CHAPTER TEN
KATY
December 15
Katy was glad for sunrise as she’d tossed and turned the night before, and she was happy she no longer had to try to sleep.
A low-grade fever had seemed to consume her as she lay in bed, thinking of Marcus. He had almost kissed her last night.
A delicious warmth coursed through her veins at the memory.
Truth was, she’d wanted him to kiss her. But then he’d turned and left her. Just like that. Her stomach had plummeted in disappointment.
She’d gone back to the group, faking a smile. Marcus had been talking to someone else, so Katy stayed away. He was cool to her on the hike down and in the van ride, like a stranger.
Why would he want to kiss her? She was invisible, as she always wanted. A behind-the-scenes kind of person. She wondered if his deceased wife was a good kisser.
The thought filled her with guilt. How could she even think of such a horrid thing?
Rolling to her side, she faced the open window. Antigua was waking up, with roosters crowing, tuk-tuks on the move, and birds chirping loudly. Normally, she’d have derived pleasure from this simple scene, but today, she felt hollow.
With a sigh, she rolled off the bed and got to her knees.
Dearest Heavenly Father. I think I’m starting to fall for Marcus.
She raised her head in panic, blinking into the lightening morning. But they’d just met. How could she possibly be attracted to him? Sure, he was funny and handsome, but he could be sarcastic. Hurtful.
Are you perfect? came the soft chastising voice in her prayer.
Definitely not, Lord. I’m scared. He seems to like me, and then he doesn’t. And he’s had a wife before. Maybe he’s not ready to like someone again. Should I…encourage him? Besides, he’s a billionaire. A wealthy man like my father, who’’s made poor choices in his life because of money.
No answer came. Katy covered her face with her hands.
She hadn’t felt this confused in a long time.
After getting showered and dressed, her cell phone buzzed.
Marcus: Have you had breakfast yet?
She paused as though he were asking a question with serious consequences.
Katy: No.
Marcus: Meet you at the same place?
She bit her lip and smiled. Should she?
Katy: Sure.
Marcus: Great. See you.
She took a deep breath and checked her reflection one last time in the small mirror nailed on the side of a wardrobe.
Her eyes sparkled, and her face glowed.
“Katy,” she scolded herself. “Don’t be falling in love with a billionaire, now.”
She took a tuk-tuk to Cesar’s. Marcus was waiting in the foyer and watched her get out and walk to him. As she got closer, he averted his eyes.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey.” His voice sounded distant. She wondered why he bothered inviting her if her company obviously made him feel uncomfortable.
He followed her and the server to a table. Soon, the same breakfast arrived.
“So…what are we doing today?” Marcus asked.
“We’ll stick around here. It’s the start of posadas.”
“What’s that?”
“It literally means ‘inn.’ A nine-evening tradition of processions. It symbolizes Joseph and Mary’s search for an inn. They usually start it December 16, but this year, they’re doing it on the fifteenth.”
His face clouded over, and she remembered his aversion for Christmas. “Cool,” he said in a polite voice. “What about tomorrow? What are we doing?”
“We’re hiking at sunset to a volcano called Acatenango.”
“This a day hike?” He rolled up a cheese slice and took a hearty bite.
“More than that,” Katy said. “It’s an overnighter.”
He stopped mid-chew. “In this weather?”
“We’ll want to dress warmly, of course, and we’ll be in tents.”
He peered out the window at the clouds obscuring the volcanic mountains. “I don’t know.”
“Marcus James, were you not a Boy Scout?”
“Well, yes…”
“Didn’t you go on winter camps?”
“Yes, but never up a mountain.” He turned the tables on her. “How come you’re so into roughing it?”
”Just picked it up in college with some friends.”
Marcus wiped the crumbs off his beard and tossed the napkin on the table. “I get the feeling you think I’m being wimpy for asking sensible questions.”
“Where’s your sense of adventure?” she teased.
“Okay, okay. Fair enough. I’m on board.”