Falling in love with the man wasn’t part of the plan.
Spending three years after her divorce mourning the loss of her temporary marriage wasn’t expected either.
With her fertility clock ticking away and the desire to not put her heart out there only to be stomped on again, Shannon felt she was making the best logical step to making her future better.
Her parents no longer nagged her to get married, and while they didn’t openly support her work as a photographer, they didn’t continually put it down either. Her mother referred to it as a hobby. And since it didn’t truly support her, Shannon couldn’t disagree. Then again, she wasn’t attempting to fill every extra hour with work. There wasn’t a need. Which led to her desire to have a child. She had love to give, and who better than her own baby?
Like the woman who’d written the book she was reading, Shannon had enough money to support a baby on her own, and with her friendship pool filled with strong women with equally solid men, she knew she and her child would be fine.
Shannon flipped through the virtual pages of the book discussing the lesbian choice of conception and moved on to the single straight woman.
“It’s either a boring book or you’re a speed reader.”
The voice behind her made her jump.
She set the reader down, heart in chest. “Stop scaring me, Victor.”
He slid into a chair, signaled the waiter, and sat back with a smile. “Good morning.”
He still wore ridiculous pants, loafers, and what looked like a T-shirt from the hotel staff. “You’re up early,” he said.
“I can’t help it.”
He looked around. “Where’s Avery?”
“Sleeping.”
“Ahh. She seemed very protective of you yesterday.”
“She is. Good friends are like that.” She looked at his shirt. “Did you bum the shirt off the waiter?”
“Concierge offered a lost luggage pack.”
She smiled. “Did you tell them the airline lost your suitcase?”
He leaned forward, lowered his voice. “That was my first thought, then I realized they’d be on the lookout for when the airline found it and sent it here. So I told them my runaway bride ran off with my luggage by mistake.”
“Sneaky, but resourceful.”
The waiter brought his coffee. “I’m meeting Dylan here before we shop. Although I’m sure I can manage on my own.”
“When was the last time you bought casual clothes?”
“I order stuff online.”
Shannon shook her head. “You need his help. Don’t worry, I know it’s a stereotype, but most gay men know how to dress. I’m sure he won’t lead you wrong.”
“Everything I’ve seen since I’ve been here has a hippie, bohemian theme.”
“I can think of worse looks.”
Victor shrugged. “I guess.”
“Isn’t today the day of your important meeting?” It was Tuesday.
“I rescheduled.”
She smiled, waited a beat. “Any word from Corrie?”
“No.”
Because she needed to know. “How are you doing with all that?”
“I didn’t get wasted last night . . . so better, I guess.”
“Progress.”
“What about you guys . . . what are your plans today?”
“Beach, swimming, dinner plans tonight. Tomorrow we’re doing the tourist thing.” And searching for a baby daddy away from the hotel.
“What are the tourist things to do here?”
“You can visit the ruins, the cenotes, do some snorkeling. Do you dive?”
“Scuba?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“No. If I were meant to breathe underwater, I’d have gills.”
“There’s kayaking, windsurfing. You can rent ATVs, ride through the jungle, find the monkeys, maybe a jaguar or two. I’m sure you can find plenty to do.” Shannon had a strong suspicion that Victor didn’t plan on doing any of it.
“I’ll figure it out.”
They both noticed Dylan approaching at the same time. He greeted Shannon with a kiss to the cheek. “Good morning, lovely.”
“Good morning.”
He turned to look at Victor, frowned at the shirt. “You’re a fashion emergency if I ever saw one.”
“We’re going to fix that, right?”
Dylan stood back when Victor got up from his chair.
“Good luck,” Shannon said.
“I’m going to need it,” Dylan said.
“I know when I’m being insulted,” Victor added. “Let’s get this over with. I’m not a shopper. The sooner we start, the sooner I can walk around without looking like I just got off the plane.”
Shannon waved as they walked away. “Have fun.” She couldn’t wait to see what Dylan would dress Victor in. Anything would be better than dress slacks on a beach.
What had he been thinking?
Curiosity, she told herself. To see him in something casual. Maybe a change in clothes would help him loosen up. He’d seemed a little more relaxed than the day before. When she’d asked about Corrie, he didn’t