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out that they were a dime a dozen along the beachfront. She had reasoned that she wanted the best. He didn’t tell her that he didn’t know the best one either, and just walked her towards the nearest one. Then they stopped by for a few beers, almost making him miss the last banca back to the mainland.
    So he really wasn’t surprised that Min Hee and her friend Da Kyong stopped by that Sunday evening. In fact, he was already expecting it.
    Dinner was at a beachside bar with acoustic music. “So when are we doing this tour you promised me?” she asked. “Don’t you have a couple of days off from work?”
    “Tomorrow and Tuesday,” he told her reluctantly, knowing where this was headed.
    Min Hee looked gleeful. “Okay, good! We can start tomorrow. What time should I be ready?”
    “I can get here after breakfast,” he tells her. “How does eight o’clock sound?”
    “But I have breakfast at nine!” she protested.
    “Tough. Eight then,” he said firmly, grateful that for once, he hadn’t let himself be swayed by her bargaining skills. “Are you coming too, Da Kyong?”
    The older girl shook her head. “I have things to do tomorrow? But you’ll take care of Min Hee, yes?”
    Min Hee laughed. “I’ll be in good hands, Da Kyong. Mr. Museum promises that nothing exciting will happen to me.”
    One thing about hanging out with Min Hee was that he got used to her kind of teasing quickly. But he turned to Da Kyong and nodded solemnly. “I’ll keep an eye on her.”
    “Pick me up at my resort, okay?” Min Hee reminded him.
    As if she needed to ask. Gio nodded. “All right.” He drained the rest of his beer. “Listen, I really have to go. I need to catch the boat.”
    “You always leave early,” Min Hee complained. “We’re such fun company, too! Though I don’t blame you,” she added as she drained her drink. “This night feels pretty dead.”
    Gio stood up to go just as Min Hee’s phone rang. Both girls jumped at the sound. He watched them exchange looks, though neither one made a move to answer. Finally Min Hee reached over and rejected the call. Gio half-expected them to laugh at each other, just as his sister Toni and her friends would when they were playing some hard-to-get game with an unsuspecting suitor. But the girls continued to look worried, and he decided to step away with a quick goodbye. Neither one seemed to notice.
     
    * * * *
     
    The truth was, ever since he had made the deal with Min Hee, Gio had already been busy creating the perfect tour. He had drafted one itinerary after another until he was satisfied. Part of him just hadn’t been sure that he was serious about it. But now that they were on for tomorrow morning, he began the arrangements. Just a few phone calls, and everything was set.
    Thanks to Yeban and some of the other employees at Aqua, Gio was able to hire a local boatman to bring them around the island, one that would follow their schedule. He figured that a leisurely banca ride was a good way to ease her into a day of sightseeing. That way, Min Hee could see Boracay while it wasn’t too hot out yet and it wasn’t a particularly vigorous activity that she’d be tired by noonday.
    The next morning, he packed everything they might need: sunscreen, snorkels, towels, medicine, bandages, bottles of water, and some sandwiches he got from the resort kitchen. He made sure to bring extra food for the boatmen: one skipper and two balancers. And for a treat, he had even bought her a couple of calamansi muffins before heading to her resort.
    But once Min Hee saw what was on the agenda, she didn’t look too impressed. Even though she was wearing sunglasses, Gio could tell. “I told you I’ve gone sailing and island hopping,” she told him pointedly.
    “You haven’t gone sailing and island hopping with me,” Gio told her, though he wasn’t feeling all that confident now.
    Though Min Hee raised an eyebrow, she didn’t contradict him. Instead she walked up the narrow