Page 29 of Vitamin Sea
Not that aerobics was exactly dancing, but the movements did require you to pay attention to choreography. It wasn’t so much that Jack lacked rhythm—he seemed to have that in spades. It seemed more like he lacked the ability to follow the sequence of steps.
Chloe giggled to herself as she followed Maria’s movements and tried to keep her eyes off the other participants.
If her mind had been boggled at the way salsa dancing caused a naked body to move, her mind was blown by the movement induced by aerobics.
Despite her horror at the nudity earlier in the week, which she was now putting down to a serious case of culture shock, she was starting to have a new appreciation for the folks who went to these kinds of resorts.
With the constant bombardment of impossible beauty standards, weight-loss adverts, and flawless bodies, there was something refreshing about being surrounded by people who were, literally, comfortable in their own skin.
Which was also ironic given where she worked.
Strut tended to deal in curated perfection and tall, nary-an-ounce-of-fat-on-them types of models.
It might be something, she reflected, she could touch on in her article.
While she had been seriously gobsmacked for the first twenty-four hours at the resort, Costa Morpho would be getting a glowing review.
“Gracias, senoritas and senor!” Maria thanked the participants who were now all hot and sweaty. Jack suggested a dip in the pool to cool down and, in spite of Chloe’s earlier reservations about sharing the same water as a bunch of skinny dippers, she happily agreed.
Jack changed into the swim shorts he had brought along and Chloe took off her dress to reveal a bright-pink bikini.
She was surprised to find that once she and Jack were in
the water, she didn’t give the people around them a second thought.
Jack, in fact, and despite his teasing, had seemed to adjust to the environment far faster than her.
He seemed to have a ‘go with the flow’ type of personality, which she really liked.
It occurred to her that Liam would not have taken to the resort so easily.
In fact, she could have seen him abandoning her for the resort next door and refusing to spend any time at Costa Morpho.
Not that she was comparing Jack to Liam. It was just one of many interesting observations that had popped into her head over the past couple of days. Both men were handsome, smart, and successful, but they were also very different in a myriad of ways.
She and Jack swam around and cooled down for a bit before getting out of the water and drying off in the sun. Jack’s wet muscles glistened in the lounger and Chloe found she was having a hard time adhering to Costa Morpho’s number-one rule—no gawking.
As the sun began to set, she and Jack shared cocktails in the lobby.
They found a corner with squishy furniture and soaked up the air conditioning while they continued getting to know each other.
Jack asked her so many questions—about her work, her life, her childhood, her friends, her family.
How did she come to be a writer? What were her hopes and dreams? Her values and her beliefs?
There seemed to be a genuine interest on his part in truly understanding her and it was a feeling that was entirely mutual.
It occurred to her as she was telling him about how she hoped to one day write a book about all her funny travel stories, tips, and tricks that Liam had never asked her some of those things.
Odd, she thought, how something can seem so perfect when you’re together, but perceptions can change with the benefit of time and distance.
Had her and Liam’s relationship really been all that great?
Not that she was deluding herself into thinking that a
relationship with Jack was where things were heading.
Quite the opposite, really.
She was enjoying getting to know him and spending time together, but what it was, in her estimation, was two individuals finding themselves brought together by happenstance who also happened to find that they liked one another’s company.
For right now, that was enough for Chloe.
“You said earlier we had to check out some entertainment tonight,” Jack said a little while later. “What is it?”
Chloe twisted her mouth to the side.
“Believe it or not,” she said wryly, “but it’s actually a talent competition.”
Jack snorted and shook his head in good humour.
“Remember,” Chloe teased, “it’s important for my work!”
“It’s all good, Chlo,” he smiled.
Her stomach tightened at his casual use of her nickname. Something about it gave her a happy feeling inside.
“I can’t wait to tell Daniel about our day.” Jack shook his head. “My friends are never going to believe me.”
Privately, Chloe thought her friends were never going to believe her either. About Jack, her near drowning, or the resort.
Twinkle lights spiraled around the trunks of the palm trees that lined the darkened path to the pool.
The cement pad where Chloe and Jack had taken the aerobics class earlier was now outfitted with rows of chairs that reached all the way to the bar.
Almost all of them were occupied with people who had drinks in their hand, and fanny packs, purses, and bags hanging from their chairs.
One woman, Chloe noticed, was wearing a bright-pink wig, and one man was wearing a top hat.
Facing the chairs was an elevated stage that had black fabric curtaining the bottom and a tall red-velvet curtain that provided a backdrop for the performers. A spotlight flooded the empty stage with bright light, and loud salsa music pumped through the air.
Jack and Chloe grabbed two seats at the bar and ordered up a drink.
“I can’t tell you the last time I took in a talent show,” Jack said after taking a drink of his beer. “I think it might have been in sixth grade. I don’t go to a lot of resorts—is this typical?” he inquired.
“No,” Chloe shook her head. “I saw one at a family resort in Cabo, but that was years ago. They usually offer some kind of entertainment—cultural shows, singing, dancing—those kinds of things. I was in Panama one year over Christmas and got to see a very saucy version of The Nutcracker ,” she trailed off.
Jack raised an eyebrow. “Do tell.”
“Picture this—Clara in a red sequin thong bikini gyrating on the Rat King like it was Saturday night at a strip club.”
Jack started laughing. “Sounds like quite the cultural experience. Kind of like how we put our own spin on Chinese and Mexican food in North America. They gave The Nutcracker a Latin twist.”
Chloe smiled and had a sip of her drink.
Suddenly, the salsa music stopped, and a voice came from the speakers.
“Bienvedidos damas y caballeros!”
She and Jack turned towards the stage where a Costa Morpho staffer in a black suit stood with the microphone.
“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen!” he repeated in English. “To Costa Morpho’s talent night! How’s everybody doing?!” he said enthusiastically. There was a smattering of clapping and a few hollers from the crowd.
“Tonight,” he continued in accented English, “we have some very special talents to show you from Costa Morpho guests. So, please sit back and enjoy the show! For our first act, I would like to call up on stage a Senor Diego Guzman!”
The audience clapped and a heavy-set Latin-looking man stood up from his chair and ambled onstage.
The MC handed him the microphone and Diego Guzman stood in the spotlight in all his naked glory.
His black hair and mustache looked like they had been combed with grease, and his girthy midsection covered up his groin.
For that, Chloe was thankful.
Seconds later a song that sounded classical in nature started playing and Diego, quite unexpectedly, accompanied it with his baritone voice. His opera singer’s vocals cut above the music and his body tensed and quivered as he hit different notes. It was actually pretty impressive.
Chloe, who had no idea what to expect from Costa Morpho’s guests, clapped along enthusiastically when Diego took a bow.
She looked at Jack; he was also clapping.
“I have to say,” he said in a low voice. “Opera isn’t my thing, but he has a great voice.”
A middle-aged woman took to the stage next with a flute and played a Top 40 song mash-up from the previous decade.
Following her, a bald man juggled oranges while delivering a monologue from Hamlet .
That one was a little weird, but at the end, Chloe clapped politely along with the rest of the guests.
Following that, a trio of ladies showed off a salsa dance they had learned earlier in the week.
She and Jack applauded politely along with the rest of the crowd and chatted between performers. Just as the woman wearing a pink wig stepped on stage, Jack leaned over to Chloe.
“I’ll be right back,” he said, setting down his beer. “I have to run to the washroom.”
“Okay, but hurry back!” Chloe implored. “You don’t want to miss the guy with the top hat—I think he might do some magic tricks.”
Jack shot her a grin and headed out.
Three performances later Jack still hadn’t come back, and Chloe was starting to worry.
He should have been back by now—the bathrooms were just around the corner.
Had he gotten lost or had something happened?
Her mind wandered and it popped into her head that there was also the possibility that he hadn’t really enjoyed their day, and he had decided to ditch her.
The cringeworthy talent show might have just been the final straw.
She dismissed the thought as soon as it entered her brain, but there was a small feeling of unease in her stomach. She hadn’t known Jack very long and she didn’t know him very well. She thought she had known Liam inside and out and look what had happened with him. People were full of surprises.