Page 16 of Vitamin Sea

" O h, this is too much,” Lala moaned.

They watched as a naked guest strolled up to the sausage station at the breakfast buffet and Chloe giggled.

“Weren’t you the one telling me not to knock it until I’ve tried it?” she said in a low voice to her friend. “Do you want to modify that statement?”

“I’ve tried it and I’m knocking it,” Lala declared, giving the sausage man a serious side-eye while a topless woman carrying a plate of fruit walked by. “At least when it comes to the buffet.”

They quickly grabbed an assortment of pastries, sausage, eggs, and toast and headed for the outdoor sitting area. Lala, still feeling a bit affronted by the full frontals, ditched her coffee and went straight for a mimosa.

“And keep them coming!” she exclaimed as the waitress walked away. “The sights in there,” she lowered her voice and gestured towards the buffet with her chin, “are more of a kick in the face than a triple-shot espresso.”

Chloe nearly choked on a piece of cantaloupe.

She had slathered on sunscreen before heading for breakfast, and a good thing too.

She would look like a tomato without it.

The sun was shining and, despite it being an early hour, it was already sweltering.

Lala, on the other hand, was sunblock-free and somehow managed to always maintain a beautiful golden tan—a veritable miracle for a natural redhead.

The itinerary the resort had provided hadn’t booked them in for anything that day.

It was typical of longer assignments and was meant to give her some time to relax and see the resort or hotel sights for herself.

As a VIP guest—a luxury she was afforded through her job title and not something Chloe considered herself to be—the resort wanted to ensure that she had adequate time to relax before they hit her with a whirlwind schedule.

And whirlwind schedule it was.

Costa Morpho had booked her and Lala in for spa services, breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, an ocean excursion, an aerobics session, a tour of a nearby beach town, a talent competition, and a beer-and-rum experience, just to name a few.

So, for the two of them, today it was all about relaxing. The calm before the proverbial storm.

They finished up breakfast and found themselves seated in the same bar just outside the lobby that they had ended their night with the previous evening.

It was equally as picturesque during the day as it had been last night, but in an entirely different way.

Instead of the pitch dark being punctuated by soft light, stars, and low-volume salsa, the raffia of the tiki bar sat in front of a bright blue, cloudless sky with Latin music loudly pumping from the sound system.

Abrasive buzzing sounds broke through the music as the landscapers mowed the grass and trimmed the trees.

During the day, the foliage could be fully appreciated. It was like walking into a garden paradise and rivaled some of the top hotels Chloe had stayed at during her travels.

She hadn’t known what to expect with Costa Morpho, aside from the obvious fact of knowing which country it was in.

After the shock of finding out it was a naturist resort, it had come as another surprise to see just how luxurious and detail-oriented Costa Morpho was.

She had thought, rather judgmentally, that a nudist resort probably wouldn’t be very high end—catering to the granola-crunching crowd who cared less about five-star luxury than they did saving the Earth.

It just went to show the unconscious bias she had when it came to that kind of vacationing.

She had never given nudist resorts a second thought before.

Mostly because never in her wildest dreams did she think it would be something she would end up covering.

Which were all beliefs that she was quickly being disabused of.

And while she was starting to get used to it all, it was still strange to feel like the odd ones out.

She and Lala stuck out like sore thumbs in their clothes, but it hadn’t stopped staff and other guests from being friendly.

Discomfort with the sausage man at the buffet aside, they had chatted with two of the tables next to them during breakfast.

One table was occupied by a married couple in their mid-fifties who were visiting from North Carolina. The other table was occupied by two friends—women in their late sixties—who told them all about the best naturist resorts they’d been to.

At the tiki bar there were three other patrons aside from her and Lala. Two were sitting beside them on towel-covered chairs at the bar, and one was sitting on the same couch they had sat on the night before.

Lala, having drank two mimosas with breakfast, ordered herself up a Bahama Mama before eyeing up the laminated cocktail menu with interest.

“Oh, this one sounds fun!” She pointed at a drink ominously named Shark Bite.

Chloe looked apprehensively at the ingredients—it had four different types of liquor.

“That one looks like it should come with a waiver and a medic,” she said dryly. “But we’re on the vacation, so what the hell.”

Her friend eyed her with interest.

“Does that mean you’ll have one too?”

Chloe laughed and shook her head. It tracked that Lala was looking for a kindred friend who would indulge in spirits.

Lala crinkled her face.

“Suit yourself, Chlo. My vacation bucket list is to work my way through this menu,” she said matter-of-factly.

Chloe considered.

“So, you’re planning on returning to Toronto with liver damage and a tan?”

“Excuse you,” Lala said with mock indignation. “This is cultural research.” She directed her attention to the bartender. “Juan? I would like a Shark Bite,” she said politely. “And a pina colada for my friend.”

Chloe smiled. She wasn’t a fruity cocktail type of woman like Lala, but her one weakness when she was on a beach vacation or assignment was a pina colada. One of the sugary drinks was enough to tide her over until the next tropical trip.

Minutes later two drinks were placed in front of them.

A buttery-yellow blended drink for Chloe, and a bright blue concoction for Lala that was accompanied by an umbrella pick and a potent smell.

Juan turned to some other guests and moments later the grating sound of the blender drowned out the bar’s music.

Lala took a sip, and her head rolled back in ecstasy.

“I’m going to marry Juan,” she said decisively.

“That good, hey?” Chloe inquired. “I don’t mean to rain on your parade, La, but I think I saw a ring.”

An exaggerated pout sprouted on her friend’s face.

“Well, the week is young and if the other bartenders can make a drink half as good as this, I’m proposing.”

Chloe lifted her glass in the air and toasted.

“Here’s to terrible choices and great stories.”

“I’ll drink to that!” Lala clinked her glass against Chloe’s and they both took a drink.

Three hours later, Lala had worked her way through one half of the menu.

Granted, there were only four drinks on each side as well as a variety of beers and canned beverages, but four drinks was a lot.

They had loaded up on protein and carbohydrates at breakfast, but it had become increasingly evident that it hadn’t been enough for her friend.

The remnants of a bright green concoction sat in front of Lala as she wobbled unsteadily on her chair.

“I need to have a nap,” she slurred.

“Good call.” Chloe nodded her head. She had kept her wits about her and stuck to virgin drinks, aside from the single pina colada. “I’m going to take a walk on the beach after this.” She gestured to her lemony mocktail, which was one-quarter full.

One-quarter full.

See?

She was already acting more optimistic. The work assignment was serving her well. Even if it did require her to be in the presence of nudity anytime she left her room.

Lala slid out of her seat and stood up. Chloe noticed she had a slight sway to her. Which was no wonder, given the number of shots she had seen Juan dump into Lala’s drinks.

“Do you want me to walk you to the room?” Chloe was concerned—she wanted to support her friend, and Lala clearly looked in need of it, but she also didn’t want to impose.

Lala giggled

“I think I’ll be okay,” she said, grabbing her purse and trying to pull herself together. It was a feat that she didn’t entirely accomplish due to her sunglasses being slightly askew and one portion of her hair that she had run her hands through sticking up at an odd angle.

“But thanks.” She leaned over and put her arms around Chloe in a big bear hug. “If you find my dignity out there on your walk, bring it back.”

Chloe giggled and hugged her back.

“Okay, well at least send me a text when you get to the room,” she implored. “So I know you made it safely.”

“Will do, Chlo. And if you find anything with abs, bring that back too,” Lala said. And with a flourish—a slightly unsteady one at that, Chloe was alone. Just her and Juan and the naked couple sitting next to her.

She was surprised to find she was getting used to the sights of the resort.

Which wasn’t just limited to the architecture and scenery.

Really, it was just like being in the sauna at the gym.

The brain’s ability to adapt to different situations was wild.

Habituation was it called? She had taken a psychology class where she had learned all about that sort of thing, but the details were hazy.

She turned back to her mocktail and sucked the blended ice up through the straw when her phone lit up with a text from Lala.

Made it!

She had also included a photo of her wrapped up in a bathrobe, lounging on the bed and wearing her sunglasses. Chloe also spotted a big bottle of water on the nightstand beside her.

Good choice, La , she thought to herself.