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 entered their room and closed the door behind them, Kasie instantly suggested, "Deb, you don't have to do this."
As she unpacked her luggage, Debbie said, "I haven't done a sleepover with you in years. We can talk all night. You can't tell me that doesn't sound like fun."
"It does!" she bubbled happily. "It's settled then!"
Kasie smiled and opened her luggage too. "Did you see Stephanie's face at lunch?
"No." Debbie had been concentrating on eating, so she didn't pay attention to anyone else. "Why? Wasn't she happy?"
"No. Mr. Huo kept stealing glances at you." In fact, Kasie didn't like seafood as much as Debbie did, so she talked with everyone, and noticed what was going on. She ate more than usual. She didn't have the heart to turn down Ivan when he had gone to the trouble of peeling the shrimp shells for her.
Debbie's hands froze when she heard Kasie's words. "Did he?" 'With Stephanie right there? How?' she wondered.
"Oh yeah. I think Mr. Huo still loves you."
"I hope so. But if he really loved me, he wouldn't have gotten engaged to Stephanie." Debbie shook her head as she carefully hung her clothes in the closet.
Kasie sighed helplessly. "I wonder why his memory hasn't come back. When will he remember you?" She really felt bad for Debbie. Forced to leave, she finally returned to find her husband alive, but he didn't remember her at all.
Looking at her clothes, Debbie smiled and said, "I don't know." Thinking of something, she turned around to look at Kasie. "How do you think he'll react when he gets his memory back and finds out I'm married to Ivan?" She had thought about this a lot. At first, she was hoping he'd take matters into his own hands. But as time passed, that hope had been fading fast.
"He used to love you. Once it all comes back to him, nothing will stop him from marrying you," Kasie said confidently. She had witnessed their love firsthand and knew how much Carlos loved Debbie.
Debbie flashed a bitter smile. Although the hope seemed slim, she still prayed that Carlos would regain his memory as soon as possible.
When it was close to three o'clock in the afternoon, Debbie showed up on the beach, wearing sunglasses and a sun hat, Kasie in tow. "Kinsley's already there," Kasie said and then looked at Debbie. "How do you know him, anyway?"
Debbie took a look at the man not far from them. She replied with a smile, "I became friends with him when I was in Z Country. I also know his brother—Yates."
"Think you could help me get his autograph?" Kasie asked as she glanced at Kinsley with admiration in her eyes. The superstar looked much more handsome than on TV.
Debbie rolled her eyes at her friend. Kasie was drooling over the handsome man. "You like him? Need me to hook you up? He's still single."
Debbie's joke snapped Kasie back to reality and she hastily shook her head. "No way. Stars like him only date other stars. Not boyfriend material."
"Listen to you! You ever tried dating an idol?" Debbie teased. Although it was already autumn, the weather was still hot. Kinsley had swum for a while in the sea and was now drinking beverage under a beach umbrella. When he saw the two ladies approaching, he waved at them.
This was a private beach, so they wouldn't be disturbed by random passersby. Debbie took off her shades and waved back.
"I'm his fan and I love him as an idol, but honestly, he looks like a playboy. I'm not hot enough for him," Kasie remarked.
They were nearing the beach umbrella. Debbie asked again, "So what about Niles? Hot doctor, connections in other nations, rich family in A Country…"
Kasie shook her head again. "Too childish. Not my cup of tea."
Kinsley handed each of them a coconut with a straw inserted in it. "Fresh 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."
