Chapter 10
Tucked away amid acres of lush tropical gardens along a mile of pristine beachfront, The Palms resort was, in a word, breathtaking.
Naomi noticed that the outskirts of the property were nestled alongside some kind of nature sanctuary about fifty yards from the shore.
Though, apparently concerned at being so closely situated to a potentially mosquito-ridden lagoon, Greg had arranged ahead for their party to stay in one of the beachfront suites in the main building.
Located right on the edge of the ocean with the iconic Pitons in the distance, she was immediately enthralled by the prospect of waking up to such a magnificent view every day.
The azure water, taken with the lush palm trees that lined the shore, was so vibrant it was like something from a painting – almost too perfect to be real.
And the hotel’s flamboyantly tropical decor gave an air of authentic island flavour to the utterly idyllic surroundings.
The rooms, while sumptuously furnished, were elegantly understated with dark acacia wood.
Bright tropical artwork adorned the walls and she lightly ran a finger across a painting of the famed Pitons vista as she inspected her and Greg’s incredible suite.
The floor was a sea of gleaming granite that led from the entrance down to a sunken living room, where floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors allowed the afternoon sunlight in and reflected it on the glass-topped coffee table.
The accommodation could only be described as lavish, something she knew Greg would approve of.
He was a man of discerning taste and never settled for anything less than the best. She heard the sound of footsteps behind and turned to find him following in after her, laptop bag in tow.
‘Bit of a dump, isn’t it?’ he commented, wrinkling his nose.
‘What?’ He had to be joking surely. ‘I think it’s incredible.’
‘It’s old and tired,’ he said, his mouth set in a firm line. ‘And a lot different to how it looks online.’
Naomi hadn’t really been involved in the booking process, having left all such arrangements to Greg as he generally preferred, so perhaps it was merely a case of not living up to expectations.
Still, she couldn’t see how anyone could fail to be impressed; granted the hotel didn’t share the same sleek elements of a more modern purpose-built building, but to her that was even better.
Why choose a generic chain hotel when you could stay in a more traditional building that had been part of the St Lucia landscape for decades?
‘Honestly, I think it’s stunning. Those gardens …
there are flowers and plants out there that I’ve never even seen before and, oh my gosh, look, a hummingbird!
’ She gasped delightedly at the little bird that appeared right outside their balcony, as if by magic.
She watched, entranced as it briefly hovered amid a bush made up of tropical blossoms that looked like frangipani, but Naomi couldn’t be sure.
‘Hmm, that’s not a great sign either,’ Greg muttered. ‘Must be lots of insects around the place. I specifically asked them to keep us as far away from that dirty lagoon as possible.’
‘We’re in a tropical location though, it’s kind of part and parcel,’ Naomi pointed out. ‘Do you want to head down to the restaurant?’ she suggested, deciding to change the subject.
Their luggage had already been brought up, but she had no interest in unpacking. What she really wanted was to go straight down to the beach, even if it was only to feel the sand between her toes, but conceded that, first, a bite to eat would probably be a good idea.
‘I was actually thinking of ordering room service,’ he replied, dropping his laptop bag on a sideboard and unzipping it.
‘You can’t seriously be thinking of working – now?’ Naomi admonished. ‘We haven’t even had a chance to explore the resort, and I’d really hoped we’d be able to catch our first sunset …’
‘I told you I was going to have to work on this trip, babe,’ he responded with some aggravation. She folded her arms over her chest and stared at him until, finally, he conceded. ‘Fine, we’ll get something to eat, take a look around a bit, and then I’ll get back to work. Happier?’
‘Much.’
Greg approached her. ‘I’m sorry. I know what this trip means to you. Really, I do. I’m especially busy right now and I have to get certain things done. It’s the only reason the firm allowed me the time off. You know this is our busiest time.’
When he put things in such a way, Naomi couldn’t help but feel like a spoilt brat. He had indeed done a lot to ensure this trip because he knew how long she’d been planning to visit. Though fingers crossed it was because he had plans of his own in store too.
Still, just because he had to work didn’t mean he had to do it right now. There had to be a balance. He’d already spent the entire flight hovering over his laptop.
‘I’m sorry,’ she conceded. ‘I really want this trip to be special for us,’ she stated, fidgeting with the collar of his navy button-down shirt.
‘Trust me, it will be.’ Greg pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her waist, as hers wound around his neck. ‘I promise I’ll make it up to you but I need you to cut me a little slack now and again. OK?’
‘OK.’
‘That’s my girl.’ He stole a quick kiss before moving past her to retrieve his laptop.
‘I’ll just get properly set up with Wi-Fi, then we can head down to the restaurant.
Hopefully that at least is decent. Why don’t you snap a few quick pics for your followers while you’re waiting? Share that amazing view outside.’
She made a face. ‘Ugh, no one likes a show-off. And I’m a bit too tired to post at the moment. Maybe I’ll go to check on the others.’
‘Make sure the Ugly Sisters don’t kill each other?’
‘Not funny.’
Greg shrugged. ‘I thought it was actually.’
Naomi couldn’t understand why he thought her siblings’ bickering was something to laugh about – it certainly wasn’t to her.
As the middle child of three, she’d often been the one to try to stop the quarrelling between the eldest Judy and younger Karen, but lately things seemed to have risen to a level that not even she could control.
The mystery was why. Over the years, they’d always had their differences, but recently something had changed between them that neither would speak about and only seemed to be tearing their already shaky relationship even further apart.
‘Knock, knock,’ Naomi echoed as she rapped at the girls’ door a little way down the hall. Probably not the best idea to have them bunking together, but the plans were made long before the two had begun their current war of attrition.
There was also no way she was going to ask Sam to give up the comfort of her single room to bunk in with one of her sisters. Mother to a toddler son, Naomi wanted her best friend to relax and enjoy a well-earned break away from mum duties.
‘Enter at your own risk,’ her sister Karen’s voice called out from within.
‘Hey,’ Naomi sang as she entered. ‘Settling in all right?’ She inspected the room to ensure nothing had been broken yet. So far, so good.
‘If you call sipping a bottle of water settling in,’ Judy commented from her position on the couch. She too seemed completely disinterested in the beauty around her and was absently flicking through the pages of one of the magazines left on the coffee table.
‘Everything all right?’ she asked, though Naomi was sure she knew the answer to that question. Just looking at the aggravated stances of both siblings was answer enough.
‘Fine,’ Karen replied, casting a glare in her older sister’s direction. She was the sensible one, the more efficient, and always tactful. ‘This place is stunning, thanks, Naomi.’
She shrugged. ‘Thank Greg. And it is stunning, isn’t it? We just saw a hummingbird on our balcony, can you believe it? Judy, everything OK for you?’
Her elder sister was the more spoilt and high maintenance, to which her nearby four suitcases could attest. Despite her online fashionista persona, Naomi had brought only one case.
She planned to spend the majority of the trip wearing bikinis and sundresses, intending to post the odd outfit pic here and there, basically as little as she could (or Greg with all his algorithm talk would let her get away with).
‘Wonderful,’ Judy retorted with more sarcasm than necessary. ‘I’m dead tired after all the travelling.’
OK, not a promising beginning, but Naomi knew miracles could happen. She needed to do something to rectify whatever was going on between them, but now was not the time.
‘Well, if you two are all right, I think I’ll go check on Mum and Dad and then we should maybe get something to eat or a drink even. Meet you downstairs in half an hour?’ she suggested, as she made her retreat.
‘Fine,’ Judy murmured, and Karen echoed her assent.
Their parents, George and Janice, were the quintessential happily married couple.
The kind of twosome that finished each other’s sentences, knew what the other wanted without being told, and managed to make disagreeing look like the most amusing thing, at least in Naomi’s eyes.
They immediately relegated their daughter to the couch when she arrived at their room while they continued unpacking.
‘Don’t put it there, George. Put it here,’ her mother ordered.
‘Why should I put it there? I think it’s perfectly fine where it is.’
‘It’s in the way over there. Put it over here. What if people need to pass?’
‘Why would anyone be passing through our room?’ her dad countered, much to Naomi’s amusement.
George was seventy-three and Janice seventy. They’d spent most of their lives together and had the longest and happiest marriage she knew – forty-nine years. Even as they argued over where to put the empty suitcases, they were still taking such good care of one another.
‘Did you put your medicine by the sink in the bathroom? You’ll forget if you don’t,’ Janice cautioned. Naomi’s dad had developed diabetes over the past few years and was now on several daily doses of medication to manage it.
‘I already did,’ he replied as he refolded Janice’s favourite nightgown and placed it on the foot of the bed, exactly like he did at home.
‘Mum, we’re going to grab a bite in maybe half an hour or so,’ Naomi told her.
‘Do you think they’ll have something normal? Maybe an English food menu? You know I can’t handle weird food,’ her mother harrumphed. ‘And your father’s heartburn too. That’s the problem with these bloody foreign places …’
She laughed. ‘Mum, look at this place, the food is sure to be incredible. It isn’t exactly eating grubs in Australia or raw chilies in Mexico, it’s the Caribbean. It’s all about flavour and fun.’
‘Maybe to you, but it will be me sitting up all night with your father while you and Greg do whatever you’re doing in your room.’
‘Mum!’
‘What? You’ve lived together for years, do you really think I believe you sleep in separate beds?’ Her mother flashed her a knowing look. ‘Besides, are you going to come in here and rub your father’s back all night when his throat’s on fire? I don’t think so.’
‘Fine. Point taken. I’m sure we can find something suitably bland for you and Dad to eat,’ Naomi teased as she crossed the room to kiss her mother on the forehead. ‘Meet you downstairs?’
As she turned to leave them alone, she looked back at her beloved parents as they continued to unpack and bicker, and smiled. Quietly confident that she and Greg would surely be the very same in thirty-odd years.