Chapter Four
chapter four
ISLA
“Okay, look, I’m sorry, but this situation could have turned out far worse than this, don’t you think?” May says from her position on the plush bed where she collapsed as soon as we got to our room. “I mean, look at where we are,” she gestures around the room.
I can’t argue with her—it is beautiful. Lush all around, with two generous bedrooms off the main room that hosts a sitting area and an entire kitchen. Not that we will be using it. May and I are both professionals at ordering in.
I’ve really tried to be a good cook. I had a phase in school where I wanted to own a bakery, so I tried it out. I was baking up a storm every night after school and took cupcakes to all my friends the next day to show off my skills. Let’s just say there were a lot of ingredients wasted during that period.
I sigh as I look out the giant kitchen window that overlooks the lawn and the gorgeous view of Ruby Cove. It’s not that this isn’t great. It is—better than great even—but I don’t want to rely on a stranger. I’ve learned that blindly relying on people isn’t always the right move. I’ve been burnt one too many times by people I thought I could trust, let alone complete strangers.
“You needed a way to pay him back, and I just thought this would be a fun way to do it.” She brings her shoulders up to her ears and back down again as I turn around to face her.
I roll my eyes, but I can’t complain too much. She’s right—we’ve ended up in a pretty good position. But we can’t stay here long term without figuring out a better way to pay Caio back, or finding somewhere else to stay, even if it would crack a little part of my soul to leave this place. It’s honestly like something from one of my childhood dream boards.
A knock at the door interrupts my planning. May sits up from her sprawled-out position. “Housekeeping maybe?”
I walk over to the door and step up on my tippy toes to look through the peephole. “It’s a lady with some luggage?”
“Maybe she’s got the wrong room or something?” May offers, sounding just as confused as I am.
I open the door to tell her she might be in the wrong place, but I don’t get a chance before she barges in, pulling an entire garment rack and suitcase behind her into our new living room.
“I heard you were in need of some dresses?” she says.
“Shit,” May laughs. “I don’t know what I was expecting when Caio said he’d take care of it, but this was not it.”
The woman laughs, and it’s almost melodic. “I’m Marina, Caio’s cousin,” she explains with a bright smile. She’s absolutely stunning in a black knit jumper that hangs off her shoulder, paired with dark jeans and a pair of boots that add a couple extra of inches to her height.
She looks like the kind of woman you don’t want to mess with, yet still soft around the edges.
Her hair is slung over her shoulder in a loose braid, and it’s dark like Caio’s. So dark it’s almost black against her tanned skin, but that’s where the family resemblance ends. Her eyes are a gorgeous hazel shade, and not like when people say they have hazel eyes but they’re really just light brown. Hers are a melting pot of warm tones with a thick green ring around her pupils that fades into brown around the edge of her irises. Irises that are currently flicking between May and me waiting for a response.
“Well, I guess we’re the orphans your cousin brought home,” May responds.
Marina lets out another small laugh. “Yeah, Caio has a knack for helping anyone he possibly can. He even leaves a bowl of food out on his balcony for the stray cat that hangs around here.” The image flashes into my head—Caio with a cat curled up in his lap, sipping a cup of tea like a cozy grandma, and I can’t hold in my laugh at the thought.
“Oh, so he has a thing for strays?” May asks.
Marina’s eyes soften. “My cousin was raised as a gentleman, so it’s like it’s embedded in his DNA. He just can’t resist the magnetic force to help everyone.” Her tone quickly turns sarcastic as she starts emphasizing her words with her entire upper body. “He’s like a fucking saint in this town. You walk around with him and everyone on the street will stop to talk with him as if he’s the pope or something.”
“Should we feel more honored that he brought us to his palace?” May mocks a British accent. A terrible British accent.
Marina snorts a laugh. “I’m surprised he didn’t bring you by horse and carriage. He’s obviously losing his touch.”
I don’t think he’s losing his touch one bit, but I keep that to myself.
“Okay, in all seriousness, Caio has the biggest heart out of everyone I’ve ever met, and he shows it in many ways, including helping strangers...and cats.” We all let out a chuckle at that.
“Okay then, miracle girl,” May sits up. “Show us what you’ve got.”
In the span of ten minutes, our hotel room went from neat and tidy to looking like a bomb went off with dresses and shoes strewn all across the floor.
Marina cracked open a bottle of rosé from the fridge and we’ve made ourselves at home on the bed, each with a glass in hand, as we wait for May to come out in her next outfit. She must’ve tried on at least seven different dresses by now, but according to her, they’re all either too frumpy, too long, or too short.
“Are you going to the event tonight?” I ask Marina.
“Yeah, I try to come to most of the events Caio hosts here just for support, but I actually own a business in town, so I’ve got an official invite tonight.”
“Oh, what kind of place have you got?”
“I own a bar called Marina’s,” she says, taking a gulp of wine.
“A bar you say?” May says as she comes strutting into the room, her heels clacking against the wooden floor.
“Oh, that’s the one,” Marina blurts out as May does a twirl, the fierce red fabric floating after her. The skirt is mid-calf length with a generous slit on the left side so her leg peeks through as she walks. Frills line the edges of the skirt and the straps. If I wore something like this, it would look like I was going to flamenco lessons, but it’s perfect on her.
Marina propels off the bed to go searching through her suitcase before she pulls out a sparkling diamond necklace and clasps it together around May’s neck. It fits short, more like a choker, and it suits the look flawlessly.
“Perfect,” she says.
It’s May's turn to lie on the bed while I sift through the rack—and the floor—for something to wear. I’m not as picky about dresses as I love them. If I could wear one every day I would, but nothing here is really catching my eye.
“So this bar...you named it after yourself?” May inquires.
“Yeah, I couldn’t think of anything better at the time.” Marina laughs harder than she should. How many glasses of wine has this girl had by now?
“I don’t remember seeing it on Main,” I mention as I pick up a silky turquoise dress that was hidden between two brighter dresses on the rack. It has a simple silhouette, but I love it.
“Oh, that’s because it’s on the next street back along with lots of other restaurants and cafes. Only a few are actually on Main Street. You’ll have to come visit at some point.” She tilts her head, looking thoughtful for a moment before adding, “On that topic, how long are you guys planning on sticking around for?”
Now that nothing awaits us in Sorrento, I don’t see why we couldn’t stay here for a while, so long as we can find some work because we still can’t afford this place. We can’t afford Marina’s help either. This is just something else we will need to pay back in one way or another. But this town is like a fairytale, and it feels like the perfect atmosphere for some soul searching. The favors end after tonight though. From tomorrow onward, we’ll be on our own, but at least we can be on our own here.
“Until the end of summer?” I say, looking over at May, who’s wearing a smile that says that she agrees with that impromptu change of plans.
The rest of their conversation fades as I go into the other room to change.
As I slide the thin straps over my shoulders, I take in my reflection in the full-length mirror that stands in the corner of the room. I’ve never worn a dress so...perfect. It’s simple but elegant, and the cool satin fabric hugs my figure in all the right places—tighter around my waist and chest, and my boobs have never looked better as the tight form gives them a little extra push. I just need a little something else.
I waltz out to the living room and the others immediately cut their conversation.
“Oh Isla, it's stunning,” May says.
“I just need a little something extra…” My eyes survey the space around us and catch on the white ribbon that was tied around the neck of the wine bottle we’ve finished. Perfect. I grab the discarded fabric and move over to the mirror. I pull half of my hair up out of my face and fasten it with the white ribbon. There.
Marina sighs. “You look amazing, Isla. Both of you do,” she nods to May. “Everyone’s attention will be on you two all night—the mysterious and sexy newcomers.” She waggles her brows in a way that reminds me of May. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot of Marina while we are here.
May throws her shoes off the edge of the bed and flips onto her stomach, kicking her feet around behind her. “So what should we expect tonight, exactly?”
“It’s pretty laid back compared to some of the other stuff hosted here. It’s still in the ballroom though, and Caio gets the place done up?—“
“Wait, there’s a ballroom here?” May’s eyes widen.
Marina laughs. “Yeah, Caio hosts this thing every year so that all the local business owners can get together to have some laughs and catch up, so it’ll be a perfect opportunity for you guys to meet everyone. It’s almost like the Christmas party for the town, but in the middle of the year.”
“Oh good!” May grabs my hands, getting her serious face on as she looks me in the eye. “You need this. With everything that’s been going on back at home, you’ve been buried under a shit pile of negativity. It’s time for you to emerge out from under there and let go for once. Think of it as your coming-out party introducing you back into society.”
“It’s not like I’d been kidnapped by a cult and was living in a bunker, completely separated from society.” I laugh at her enthusiasm.
Now it’s her turn to roll her eyes at me. “I mean, with the way that Brandon treated you sometimes, some might say that’s not so far from the truth.”
I narrow my eyes at her.
“You know what I mean.” She throws her hands up.
I do know what she means, but now isn’t the time to talk about my shitty ex.
Eager to change the subject, I turn my focus back to our new friend, and we hang around the room for a while learning all that we can about Marina and Ruby Cove. We somehow manage to sink the rest of the rosé while making the finishing touches to our makeup.
Marina swapped her relaxed fit for a black bodycon dress with a V neck and mesh cutouts. She looks like a Victoria’s Secret model with her hair down and bound into tight curls.
May pops her mascara wand out of the tube. “Oh, Isla, did you hear us talking about the bar earlier? Marina is short staffed, so she could use a few extra sets of hands around the place…” Her eyebrows quirk up in question at me through the mirror.
“Wait, really?” Now that we can’t stay with Miles, we’re going to need to find work to pay our way for the summer.
Marina smiles. “You know how to work a tray without spilling drinks over my regulars?” I nod. May and I did a six-month stint at a dive bar just outside of campus for some extra cash in our final year of college. It was nasty, but it was our place.
“Then the job is yours if you want it.”
Perfect.
“When can we start?”