One Cold Moment

Chapter 10

Later in the evening, Yankee decided to visit the plantation.

"Marina!" Yankee called.

"Oh, there you are," he said.

"Hey," Marina greeted.

"What are you still doing here? It's pretty late," he asked.

"Oh... umm..." she stammered. "I just came here to finish up."

"So, going already?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied.

"Do you mind having dinner before going?" he asked.

"Nah, I can't. Granny will be worried if I stay longer," she said.

"C'mon, Marina. It won't take long, I promise," he insisted.

"Alright then."

They both walked to the restaurant. Yankee flashed the attendant a smile and placed their order. Marina was served a grilled cheese sandwich while Yankee had a Cobb salad. They spent dinner in comfortable silence, mixed with light conversation and flirty looks.

"Umm... Poppy came to my house yesterday," he said.

"Oh, she did?" Marina asked.

"Yeah, she came to apologize for what happened the previous day, but unfortunately, she got into a fight with Lucy."

"Holy crap! How did that happen?" she asked.

"Her manners, I guess. And you know your boss doesn’t tolerate nonsense. Like, damn....Poppy's gonna kill me."

"I thought she was your girlfriend," Marina said.

"Hell no, she’s not! I met her at the patisserie some days ago. I really need to get rid of her before she creates bigger problems for me."

"Alright then. But take it easy, okay? I have to be on my way now," she said, standing up.

"I’ll take you," he offered.

"You don’t have to," she almost groaned, but when she saw the hint of a smile on his face, she knew she wasn’t going home on her own tonight.

******

At 9:00 a.m., Anthonio was dressed in a black tee and brown jeans.

"Bro, my flight is in one hour, and I have to hurry," he said to Yankee, who walked over to place his clothes in the hamper.

"Alright, man. My regards to Isabel," Yankee said.

"So, when are you coming?" Tony asked.

"In a few weeks’ time," he replied.

"What? Are you serious?" Tony asked with a straight face. "So you’re gonna leave me all by myself in Hong Kong?"

"C’mon, man. You have Isabel. I promise I won’t stay too long."

"It’s because of Marina, right?" Tony asked.

"Nah... Tony."

"Keep hiding it till you can’t no more," Tony said with a glare.

"Whatever, man."

"I’ll be on my way now," Tony said.

"Alright, bro. Take care," Yankee said, patting his shoulder. "And my regards to Marina," he added with a smirk. "Now get going before you miss your flight."

"You know, if I had a choice, I’d love to stay," Tony said.

"Then Isabel would have your head on a platter," Yankee chuckled.