The woman made a careless gesture of approval, not even really noticing her, and Gizelle swooped in to claim her prize.
The glass was returned triumphantly to Tex at the bar, perched on the tray.
“Nice work, cub,” Tex said encouragingly, taking the glass casually.
“I’m not a child,” Gizelle reminded him, feeling a little let down.
She took the tray back and surveyed the bar. There were three people sitting together by the edge of the deck that looked down over the big pool; they appeared to have extra glasses and possibly even a bottle. Gizelle padded over the tiles towards them, only remembering to keep her tray level at the last moment.
These people looked at her when she approached, momentarily making Gizelle freeze. These were strangers, and it wasn’t so very long ago that just having them glance at her would have made her shift and flee in her gazelle form.
This time, she reminded herself before her flight instinct kicked in that she was in a safe place. These people would not hurt her. She was supposed to be in human form.
“Can I take your glasses?” she remembered to say.
She realized that she was standing too far away, several paces from the table still, but the woman in the group had a friendly smile and gestured her to come closer.
“I’d like another mojito,” the friendly-smile woman said.
Gizelle clutched her tray. She wasn’t supposed to take orders, just glasses. But really, what was the harm? She took another step closer, eyeing the empty glasses. “Alright,” she said slowly. “A mojito.” What did Tex usually say when someone asked for that? “Extra mint?”
“Yes, please,” the woman said, and Gizelle felt like she’d just done something momentous.
One of the men pushed a glass towards the edge of the table. That was an invitation, right? Gizelle swooped in to take the glass, and then bravely took the rest of the empty ones, stacking them carefully around the tray so they were balanced, with the bottle perfectly in the middle.
“I’ll take another IPA,” the other man said agreeably. “And a shot of Jaeger.”
“Whiskey on the rocks,” the last person added.
Gizelle smiled bravely. “Mojito, extra mint, IPA, shot of... Jaeger. Whiskey on rocks.”
Friendly-smile woman continued to smile and nodded approvingly, and the men returned to their conversation.
Gizelle turned back to the bar, tray balanced on one hand like Laura did. She caught Tex’s nervous look and returned to holding it in both hands.
“They want drinks,” she told Tex happily as she arrived at the bar. “Mojito... with... extra Jaeger. On rocks?”
Her cheerfulness faded with her faulty memory.
Tex took the glasses from the tray with a practiced sniff for each. “Mojito with extra leaf. Pale ale. Shot of Jaeger. Jack on rocks.”
Gizelle might have pouted, but Tex swiftly told her, “You did a good job.” He didn’t call her a cub that time. “I’ll make these while you go collect glasses from the tables by the pool,” he suggested.
Gizelle took the empty tray, enthusiasm slightly dented, and went to gather glasses.
Chapter 4
The first disappointment of the resort was the lack of private kitchen facilities. A note in the brochure explained it away as jungle bug control and played up the fine food available at the restaurant and buffet.
Conall was skeptical of their claims, but hungry after the long plane ride. He left his luggage, still packed, to follow the signs and smells to the central buildings and the promise of food.
The second disappointment was the string of Christmas lights being hung at the restaurant entrance. A rough-looking character covered in tattoos and scars stood on one ladder, while a smiling Native American man on a stepladder was handling the other end of the string and directing the placement. There was a box of tinsel and decoration overflowing by the foot of the ladder.
Conall’s appetite vanished.
The bar below sounded far more appealing.
It was late afternoon, and a sign by the restaurant door claimed it was opening for dinner service in half an hour anyway. Conall had doubts about how strictly they followed schedules at a tropical resort such as this, but maybe a drink before dinner would be just what he needed.