Monty woke midafternoon and was disappointed to find Sofia gone. He thought about waking her up when they arrived after two.
He returned to his room to shower. The night before, he had been too tired. Traveling took every ounce of energy he had, and Gray was in worse shape.
When he saw his reflection, he sighed. Their trip took a turn for the worse when they went to the safari camp. Monty had been on safari before, but Gray hadn't. His friend was excited about the adventure, while Monty had looked forward to the food. His memory was of a delicious family-style fare. Unfortunately, the camp had changed owners, leaving Monty disappointed when the first meal was substandard. Still, they saw amazing sights of wild animals in their habitats.
Everything changed on the third day when they both had a severe intestinal attack. The cause was unknown, but it could have been E. Coli. They were both so sick the camp staff took them to a clinic, where the medical staff hydrated them. He left them with a sizable donation.
He turned from the mirror and stepped on his scale. He lost ten pounds. He looked five to ten years older and like he would if he drank the way everyone assumed.
After his shower, he called his mother. If Bea was having a party, she would have invited his mother.
"Are you home?"
"Late last night."
"Where were you?"
His father knew about Australia. "I was doing work for Whitby in Australia. Then I jumped over for a safari."
Jumped. Gray was adamant, no more jumping. Monty never forced him. His friend could watch from the bridge. He wondered if Sofia was daring?
"Good. You're home just in time."
She had an upbeat tone. "Why?"
"Bea's having a gathering to welcome home Jonathan."
"He's actually home?"
He had searched for his old friend. He met with an English dude with a shiny head from the relief organization. There was a woman next to him who supposedly worked with Jon. Monty hardly gave her a passing glance. He had to commit to a sizable donation before they would give him any information.
The woman smiled. "Our latest update is he left the country."
"Left for where?"
The egghead said, "We couldn't say. We protect the privacy of our staff."
Gray started to stand. Monty half expected him to lunge across the table. They were hot and sweaty, and Gray had been cranky. Meanwhile, baldy had swindled Monty out of a donation.
"Come on. If Jon dedicated years to the organization, what's a few bucks."
He hadn't been sure his friend actually left the continent. "When did he arrive home?"
"Less than a week ago. You know Bea."
Less than a week? He opened his checkbook before the safari mishap. Embarrassed, he had no intention of sharing his stupidity.
Looking up his old friend seemed like a good idea, but to see him in Weston, he felt like the kid who imploded his life with a bottle. He hadn't seen him since that night. By the time Monty stopped traveling long enough to accept invitations, Jon and his brother were gone. Monty ran. Jon ran. They weren't very different, except for the bottle.
Gray sat on his bed while Monty dressed. His friend looked like crap.
"I'm never traveling again. You can go alone."
YOU ARE READING
A Billion Reasons (Wish 8)
Romance(Complete) Monty Whitby grew up knowing exactly what was expected of him. As the sole heir of Whitby Enterprises, he will one day take over, but his father never misses the opportunity to tell him he will never meet his expectations. Once Monty's re...
