Page 60 of Candy Hearts, Vol. 2

CHAPTER 14

FORD

I made it to the Hyatt, where I was to board the bus tour, with over thirty minutes to spare, but I’d seriously considered skipping. I was hungover and feeling every one of my forty-five years.

I’d avoided breakfast but managed a greasy burger for lunch. The tour was over two hours long, and I’d needed something in my system.

I hadn’t heard from Zachary this morning, but he was probably in the same boat I was after the wedding and reception. I missed texting and talking with him. I debated with myself, but eventually I decided to put on my big boy pants.

Me: I drank too many margaritas last night. How are you feeling today?

I put the phone in selfie mode and angled it so Zachary could see me wearing his blue shorts with his green t-shirt, which was much tighter on me than I was used to.

Me: [photo]

I felt better after reaching out to him. Now I just needed to figure out what adventurous activities I wanted to do for the rest of my time in Palm Springs. I felt a little like I’d wasted the trip. Sure, I’d had the epiphany about my sexuality, which was super valuable, but I still had the nagging sensation I should be doing something thrilling to replace the equally thrilling sex I’d imagined I’d be having by now.

I was staring at my phone, willing Zachary to respond, when someone called my name. “Brennan!” I smiled. “How are you feeling today? I’m a little hung over.”

He had a bottle of water in one hand. “I feel great! I had a bike tour this morning, and I’m getting ready to lead one of the bus tours. Is that the one you’re on?”

I looked him over. His skin was glowing, his eyes were bright, and he had a bounce in his step. Bastard.

“Wow, that’s great. Yeah, I think so.” I showed him my ticket, and he confirmed it was the tour he’d be leading.

“I volunteer for Modernism Week to help out. There are more people wanting tours than there are people to lead them, so I like to do as many as I can.”

I nodded. “Plus I bet it makes a nice change to sit on a bus instead of pedaling around.”

He chuckled and sipped his water. “What’ve you got scheduled for the rest of your vacation? We never talked about what you were going to do to replace getting laid.”

“Yeah, so I feel like I need to have at least one big adventure this week. But it’s already Thursday and I have no idea what to do. Do you have any recommendations?”

He raised his eyebrows. “Adventure? You mean like skydiving?”

I wrinkled my nose. “Maybe not quite that adventurous. But I can’t think of anything.”

He tilted his head. “What about that guy? The one you had phone sex with?”

“Zachary?” I smiled, thinking about our future date.

Brennan pointed a forefinger at me. “Right there. You already know your big adventure.”

I scrunched up my forehead. “I do?”

“Ford,” he said patiently. “You’ve been thinking about this the wrong way. Look, I travel a lot, and what I’ve realized over the years is that a new place or a new experience is of course an adventure in and of itself. But when you look back on your memories of your trip, what makes it special is the people you meet and spend your time with. What I’m trying to say is, what if your big adventure for this week is a who, not a what?”

My mouth fell open.

Brennan checked his watch and said, “Sorry, I’ve gotta get to the bus. I’ll see you there. Just think about what I said, okay?”

In a daze I made my way to the bus loading area. When I got on, Brennan pointed me to the upper deck. I went up the tiny stairs and found a seat.

Holy shit. Brennan was right. Zachary was my adventure. We’d met by accident, and we’d both seized the opportunity to get to know each other better.

The rest of the passengers boarded, and Brennan took his seat at the front of the upper deck. He spoke about Palm Springs, and the bus started moving. I didn’t register any of it.

Smiling, I hummed “Son of a Son of a Sailor” under my breath as I pulled out my phone and opened the airline app to change my flight.

Jimmy Buffett would approve.