Listening to Yuslan speak was like having a heart-to-heart with your father, minus all of the guilt. There was something about him that understood things that were left unsaid.
“Are you sure, Yuslan?”
He stood up and wrapped his arms around me. “Of course, I’m sure, Jorge. Just remember to invite my wife and me to your wedding.”
I chuckled at his comment. “But we’re not even engaged, Yuslan.”
He winked at me as we walked back to the reception area.
By the time I got to Ginger’s condo, I had an entire speech in my head. The longer I pounded on her door, begging her to answer it, the more of it I forgot.
Ginger finally opened the door and let me inside. “What do you want, Jorge?”
“I know you’re upset about me going to Africa, but I have an idea. What if you went with me?”
My offer did not sit well with her.
“Why on earth would I go to Africa with you, Jorge? This isn’t a romantic vacation for us! You’re going there on business.”
I took her hand and led her to the couch, where we sat down next to each other. “Please hear me out, Ginger. I went to the spa and spoke with Yuslan.”
“Why were you at the spa?”
“Because I couldn’t leave for Africa without hearing from you first. You have no idea how much pain I’ve been in this past week, without hearing your voice or seeing your face. Anyway, Yuslan suggested that you do Ria’s old job until I find someone else to do it.”
“Are you kidding me, Jorge? First, you ask me to be your fake fiancée, then we nearly go through with a fake wedding ceremony, and now you want me to do Ria’s job?”
When she puts it that way, I can see why she’s so upset.
“I know that the spa is like an extended family for you, Ginger, but Yuslan said they’re more than willing to work everything out.”
“You asked Yuslan before me? What is wrong with you?”
I held up my hands, desperate to calm her down. “Oh, God, no! No, Ginger. That’s not what happened at all. I went there to beg you to talk to me, and Yuslan is the one who suggested that you do the job.”
Her face started to soften.
“There’s no way in hell that I’d ever ask you to do such a thing! I told him I could never ask that of you because of how much you love your working there!”
“Well, I appreciate you not being the one to mention me leaving first. But as much as I love you, Jorge, it’s been nothing but stress ever since we got together. I mean, our time in Paris was amazing, but we’re right back to square one.”
“I know. Why don’t you think about it and call me in the morning?”
Ginger nodded and walked me to the door, where I left without either one of us saying another word. And by the time I got back to my downtown office, it hit me: she wasn’t wearing the ring anymore.
23
Ginger
That night I tossed and turned in bed trying not to think about Jorge and me in Africa, working together to insure the miners were doing their job safely. I imagined how impressed Jorge would be with my negotiating abilities too. Finally falling asleep, I dreamed he would propose in some special way to me.
I woke up, gasping for air right as I was about to answer him.
I was aware Jorge needed an answer about Africa right away, and I wasn’t prepared for that kind of pressure, which was odd, since I’d always worked well under the gun. But he was asking me to uproot my life for who knew how long, walk away from a job that I was in love with, and live in another country for possibly a few months.
As I watched the waves crashing against the shore from my balcony, I wondered just how far I’d go for Jorge. This past year had been all about my becoming a strong, independent woman. And independent women didn’t abandon their lives for some guy. But it had also been the year that I had gotten to know Jorge, and I didn’t want to throw away our relationship. The problem was that so much was happening to me all at once, and I told myself that anyone else in my position would also be stressed out.
Deciding that Jorge would have to wait a little bit longer for an answer, I put the whole Africa situation in the back of my mind and went into work that morning.
