Chapter Six
Kayla’s world was reduced to vibrant green with flashes of the brightest, clearest sunlight she had ever seen in her life.
Added to that was the warmth and solidity of Mack, pressed into her shoulder as they both stared in wonder at the rainforest encroaching onto the road.
While the airport rested on the farthest northern tip of the island, their resort was nestled into the calmer shore on the southeastern side.
This meant an hour-long shuttle from the airport to the resort crammed into a tiny commuter van with ten other people.
It should have been miserable, but it turned out to be anything but.
The roads were thin and crumbling at the edges and the houses, especially near the airport, were little more than concrete squares with open windows and, oftentimes, open doors.
There was obvious hardship in the small villages that they drove through, but you’d never tell from the people there.
Nearly everyone they passed raised a wave of welcome to the shuttle driver, who waved back and sometimes called out a few friendly words in Creole.
Anyone who didn’t interact with the driver was already in conversation with small groups of neighbors or co-workers.
The sense of community was as thick in the air as the humidity.
As they wound through the streets, their driver shouted explanations of language and culture over the rattling engine.
He described the fruits, hanging heavily on the trees, and even pulled to a shaky stop on the edge of a banana farm to explain the bags wrapped around the clusters of fruit.
The variety of fruit and spices growing along the roadside was dizzying, and their scents wafted in through the open driver’s side window, perfuming the trip enough to cover the sweat from a dozen overheated bodies.
Kayla and Mack, however, were only dimly aware of the people around them, entranced as they both were by the island’s lush landscape.
After the eleventh or twelfth gasp of wonder and matching beaming smiles, Mack had taken Kayla’s hand and interlaced their fingers.
It felt like the road trip they’d taken in her parents’ old Aerostar van their sophomore year of high school.
Mack had just moved in and Kayla had a rare two weeks off soccer in the height of summer.
They celebrated by driving to Florida. They’d been so used to the suburban life of Northern Virginia, the varied landscapes had them dripping with awe.
The rolling mountains of North Carolina, swamps of South Carolina and coastal Georgia, and the citrus farms of Florida had them well-behaved for possibly the first time in their lives.
That was the trip that had made them inseparable.
They were glued to the window for the twelve-hour drive, practically sitting in each other’s laps as they oohed and ahhed at the world flashing by.
Looking over at Mack now, Kayla saw that the enchanted teenager was still inside her.
“You have the goofiest grin.” Kayla poked at the dimple in Mack’s cheek.
“Oh, and you don’t?” Mack asked with an eyebrow lifting. “How could you not? This place is paradise.”
Kayla squeezed her hand tighter. “I couldn’t agree more.”
Once they burst out of the rainforest that covered the center of the island, their driver pulled to a stop at a little hut with an outsized parking lot.
Grinding to a halt so close to the edge of the cliff that a few chunks of gravel tumbled over the edge, he turned to them with his now familiar grin.
“There’s a view here of the oldest fishing village on St. Lucia, and you can grab one of our local beers, Peton, from the hut over there. ”
Mack waggled her eyebrows at Kayla. “Time for you to buy me that beer you promised.”
An older woman who’d shared the bench seat with them leaned in a little too close. “You two are just the sweetest couple ever. Are you here to get married?”
The smile slid from Mack’s lips, so Kayla stepped in. “We sure are.”
“That’s just wonderful. My name’s Linda, and this is my Manny. We got married here and it was lovely. This is our first time back since then. Forty perfect years. I’m so happy they’re letting lesbians get married here now. Two brides are better than one, right?”
Mack blushed, but her smile was genuine. “That’s so kind of you to say.”
Linda gave Mack’s bare knee a little slap and then hustled after her husband toward the edge of the cliff.
Mack watched her go, her mouth slack and maybe even a hint of moisture in her eyes.
A sharp stab of regret and anger cut through Kayla’s gut.
Their congratulatory stranger was probably about the same age as their own parents.
Kayla would have given her right arm for Mack’s mother to have half the kindness and acceptance of this stranger.
Not only acceptance. She had gone out of her way to congratulate a queer couple on their upcoming marriage.
That was more than acceptance. That was celebration.
“Come on, you.” Kayla kept a firm grip on Mack’s hand as she stood awkwardly in the van. “Let’s go see this fishing village.”
As deep as Mack’s emotional well was, she was quick to climb out of it. As she helped Kayla down from the van, she said, “Beer first. View second.”
Peton turned out to be a light, crisp lager more in the Mexican style than the American.
There was a sharp, hoppy note to it that Kayla had to fight through, but she knew Mack would like it even more.
Mack didn’t drink much—having a clear head was too important for her job to spend her days hungover.
Kayla had rarely seen her indulge in more than one or, on a weekend, two craft beers before calling it an early night.
As she watched Mack tip the clear bottle back and take a long, appreciative sip, she decided she would make it her mission this week to make sure Mack had a good time and a few too many drinks.
It was the least she could do after what Mack was doing for her.
“What?” Mack asked, giving her a curious look.
“Nothing.”
“Don’t give me that. You’re scheming. Out with it LaLa.”
Kayla laughed at the old nickname. “I was just thinking that it’s going to be nice to see you relax for once.”
Mack scowled. “I relax.”
“Oh yeah? When?”
“I relax a lot, I’ll have you know.”
Kayla crossed her arms over her chest, but it was hard to intimidate a woman who knew her almost better than she knew herself and happened to be a foot taller than her. “How do you spend your evenings?”
“With a cup of herbal tea and classical music.”
Mack’s eyes darted away as she finished the sentence, and Kayla knew she was hiding something. “What do you do while you listen to classical music and drink tea?”
“Read.”
“A book or reports from work?”
Mack blushed again and looked at her toes. “Shut up.”
Kayla laughed and pulled her into a one-armed hug. “Like I said, I look forward to making you relax.”
They strolled through the parking lot, sipping their beers and staring out at the sea.
The sunlight somehow felt brighter and warmer here, instantly relaxing her muscles in a way that usually required ninety minutes with a massage therapist. The dark rock cliffs formed a natural bay, keeping the water dead calm.
Even from up here on top of the hill, it was clear that the water was the bright blue-green of Caribbean fantasies.
The fishing village, nestled into the curved valley between the two cliffs, was dotted with the same flat-roofed concrete houses from their drive.
Each one was painted a bright color with pinks, blues, and yellows being the most popular, all in varying states of wear.
Small boats with low cabins and stacks of nets lined the harbor and dotted the ocean, but just visible on the open sea past the other cliff face were ocean liners and cruise ships of breathtaking size.
The juxtaposition of the quaint, quiet life of the island and the grinding gears of capitalism was jarring.
“Would you like me to take your picture?”
Linda’s voice, so close, shocked Kayla out of her reverie. She turned to see their new friend standing, her hands politely clasped behind her back, an expectant smile directed at them. It took her a moment to realize she was referring to her and Mack.
“Oh. Right. Yes. Would you like a picture…honey?” Kayla just managed to remember the endearment at the end.
Mack smiled, the beer giving her pale green eyes the slightest shimmer. “Anything you want, dearest.”
For a moment, Kayla recognized the power Mack’s vivid eyes and dashing smile had on women. The smile made her stomach squirm in a way Mack’s smile had never before, and the little wink she added to the statement sent a tiny shiver through her. What the hell did they put in the beer here?
Handing their bottles off to Manny, Mack positioned them near the edge of the cliff and wrapped an arm around Kayla’s waist. Her palm settled against the small of Kayla’s back, the pressure comforting and just a tiny bit possessive.
It was strange to feel that touch from Mack, and Kayla had to force a smile to her lips.
As Linda lifted the phone to shoulder height, Mack said, “Watch your teeth.”
Before she could stop herself, Kayla burst out laughing. Her laughter settled into a wide, genuine smile just as Linda tapped the screen. Mack’s arm tightened around her, and the way her body quietly shook made it clear she was laughing too.
“What a beautiful couple,” Linda said as she handed the phone back.
Kayla playfully dug her elbow into Mack’s ribs. “Why would you do that?”
Mack pointed at the screen. “That’s why. You always make that fake smile in pictures. I wanted a real one from you.”
She looked down at the screen and froze.
Mack was right. She had learned from years of being an awkward teenager forced to take promotional photos that it was safer to fake her enthusiasm.
She could tell that she looked as stiff as a two-by-four in every photograph, but she hadn’t realized Mack knew.
But this photo. God, they both looked amazing.
Kayla’s hair blew off one shoulder in a slight breeze, and the sunlight haloed her face.
A spark of mirth was in her eyes, bringing them to life.
Mack smiled at the camera, but her body was turned toward Kayla, protective and comforting and full of love.
It looked like an engagement photo of the happiest couple in the world.
“I’m sorry to interrupt.” Manny returned Kayla’s beer to her with a warm smile. “I thought I heard your fiancée say something to you when you were taking the picture. Watch your teeth?”
Kayla’s cheeks hurt with her smile. “It’s an old joke. We’ve been friends since we were kids, so we have a lot of inside jokes.”
Mack slung her arm over Kayla’s shoulder. “I was terrible at parallel parking, and she was helping me. The windows were down, so she stuck her head out the window to scope out the curb.”
“I said she was fine, so she started to roll up the window while my head was still sticking out of it. The window chipped my tooth a little.”
As they laughed at the shared memory, Kayla touched her tongue to the spot.
To her surprise, the sharp spot on her front tooth was smooth.
When had that worn away? Had it really been so long ago?
It felt like just yesterday they were dumb kids making jokes.
A wave of grief rushed over her for her youth.
She watched Mack and their new friends laughing about their teenage hijinks and determined that on this vacation, they would make new memories.
The driver stepped onto a rock at the edge of the parking lot and announced, “Everyone back on the bus. Time to take you to paradise.”
Kayla wrapped her hand around Mack’s bicep. “Ready to get this honeymoon started?”
“Let’s do it.”