Page 92 of Accidental Blind Date

“No. I’m just very tired. And so are you. Also, I’m vacationed out. I’m just going to call Jenna and let her know I need her help for the night. The girls’ grandparents are going on a cruise and can’t keep them longer than the seven days we agreed to.”

“A cruise? Their grandparents?” I ask as we make our way out of the airport.

“Yes. Tess’s parents are the best. And they act like they’re in their twenties. You know they still go scuba diving?” he asks as he punches a text into his phone, most likely to Jenna.

“Wow,” I say as we ride the escalator down. “What’s their secret?”

“If I had to guess? Unlimited margaritas at the cruise buffet.”

If I wasn’t so tired I’d laugh. We make the short shuttle ride over to the hotel and check in. Then Dax takes my hand, and we head up to the fourth floor. As soon as the door unlocks, we push through and I kick my shoes off, practically falling onto the bed.

“Wake me up in a week,” I mumble into the pillow. I actually almost asleep when I hear Dax’s phone buzzing.

“Shit,” he mutters.

“Everything okay?” I ask, turning to my side.

“Yeah, it’s just Jenna.”

He answers it and walks back to the door, pulling it open. A moment later, it closes behind him. I can’t really make out what they are talking about, but it doesn’t sound good. It sounds like they are arguing. For a moment, I wonder if the girls are okay. It’s almost 4am where we are, which means it’s 6am there. But by the tone, which sounds annoyed and not worried, I know they are duking it out about something. If I had to guess it’s about that extra night.

I get up and strip down to my bra and underwear so I’m at least not sleeping in airplane smelling clothes. Then I crawl back into the bed under the covers. Dax comes in a few minutes later and I roll over to watch him stripping down too.

“Is everything okay?” I ask.

“Yeah, she’s just giving me a hard time because I asked her to pick up the girls this afternoon from her parents’ house.”

“Oh.” I’m not sure what else to say and Dax doesn’t elaborate on it. Instead, he crawls into the bed, rolling onto his side away from me. “Are you sure you’re okay?” I ask, placing a hand on his bare back.

“Yeah. She’s just difficult and accusatory and, well, Tess’s sister. She is who she has always been, which, to be honest, is kind of a bitch.”

I’ve never heard him talk this way before. I have seen him mad, but he doesn’t usually let people this far under his skin. As curious as I am what they talked about, sleep is taking me and within moments I drift off.

*****

“Hello, hello! I’m home!” The doorbell on the bookshop chimes as I walk inside.

After a short sleep at the hotel, a four ish hour flight back to Boston and then the best sleep I’ve ever had in my own bed, the sun is shining and I’m back in my happy place and all is right with the world.

“How was Costa Rica?” Summer asks. “I want to know everything. Also, you didn’t post any photos on social media so I’m going to need a full story flesh out.” Summer likes to talk as if our lives are books. It’s another thing I admit I missed.

“It was warm, beautiful, and everything smelled like flowers, and everything tasted like rum,” I reminisce.

“You got a tan,” she says as I walk up to the counter, setting my bag down and clutching my iced coffee from down the street.

“I did. We spent a lot of time in the sun. We also spent a lot of timenotin the sun if you know what I mean.”

Summer giggles and Tom offers a small smile which is about the most Tom ever offers simply because he is chronically no-nonsense. “So, I take it that things went well with you and the boss?” he asks.

“I often forget he is my boss,” I say, tapping my fingernails on my cup.

“How?” Tom asks. “He’s literally tearing your bookstore apart and rearranging it into a bigger, sadder bookstore.”

“Yeah, well, we’ll see about that,” Summer smiles. “Sounds like the big scary CEO is sweet on Libby.”

“I don’t know about that,” I say with a matching smile.

“You don’t think he’s into you?” she asks. “After all that?”