âWannabe cowboy?â Jack scoffed- that was borderline offensive in his books. He had horses- and he knew how to properly take care of them. âIâll have you know that this wannabe cowboy took second in the state rodeo two years running with his blue ribbon horse Buttersquash.â Second wasnât exactly first, but it still sounded good, right? He slipped his sunglasses back onto his nose, ignoring the way the slid down his face ever so slightly, âIâm kinda surprised to see you here, although it is nice seeing a friendly face around.â It was- Jack had only met a few people in his short time at the hotel, and now getting a vacation, he was even more surprised to find Heidi here- he had just assumed theyâd put everyone to work. âWell hey, now you can act more like a human around me, huh?â He winced as the words tumbled out of his mouth, his filter clearly left back in Chicago, âI mean, more like someone that can do things without needing a manager to approve everything? Am I just digging myself a deeper hole?â Jack moved back to lean against the pool wall, âI guess Iâm just trying to ask, how are you today, Heidi?â He shot her a shit-eating grin, Jack had typically always been pretty smooth with anyone, really. It came with the training from his father at a young age, but Heidi threw him off his game. She was a challenge that he couldnât quite understand. âI remember you mentioned how many hours you were working and such, so this is probably a much needed break, yeah?â Truthfully, he remembered very little of their previous conversations- he remembered her talking about her business degree, but very little else. Everything always seemed to deflect back to him.Â
With little issue, Jack pushed himself up onto the ledge of the pool, âYou know,â he leaned back on one hand, the other moving to rest right above his belly button, âYouâre welcome to tell me to fâoff if yaâd like. Youâre not on the clock and I wouldnât blame you. sâjust nice seeing you with a smile on your face, as opposed to, I dunno- looking like- well, looking like you were drained from work. You just seem different.â They had really only had one previous conversation prior to now, but Jack had made a point of leaving a bit more of a tip than normal when he left a particularly large clean up in his room. He looked Heidi over, finally getting a chance to take in her beauty- her long hair and her soft smile, he wanted to know more about her- maybe they could be friends, if sheâd ever move past the fact that he was a guest. Jack tipped his head towards the sun, âbut hey, look at that, you got out of Chicago for a while, thatâs a step in the right direction from our conversation last time, yeah?âÂ
She couldnât help but find herself just at least a little tickled by his leap to defend himself. As it turned out, wannabe cowboy was pretty serious about being a cowboy and she couldnât stop her lips from curling into a smile as he went on a sincere diatribe to justify it. âIs the ribbon for the horse or the rider?â she asked facetiously, just to get another slight rise out of the male. It wasnât as if she wanted to genuinely antagonize him, he didnât deserve that and she simply wasnât that girl. It was, however, rather entertaining to toy around with him over something as goofy as whether or not he was a cowboy.
âLikewise,â she confessed, she hadnât expected to bump into any familiar guests and if she had, she didnât necessarily think that Jack would be one of them. He must have noticed the way her features twisted, her expression shifting into one of uncertainty at the suggestion that she could behave more like a human around him now. Had she been an apron-wearing alien prior? a refreshment serving robot, perhaps? She laughed at the way he stumbled over his words as if they were getting caught in his throat. It was cute, endearing, âIâll try my very best,â she teased, playing along as he attempted to remedy the situation while she remained largely in silence, watching him squirm for a moment or so purely because she could. âJack,â she started her sentence with his name since apparently, they were on a first-name basis now that he had actually remembered what her name was, â-Iâm on an expenses-paid vacation in Hawaii,â and on my third mai-tai, â- I couldnât be better,â she assured him, â-Thank you for asking,â even if heâd almost had an aneurysm getting there.
She found herself allowing a soft chuckle to part her lips once again, âI know I am,â she confirmed, though she had no desire to tell him to f-off, as he so eloquently put it, or anything like it for that matter. âI am different- like you said, I get to be human today,â it had been a weird thing to say but oddly enough, he was sort of right. Heidi had been a wife, then an inmate the a maid. Somebody elseâs surname, somebody elseâs government-issued identification number, somebody elseâs servant. This was the first time in a long, long time she could recall feeling simply like Heidi Pfeiffer, twenty-something, and without a care in the world.
âItâs funny, I was thinking about that this morning,â she admitted, âHow we were just talking about that and then poof. Here I am,â she looked Jack over, â-and here you are,â she noted, thinking about it with a little more depth now, âYouâre not my spirit guide or something, are you?â maybe that was the mai-tais talking or maybe it was a joke, maybe it was a little of both but clarification on the matter would remain tucked behind the cheeky smile on Heidiâs face.