“Good morning,” Eva said as I walked through the door.
I tried my best to put on a happy face, but she saw right through my façade.
“You don’t look so good, Ginger. What’s wrong?”
I shrugged while sipping my coffee. “It’s a long story that I can’t get into right now. How are things with you?”
“Still single and lonely. I can’t find any part-time jobs, either.”
“Are you sure that you want another job, Eva? I know you’re lonely, but that’s a lot of commitment on your part. Even though you’re single, really think before applying for a job.”
I made my way into my office and tried to focus on work. Thankfully I enjoyed what I did for a living, so it kept my mind occupied for a while. But that quickly dissipated within an hour, and all I could think about was Jorge.
My phone kept ringing off the hook, emails were piling up, and several employees had come into my office with concerns they should have been able to deal with on their own. A few of them noticed that I wasn’t my usual self, either, and said they would come back another time. That made me feel even worse, though.
By the time lunch rolled around, I knew I had to make a decision.
I sat outside with my sandwich and salad, listening to the seagulls and waves crashing against the ocean. If I went to Africa with Jorge, I would be saying goodbye to the Lavender Dreams Spa. It wouldn’t be such a big decision if Jorge could have given me a time frame. I wanted to at least give Yuslan a head’s up ahead of time for when they could expect my return. But if I decided to go with Jorge, it could be anywhere from a week up to a year.
There’s no way in hell that I’ll leave the spa that long.
Sure, Yuslan noted that I’d always have a place here. But it would only be a matter of time before they’d need to fill my position. My biggest fear was getting an email while I was in Africa that said, oops, we’ve hired someone to take your place. Thanks for your time with the company. Guadalupe and Yuslan had always made me feel like a daughter, but they had a business to run.
Guadalupe came out to join me, not saying a word as she sat down across the table. All she did was stare and smile at me as I nibbled away on my sandwich. I knew she was waiting for me to tell her everything about Jorge and Africa. Even though she and I hadn’t discussed it, Yuslan undoubtedly told her everything after our talk.
“Oh, Guadalupe. Why did I ever get mixed up with Jorge in the first place? None of this would be happening if we’d just remained friends.”
She shook her head at me while clicking her tongue. “It would have been impossible for the two of you just to remain friends, Ginger. You must know that by now.”
I tilted my head at her while sipping my water. “I don’t know about that, Guadalupe. Jorge is an attractive man who could get just about any woman he wanted, and I’m just some accountant who works at a spa. I think I just got lucky.”
“Luck isn’t what brought you two together, Ginger. Jorge chose to be with you.” She always had a way of knowing exactly what to say. “Before he met you, Ginger, wasn’t he a womanizer? One of those men who goes gallivanting with numerous women, hopping from one to the next, and barely remembering any of their names. But not you.”
I thought about my relationship with Jorge and how much it had evolved over the past year. We didn’t have a romantic start, that was for sure. Chase had passed me off to him at Paris’s wedding last year because he had wanted to dance with Margo, and I found him to be utterly boring. But as I looked back at that night, I realized that I wasn’t bored by him at all.
I was just obsessed with keeping Margo away from Chase.
“That’s true. Jorge has been with many women, and just thinking about him sleeping with Ria makes my skin crawl.”
She shook her head while putting her hand on top of mine. “Ria is out of the picture now, Ginger. You need to forgive him for his past mistakes and look toward the future. That woman could throw herself naked at Jorge, and he’d probably run away screaming. He’s with you now—only you.”
I chuckled while picturing that scenario, knowing that Guadalupe was probably right. “As much as I love Jorge, Guadalupe, I can’t go to Africa! I love my job here, and you just gave me a huge raise. You guys are like a family to me.”
“Ginger, you forget the most important thing about families. No matter what comes between them, they’re bound by love. Sure, there are moments when your family gets on your nerves, and you want nothing to do with them. For example, when Yuslan conveniently forgets to take out the garbage and I’m stuck doing that job.”
I giggled as she complained about her husband. They were two peas in a pod and were adorable even when they bickered.
“But you’ll have to have someone else do my job while I’m gone, Guadalupe. I can’t tell you how much work I have to do. In fact, I should have had a working lunch hour instead of sitting out here. It’ll require someone doing it at least forty-hours per week.”
Guadalupe rolled her eyes at me while smiling. “That’s for me to worry about, Ginger. The sooner you get your ass to Africa, the sooner you can return and have your job back. We’ll probably just hire a temporary person, anyway.”
I felt better knowing they’d go with a temporary employee instead of filling the job while I was gone, then having to move that poor person into another position.
“Do they even have temps who specialize in accounting?”
“You can get a temp for just about anything nowadays. I’m sure there’s someone with your degree just looking for a position, who is registered with a temp agency. If they do a good job, maybe I’ll create a position just for them to sign on. But again, Ginger, all that matters is that you accompany Jorge to Africa.”
The more Guadalupe spoke about her plans for filling my position, the better I felt about the whole ordeal. I honestly had no problem leaving Miami for a while. Margo was busy with Chase and the baby, and Eva would soon be occupied with a part-time job…or boyfriend.
