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Authors: Ann Walker

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BOOK: Love In The Jungle
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Chapter Seven

M
y eyes shot open as the phone next to my bed
trilled shrilly. Blinking the sleep away, I rolled over and grabbed the thing,
bringing the receiver to my ear.

“Yes?” I sounded like a chain-smoking bullfrog.

“Good morning, madam,” came a pleasant woman’s voice from
the other end of the line. “This is your requested wake-up call. There will be
an airport shuttle arriving at the front doors in one hour.”

I cleared my throat, hoping to get some of the sleepiness
out of my voice. Unfortunately, my words still sounded scraggly and hoarse as I
said, “Okay, thank you very much.”

“You are most welcome, madam. Have a pleasant morning.”

She hung up before I could say anything else, but I figured
that was probably for the best. Groaning, I closed my eyes tight and buried my
head under my pillow. On the other side of my flimsy curtains, the sun was
blaring, but all I wanted to do was sleep the rest of the day away. “Stupid
engine problems.” I would have been wide awake and alert if we’d taken off last
night, and I definitely wouldn’t arrive at the volunteer meet-up location
looking haggard and worn.

Showers and toothpaste fix all manner of morning-after sins,
my mom had always said. I almost rolled my eyes at the thought, hating how her silly
sayings actually had meaning here. This was the morning-after. I’d had a
one-night stand with a sexy stranger, getting off three times—a new
record—before we kissed goodbye at the door and I turned in for the night.

I didn’t feel like Grant was kicking me out at the time, and
as I slowly sat up and rubbed my sleep-crusted eyes, it felt like I’d made the
right decision coming back to my own room. I mean, the front desk woman would
probably send someone up if I didn’t answer the alarm call, and I didn’t need
the whole hotel to know I’d found a different room to spend the night in.

Grant and I knew what last night was: a one-night stand and
nothing more. We’d parted smiling, with no awkwardness or guilt. We’d had fun.
He made me feel appreciated. He’d been a perfect gentleman, and I definitely
hadn’t been the perfect lady. Considering it was probably the last time I’d be
having sex for the next six months (possibly longer, who knows, given my lack
of romantic prospects), I’d wanted to make the most of it.

Three times. A personal best.

I slunk out of bed with all the weight that jetlag brought
resting on my shoulders. My lady parts were a little sore, but it was a good
kind of ache, one that was immensely satisfying. Once standing upright with no
intention of falling back under the covers, I sauntered to the bathroom and
hopped in the shower.

The brisk water managed to shock me out of my sleepy stupor.
I yelped, instantly pummeled by a stream of frigid liquid, and cowered on the
far side of the small shower until it warmed up a few degrees. When I realized
it probably wasn’t going to reach a comfortable temperature, I jumped under and
did a quick scrub of everything.

I mean, I should probably get used to cold showers. Would
the village even have running water? I stopped mid-shampoo rub, my eyebrows
furrowing. Why hadn’t I asked that? Had the volunteer coordinator talked to me
about this before?

Whatever I shrugged, and continued to lather my hair up,
fully aware that I’d already wasted some time lounging around in bed after the
wake-up call. I could have probably grabbed a quick bite to eat downstairs, but
I didn’t want to miss the shuttle. As I dried myself off and brushed my teeth,
I mentally ran through the plan for the day. Instead of eating at the hotel,
I’d buy a sandwich or something at the airport, all the while hoping I’d be fed
well once I arrived at the village.

After that, I had a quick flight to catch to Togo, then a
drive with someone from the organization who would take me to my village. A panicky
feeling descended on me as I got dressed. What if the driver just left me
there? All alone, with no one to lean on… I bit the insides of my cheeks to
distract myself from any stressful thinking. After all, I knew a long time ago
what I was getting myself into. Some volunteers worked for two years, so I
could probably guarantee there’d be someone else there who was also a stranger
to the village.

Well, I could hope. I straightened up once dressed, my hands
on my hips. No. It shouldn’t matter. I was out here to grow as a person, and I
couldn’t do that by falling back on familiarity. I’d done enough of that with
Grant; it was time for the real adventure to begin.

Dressed in a pair of knee-length khaki shorts and a dark
green t-shirt; I pushed my feet into my worn running shoes. I did a quick sweep
of the hotel room, then headed down to the main floor. After checking out at
the front desk, I barely made it to the airport shuttle. I was joined by a few
other overnight travelers. Some looked as sleepy as I did—one guy had his
sweater over his face as he passed out on the window. Smirking, I settled in
the seat behind him and took in whatever scenery I could get my eyes on, as the
shuttle pulled away from the hotel.

I took a deep breath…. now for the real adventure.

****

Ugh. It seemed that no matter the
time of day, the airport was always busy. I’d managed to get my bags checked in
and ticket issued quickly enough, but getting through security was a slow,
dragging process. Afterward, I found myself surrounded by people everywhere I
went. All the bars were busy. The restaurants were full of families and
singletons alike. Even the bookstore was lined with people, their backpacks
knocking into one another as they navigated through the tiny aisles.

I stood at the bookstore entrance, looking between the sea
of people ahead of me, then thought better of venturing into the crowd. I had
enough books to read. I mean, no one can ever have enough—or so they say—but I
wanted something to pass the time. My fingers were itching to crack open a
magazine for some light, easy reading at the boarding gate. Unfortunately, that
was out of the question.

Sighing, I turned on the spot and made my way toward the
gate. I still had another forty minutes before we were set to board, but
whenever a flight was concerned, I’d rather be unnecessarily early than cutting
it desperately close. After all, I’d missed this flight yesterday because of
mechanical problems—I wasn’t going to miss it again because I was running late.

Halfway to the gate, I stopped, spotting something familiar
in the crowd. Well, more like some
one
familiar. I couldn’t be sure, but
as I squinted, I could have sworn I saw Grant making his way through the crowd.
I mean, I couldn’t be sure because his back was to me, but the man I saw bore a
strikingly similar physical appearance—from behind. Same brown hair and broad
shoulders. I wondered, briefly, if I’d left any reminders of last night on his
back, courtesy of my overeager nails. My cheeks flamed at the thought.

I guess the thing that caught my attention more than his
physique was the man’s style. While everyone around me, for the most part,
seemed dressed for comfort, this guy had a pressed shirt on, plus a pair of
designer sunglasses resting on his head. I, like the rest of the sensible
people, looked like I was ready for a safari, and my running shoes had seen
better days. Grant oozed style and sophistication, and this guy had a similar
vibe. I have to admitI was instantly turned on.

But of course, I blinked and he was gone. Lost in the crowd,
my Grant lookalike wandered away at a brisk pace, eventually blending in with
everyone else. I stood on my tiptoes, hoping to grab one last look, but that
proved useless.

Oh well, I had
plenty
of juicy mental images of Grant
the Engineer to last me the whole six months away. I grinned. Oh yeah,
definitely some good ones up there. Hand gripped tight around my backpack, I
pushed onward. My gate loomed ahead, as did the beginning of a new chapter in
life.

Grant—and his lookalike—was a thing of the past. He was a
transition piece, helping me break away from the old Clara until I found the
new. Maybe I should have thanked him. I mean, I could have left a note under
his door or something. Sent up breakfast room service, the food billed to me.

But then again, the sex was probably thanks enough. I
flushed again, grinning like an idiot until I made eye contact with a staring
stranger. He returned the grin brightly, and when he seemed like he was headed
toward me, I practically jogged the rest of the way to my gate, then locked
myself in a nearby bathroom until I was sure he was gone.

****

My eyes narrowed at the miniscule
charter plane ahead of me. There had to be at least thirty or forty people
waiting to board. How are we all supposed to fit in there? Did we sit on each
other’s laps and pray for the best? I shot a glance back to the airport,
standing on the tarmac with my hands clamped down on my backpack. After they’d
checked all of our tickets, we were ushered outside with some of the ground
staff to board, our plane too small to reach the usual airbus extenders.

That should have been a sign. Maybe yesterday’s engine
problems were a sign too. Maybe I should have just bought a ticket and headed
back home.

No. I let out a determined puff of air, and waited my ticket
stub growing damp in my sweaty palm. This was the last part before the
adventure, and I couldn’t chicken out now. When the guy in front of me moved
forward, so did I, and soon enough, I was climbing the steep steps up to the
plane. A smiling flight attendant greeted me, her uniform crisp and clean, her
hair tied back, her hat slight off-center.

“Enjoy the flight,” she told me, her heavily accented
English music to my ears. I’d become a rarity since arriving in Ghana, though I
shouldn’t have been surprised. I initially thought it’d be easy to find fluent
linguists who instantly understood me and vice versa, but I guess I just had to
realize that I wasn’t supposed to be in a comfortable, cushy position. This
trip is not about having the comfort of home, it’s about helping other people.

The plane seemed even smaller on the inside than it was on
the outside. I bit the inside of my cheeks, ducking down a little to step into
the seating area. There were two seats on either side of the aisle, and mine
was at the back. I trudged along, pausing here and there to wait for people to
get themselves settled, and only stopped completely when I spotted a familiar
face.

Grant. On my flight, sitting in an aisle seat with his
pricey sunglasses on his head.

Oh my god. He was the guy sleeping with his sweater over his
face on the bus. I recognized his attire instantly. He was also the guy I’d
spotted in the airport. It wasn’t a lookalike—it had been the real deal back in
the terminal. His eyes wandered up slowly, absentmindedly, and stopped on my
face. A look of panic flashed over his features, killing my smile before my
lips could even twitch.

Fine. Apparently this one-night stand hadn’t ended as warmly
as I thought it did. I looked down my nose at him, then pushed onward when the
guy in front of me slid into his seat. My heart hammered in my chest, but at
least his presence had taken my mind off the size of the airplane. What was he
even doing here?!

I would have liked to ask, but I also wasn’t one of those
women who couldn’t take a hint. If he didn’t want to see me, as evidenced by
the shocked and panicked expression on his face, then I could handle that. I’m
a grown-up.

I didn’t feel much like a grown-up, when I tripped over a
woman’s briefcase that was poking out into the aisle. I had to prevent myself
from falling by grabbing the back of her seat. Her glare made my blood boil,
but I bit my tongue and eased into the seat behind her. I was very happy that I
had a window seat. Because, I wouldn’t be able to see Grant and I was two rows
from the bathroom. I crossed my fingers that no one would be sitting next to
me, then I found a book to read. The flight would be over in a flash, and then
I’d be on the volunteer bus headed for rural Togo—and far away from him.

Why was he so panicked? My brow furrowed at the thought, and
I closed my book and stared out the window. We’d had a good time. We’d kissed
before I left. I don’t get it.

My hopes for sitting alone were dashed when an elderly
gentleman in a suit plopped down beside me. His sigh sounded a little wet, and
I shifted away from him, finding my window view infinitely more interesting all
of a sudden.

“Excuse me?” My skin prickled as Grant’s voice sounded
beside me, and a quick glance to the side saw him speaking to my new traveling
friend. “Would you be willing to switch seats with me?”

I raised an eyebrow when our eyes met, but said nothing. The
older gentleman sighed again and gestured to the seat. “I just got
comfortable.”

“I realize, sir, and I apologize—”

“Go bother someone else,” he snapped, brushing Grant aside
with a wave of his hand, as if he were batting away a particularly troublesome
insect. I almost smiled, but then looked away when Grant pulled out his wallet
and presented my neighbor with a couple of folded bills. The man hesitated
briefly, but I soon felt the telltale shuffling of his seat, followed by
Grant’s heavy presence in his place.

My stomach was in knots, almost to the point where it hurt.
Now, not only was I nervous about the flight and the volunteer trip overall,
but I had some weird man-drama to deal with in a tiny cigarette plane.

“Look,” I started, twisting my body so that I could face him
directly. “You don’t have to—”

“I’m sorry,” he interrupted, mirroring my pose, his laptop
bag on his knees. “I think I came across as rude just now. When I saw you, I
was just surprised. I didn’t mean to make a face.”

“Well, you did,” I told him pointedly. For some reason, I
couldn’t bring myself to tell him that I didn’t want to sit next to him. I
should have told him to switch his seat back, but I just couldn’t. The longer
he sat there, the more the knots in my stomach started to work themselves out.
“I didn’t… follow you on this flight, or whatever. This was always my original
flight.”

BOOK: Love In The Jungle
8.16Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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