California Bored and Tourism by Rhonda Laurel Page B

couldn’t afford
to sneeze in. She wanted to see palm tree lined streets and get her
picture taken in front of the Rose Bowl .
     
    * * * *
     
    “Excuse me, Faith? I’m in the middle of
giving a tour.” He said through clenched teeth.
    “Well, perhaps if you stop leaving out
pertinent information I wouldn’t have to talk.”
    Nick Constantine sighed. Just great ,
he thought. He always had one on his bus, one who thought
they knew more about California than he did. Never mind he’d been
giving tours for over ten years and had lived in the state all his
life. When he picked the group of twelve women up that morning from
their hotel, she was the only one who glared at him as if he’d just
stolen her wallet. She’d joined the group late as he stood in the
middle of the lobby, acquainting himself with the other ladies. She
wandered up after ending a cell phone call and began reading a
travel book. Five days was a bit long for a group tour, but Kendra,
the leader, had flirted with the manager for over an hour and a
custom-made tour materialized from thin air.
    “And the straggler?” He called her out.
“Your name is?”
    “Faith.”
    “Good morning, Faith! What a beautiful day
and what a beautiful name,” he boasted, determined to kill her with
kindness.
    “If you say so. And your name is?”
    “Nick.” He moved through the crowd to shake
her hand. “Nick Constantine. I’m your tour guide for the next five
days.”
    “Had a little too much coffee this morning,
Nick? It’s a little early for all that enthusiasm, isn’t it?”
    “Nope. Just clean California living.”
    “I see.” She went back to her travel
book.
    “You know, you’re actually here now, you
think you need to keep reading the travel guide?”
    “If I don’t then how will I know if you’ve
told me something wrong?” Faith smiled and walked outside.
     
    * * * *
     
    Faith cleared her throat, knowing she’d
pushed his buttons all day. So what if he had an infectious smile,
sandy blond hair, and dimpled cheeks, his cheerful attitude was
maddening. Her intention was not to intrude on Dimple’s magical
tour of California, but she thought there was more to the state
than Hollywood homes and infamous nightclubs. Maybe that’s why most
people flocked to Hollywood, to see the glitz, glamour, and infamy
flooding television screens daily. One couldn’t help but be curious
about how people lived in Hollywood. After a glare from Kendra and
Sandy, who were obviously in love with the guy, she decided to make
peace.
    “I was just mentioning the J. Paul Getty Museum . Sorry about that.”
    Nick strolled to the back of the tour bus.
“Oh, so you like museums?” He grinned.
    “Yes,” she said warily.
    “Then you will love the Getty Museum .
Unfortunately, it’s not part of the tour but all of you should go.
You may need to call and make reservations for group visits. It’s
always busy in there.”
    “Thanks for the info,” she said.
    As he continued to smile, Faith fought the
urge to slap his perfect, dimple-cheeked face. This was just
another example why someone laid off from her job less than a month
ago should have cancelled this vacation. She’d been agitated and
sad ever since she stepped off the plane. She’d already paid for
the room and airfare but had to put everything else towards paying
bills. She protested and informed the group she wouldn’t be the
best of company.
    “So does this mean I get the rest of the
tour to myself?”
    “Absolutely.” Faith smiled as she dug in her
bag for her MP3 player and put the tiny buds in her ears.
     
    * * * *
     
    Nick looked at her for a moment in disbelief
then slowly turned to work his way back to the front of the bus. Why the hell would someone go on vacation and stay in a bad mood
the whole time? He looked in the mirror and saw that she’d
closed her eyes in defiance. With her eyes closed, he noticed how
young she looked even though he was sure she was in her early
thirties. Contrary