Page 32 of Vitamin Sea

L ala was lounging on the couch when Chloe emerged from her room the next morning. She hadn’t seen Lala before she went to bed, but she looked refreshed and perky despite having come home later than Chloe.

“Morning, La.” Chloe yawned as she headed to the coffee maker.

“Morning!” Lala sounded happy.

“How was your night with Daniel?” Chloe raised her voice above the loud grumbling of the coffee machine. She frowned at it. It was really something—they could put a man on the moon, but they couldn’t figure out how to design a quiet coffee maker.

Lala let out an exaggerated, dreamy sigh.

“My night was great. Spectacular. Fantastic,” she said in earnest before dropping her head back dramatically.

“All of the above. We had an amazing day in Coco Beach and then went back to his resort for dinner. The highlight of the night was dessert. Which we had in his room. He’s delicious by the way. ”

Chloe snorted.

“I knew you two would get on. Did you and Daniel make any other plans?”

Lala shook her head. “No. He’s coming over today for a few hours, but we don’t have anything planned.

I like him. Grade-A vacation fling. I’m sorry to say it, Chlo, but I am so glad you almost drowned,” she said matter-of-factly before pausing.

“Wait, I don’t think that came out right. ” A befuddled look crossed her face.

Chloe laughed. “No, I get what you’re saying. I feel the same way about Jack. Who knew that doing something so stupid could result in something so good.”

“Amen.” Lala leaned back on the couch. “So, what happened with you and Jack?”

Chloe knew what Lala was really asking. She told her friend about what they had done the day before and how it had ended with a kiss and the two of them making plans to go to Coco Beach.

“Well, if you end up anything like Daniel and me last night, I’m going to start using ‘Coco Beach’ as a euphemism for ‘between the sheets’.”

Chloe laughed. She had no expectations of anything happening between her and Jack. Not that she would be opposed to it. She was just excited to spend more time together.

“Coffee?” she asked her friend, who nodded eagerly in reply.

Chloe poured out two cups before opening up her laptop where she found an email waiting from Jack.

Coco Beach , the subject line read. She smiled as she skimmed the first line of his email which thanked her for “a truly amazing day and kiss I can’t get out of my head.

” He proposed a 10 a.m. meet-up time and Chloe sent back a message confirming and letting him know she would pick him up.

As a special guest of Costa Morpho, she had access to a car and a driver, which she was going to make full use of that day.

She and Lala went for a quick breakfast where they agreed to meet up for dinner that night with their vacation dates. It was their last night in Costa Rica and Lala wanted to make the most of it.

“I have a feeling I might stay over at Daniel’s tonight,” Lala said casually. “So, you’ll have our little bungalow all to yourself.” She raised her eyebrows suggestively.

“La!” Chloe chided her.

“I’m just saying!” Lala said defensively. “If you want to take advantage of the space, it’s all yours.”

She left Lala at the entrance to Costa Morpho and gave her a hug before getting into the car. As the door closed behind her she heard Lala yell, “She’s going to Coco Beach!”

Chloe smiled and shook her head.

Several minutes later she and Jack were in the back of the car, enroute to the town. It was a twenty-minute drive, which gave them time to chat.

“Lala had a great time with Daniel.” Chloe smiled. “She told me all about it over breakfast.”

The vehicle dropped them off at the farthest point of the town—the beach—where the main road ended.

Like the other beaches she had seen in the Central American country, Coco Beach was beautiful.

It was also much busier than the ones at her and Jack’s respective resorts.

Here, locals mingled with tourists—laying on the beach, building sandcastles, snacking, drinking, and swimming as the sun beat down above them.

Like all the days she had experienced in Costa Rica so far, she couldn’t have asked for a nicer one.

They grabbed a coffee at a quaint outdoor restaurant just steps from the sand and spent the next couple of hours wandering around the tourist shops and checking out various trinkets, clothing, and souvenirs.

Chloe picked out a couple pairs of earrings and Jack bought a shirt before they found themselves amongst a slew of restaurants and bars on the main street.

“Lunch?” Jack asked as they approached the line of noisy establishments.

“Good idea.” Chloe nodded. She was famished and feeling just a bit dehydrated from a combination of the sun and all the walking around. They stopped into the oddly named Z-Lounge, which appeared to function as an open-air restaurant during the day and a nightclub in the evening.

A ping sounded on Jack’s phone, and he glanced at the screen.

“It looks like Lala and Daniel are out for dinner,” he chuckled. “She just texted me that they’ve decided to eat in.”

Chloe snorted.

“Well, I’m glad they’re getting on,” she shrugged.

“It’s funny.” Jack furrowed his brow. “I’ve known Daniel since high school and Lala is much more his type than his ex-wife. Strange how things happen. He goes away on vacation to celebrate being single—a few days later he meets your friend, and, boom, he’s smitten.”

“Smitten?” Chloe was taken aback. She thought Lala had been exaggerating with her description of her and Daniel’s day, but maybe she was being serious. Goodness knew Lala was never one to dip her toe in the water. When it came to men, she went full cannonball, all the way.

Jack looked a bit abashed.

“Well, he hasn’t come right out and said it, but I can read between the lines. And his eyes.”

That was interesting. Lala’s vacation fling might want something more. Either way, Chloe wasn’t worried about it. When it came to men and matters of the heart, Lala could handle her own and then some. But Daniel’s interest in Lala was definitely something Chloe would be passing along.

They passed the afternoon by walking through the town and stopping into little bars along the street. When the sun began to go down, they headed for The Lobster House restaurant which was on the main street.

The hostess seated them at a corner table that provided privacy, quietness away from the busy restaurant, and a phenomenal view of the setting sun.

The smell of ocean air coursed through Chloe’s nose as the twinkle lights strung above their table swayed in the wind. She zoned out thinking about what a great day she had had when her gaze found its way to Jack’s face.

A playful grin was tugging at the corners of his mouth and there was a twinkle in his eye.

“What?” She smiled at him.

“You.” His smile widened.

“Me?” Her brow furrowed momentarily.

“Yes, you,” Jack replied. “You look beautiful sitting there with the sun setting behind you and total contentment on your face.”

Chloe instantly felt her skin flush. “You’re making me blush,” she said shyly.

He smiled even wider.

“Besides,” she teased, her face still flushed red, “how do you know I’m totally content?”

Jack tilted his head.

“I don’t know,” he said thoughtfully. “There’s something about how your shoulders seem relaxed, and the calm look on your face. It seemed like something was weighing on you before and whatever it was isn’t anymore.”

She smiled gently. He wasn’t wrong.

Their meals came a short time later and the seafood was divine.

“This lobster is amazing,” Chloe sighed. “This day has been amazing.”

Jack reached over and gave her hand a gentle, reassuring

squeeze. He echoed her thoughts. “It really has been.”

On the car ride home, Chloe asked Jack to come to Costa

Morpho for a drink.

“I’d love to,” he grinned, and they had a late-night nightcap at the tiki bar.

Chloe, exhausted by the sun and all the walking they had done, started yawning.

“You’re tired,” Jack said softly. “Let’s get you back to your room.”

Chloe happily accepted.

Their footsteps echoed on the ground over the sound of insects chirping, and tall lamps lit the way down the darkened path. When they reached her villa, she turned to Jack to thank him for such a wonderful day.

He leaned in for a kiss—a phenomenal one at that—and Chloe melted before she pulled away with a smile.

“Do you want to stay over?” she asked shyly.

Jack kissed her again.

“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’,” she grinned as she unlocked the door to her bungalow and led Jack inside.