“Yes,” Marco said, as he aimlessly pushed his food around the plate in front of him. “Only a few weeks away.”
“I'm assuming that changes things regarding your vacation,” she said, feeling her heart sink at the thought.
It was selfish, but this job was her one shot at making enough money to go to college. If it was cut short, there's no way she'd make enough. She'd be stuck back in Memphis, getting a waitress job. Her dreams of freedom would vanish.
“I hate to say it, but yes, my vacation plans have changed,” he said. “It's getting cut short. I'd still like to travel to Hawaii, but after a week there I'm afraid I'll have to head home. I need to be there when my father goes to surgery.”
Sabrina nodded understandingly, but didn't know what to say. She felt horrible for Marco, but was devastated for her own reasons at the same time.
“I'll be here to help until you leave,” she said, with an assuring smile.
“You're so sweet,” Marco said. “I understand that you need the money from this job and I'm not going to let my father's illness affect us both. So even though you won't be working the full length of time that we had agreed upon, I want you to know that I'm going to pay you in full regardless.”
Sabrina's jaw dropped so hard that it practically hit the top of the table. It was the most generous offer anyone had ever extended her.
“Are you serious?” she asked. “You're going to pay me for the whole summer, even though I'll only be helping you for a few weeks?”
Marco nodded. “I'm a man of my word, Sabrina. And like I said, I won't let my problems have an ill effect on your life as well. It's not your fault that I must return home early.”
Sabrina teared up, overwhelmed with gratitude.
“Thank you so much, Marco,” she said. “Seriously, thank you.”
“It is I who should be thanking you,” he replied. “I feel like a ton of stones has been lifted from my shoulders. I appreciate you listening.”
“I appreciate you telling me what's going on,” she said. “I want you to know how sorry I am to hear about your dad, but if he's anything like you, I'm positive that he'll be fine. He sounds like a strong person.”
Marco took a sip from his coffee. “Yes, I think you're right. He'll be fine. In fact, I'm probably more upset about this whole thing than he is. He's probably sitting back, reading a book and not even worried about it. Meanwhile, I'm over here in the States losing my mind.”
Sabrina chuckled, relieved that the mood between them had lifted some. Still, though, there were so many emotions inside of her. She was happy that the money situation wouldn't change for her, but also saddened that the trip would be ending much sooner than expected. She was really enjoying getting to know Marco, and had been looking forward to a long summer with him. Now all she had was a few rushed weeks.
Maybe it's for the best, she thought. Maybe a short trip will keep me from getting into trouble with Marco. God knows it would only be a matter of time before I fell for him. I mean, my first night drinking with him and I try to kiss him. Who know what three months could have brought.
The two ate in silence for a few minutes. They only got about halfway through their beignets before looking up at each other.
“I might have to save the rest of this for later,” Sabrina said. “My stomach still isn't one hundred perfect from the alcohol last night.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Marco said. “Next time we'll get drinks that don't have so much sugar in them. I'd wager a guess that it's part of the reason we're not feeling so well this morning.”
They stood up from the table and Sabrina ran inside to get a couple of to-go containers. She came back out and boxed up their food and then faced Marco. His dark eyes were sad and her heart swelled as she looked at him.
He's a rich, Mediterranean playboy. But underneath all of that, he's just an amazingly sensitive guy, she thought.
She couldn't help herself. The pain on his face made her do it. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him in for a deep hug, squeezing him as tightly as she could. He responded well, embracing her affectionately.
“I'm sorry you're struggling, Marco,” she said. “Truly.”
Sabrina realized that she had nothing in common with Marco. He was rich, she was poor. He was worldly, she was sheltered. He was everything she was not. And yet, something inside of him felt familiar to her. Something about him felt like home. It was safe and comfortable, and resonated with the most passionate parts of her being. Maybe they weren't so different after all.
They held each other in embrace for only a few moments, before a bright flash filled Sabrina's vision. At first, she thought it must have been the sun's reflection off of a car's windshield. But when she looked over and focused her eyes, she saw a man in a flannel shirt standing near the edge of the patio. He was holding a giant, expensive-looking camera. It was in front of his face as he pressed the button on top, causing it to flash again. Immediately after, he glanced over to a nearby woman, who was holding a similar type of camera.
“Hey, it really is him!” the man shouted, clicking his camera furiously.
Within seconds, the woman had joined him. They were blatantly taking pictures of Sabrina and Marco. They seemed to have no shame at all.
“We need to get out of here,” Marco said, grabbing Sabrina's hand. “Come on, let's hurry.”
Marco pulled Sabrina away from the patio before she fully realized what was happening. Her hip hit the table, causing the to-go boxes to spill onto the concrete. The extra powdered sugar on their beignets exploded into a dust cloud.