CHAPTER TWODiane's POVCaught off guard.Is this where I’m supposed to lie and say that I aspire to a career with Dela Paz Hotels? I debate my answer for a few heartbeats and finally decide on the truth.“Honestly, I’m not sure anymore. I was supposed to get married and help run the family farm, but my fiancé and I are—”I stopped myself with a deep breath and then an embarrassed little smile. So inappropriate for an interview.“My personal situation is in limbo,” I said instead, my voice growing husky, my eyes burning with the threat of tears. It’s all still too fresh, too raw.“I’ll probably go back home. My family’s there.”“And help run the farm?”Her eyes graze over me, over my thick braid that I can’t help but toy with when I’m nervous, over my favorite royal-blue button-down that’s probably been washed one too many times, over my generic jeans, and down to my sneakers and I know she’s judging me.I sit up straighter, feeling more self-conscious than I already do being in front
CHAPTER THREEDiane POVMayI inhale deeply, reveling in the crisp ocean air as land approaches ahead. Two layovers, a flight delay, and fifteen hours later, thefifty-five-degree day’s high had dipped to the low forties, and I had to take my jacket on.“Have you ever been to Palawan before?” the captain, a soft-spoken white-haired man named River, asks, his hands resting easily on the ferry’s wheel.I shake my head, my gaze drifting over the sea of evergreen and rock as far as the eye can see. We left the dock thirty minutes ago. It didn’t seem like it would take that long to cross, but Bay is vast and wide and unlike anything I’ve ever seen.And on the other side of it is my home for the next four months. I’m so glad I remembered to pop an Antivert an hour before boarding. I’d be puking over the rails by now had I not. Boats and I have never coexisted well.“So, what made you come?” I can tell River likes to talk, as much for conversation as to assess the foreigners coming to his ho
CHAPTER FOURDiane's POVEnchanted.The farther into the Hotel I walk, the feeling that I am feeling is like a bomb that is ready to explode. The scenery ...It's peaceful.Crushed granite paths lit with coach lights lead guests past the boat docks and more water sports equipment than I’ve ever seen. On the left side of the lodge are three cabins modeled after the main building, each one set high up on the rocks, shrouded by trees and adorned with balconies overlooking the water. John said those are the penthouse suites.On the right are gardens to sit and ponder in, and beyond them are signs leading to hiking trails. I push through a heavy set of glass doors and revel in the warmth and smell of cedar in the grand lobby, offering a young woman who passes by me a nod and a smile.She returns it, zipping up her jacket before heading outside.I’ve never been one to have a lot of friends. Just a few, really, mainly through church groups and study groups. The problem is they’ve all been “o