Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

The car shuddered.

Liddy drew in a sharp breath as Callum slowed to a stop on the side of the road.

"What happened?" she asked, sitting straighter. She'd dozed off and now her brain was thick with exhaustion. More civilization was taking shape in the form of random houses on the roads. But nothing that looked like a town yet.

Callum was staring out the windshield, unmoving. "We ran out of petrol."

"What?" She nearly sprang from her seat. "What? How? Why didn't you stop?"

"First of all, because I haven't seen a petrol station. But also, how am I supposed to pay for petrol?"

Oh my God.

How in the hell were they supposed to get to La Fortuna now?

Or a hotel?

Or get back in time to retrieve her passport?

Liddy focused her bleary eyes on Callum. "So are we . . . spending the night in the car?"

"I guess." Callum leaned his seat back and stretched out. "I'm officially out of ideas."

Liddy looked around the cramped space. Her back had been killing her for hours now, but she had said nothing, not wanting to bring up her condition again. "I cannot spend the night in this car."

"Well, what do you propose we do? Abandon the car and walk to La Fortuna? We're having a fucking amazing time, Liddy. I can't think of anything terrible that might happen, like our car being stolen, if we leave our rental on the side of the road."

"All right, all right, don't yell at me." Liddy massaged her temples, trying to think. "Did you check your phone? Maybe you have service now. You might start by seeing how far away we are. Or we could go to one of these houses and see if someone could give one of us a ride to a gas station if we're close."

Callum didn't answer. But a few seconds later, he pulled out his phone and turned it on. He waited a few minutes, then breathed out. "I have five percent battery left."

She let out a shaky sigh. "Please work," she whispered out loud.

A few seconds later, Callum said, "All right, I'm on the bank app. This shouldn't take long."

He couldn't see it in the darkness, but her fingers were shaking.

If this doesn't work, we're so screwed.

"It went through." The relief in Callum's voice was audible as he continued to tap. "GPS says . . ." He sat up then and tugged his seat back up. "We're only a half a kilometer away." He released an incredulous laugh. "It's like two more turns."

"Oh my God. Thank God." She sank her head back. "And a hotel?"

"I'm going to send my sister a message right now. Tell her to book me a room at Tabacón. It's the best-known hotel in this area, so not only will there be signs everywhere if my phone dies, but everyone will know how to get there." Callum clicked through his apps.

Liddy froze as he logged on. She hadn't told him about the notifications she'd ignored. Maybe he'd just think they'd come in while the phone had been off...

Callum said nothing as he tapped out a message. Then he shut the phone off again. "Done," he breathed out.

"So now, what do we do?"

"Well, we are in a manual. We can pop it in neutral. If I push this damn thing, will you steer it?"

"All the way to a gas station? For a half a kilometer?"

Callum raised his palms. "Have any better ideas?"

She didn't.

She hadn't driven a car in over a year and never a stick shift, so as she climbed into the driver's seat, a nervous feeling crept up her back. What if they got going too fast—like down a hill or something?

"It's going to be fine, Lid," Callum said, his voice calm as she glanced out the open window. "Put the indicators on. You never know. Maybe someone will stop and help."

She laughed, feeling slap-happy. "Do you think this is just like a terrible dream or something?"

"It probably is for you. Getting stuck with your arsehole boss in a country known as paradise to everyone else while you freewheel in a dead car after the day from hell? No wonder we almost ripped each other's heads off before we got something to eat."

We sure did. For many reasons.

Liddy was still so deeply angry about what Callum's mom had done. No wonder he was so hostile toward her.

"I asked her to choose. It was either her or me. Surely, my own mother wouldn't want to betray her only son, right? My mum might have been Sophia's mum's best friend, but she was my mum."

Who chooses someone over their own flesh and blood? Their own child? Liddy had only ever seen loving sacrifice in her own family, so it was unfathomable what Callum's mom had done. And Sophia seemed to be okay with that as well. Cow. But Callum wouldn't want Liddy to talk about that.

So she focused on slowly steering the car, both fearful and excited. As she came to the first turn, she almost cried. A bright neon sign glowed in the distance. A gas station.

"Callum! A gas station. Up ahead." She could hardly contain the rush of emotion swelling within her.

As they drew closer, the legendary Tico helpfulness arrived, too. A group of men from the gas station came over and helped Callum push the damn SUV the rest of the way.

She almost kissed the ground beside the pump.

She smiled, feeling unusually better as Callum climbed back into the car. Maybe it was the promise of a potential hotel waiting not too far away. She didn't even care that there wasn't a chance she'd get her passport back today—or tomorrow, for that matter.

She just wanted a soft bed and a pillow.

The roof of Liddy's mouth was parched as she woke, trying to reorient herself.

She turned on the bed, stretching, and her hand bumped against Callum's shoulder. She drew it back, startled, then glanced at him.

Oh, yeah.

They'd arrived at the hotel shortly after getting to La Fortuna, both so exhausted that they could barely stand straight. In their possession was one backpack full of fruit, two toothbrushes and toothpaste, a dead cell phone, a couple of his credit cards, and his passport.

When they'd found out the hotel had given them a king-sized bed, she hadn't even bothered to object to Callum sleeping in the bed.

The fact is, he earned it.

And they'd both been asleep within minutes. He'd fallen asleep before her, in fact.

She climbed out of the bed now, feeling dirty and gross in the clothes she'd worn the previous day. Not that she had anything else to change into, but she'd seen a gift shop near the resort lobby, and they had some clothes and bathing suits for sale there. And the bathroom had two fluffy bathrobes.

She went into the bathroom and turned on the shower, hunting for the complimentary soaps and shampoo. Thank God Callum had wanted to book a well-known place. Even though she hadn't minded the rustic charm of La Hacienda , a little luxury felt incredible after their day yesterday.

Steam soon billowed over the top of the shower door, and she stepped into the stream of water, relaxing in the heat.

Given the ridiculous situation that had brought them here, drama today seemed inevitable. She'd better get in as much pampering while she could.

She took her time in the shower, even shaving her legs, before stepping out and wrapping herself in a robe. The sheer act of cleansing made her feel more balanced, as though it stripped away some of the awfulness from the day before.

She towel-dried her hair, then combed her fingers through it, leaving it loose and down her back. Unready to get back into her clothes yet, even if it meant Callum seeing her in a robe, she tied the knot on the robe tighter and stepped back into the room.

The scent of freshly made coffee filled the room.

Callum was awake, but he wasn't the first thing she saw.

He'd gotten out of bed and pulled back the curtain to their room, flooding it with light. On the patio that hid behind the curtain, the outdoor world they hadn't bothered to peek at the night before came into view. Arenal, the tall, conical-shaped volcano, graced the sky like a sleeping giant, completely unobstructed from cloud cover.

The sight stole her breath.

She watched the majestic volcano, her heart thudding in her chest. People from all over the world came to see this magma-filled crater, and she'd read in the guidebooks that it was notoriously difficult to see it this time of year.

It hadn't been something she'd come to Costa Rica thinking she'd get the chance to visit because Elle's wedding plans took priority, but here she was—and she'd practically stumbled here by accident.

This is breathtaking.

Movement from the patio caught her attention, and Callum shifted into view beyond the sliding glass door. He'd gone outside with a cup of coffee, and the sight of him made her blink.

He wore an undershirt and boxer briefs—what he'd slept in. She'd been so tired, she hadn't cared. But now she got a good look at him, realizing she hadn't seen him in short sleeves. Every other shirt he'd worn had also been a long-sleeved, lightweight fabric.

He had a half-sleeve of tattoos on his left arm, three-quarters on his right. One was various symbols devoted to different countries: Costa Rica, the US, England. A mix of flags and artwork. The other had what appeared to be some soccer-related symbols. She didn't know too much, but she recognized crests she'd seen her friends wear jerseys for before.

Which made sense. He'd been really into football. Inked it on his body.

Maybe it was why he didn't wear short sleeves, which was a shame.

A body as toned as his deserved to be admired. Taut, well-built muscles on his arms, broad shoulders that boasted of chiseled muscle, then tapered to his waist, and an ass and legs that made it clear he never skipped leg day.

God. He's beautiful.

She bit her lip, feeling a little unsteady.

Admittedly, she had dated little, but there had been the occasional date in college, and those guys had definitely been boys. And in London, the few men she'd gone out with were her age . . . but none looked anything like this.

Callum was manly in a way she didn't even know how to verbalize. Nothing about him hinted at physical awkwardness. He probably knows exactly what to do with those hands.

She averted her eyes as a flush went through her.

She'd been staring at Callum with a major case of lust for the last minute.

And he appeared to have noticed.

He opened the door and stepped through. "I made coffee if you want some." He nodded toward the in-room coffee maker.

"That would be amazing." Why am I suddenly self-conscious about being in this robe?

She went over toward him as he poured the coffee. "Did you sleep well?"

"Like a rock. There's sugar and powdered milk."

Liddy shook her head. "Black is good." She took the cup from him. "Slightly more comfortable than on the floor, huh?"

Callum's lips tipped upward in a smile as he stepped back. "Yeah, just a bit. It made the whole hassle of the day yesterday almost worth it." He tilted his head back toward her backpack, which was open on the table. "Though I hope you don't mind, I stuck some of the fruit into the mini-fridge and had some, too."

"I think I could plow my way through a fruit fest this morning," she said with a smile.

That feels like a lifetime ago somehow. Maybe it's the combination of jet lag and how long yesterday was. Going to the farmers' market had been her favorite part of the day—not that there was really a contest for anything else.

"Can I ask you a question?" Callum said, dropping back and sitting on the edge of the bed.

She sipped the coffee, the warmth of it making her feel instantly at ease. "Sure."

Callum lifted his phone, which was still plugged into an outlet. He'd snagged an iPhone charger from the hotel's lost and found at the front desk. Apparently, phone chargers were high on the list of forgotten items.

"Did you see my sister's texts come in yesterday while you were searching for hits on Sergio? They're time-stamped from around that time."

Liddy froze in place. Oh crap.

He'd caught her.

Shit, he's going to think I was snooping. She nodded, wordlessly.

"Why didn't you say something?" he asked flatly.

"Because . . ." Liddy took a deep breath. "Because I already knew you hated me, Callum. We never tried to pretend we liked each other—until maybe yesterday—and it's just too complicated, really. I don't want you to pretend you like me. I'd rather just lay things on the table and be honest with each other. Things are going to change between us when we get back to London, I'm sure. There's no way to go through what we've gone through without it changing the dynamic in some ways, but?—"

"I don't hate you, Liddy." Callum clasped his hands, leaning forward.

She furrowed her brow. "But?—"

"Isla and I haven't discussed what's happened since I arrived." He drew a sharp breath. "Look, she called me yesterday while we were at the church. My mum told her I'd brought a girlfriend—Quinn's sister-in-law—and she was a bit confused. She's my sister and one of the few people I talk to about personal things, so she knows I don't have a girlfriend. I made some offhanded comment about how you'd probably believed I hated you before this trip. But I don't hate you. Especially not . . . after the past couple of days."

Wow.

I can't believe he brought this up.

Yet he seemed sincere. Honest.

She sipped her coffee, holding the mug in both her hands, her elbows tight to her sides as though she was protecting her chest with the cup. "So . . . what? You like me now?" She raised one brow.

"Yes, I like you." Callum smirked. "Even though you can be a pain in the arse. We almost ended up sleeping in a broken-down car on the side of the road because of your ideas yesterday."

"That is not entirely my fault."

"You should have seen your face last night when I told you I was giving up and going to sleep."

Instead, he pushed the car over a quarter of a mile for me. To get us to a hotel.

When he was already exhausted.

Liddy was amazed at the difference in the man in front of her. He wasn't the jerk she had believed him to be.

"I like you, too, Callum," she admitted, smiling behind her coffee cup. "Maybe against my better judgment. But still, I like you."

"So long as you also haven't fought against your family's expectations and the inferiority of my birth by rank to come to that conclusion." Callum tilted his head to the side, giving her a once-over.

He's teasing me.

And I know that line . . .

" Pride and Prejudice ," he filled in, since she was clearly struggling.

"Oh! Right." She laughed loudly. "Except in this case, that would make me Darcy."

"Not the worst character in literary history to be compared to. He comes around nicely." Callum stood and winked. "Unlike that Lydia character you seem to dislike so much."

I might swoon, which is ridiculous.

"So I took the time to look up the hours of operation for Adventures and Escapes—the tour company Sergio works for—today. And it looks like they're closed because it's Sunday. But given that he probably got into town late last night like we did, it might be a safe assumption that whatever tour he's guiding will be here all day into tomorrow. Either way, we can't go scouring for that tour in a place as big as this. And even though I agreed to come here, I don't know if I can take another day of craziness."

Callum went over to the clothes he'd thrown over a chair and shook out his pants. "We're stuck here until tomorrow anyway because we have to get your passport back from that soda. Would you be opposed to waiting to resume our search until tomorrow, when we can actually talk to the people at the tour company?"

She considered his words. They'd done so much to get here, but now they were just going to pause?

But why does the idea feel like relief?

Because she'd pushed herself like crazy the past couple of days. She needed a chance to recharge. "So we would . . . what? Just hang out here?"

"The room rental comes with admission to the hot springs area of the resort. And there are restaurants and the town to explore. If you're feeling up to it, we can do something more adventurous during the day and a night hike later. You can still hear the volcano at night even though the lava trails aren't visible like they were when I was a kid. But it's still a fascinating hike."

She chewed her lip. "I feel a little guilty. We're both supposed to be here for Elle and Quinn, and we've sort of run off."

"If Elle knew what you were doing to try to make her wedding go smoothly, there's no way she'd be mad at you. Besides, hadn't they written in one of those many wedding emails that the whole point of going a week before the wedding was for all of us to sightsee?"

True.

And she could use a break from chasing the wedding dress thief. They'd hit a snag in their search for him as it was.

"All right. Let's take the day to explore. But I'm going to need clothes and a bathing suit. I can pay you back if you don't mind lending me the money."

"Sounds good. Not that I'm worried. I know where you work." He cocked a smile at her.

I slept in a bed with my boss last night.

Yeah, no big deal.

And she was spending the day with him, just sightseeing. After they'd admitted to liking each other.

But liking each other wasn't any huge admission. This wasn't grade school where saying "I like you" meant you were halfway on your way to being a "couple" and sharing snacks at recess.

"Oh, this is a spa, isn't it? Maybe I could book a massage or something. Or we could get a couple's massage and split the cost."

"You know, if I hadn't been driving for twenty million hours straight, I'd laugh. But that's not sounding so horrible now that you mentioned it."

She smiled, feeling oddly excited.

A day of indulging and pampering would be amazing.

Even if she couldn't quite shrug off the sisterly guilt.