Caviar Dreams: The Prequel Novella to Champagne Life Read Online Free Page A

Bahamas. To me, it sounded more like an obligatory request as opposed to something I should do, so I didn’t even bother. However, when we landed, I sent a short, simple text. We’re here. TTYL , was all it said.
    I needed to start over, I knew it, but dang the whole dating thing again. It tired me out just thinking about it.
    I glanced over at Ticia, who was still fast asleep, snoring like a lawn mower. I decided to go downstairs to grab a few brochures on some of the tourist traps around here. I kinda felt like snorkeling but didn’t feel like doing my hair afterward. If I were smart, I would’ve slapped in a curly weave like Ticia and been done with it. Unfortunately, I wasn’t much of a weave girl. I did have the good sense to get a fresh perm in my short cropped ’do, tho’.
    As quietly as I could, I snatched up my suitcase lying on the floor next to the wicker chair and flounced it onto the bed. I decided on a light, floral dress and the pair of white sandals I spent ninety dollars on. Normally, I didn’t spend tons of money on shoes, but one day shopping with Ticia, I felt that urge. I had the money so I did it. Missed a credit card payment to do it, but it still felt good.
    I put on an extra coat of lipstick, patted down my hair and did one final inspection in the bathroom mirror. I grabbed one of the two keys dude gave us and headed out the door.
    ***
    I was flipping through a brochure in the downstairs lobby, but to be honest, I was really looking for dude. He wasn’t quite my type, but he seemed like he could be fun to hang with.
    He wasn’t at the front desk. No one was, so I continued breezing through the brochure on horseback riding excursions, still waiting. I was giving it another five minutes until I gave up. I picked up the canoeing brochure and headed for the stairs. When I reached the bottom step, I heard a voice call out to me.
    “Hey, pretty lady, leaving me all alone?”
    I turned around and saw the guy from the front desk, waving me over. “I was looking for someone—something to do tonight.” I cringed at my Freudian slip. He didn’t seem to mind though.
    “We were just talking about you,” he said.
    “We?”
    “Me and my boy, D. He was looking for someone, uh, something to do tonight,” he said with a smirk. “I told him all about you ladies.”
    There was something about this guy, maybe his accent or maybe it was the way he grinned at me all the time. I didn’t care what Ticia said, he could definitely be a prospect.
    “What did you say your name was?” I asked.
    “Fabian.”
    “Well, Fabian, our names aren’t really Phoebe and Myrtle.”
    “I know.”
    “Really? Why didn’t you say something?”
    Fabian shrugged. “You’d tell me eventually.”
    “Really?”
    “Yup.”
    I talked to Fabian for a few minutes in the lobby and dare I say, he was kinda cool. He told me he was single, didn’t have any kids, and how he planned on attending college next semester. According to him, the owner of this timeshare was his sister’s cousin on his dad’s side—or something like that—and was thinking about leaving it to him. I didn’t really believe him about the timeshare, tho’, but nonetheless, he told me how he planned to make it a vacation spot for sexy singles. That one made me laugh.
    “So are you and your girl down with going out with me and my boy tonight?”
    I didn’t want to make it too easy for him, so I said, “And do what?”
    He leaned in so close, I could smell his cologne. “We could take you out to dinner and go dancing. Whatever you pretty ladies like. We can show you the island like you’ve never seen it before.”
    A little over the top, but okay.
    “Um, sure,” I said. “I’ll talk to my girl about it.” I took two steps back. I had to get out of there as soon as possible, before he saw me blush, which I was sure I was doing.
    “Don’t forget me, Naomi,” he called out as I started walking up the steps back to the room.
    I turned around.