First Comes Love (Love Comes To Town)

“Hello?” Greyson’s voice comes over the line groggy and surly after I dial 55.

“Hey. It’s me.”

“Oh. Great.” Suddenly his voice is a whole lot more alert. “How are you feeling?”

“Good, I…” I totter out of bed and stretch experimentally. “Stuffed, but really good. This place is amazing.”

I let my gaze trail over to the infinity pool, to find that there’s a poolside table with some chocolates and wine laid out already.

“Thank you,” I tell him, “but I really didn’t need—”

“Important thing is for you to get better. They have a good doctor on hand at this place too, if you need one.”

Something about his tone sounds too clipped, abrupt.

“OK…” I say. “Anything else I should know? You already eat?”

“That’s about it,” he says crisply. “Yes. I have some calls to make, but feel free to wander around if you feel up to it. Just not too far off the grounds. There’s bike tours, a spa, restaurants, a swim-up bar. It’s all on me.”

“I really appreciate this. This place is gorgeous.”

“You need anything else?”

Still that tone.

“No.”

“Great, I’ll check in on you later. Have some calls to make.”

“You don’t have to stay here, you know,” I say. “I’m pretty much better. I can leave later today, tomorrow at the latest.”

“I’ll book a flight as soon as you’re 100 percent,” he says, “Enjoy your day.”

He hangs up.

“Yeah, you too,” I mutter into the dial tone.

Maybe he really did have some calls to make. More likely he’s still determined to avoid me. Well, he can be my guest. I’m not about to sit around crying about it.

I shoot off a quick I’m OK, will be back in a few days, will explain later today text to Hannah. Then I do a peer-through-the-bushes visibility test, and finding the pool totally private, strip down and get swimming. The water feels amazing against my sore, dirt-crumbled skin. I sit at the edge of the blue and teal mosaic-stoned pool and look over, delighting in the view.

Wow…

Trees as far as the eye can see, with the odd colorful building or two. There’s even a volcano just visible off to my right.

Even the air smells fresher somehow.

I relax my head onto the tiles, luxuriating in how amazing this is.

I’ve never been to a hotel half this swanky or gorgeous. Part of me always instinctively looked down at people who blew however many hundreds or thousands a night just to get some chichi experience, when you could have fun and adventures just meeting people at any cheap old hostel. But now I get it. Here, there’s a kind of calm, peace and wonder that makes any bill seem reasonable.

Then again, I’m not the one footing it.

The thought makes me scowl. Is this Greyson’s way of paying me off to stay quiet about our fling? He didn’t strike me as that kind of guy, but then again, he didn’t strike me as the kind of guy to try avoiding me on purpose, and it sure seems like that’s what he’s doing today.

Restless, after a few minutes, I leave the pool and open my closet to find my dirty old bag flopped in the corner. My eye is drawn to a gorgeous paisley blue, teal and white bodycon on a hanger in front of me. It still has the tags on and looks to be just my size! But what is it doing there?

Then I glimpse the note. Tell me if it’s not your size—G.

My hand wavers out to it, then stops. If Greyson’s so fond of me, he can come over here and spend time with me himself. Even if this dress is gorgeous and completely my style (and, by the looks of it, size), I’m not going to spend the rest of the day all cooped up here waiting for him to decide whether or not he wants to grace me with his presence.

That infinity pool romp took at least an hour. If Greyson hasn’t come by now or called me to tell me he’s on his way over, he probably isn’t going to.

I change into some of the least-dirty clothes from my own bag, then set out for the front desk.

“Hey, I’m Harley Davis,” I tell a tan man with the most gorgeous skin. “I was wondering what activities you had available today?”

“Room 3B?” he asks, and I nod my head. “Oh. You have a spa session pre-booked for any time today, if you please. We have bike tours every hour on the hour as well. Until 10 PM. At our restaurant, the specials are all seafood. There is also a tour kiosk if you take a right, with tours to the volcano and more extensive tours.”

Hmm. Decisions, decisions. I don’t know how up I am for an extensive tour to who-knows-where. Then again, until 10 PM is pretty late, and I have an entire day to kill. Plus, after all those days trekking in the rainforest, I still feel a bit tired and grimy, even after that infinity pool swim.