GABRIELLA
My alarm went off at seven in the morning on Tuesday. I swung out of bed full of energy and hopped right in the shower, where I indulged in a full exfoliating and shaving routine that left my skin slippery smooth. I washed and conditioned my hair. Then I got out, dried off, and lathered myself in pineapple-scented body lotion.
Smelling like a tropical dream, I padded barefoot into my kitchen for my morning coffee and favorite breakfast, toast with peanut butter and honey.
Today was going to be a big day.
I had the important errand to run of dropping off the documents to Theo and Banner. Jake had dropped their location to me via the maps app on our phones and given them the heads-up that I’d be the one dropping off the papers, not him. They assured him this wasn’t a problem, and they were looking forward to seeing me.
I felt proud that Jake trusted me with such a big responsibility. I knew how important this task was, and nothing under the sun was going to stop me from getting the papers back into their hands. After the job was done, I’d make the call and Jake would be booking us a trip to the Maldives.
I couldn’t believe this was my life. If someone had told me six months ago that I’d be falling for my grumpy boss, I’d have laughed in their face. But here I was, falling. Not only that, but I was falling in love with my life. I loved my job, my condo, and myself. I’d gotten back into some of my old hobbies and picked up new ones, too. I was finally thriving again.
It felt amazing and tasted like freedom.
After I finished breakfast, I returned to my bathroom to blow dry my hair and flatiron it. My cute, spunky little bob looked fierce when it was straight, and I wanted to look like a bad-ass businesswoman when I dropped off the paperwork. I got dressed in one of my power outfits, a tailored blazer Jake had bought me when he first hired me, paired with a slick pair of black pants, red pumps, and a gold chain belt.
Oh yeah,I thought as I looked in my mirror, I’d do business with me in a heartbeat, and I’d definitely take me to the Maldives.
I was so excited to see what life on the ocean would be like with Jake. How would he act when he didn’t have work to keep him preoccupied all day? How would he pass the time? Would he be restless? Or would he sink into the luxurious life of vacation with me?
Even though I was alone, I blushed as a thought crossed my mind.
We’re probably going to fuck three times a day, every day.
I left my condo at nine in the morning, giving myself plenty of time to get to Theo and Banner. I’d rather be early and park outside than be crunched for time. This was too important to leave anything to chance.
As I pulled into a drive-thru to treat myself to a second cup of morning coffee, I called Jake through the Lambo’s Bluetooth.
He answered on the second ring. “Hey, baby. Where you at?”
“I’m just going through a Starbucks drive-thru and then I’m on my way to meet the boys. My GPS say it’s only a twenty-five-minute drive.”
“You’re going to be super early.”
“I know. That was intentional. I’ve been paranoid all morning about something going wrong, so I’m not leaving any margin for error.”
“That’s my girl.”
“Where are you? On your way to Santa Rosa?”
“Yes,” he said. “The meeting got rescheduled to an hour earlier, so it turns out I might have been able to drop off the paperwork after all.”
“Meh,” I said. “I think it’s better this way, so you don’t have to rush. And when you get back, you can show me all the fancy Maldives resorts we can go to.”
He chuckled. “Deal. I have to let you go, Gabi. I have a call coming in from Keller.”
“Okay, I’ll call you once I drop off the papers and I’m on my way to the office.”
“Sounds good.”
I ended the call just in time to roll my window down and place my coffee order. A couple minutes later, I was pulling out of the drive-thru lane, sipping on my caramel Frappuccino.
Heavenly.
I wondered if they would have caramel Frappuccino’s at the Maldives resort.
Probably.