Chapter 58
Naomi was showered and in her nightgown when she stepped out onto her balcony to take in the Caribbean night sky one last time before she went to bed.
‘Hello there …’ Will’s voice wafted across from the beach almost the moment she set foot outside.
From her vantage point, she saw him walking back by the shore, still dressed in the navy polo and jeans he’d worn at the event earlier.
‘I can’t believe it’s all over already,’ Naomi lamented as he neared. ‘It seems as if we only just got here and it’s already time to go.’
‘Yes, the trip does seem to have gone by far too quickly,’ Will responded. ‘You turning in for the night?’
‘Yes, I was heading for bed, but found myself drawn back outside for one last look,’ she confessed. ‘The barbecue was so much fun, wasn’t it? The perfect end to an amazing day.’
‘It was wonderful. Holly was tired after the fireworks and the dancing, but I couldn’t settle myself, so I called the hotel babysitter again while I took a walk in the hope of winding down after all the excitement.’
Naomi smiled. She’d noticed him silly-dancing with his daughter on the beach earlier. It was incredibly cute while also somewhat heart-rending. They had such a unique bond. ‘You and I always seem to be drawn to the ocean around the same time,’ she joked.
He smiled back. ‘That we do.’
‘Well, if you’ve finished your walk and you still have time, would you like to come in for a drink?’ she asked suddenly.
He hesitated a little, while Naomi herself tried to comprehend her out-of-the-blue invite and the reason for it. But Holly’s words from earlier filtered into her mind once again.
He likes you.
Naomi really liked Will too. Everyone liked Will. Who wouldn’t? He was kind, generous with his time and knowledge, an amazing father and based on his incredible offer to Sam and his kindness to her parents, a thoroughly decent human being too. What wasn’t there to like about him?
‘Sounds good, if you truly don’t mind the company,’ he replied amiably, his voice giving nothing away.
He deftly hopped over the low rail amid the shrubbery as a short-cut access to her wing, and, as Naomi went back inside the suite to let him in through the main door, her heart galloped in her chest, a beat that matched the speed at which she was moving.
Why was she so excited at the prospect of having Will in her room?
As terrible as it may seem after all her relationship woes, she was eager to spend a little more with him before they had to say goodbye.
Though she now sorely regretted changing into her nightgown.
She opened the door to see him already standing there and felt a bit like Juliet awaiting her Romeo.
‘Hi,’ he stated.
‘Hi,’ Naomi replied, smiling self-consciously.
‘Nice suite and, ah, you have the king bed,’ he commented, glancing inside. ‘I opted for two smaller queens. Holly tends to kick like a mule so I’d never get a wink of sleep if we shared.’
‘What can I get you?’ she asked, heading towards the minibar, wishing he hadn’t made her so aware of the bed. ‘Water, beer?’
‘Beer is perfect,’ he responded, and she duly plucked that and a bottle of water for herself from the fridge before heading back out to the balcony to join him.
They both stood watching the obsidian ocean, while the occasional spark from the bonfire still going strong on the beach leapt into the sky.
‘Too late for you?’ he asked, referring to her water.
‘No,’ she chuckled. ‘I think I had way too much champagne today and I know my limits.’ Plus she needed to keep her wits about her.
‘I enjoy a sneaky beer or two every once in a while.’ Will smiled, raising his bottle to the air. ‘A guilty pleasure since most of my life involves either work or Holly.’
Naomi raised hers too. ‘Cheers. You’re really devoted, aren’t you?’
‘I suppose I am, depending on the situation and how invested I happen to be.’
When Will’s gaze met hers, she felt as if his words had some deeper meaning and the longer it lingered, the surer of it she became, until finally he looked away.
‘It really is so beautiful here,’ he commented, glancing back out at the ocean.
‘Like a gorgeous pause from real life. I don’t really want to leave, but Holly has school and my business won’t last long if I’m swanning around on tropical islands.
’ Then he laughed. ‘Neither would my bank balance.’
Naomi watched him in side-profile, hunched over the rail so casually.
‘I’ve already decided to come back,’ she declared.
‘Maybe not next year, but I’ll definitely make this trip to The Palms again.
It’s an incredible place and despite all that’s happened, the trip has been an amazing experience.
’ She figured this might give Will an easy opening to ask about Greg if he wanted to, but he didn’t bite.
‘I hope you do come back. Maybe our visits might coincide again – like our nighttime beach walks,’ he joked, and Naomi’s gaze turned to directly settle on his. A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
‘I’d like that.’
‘By the way, I talked to Sam about the job earlier,’ Will told her. ‘Once we get back home we’re going to pursue it further and see if it’s something she might be interested in.’
‘Thank you, and regardless of whether or not it works out, it’s very kind of you. And great that Sam’s got something to look forward to, at least,’ she added sardonically.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, now that we’re both single, my living situation is somewhat askew.
Greg, my ex …’ It actually felt weird saying that out loud, though not as distressing as Naomi imagined, ‘owned the apartment we shared back home, so I need to start over too.’ A small chuckle of disbelief followed and she sighed.
‘It’s strange how your entire life can be upended in such a short space of time, isn’t it? ’
‘That’s certainly true,’ Will agreed and she kicked herself for her choice of words, considering. ‘But it doesn’t always have to be a bad thing,’ he added then.
She regarded him quietly for several moments before responding. ‘No, I suppose it doesn’t.’
‘Can I make another suggestion?’
‘Sure.’
‘Since as you said you and Sam are both starting over, why don’t you two move in together for a bit and share the living expenses and all that, while you figure out what to do next? Assuming your friend doesn’t mind, and you can handle having a toddler around twenty-four-seven.’
Naomi considered it. ‘That does make a lot of sense actually. We lived together while we were at university. And I’d love the chance to spend more time with my godson.’ Plus, she could help with some of the babysitting if Sam decided to go and work for Will.
Which also meant that tonight didn’t have to mean goodbye.
‘I’ve also made another big decision. I’m going back to work, to teaching, I mean. Real work. So thank you – again—’ she added, but she’d barely got the words out before Will stopped her.
‘Would you stop thanking me?!’ He chuckled. ‘Even without my nudging, you would have eventually come to the same conclusion on your own. You already said you were tired of the online stuff.’
‘Perhaps, but I do think you helped me get there faster. You have such an easy-going outlook on things.’
The complete opposite of Greg, in fact.
As a comfortable silence descended, Naomi noticed Will glance at her from time to time as if he wanted to say something, but when their gazes met he turned away.
‘So … Holly told me the two of you talked earlier,’ he said then, and Naomi’s stomach lurched a little.
‘Did she?’
‘Yes. She said that she told you she told me it was OK for me to like you,’ he prattled and Naomi saw where Holly got it from.
Now she turned and met his gaze squarely. ‘You don’t need to be uncomfortable about it. I didn’t take it to mean anything,’ she lied, trying to mask her nervousness with a casual laugh.
‘Perhaps you should have.’
She searched his face for any sign of deceit or manipulation, but as with every conversation they’d had, there was none to be found.
‘What are you saying?’
‘I’m saying that my daughter likes you, Naomi, and I do too.
’ Will cleared his throat and fidgeted a bit as he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans, before taking a deep breath and continuing.
‘I’m saying that, when we go back home, I’d really like it if I could see more of you.
Holly would too, of course, but I’m not asking for her,’ he clarified.
Naomi was speechless. The questions she’d been wondering had been answered, but how was she to respond? Did she want to see more of them? Yes, she adored the little girl and had come to very much like her dad too, but was she ready for something like this so soon?
‘I’m not asking you to date me or anything,’ Will reassured her, evidently sensing her unease or indecision.
‘I’m just saying I’d really like the opportunity to get to know you better, and for you to get to know me and Holly better too.
If you want to, of course.’ Naomi found herself strangely disappointed by this, but tried her best to hide it as she allowed him to continue.
‘I completely appreciate that you’ve recently got out of a long-term relationship, and I know that moving on from that isn’t an easy process, so I don’t want you to feel there is any obligation.
I only want to let you know where I stand. ’
She was still unable to speak as Will moved towards her, closing the space between them in one stride. Her breath hitched as she looked up at him.
‘So yes, I like you, Naomi. I think that what I know of you is already wonderful and you are definitely someone I’d like in my daughter’s and my life, whether as a friend or, in time, maybe more.’
They each took a breath.
‘I am not a man who minces words, so I apologise if all of this seems too forward or out of place, but tomorrow when we get on a plane there’s always a chance that you’ll go home and patch things up with Greg, and we’ll never see each other again, so I have to speak my mind while I can.
I need to let you know that even if you do want to fix things between you and him, there’s … another option.’
He’d already said so much and Naomi wasn’t sure if her tongue knew how to function anymore; it was so tied up by her emotions. Finally, once she’d got her head around everything that had been revealed, she found her voice.
‘One, there is no way I’m going back to Greg except to collect my stuff.
Two, you and Holly have become treasured new friends and I’d love to maintain that relationship for the future,’ she added and watched as his expression visibly fell.
‘Lastly, I … like you too, Will. I’m actually not sure if I trust this feeling right now, because it all seems too soon after Greg, but it is there. I want you to know that.’
He nodded silently, now his turn to hear her out.
‘I’d very much like it if we could all see each other more back home, so we both have time to figure out what this feeling is. Anything other than that wouldn’t be right to commit to. For Holly especially.’
‘You see that’s how I know you’re a good person. You care about people, including my daughter. I completely understand and I definitely wouldn’t want you to move in any direction you aren’t ready for. That wasn’t my intent.’
It was a nice feeling to be wanted and something Naomi actually hadn’t felt in quite a long time. The feeling only increased as Will drew nearer and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. ‘Happy birthday, Naomi.’
‘Thank you,’ she replied, looking up at his kind eyes, and knowing in her heart that this man could not be more different to the one she’d recently cut from her life. ‘I think it truly was the best one ever.’
And as they both turned back towards the water and Will’s hand found hers, Naomi realised that she’d been right all along about this beautiful place and its power to transform her life.