CHAPTER 21
KATIE
“Nathan, hold on!” I hop on one foot, trying to buckle my sandal and not face plant at the same time. Tricky. “What’s the rush?”
We’ve spent the better part of the day in sloth-like slow motion, moving only when necessary, generally in search of food. And now it’s approaching sunset, and Nathan has a sudden sense of urgency to get moving that is perplexing.
He glances at his watch and smiles. “There’s no real rush, I’m just excited, is all.”
My belly flips at his expression. Open, warm and filled with admiration.
As it has been since our quiet declaration of interest to each other out on the over-water hammock earlier today.
Ever since I agreed to be his—cue all the butterflies—he’s been like a kid in a sweet shop.
Or like me in a chocolate store. Brimming with so much obvious joy, my heart and my ego want to revel in it.
It's so contagious, I’ve almost managed to forget his drunken confession: “I’ll never get over it.”
Almost, but not quite.
“Where are we going?” I ask for the third time, pushing my doubts down and living in the moment.
I trot behind him as I fasten my hair into a low ponytail.
My mop has been saltwater and man-handled, tangled all day, and Nathan isn’t giving me enough time to condition, treat and blow dry the masses properly.
So up in a ponytail it all goes, where with any luck, it will stay.
“It’s a surprise,” he replies, taking my hand and tugging me forward. The momentum lunges me into his broad chest, and I land with a thud, happy to stay resting here as he wraps me in a delicious hug.
“Another surprise, hey?” I murmur into the soft, Nathan-scented material of his shirt. Hmmm, yummy.
His lips brush my temple, and he steps back, tugging me along with a wink of his dimple.
“I enjoy surprising you,” he admits as we leave our bungalow haven and enter the warm evening air.
At this time of the day, with the glaring sun sinking beyond the horizon, the temperature dips, and it’s like being embraced in a perfectly balmy hug.
Gosh, I love it here.
I follow along beside him, giving up getting any further information from him as we approach our waiting golf buggy. It makes him happy to keep me guessing, and knowing Nathan as I now do, it’s safe to assume I’m going to love any surprise he has for me.
“Sit back and enjoy the ride,” he tells me with a wink, and I follow his instructions, sinking in close to him and sighing as his arm wraps around my shoulder to hold me close.
I’ve never been an overly touchy person.
And since my mum passed, I’ve given and received affection only from Jade and, on the rare occasion, Nuke.
But it seems with this man, I can’t get enough.
I can’t get close enough to him. And from the way his hand tightens around my body, I think he feels the same.
I’m choosing to believe he feels the same.
“We’re here,” Nathan says as we pull to a stop several quick minutes later.
‘Here’ appears to be some sort of food festival set up along the beach.
From our spot just outside the buggy, I spy rows of market stalls lining the edge of the sand, with food trucks and plastic tables and chairs laid out just beyond that.
Up ahead is a large stage where a steel drum band is setting up, surrounded by stunning women dressed in traditional Caribbean costume.
The entire place is an assault on all my senses, and I can’t decide what I want to explore first.
The food trucks seem like a safe bet, though.
“Come on!”
Nathan drags me along, but I lag behind, my gaze darting here, there and everywhere. There’s so much rich culture and colour and light everywhere; I’m thrilled to be a part of it.
“Thanks for bringing me here,” I say as I tug on Nathan’s hand to slow him down. “I would have hated to return home not having experienced this.”
He stops and turns to me, his big hands framing my face as his gaze traces over my features, like he wants to memorise them.
“I know what you mean,” he murmurs as he brushes his lips over mine.
Oh, I could get used to these gorgeous little kisses.
“Whenever I travel, I have this need to see beyond the fancy hotels and the tourist traps. Have a look around you. This is where the people who live in St. Lucia want to spend their Thursday night. We’re experiencing a slice of their lives. ”
His words pull at me because that’s exactly how I’m feeling right now. I’m grateful to see their culture in a way they live it, and I’m even more grateful he brought me here to experience it.
“Thank you. This is a wonderful surprise.”
“There’s more.” He grins and turns back around like a man on a mission. “Come with me.”
He marches us through the row of sand sandwiched on either side by market stalls, selling everything from homemade jewellery to candles, and everything in between. If Nathan wasn’t so determined to take me ‘somewhere,’ I’d be stopping at each one of them.
“Here we are,” he says, coming to a halt at last.
My eyes drift from the nearby stall selling customised perfumes and oils to the stall he’s brought us to.
“Oh, wow,” I whisper, my throat tight with tears. “Wow.”
I’m almost speechless as I stare down at the table in front of us. It’s filled to the brim with only one thing. Snow globes.
“You remembered,” I say, leaning over to get a better look at them. There are well over one hundred snow globes lined up on the table, each one unique and absolutely exquisite.
I sense him moving to stand behind me, the warmth from his body seeping into my back as he leans into me, his arms banded around my waist. “Of course I remember. In my mind, getting you one of these is the most important part of the trip.”
Tears fill my eyes, and I blink to hold them at bay. This man is killing me.
“So, what do you think? Will any of these be suitable?”
My answering chuckle is wet with tears. “I think I’ll find something just right.”
“Something your mum would love,” he states.
I swallow hard and nod, as tears escape my eyes and run down my cheek. It’s lucky he’s behind me and can’t see the emotional mess he’s making me. He doesn’t deserve that after planning this wonderful surprise.
Sniffing back more tears, I pull in a shuddering breath and wipe my face before turning to smile up at him. “What do you think? Will you help me choose?”
His blue eyes trace my face, a worried frown furrowing his brow. “Are you okay? Is this okay?”
I nod and press a grateful kiss on his lips. “This is just perfect.”
His smile is tentative, like he’s not sure he believes me, so I turn back and take stock of what’s in front of me. They’re all so beautiful, it’s an impossible choice.
“How about this one?” he says as I flounder with indecision, reaching over and plucking a snow globe from right in the middle.
In it is a small bungalow surrounded by crystal blue water.
Behind the bungalow, in the distance, are mountains covered in what look like cocoa groves.
And along the bottom are the words: Welcome to St. Lucia. Where Dreams Come True.
Whelp, that’s perfect.
“How’d you spot that one in the middle of all the rest?” I ask as the lady manning the stall carefully wraps the globe. “That globe is our week here captured perfectly.”
He turns me in his arms and stares down at me. “I’m an F1 driver. Perfect eyesight and great attention to detail.”
His intense gaze suggests he’s paying attention to me in great detail. I don’t hate it.
“Here you go.”
Wrenching my eyes from his, I cradle my snow globe—or in this case, my sand globe—against my chest and let Nathan lead me away.
With this one important purchase out of the way, we take our time strolling through the market, stopping at every other stall to have a look.
Having travelled no further than the European continent, I’m dazzled by the colour and the fragrance and how different it all looks and feels.
Almost as dazzled as I am with the man strolling beside me.
The man whose actions aren’t screaming ‘I’m still hung up on my ex,’ that’s for sure.
Maybe I misheard him? Maybe his drunken ramblings were just that? Drunken.
“Time for dinner?” Nathan asks with a chuckle, butting into my thoughts and pointing to my belly, which just let out a rather boisterous rumble.
I pay for a pair of dangling earrings in shades of purple and blue that will look amazing on Jade and nod. The food trucks are calling.
“What do you feel like?” he asks as we leave the market, carrying my purchases like the dutiful boyfriend. Wait, fake boyfriend? Oh, this is something we need to clear up.
“What do you feel like?” I parrot back. Something I’ve noticed since reuniting with Nathan is, he’s always giving.
He’s always looking out for everyone around him, to the point he’s actually turning up to painfully watch his older brother marry his ex-girlfriend.
And he does it with me all the time. Like choosing a restaurant close to where I work.
And taking me to the chocolate factory. Bringing me here to buy a snow globe.
The man never seems to think about himself.
His thick brows scrunch up. “Um, I’m not sure.”
I take his hand in mine and squeeze it. “Why don’t we pick something together?”
He glances at our joined hands and up at me. “Sounds like a plan.”
We walk around the dozen or so food trucks, selling everything from local delicacies to fresh seafood and more Western-inspired food. After much debate, we settle on the truck with the longest line, our logic dictating it must serve the best food.
“Oh my gosh, we made the best decision,” I moan through my first mouthful. We’d ordered one of everything, so too much food, and I’m delighted to try it all. The dish I’m trying first is called Accra, salt-fried fish fritters with an array of spices that are exploding on my tongue. “Hmm, so good.”