Trust Me When the Sun Goes Down (24 page)

We decided to catch a flight to L.A. out of San Jose so we could drive down and pick up Hanna first.  It was still very close to sunset when we left the house and I bundled Rob up in the backseat of the sedan where he slept like the dead.  I was worried I’d have to argue with Hanna before I got her to leave the house, but she was waiting with her rolly carry-on when we got there, her dog Skittles all squared away at Dr. Dave’s Doggie Daycare. 

It seemed like it took longer to prep and take off for the flight to Los Angeles than the flight time itself, and Bridget was waiting for us on the tarmac when we touched down.  Her schlumpy overalls were gone, dressed in a stylish red dress and a big floppy hat and sunglasses, despite the fact that it was well after sunset now.  I supposed it didn’t stick out all that much in L.A. and she did look great, but she sure hadn’t taken me at my word when I’d told her to pack lightly.  She had more luggage than the rest of us put together. 

Bridget took one look at Rob slumped in one of the seats on the plane and her face scrunched up in disappointment.  “Hey, I thought this was supposed to be a girls only type of deal?  No fair unless we all get to borrow him or share.”

“Sorry ladies, there’ll be no sharing on this holiday,” Rob said without cracking his eyes open.  And here I’d thought he was fast asleep? 

“I’m sorry, but you know what it’s like. I was lucky to leave Gunnar and Lee at home as it was,” I apologized.  “But I’m sure you’ll be fine when you hear where we’re going.”

“Cabo San Lucas, I know already.”

I swung an accusatory glance at Maggie.  “You told her!”

“Sorry, I didn’t realize it was a secret,” Maggie’s head ducked lower.  “She called and asked today whether she should bring a bikini or snow pants.”

“Cabo?” Hanna’s eyes widened with interest.  “There’s a pretty decent mall there, or at least there used to be.”

“It’s even better now,” I promised, pulling up the website for the
Puerto Paraiso
Mall
by the marina while I still had internet from the airport.  “Check it out.  We’ll shop ’til we drop and spend a few luxury nights being pampered at the
Esperanza
resort.”

Bridget and Hanna huddled around my laptop
oohing
and
ahhing
over the luxury resort.  It was fairly spectacular.  Maggie and I had already looked our fill while making the arrangements the night before, but I couldn’t help studying the site with them again.

“This looks pretty sweet.  I wonder if this hot rock massage comes with a happy ending?  Get it?” Bridget giggled.  “’Cause you know, when they remove the stones I’m like getting my rocks off?” 

We were going to end up getting thrown out of the hotel, I could just feel it.  “Anyway,” I said, not even bothering to respond to the lame joke, “I haven’t told you the best part.  After we’ve gotten tired of Cabo, we’re taking a lazy cruise to Puerto Vallarta on our own private yacht.”  I clicked on the bookmarked website with a flourish, turning the laptop toward them.

“You bought
The Love Boat
?” Hanna goggled at the screen.

“Whaa…?”  I turned it back to me, frowning over the ginormous cruise ship on the home page.  “No, that’s the wrong boat.  This one.”  I clicked on the link for the right one.  “This is the boat we’ll be taking.”

“You bought a yacht?” Bridget gasped in almost the same tone Hanna had.

“No, I
chartered
a yacht.  But who knows, if I like it, I could always buy one,” I shrugged and Bridget’s brows rose a mile. 

“Damn, maybe I should throw Felix over and make you my Sugar Mama instead?”

“None of that,” Rob warned, his eyes still closed, but there was a hint of a smile on his lips. 

Hanna pulled up the deck plans for the yacht, and a small debate ensued over who got what room.  Finally, we decided to flip for it.  I didn’t care if Rob and I had the biggest, fanciest room, and I wanted to be fair.  Hanna ended up with the Master, and Rob and I the second largest, leaving Bridget and Maggie with the two smallest rooms below decks. 

“Who cares though, you’re going to be spending most of your time out here,” I pointed out, clicking on the pictures of the sunken hot tub set into the deck. 

“How much is all of this costing?” Hanna asked, frown lines appearing between her brows as she clicked on the tab for reservations and all it gave her was a form to fill out with her contact information. 

“Don’t even worry about it, I’ve got it all covered,” I assured her.  The Captain started to taxi down the runway then, and I tucked away my laptop until after take off. 

Once we were up in the air, Bridget kicked off her shoes and went for a split of champagne, drinking right from the bottle.  “What’s the dealio with the cabana boys you booked us for the crew?  Are they super hot?”  She waggled her brows at me, but I was at a loss.

“I… have no idea what the crew looks like.  It wasn’t on their website.”

“What kind of a girls’ weekend is this?” she pouted, flouncing into her chair.

“Um, the kind where we hang out as girls together?  Besides, don’t you think Felix would mind if you shacked up with a cabana boy?”

“He wouldn’t care, he’s too busy these days,” she muttered, looking out the window. 

“Come on, we can have fun without guys on this trip!  Who needs them?  No offense,” I added to Rob quickly.

“None taken,” he smirked, opening his eyes long enough to wink at me before they slid shut again.

Bridget’s head tilted to one side as she gave us all a speculative look.  “Ladies time, huh?  Your sister
is
kinda hot.  Couple up or all together?” she joked.  At least I’m pretty sure she was joking.

“You’re really not my type,” Hanna laughed and Bridget flipped her hair dramatically.

“Girl, I’m
everybody’s
type,” she declared.

Maggie frowned.  “You’re not mine.”

A light hearted argument ensued as to which of us was the most attractive to other girls.  I smiled to see Hanna joking along and participating in the conversation, my heart feeling lighter than it had in a long time.

* * *

Have you ever seen that movie
Night of the Comet
?  It’s a B movie at best, and the zombies are silly by today’s standards (though they scared the bejeezus out of me when I was nine years old), but it has one of the best montages from the eighties in my opinion. 

The premise is this – a comet has passed too close to Earth, and everyone who wasn’t in a steel room is turned to dust.  Those who were partially exposed, like the genius scientists who left the ventilation system running, are slowly turning into zombies with a taste for nubile young flesh.  Two teenage girls are essentially left to their own devices, so where do they go?  To the mall!  Cue the insane orgy of costume changes and thieving that somehow comes across as more playful than out and out looting when set to
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
. 

There’s more plot involving said scientists and the search for other survivors including a young Chakotay from
Voyager
, but it’s pretty much a zombie flick.  Ever since I first saw that movie with my sister when I was a little girl, I’d dreamed of a deserted mall where I could have absolutely anything I wanted – less the zombie stock boys. 

Not that I wanted to go on a crime spree, but the idea of a shopping trip where you didn’t have to pick and choose had always been a fantasy of mine.  No need to think of whether or not it was practical or if you had anything to go with it.  Any little thing your heart desired, no matter how foolish or outlandish, or whether it was the absolute wrong color on you – that’s the freedom Lodinn’s money gave us. 

Bridget, Maggie, Hanna and I enjoyed the best of everything money could buy, storming the mall until closing and then partying at the
Caliente Casino
until almost dawn every night.  I’m pretty sure the locals thought we were sacrilegious not to haggle, but I was happy to pay them top dollar, wanting to spread the wealth.  I’d heard of retail therapy before, and in this case, it
absolutely
worked. 

Bridget, Maggie, and Hanna opened up more, relaxing as their cares faded in the surreal setting.  Maggie turned down a marriage proposal by the end of the first night. Bridget… I’m not sure how hard she worked to disguise interest from the opposite sex, but I wasn’t her conscience.  Hanna won so much money the first night at craps, she had an entourage whenever she entered the casino. 

While the girls explored what the resort’s spa had to offer, I relished my private time with Rob.  Okay, so I felt bad that the other girls were without male companionship, but Rob and I really needed that time together to reconnect.  During the bulk of the nights he tried to stay out of the way, not interfering with our girls’ weekend except when we needed someone to carry bags or go get the car.  In return for treating him as little more than a servant while I was with them, I made it up to him every chance I got.  Ducking out to explore a hidden cove together, enjoying a hot soak in our private Jacuzzi, hunting together on the village streets. 

True to his word, there was no sign he was taking stims again. Rob slept at least an hour later than I did and collapsed well before the sun rose each morning, but at least he was able to stay awake for the majority of the night.  I always made sure he had ample time to feed whenever he woke, so his appetite never got out of control.  His mood swings were still unpredictable, and he’d gotten into a spectacular shouting match with Bridget over something stupid like how to work the GPS, but he seemed to catch himself before he went into full meltdown mode most of the time. 

Finally, it was time to move on, and with an army of doormen to tote our shopping bags, we left the resort and took a mini caravan to the marina where the yacht awaited us.  All sleek lines and modern conveniences, the yacht came complete with a crew of four –none of whom could be considered cabana boys, but Bridget didn’t raise too much fuss. 

“
Il Tradimento,
” Hanna read off the name of the boat when we stepped onto the dock.  “That doesn’t sound like Spanish.”

“I think it’s Italian, at least that’s where the website is based,” I replied.  “They have a whole fleet of these suckers.”  They had to be raking it in too.  I was half serious when I’d mentioned buying my own yacht.  Even though they cost an arm and two legs, with what I could charge to rent it out, I could have a very profitable side business.  

We put out to sea, checking out our berths and the boat’s amenities.  It’d been stocked with the finest champagne and gourmet treats, and we had our own private chef to tempt our palates.  Most of the foods I didn’t find very appetizing anymore, but his hot chocolate – spiced with cinnamon and a pinch of chili powder – was out of this world.  Bridget made a total pig of herself and took to wearing the same pair of track pants (dubbed her piggy pants – as in
whoo, I ate enough to choke a horse! I better go put on my piggy pants!
) every night after dinner. 

I didn’t mind being in the smaller cabin. Rob and I were out cold all day long and at night we either spent time on deck or in the lounge.  I made sure we always put in to shore right after sunset so Rob could hunt, whether I needed to or not.  That way he wouldn’t have to worry about being trapped on the boat with a limited blood supply all night long.

We spent four lazy days at sea.  Hanna’s fair skin had turned to a golden tan from all the time in the sun and Bridget was right behind her.  Maggie had taken to sitting in the shade, her tendency to freckle keeping her out of the direct sun, but she still professed to have a wonderful time with her Kindle, enjoying the sea air. 

Rob came up behind me on deck, pressing a kiss to my hair.  It was after midnight, the yacht cutting through the water with sleek speed.  I covered his hands with mine, leaning back against his solid chest.  “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

“You’re the beautiful one,” he rasped near my ear.  “You’re missing out on quite the card game inside.  I think Hanna won’t have to find a job for some time if Maggie keeps losing to her.”

Maggie could afford to lose a bunch, and I wondered if the tenderhearted girl was doing it on purpose.  “I’ve never been all that lucky at cards.  I guess that makes me lucky at love,” I smiled, tilting my head back to kiss the side of his jaw.  “You don’t have to come out here with me to keep me company though if you’d rather be in there.  I’m pretty sure they’d let you play.”  The girls’ vacation theme had only been exclusionary for the first few days.  After that there hadn’t been any objection to Rob joining us on our escapades. 

“I know better than to go anywhere near your sister and a deck of cards,” he snorted, his arms wrapping tighter around me.  We stood like that for a while, enjoying the night and being with each other. 

“Fancy a turn below decks?” he asked, nuzzling at my ear. 

A wave of desire shot through me, but at the same time I was reluctant to follow him down to our room in such tight quarters.  It was one thing to share a romantic tryst when we were in our own suite at a fancy resort, but the walls on the boat were thin and we didn’t have a history of being at all quiet.  If it was closer to dawn and the others were already asleep he probably could’ve talked me into it, but with everyone bright eyed and awake...  Not that I was embarrassed that they’d know what we were up to down there, but neither did I want to flaunt it in the face of the single ladies on board with all of them having romantic difficulties of their own.