Lost Days Make for Memories and Decisions
I decided to take the afternoon off, go home, and then call Kevin. I grabbed a cold soda from the fridge a box of wheat thins and went out on the back deck with my phone. I'd decided to hold off on beer knowing I had a child inside me. It's the end of February by now and today was one of those teasers for spring so it was warm and cozy. I finished half the soda before I dialed and when Kevin answered my heart flipped. His voice brought back so many memories of our time in West Virginia it was all I could do to say Hi.
We talked for a long time, discussed the alternatives, or I should say I reviewed my alternatives and Kevin offered supporting words for them all. I told him that unless God took the baby from me, it would enter this world in seven or eight months. I was unsure if I would be the Mom or the woman who let her child be adopted. While I could hear in Kevin's voice the tremor of fear at the prospect of adoption, he never lifted a single argument; he found instead words to support me. He was willing to spend time with me to see if he and I were more then a memory, more then a few sexy nights and days in a snowstorm.
We talked idly for another half hour, his fears of a pending abortion allayed. I felt relieved that he was at my side and that he was willing to support me in my choice, whatever that was. I was also relieved that he wanted to know if he and I were compatible, beyond three days spent in a sexual storm of our own in a hotel room.
The next day at work I found a note on my desk from Barry, my boss commanding my presence in his office. I took off my coat and grabbed my Starbucks and found him in his office.
"Angie! Good morning. How are you feeling, you went home early yesterday and the word is you were sick! You look healthy are you OK?"
It wasn't time to reveal my pregnancy so I said.
"I'm fine just felt a bit burnt out, you've had me traveling a lot and I still think I have frostbite from that snowed out trip to West Virginia."
Not frostbite, cock bite would be a better term but not for Barry. He grinned and I at first thought he's learned about my time there but when he spoke I knew I was wrong.
"Well, I am sending you off again, only this time it will be a bit different. First of all a few of us will be going, this is a large opportunity for the company and we're going after it with all guns firing. Secondly, I'm going to make up for the frozen days you suffered for the company."
I was confused and interested. I figured it was best to just let Barry do this his way.
"This will be one of the biggest projects we've ever attempted and we think we can do it, and we can do it better then the anyone else, but we need to spend a lot of face time with the potential client and that means travel."
Ok, so more travel, maybe that would be good for me maybe Kevin might have some similar plans, maybe??? Well Barry was on a roll so I listened.
"The project will be on an island off Jamaica, I don't have the exact name yet, but we'll have to fly to Sanger International near Montego Bay. You'll be staying at the Sunset Beach Resort and Spa. This client has the bucks to build an exclusive resort, an airstrip and the infrastructure that goes with it. We're teaming with a few other companies and going after the contract. So I need you there early, I need you to do what you do so well, look over the plans, the site everything and put together an estimate. Now, there is strong competition, we are jumping into a league we've not played in, but they think they're alone on this so you need to be the tourist and accomplish your tasks without letting anyone know what you're doing. "
I'd be off to an island in the Caribbean, by myself, in the sun, the water and I could not make it look like I was working! Did god just lay a golden hand on me? I needed to keep Barry from knowing I'd be willing to do this for free, so I said.
"Barry, you've got others who do what I do, some of them better, why me? Don't get me wrong if you want me there, I'll go, it's my job but why me?"
"It's simple really. You have the talent, your as good as we have and being a woman you'll attract less attention and have the best shot of keeping our involvement in this quiet, at least till the rest of us show up. We're hoping that a week's lead-time with you there will let us hit the ground running and that the competition will never catch up. So can I put you on a plane Sunday?"
"This Sunday?"
I'd just agreed to meet Kevin on Sunday, spend the day start to see each other.
"Yup, this Sunday Angie. It's all coming together fast and I need you there to start on Monday and hopefully get as much info as you can to the rest of the team so when we show up for the negotiations on the following Monday we'll be ready. So yeah, can you go?"
I live alone, my ex-boyfriend is doing the horizontal waltz with a red head too young for him, I'm pregnant by a man I still don't know well, hell time away, alone time to think! Who knows maybe Kevin could come down!
"Ok, let me see. I go as a tourist, spend time doing the beach, the clubs, take tours of the other islands, use all that to see what I can, do some estimating and live in paradise on the company, Duh! Count me in."
So that's how I managed to be here in the Caribbean sun, laying in a comfortable chaise lounge on the beach topless, looking forward to the spring back home with no tan lines.
When I called and told Kevin he took some time checking his schedule, which pissed me off a bit but eventually Kevin said he'd come down later in the week if it was what I wanted and I said.
"Damn straight Kevin."
So I had a few days before Kevin arrived, almost a week before Barry and the team arrived and I was the tourist. I thought a cloud had covered the sun as a shadow seemed to darken the area around my closed eyes but when I opened them a woman was standing clutching her towel in front of her lap and peering down at me. I felt a bit embarrassed until I was able to see that she too was topless. She said.
"Hey, I'm Lilly and this is my first time on a beach like this, you know without a top? Would you mind if I joined you, maybe find some comfort in numbers?"
She was stunning, at least a head taller then me with long auburn hair and an amazing body. My first thought was why all the pretty girls always pair up with the middling ones. Even though I wasn't here looking for a man or a lover, being next to Lilly, no one would ever see me. Then I thought that might make my spy job even easier. I stuck out my hand and took hers and said.
"I was born Angela but I prefer Angie, sit. Tell me did you use any sunscreen on your, um your chest? If this is your first time topless on the beach you will burn and let me tell you from experience, it hurts like hell.
