Knowing Debbie's huge appetite, none of her friends at the table was surprised. The waiter kept serving them one dish after another, and all the seafood dishes were different recipes. Someone had told the waiter to keep bringing new dishes to the table. There were more than twenty dishes there already, but the wait staff kept bringing more.
The group of friends chatted happily as they enjoyed their meal. Ivan was a gentleman. He took care of Debbie the whole time, even donning disposable gloves to peel the shrimp shells for the ladies at the table.
But most of the time, Wesley took care of Blair himself. As for Stephanie, she didn't like seafood. Debbie and Kasie were the two ladies who got the most out of it.
Strangely enough, when Debbie was almost full, the waiter stopped bringing any more dishes.
After the lunch, they decided to retire to their hotel rooms. They agreed to get together again, on the beach at 3 p.m.
In the hallway, Debbie suddenly suggested, "Ivan, how about I share a room with Kasie? She gets scared at night."
Ivan nodded, "No problem. I'll be right next door if you need me."
The other people walking behind them thought their conversation was odd. But no one said anything.
After little hesitation, Blair asked Debbie, "How many beds in your room?"
"A queen-size bed." Debbie had seen the bed when she dropped off her luggage.
Blair's eyes lit up with excitement. "Mind if I stay with you two?"
"No way!" A man's voice rang before Debbie could answer.
They knew who it was at once—Wesley.
Defeated, pulling a long face, Blair resignedly followed Wesley to their bedroom.
Niles and Kinsley each had a single room. Kinsley said to Wesley in a playful voice, "Wes, we haven't slept together in a long time. Come on. Let Blair play with Debbie, and I'll keep you company." But Wesley simply ignored his joke.
Niles winked at Kasie. "Girl, how about we share the same room and let Debbie be with her husband?"
Kasie smirked. She said with self-mockery, "Well, I'd love to. But I snore, drool, and talk in my sleep. You sure?"
Niles knew she was joking, but he echoed her joke and pretended to be scared. "Oh, then I'd better stay in my own bed!"
After Debbie and Kasie enter
resh coconut water. It's iced. Very sweet. Where's your husband?"
Debbie paused. She was in a daze for a moment when he said that. She turned around to search for Ivan. 'Oh, I forgot my "husband"...' she thought. "It's not quite three. He'll be here," she said awkwardly.
Suddenly, a splashing was heard from the sea. It was Niles, swimming ashore.
Panting from the exertion, he took off the swimming goggles and ran his fingers through his wet hair. "You're late. What did you do, sleep in?"
Debbie lay on the deck chair and greedily drank the coconut water through the straw. She was so immersed in the beverage that she didn't even bother to answer Niles' question.
So Kasie answered for her. In a loud voice, she replied, "Yeah we rested up. That way we can have fun longer."
As they talked, Kinsley waved at the people behind Debbie. Wesley, Blair, Carlos and Stephanie were trudging their way up the beach.
But Ivan hadn't shown up yet.
So Debbie lazily pulled out her phone and called him. "Hi, where are you?"
"I'm composing an email to a client. I'll join you soon," Ivan said on the other end.
"Okay, see you later." Debbie swung her phone in front of Kinsley's face and said, "Ivan's busy with work. He'll join us soon."
She had already finished the fresh coconut water. Handing the empty coconut shell to Kinsley, she asked, "Mr. Feng, I'd like another, please."
Kasie reminded her worriedly, "Don't drink too much of that. You don't want a tummy ache."