lunch is on me.”
“If you insist,” I teased, “take me somewhere fancy and show me off.” He rolled his eyes, but he was smiling.
We found a Spanish café near Union Square and ordered several things to share from the tapas menu. While we waited for our food, I put my phone on the table and glanced at the screen, which made Jasper ask, “So, what aren’t you telling me about last night?”
All I’d said was that Wes had come over, we’d had a nice dinner and gone for a walk, and then he’d left around ten-thirty. I tried to keep my expression neutral as I asked, “What makes you think there’s more to the story?”
“You’ve checked your phone about two hundred times today, which isn’t like you. Since you’re obviously hoping to hear from this guy, I can’t help but think you two did more than just split a pizza.”
“I’m being ridiculous,” I muttered. “There’s no reason he’d call me.”
“Did you sleep with him?” When I broke eye contact, that told Jasper all he needed to know. “For fuck’s sake, Ash. That makes everything so much more complicated.”
“Not necessarily. I’ve had plenty of random hookups that didn’t mean a thing.”
“But you also didn’t sit around hoping they’d call the next day.”