Page 26 of Love Off Course

Camilo

O ne month later…

“I’m a dick.”

“You’re a dick.”

“A total asshole.”

“The worst.”

“A monster.”

“Pretty damn ugly too.”

I glower at Carson. “You’re not supposed to agree with me. Where’s your loyalty to our friendship, man?”

“A good friend helps his stupid, blind, idiotic friend pull his head out of his ass. I’m doing my due diligence.” He smirks. “Now can we get back to insulting you?”

I flip him off. “What do I do?”

“I really have to spell this out for you, don’t I? You’re that far gone.”

“Apparently so.”

“Look,” he mutters. “I get that you lost your shit when your dad died. It’s to be expected. But…”

“But?”

“But you fucked up with Sherrie.”

I groan, the familiar aching pain in my chest screaming at me. “I know.”

“Now you have to fix it.”

“I don’t deserve her.”

“If your dad was here right now, what would he want?”

I flinch at his words, hating him in this moment. “Fuck you, man.”

“It’s called tough love, CZ. I’m being an asshole to you because you need to hear it. What would your dad want?”

“For me to get the girl back.”

“Ignoring your bullshit excuses about what you think you do or don’t deserve, what do you want? Truthfully?”

“Sher. God, I want her.”

“Ding! Ding! Ding! You’ve figured it out. Go get her.”

“It’s not that easy.”

He laughs. “Of course it’s not. That’s what makes it so worth it. Go fight for that girl because she deserves it. She deserves to have you grovel and kiss her ass. You two are too right for each other. Don’t let her go or you’ll regret it until the day you die.”

I stare up at the massive building, trying like hell to find my nerve.

What’s the worst that could happen? She could have moved on with David.

Forget I exist. Slap me in the face and tell me I’m scum.

Whatever happens, I won’t rest until I know I’ve tried.

I’ve flown all the way to California because with each passing second, I realize I made a colossal mistake.

I let her go.

No, I forced her to leave.

Regardless of how it went down, I fucked up.

As the cloud of grief begins to dissipate, I grow more and more focused on the fact I messed up. Is it too late to fix?

I walk inside the fancy building and am instantly out of place in my jeans and T-shirt.

“Can I help you, sir?” the receptionist asks.

“I’m here for Sher.”

“Who?”

“Sheridan Reid.”

“Oh,” she says with a laugh. “Of course. The owner’s daughter.”

I give her a forced smile, trying not to seem impatient. “That’s the one.”

“She’s gone.”

“When will she back?” I pull out my phone and check the time. Surely her lunch will be over soon.

“Never.”

“What?”

“She quit.”

I blink several times in confusion. “Quit? How?”

“I don’t know the specifics, but she’s gone.”

“Is her father here?”

“He is. Let me see if he’s available.” She picks up the phone and dials. “Hi, Mark. Is Mr. Reid available for a meeting?” She pauses and then looks at me. “Can I tell him who’s asking?”

“Camilo Zaragoza.”

“Camilo Zaragoza. Oh. Certainly. I’ll send him up.” She hangs up and points to the elevators. “Top floor are the executive offices.”

I practically run to the elevator and then bounce on my toes as I wait for it to go to the top floor. As soon as I escape the confines of the elevator, I walk past several offices until I find the one labeled CEO.

“Mr. Reid,” I state, knocking on the door as I enter.

He sits at his desk, an expectant look on his face. Across from him is another man. David. My hackles rise, but I ignore him, focusing on Sheridan’s father.

“Camilo. Call me Randall.” He motions for me to sit beside the other guy. “This is David.”

Randall grins when I fist my hands.

“Where’s Sheridan?” I demand.

“Getting some much needed R&R,” Randall says. “What’s it to you?”

“I’m going after her.” I glance over at David to gauge his reaction. He smirks at me. “You two may as well tell me where she went because it’s inevitable.”

David pulls out a twenty and tosses it at Randall. “You win.”

“Don’t I always?” Randall jokes, tucking the twenty into his breast pocket.

“I may not have the history she had with him,” I grit out, pointing at David, “but it was real. Too short but explosive. I love her, Randall.”

Randall nods. “I know.”

“How?”

“My daughter was different when she arrived at the wedding. Mexico changed her. Someone changed her. I figure that if he had that effect on her, my sweet, brilliant girl had that effect on him.”

“She’s not sweet,” I tell him. “She’s actually quite sour.”

David snorts. “Can I kill him?”

Randall chuckles. “I like this kid,” he tells David. “Much better for my feisty girl than your dinosaur ass.”

“She may be sour,” I continue, “but I like sour. No, I love sour. She’s unlike any woman I’ve ever known.

Incredibly smart, but so innocent about life.

Beautiful, but even more so when she’s frazzled and messy.

Funny, though most of her barbs are slung my way.

” I run my fingers through my hair. “She captured me. My little bee somehow managed to lasso me out of the sky and tied me to her heart.”

“Kid’s got game,” David groans. “I’ll give him that.”

“I can’t let her go,” I mutter. “I can’t.”

“But you did,” David reminds me. “I was an idiot and lost her. You’re an even bigger idiot for pushing her away.”

Gritting my teeth, I ignore this dude and focus on Randall. “Tell me where she’s at so I can go to her. I want to hold her and promise her the world.”

“On one condition,” Randall says, leaning forward. “I’ll tell you where she’s at under one condition.”

“Name it.”

“Don’t just promise, son, deliver. If you promise, you make good on it. If you’re going to give her the world, don’t you dare ever take it away.” He smiles wide. “Because I will find you and kill you.”

I gape at him.

David slaps me on the back. “He’s kidding. I think. Best not fuck up just in case.”

“I won’t,” I tell them both. “Now tell me.”

“Demanding little shit,” David says with a laugh.

“I like him,” Randall argues, shrugging. Then to me he nods. “Have lunch with us and then I’ll send you in the right direction.”

“Lunch? With both of you?”

“I’d like to call it an interrogation, but lunch is more polite. I’m going to get some beers in you and find out just what your true intentions are with my little girl.”

“The forever kind,” I growl.

“Good. Then your quest can wait until we have lunch and beer.”

I want to argue, but I won’t. If this is a hurdle I need to jump to get to my girl, I’ll fucking jump. No, I’ll fly. It’s what I do best.

As soon as the pilot touches down at the small airstrip, I’m already unbuckling and grabbing my bags. I can’t believe she came here of all places. Makes no sense. Randall wouldn’t budge on giving me more information, so I bailed and flew out the first chance I got.

The door opens and I drag my suitcase down the stairs. My boots hit the pavement a second before I’m nearly tackled by a smelly ass dog.

“Toro! You missed me!” I squat to scratch behind his ears.

My dog who abandoned me for Alejandro licks my face as though that’ll forgive him for his traitorous ways. I’m grinning, so it apparently works.

“Where’s your new daddy?” I ask Toro.

He barks and takes off running to the hangar. It’s under some serious construction. I walk over to the front, frowning. This has to cost a lot of money—money I know Alejandro doesn’t have.

“?Viniste a casa!” You came home.

I hug Alejandro and he rambles about the updates he’s doing to his small airport.

That soon there will even be a Starbucks.

I don’t get a chance to ask him about where in the hell he got the money before he’s dragging me over to his bus that’s also taken on an update.

It’s no longer the loud, hot piece of shit it once was. I don’t even think it’s the same one.

We head inside and I soon learn it’s not.

His never had air conditioning. Or a disco ball. What in the hell?

He sees me eyeing the disco ball and laughs in that robust way of his, holding his belly. Then, he dances for me, making me laugh. I settle in a seat and hold on before he takes off. The drive is short. I can’t help but go over all the ways I’m going to convince Sheridan to take me back.

She never texted me back.

When I finally arrived in California, I texted her. An embarrassing amount of times. All of which were ignored. This could all be for nothing. She might have some new boyfriend and doesn’t want to have anything to do with me.

Then why is she here?

I have to hold onto hope that she was good on her promise. That she’d be waiting for me to come find her. Well, here I am, hunting my woman down.

We arrive at the hotel and I bolt out of the bus. As soon as I take in the hotel, I stop dead in my tracks.

More construction.

The first thing I notice is a wooden walkway from the parking area to the front office.

I stalk in through the doors—also new—and take in the updates.

Everything has been removed and it’s a shell of how it used to be.

Men are hanging new drywall and Araceli is bossing them around with Rodrigo attached to her breast.

“What is this?” I demand.

She rolls her eyes. “Long time, no see, cousin.”

“What the hell is going on around here?”

“Ask the owner.”

I growl, already annoyed at her bitchiness. “Where’s Mamá ?”

“With Eduardo. But she’s not the owner anymore.”

Time slows to a halt. My cousin is smiling wickedly, clearly enjoying my horror.

“What?”

“You heard me, Camilo. She sold it. Fancy rich folks bought it out from her and are fixing it up.”

“No,” I grit out. “Impossible. Mamá would never sell.”

“Rodrigo ripped this place apart,” Araceli argues. “She didn’t have the money to fix it back up.” Her little Rodrigo pops off the nipple to stare up at her, flashing me in the process.

Gross.

I don’t want to see my cousin’s tit.

“This is ridiculous,” I snarl.

“Should have been here to stop it from happening.” She smiles unkindly at me. “Thanks for visiting Hotel Zaragoza. Come back soon.”

I flip my cousin off then haul ass on a mission to find my mother.