below. She surveyed her desk and picked up the phone to call her secretary in the next room.
“I will need those research reports back in my office Tracy”
“The ones on 14-17 year old girls?” asked the secretary’s voice at the end of the line.
“Yes” she put the phone down and bit her lip pensively.
Moments later the phone rang again.
“Yes?” she asked
“Jess for you on line 1 – can you take it?”
“Put her on.” Said Ambar.
“Darling.” She heard Jess’s voice on the other end of the phone say.
“Hi sweetheart, sorry I haven’t called, I have really been working hard”
“Oh shut up, you know I only want you to call me if you have something to say. Drop the charity.” Jess said in her usual matter of fact tone.
“So anyway” she continued.
“I have some exciting news.”
“Tell me” said Ambar.
“Guess what? We have been accepted on the course! At the end of next week we will be in Bocas del Toro baby! I have already booked the flights and made all the arrangements. I found out this morning, I was going to tell you, but I didn’t want you to try and squeeze out of it, so I took care of all the details. All non-refundable.”
Ambar felt a mixture of excitement and apprehension, and tried to think of an excuse, even though Jess had made it clear to her that that would not be an option. It was not that Ambar did not want to go, she did. She just felt scared at the moment. The only thing she felt confident in was her work.
“Are you free this evening?” asked Jess.
Ambar knew she was. She had not been out in the evening since that night with Mike at the restaurant.
“Yes” she replied slowly.
“Great, yours or mine?” asked Jess.
Ambar didn’t want to spend another evening at home so she suggested they meet at Jess’s around seven. That would give her time to go home and shower and change.
Jess said she wanted to go over the details of the trip with her and that the only thing Ambar needed to bring was an open mind and a bottle of wine. Ambar laughed and hung up the phone.
When she arrived at Jess’s penthouse apartment, filled with original Andy Warhol and Rembrandt paintings, tiger skin rugs and hanging exotic silks, Jess was barefoot in short dress and already drinking champagne.
“Darling.” Said Jess. “You look so much better. You look back to your old self.”
“Ha!” said Ambar. “I don’t know about that. I have just been working, trying to keep my mind off things.”
“I know sweetheart.” Said Jess sympathetically.
“Have you heard from him at all?”
“No” said Ambar sadly and shook her head, her eyes looking down at the floor.
Jess quickly changed the subject, went over to her desk, and pulled out flight tickets to Bocas del Toro. She waved them in the air excitedly as she went back to join Ambar on the sofa.
“Ooh yes, Bocas baby!” Jess exclaimed with enthusiasm.
She pulled up the brochure of the wildlife course they would be attending and the hotel where they would be staying.
“Wow. It really does look beautiful.” Said Ambar.
“Darling, Bocas is apparently the most beautiful place on earth.” Jess emphasised.
Ambar looked over the photos and the flight itinerary. So they would be gone for two weeks. She would tell work in the morning. They would be fine. She pretty much ran the place anyway.
Chapter 3
Ambar and Jess got out of the yellow cab that had dropped them outside the airport. The driver placed their bags beside them and smiled gratefully at the huge tip Jess had dropped him.
They wheeled their bags inside excitedly and looked around for the checking desks for Bocas.
As they joined the back of the queue Jess squeezed Ambar’s arm.
“MMmm’ she said excitedly. “Just LOOK at that eye-candy.” She had spotted two men, a few places in front of them. One was tall broad and tanned with blue eyes, brown hair, and a dashing smile, and the other