Chapter 18
Using the map, I make my way to Seashells restaurant to meet Xavier for our dinner meeting. The evening is balmy, with a hint of humidity, but it’s cooler without the blazing sun. I’ve donned a summery ankle-length dress and feel almost human again after taking a nap and a long shower.
I pass a group clustered around a staff member holding a clipboard and recognise the three Lucys. ‘Harper!’ They eagerly wave me over. ‘We haven’t properly introduced ourselves. I’m Lucy. This is Lucy Lou and Lucia. We go by the three Lucys. It’s just easier, that way.’
‘Easier?’ Lucia huffs. ‘If I’d have known I’d get mistaken for Lucy all the damn time, I’d have changed my name by deed poll to something wildly different, like Francesca.’
Lucy reels. ‘That hurts my feelings!’
Lucia rolls her eyes. ‘You don’t have any feelings.’
‘Ignore them.’ Lucy Lou grins. ‘Would you like to join us for a sunset kayak to go shark spotting? We’re hoping to lay eyes on the sicklefin lemon shark, a species native to the Seychelles and commonly found in Indo-Pacific waters.’ Shark spotting? Have they got a death wish!
‘You sound like you’re reading from a guidebook,’ Lucy says.
‘Like I’m informed, you mean? Unlike some people around here.’ Lucy Lou shakes her head. ‘Anyway, have you ever seen a sicklefin lemon shark, Harper? We’ve only spotted juveniles so far.’ Wouldn’t juveniles be the best shark to run into since they’re smaller?
Yikes, it’s a HELL NO from me, but it’s nice of the ladies to invite me so I quiet my internal screaming and say, ‘Thanks, ah, Lucy Lou, but I’m meeting Xavier for dinner.
’ To which I’m now eternally grateful for if it gets me out of shark spotting from a teeny tiny fibreglass floatation device.
I’m sure the first rule of not being eaten by a shark is not to go in the water at dusk… but surely they know that?
She lets a slow suggestive grin unfurl. ‘Ooh, a dinner date with the boss already. We better keep our eye on you, Harper.’ The women make bawdy sounds and dissolve into giggles.
When they’re finally composed, I say coolly, ‘It’s a business meeting, not a dinner date. The only man I’m into for the foreseeable is the imaginary type.’
Lucia wrinkles her nose. ‘What?’
‘You know, fict—’
‘Over here.’ Xavier hollers across the restaurant. He clicks his fingers and his face dissolves into a smile. Huh, so the man does have a sense of humour.
‘You’ve been summoned for your business meeting.’ Lucy’s voice drips with sarcasm.
I shake my head and give her a huff for good measure and make my way through the tables to Xavier.
‘Nice touch with the finger click. Very funny.’
As he stands to greet me, I can’t help but notice the suit he’s wearing hugs in all the right places, like he’s some kind of GQ model.
Who is mad enough to wear a suit in this weather?
The guy is all business, that’s for sure.
His arms go wide like he’s about to – hug me?
Kiss me! A flush races down the length of me when he promptly…
holds out a hand. To shake. Like we’re two CEOs about to get down to business.
What did I expect? A hug would be creepy, and a kiss…
well, I’d have swooned briefly and then told him off.
I’m not sure why I’m so attracted to the devilishly handsome guy, or why I’m even using words like devilishly handsome.
It could be he has this disarming animal magnetism about him, or it’s the glittery danger in his dark unfathomable eyes…
and OK, that’s enough romance novels for me.
I shake my head, hoping to dislodge whatever malady has forsaken my turncoat mind, which has apparently run away into fantasyland.
We’re welcomed by a waitress who brings menus, and places napkins over our laps. Xavier orders wine without consulting me. Typical. Lily would think that was hot, a man taking charge, but I think it’s not. This isn’t a date though, so I let it slide.
‘How is your suite?’
‘Well, it’s not the Ritz, but it’ll do.’
‘Stop with all the compliments, Harper. I can’t take it.’
I smother a grin. I hate that he can take a joke. And why is that?
The waitress returns with wine and pours it into a decanter. It’s all very theatrical and red wine seems a bit heavy for a hot day, but what can I do except to guzzle it down?
‘So, you’ll be wondering where Gus has got to, and why you’re suddenly being thrust into the role as manager.’
‘And on probation, no less. It’s all a bit too cloak and dagger around here.’
Really, it has been a bit strange, what with the averted gazes, power-tripping CEO vibes and the missing Gus.
There’s politics at every biz, I get that, but I’m stuck on a real-life island in the middle of the Indian Ocean, so it’d be a relief to get some answers.
To be certain this place is legit mostly.
Because so far, it feels like I’ve stepped onto the set of a sitcom, with characters like Michel, the flirtatious helicopter pilot; the three Lucys, aka little old (con) ladies; the sketchy bracelet-jangling Doris; Brian the bitcoin enthusiast; Mariola the miracle worker who soothes petty squabbles; Mrs Bastille a tipsy matriarch with sad eyes. And an MIA bookseller.
‘Gus retired.’ He lifts the palms of his hands in a what-can-you-do way.
Gus up and retired and didn’t breathe a word to me as we chatted by email for a week after my interview?
And not one person has been able to communicate that?
I think not. ‘Out of the blue?’ I narrow my eyes, so he knows I’m not picking up what he’s putting down. He averts his gaze. Huh, how telling.
‘Yes.’ Xavier fiddles with the napkin on his lap. ‘I’m sure it’s been on his mind for quite some time. Luckily, he had the good sense to find a replacement. Would you be amenable to taking the role of manager, Harper?’
‘I – uh – well, maybe.’ Why does this not feel like the full story?
Or am I doing what I always do – sniffing out problems when I should just be happy that I’m gainfully employed and now suddenly promoted, before I’ve even set foot in the elusive bookshop?
Why lie to myself? There’s a mystery afoot here, maybe many mysteries, and I’m determined to get to the bottom of them.
What happened to Gus being the priority.
‘Obviously, there will be an increase in your salary for the extra duties expected of the position.’
‘I’d like to see the bookshop before I confirm.
’ What if it’s a dreary affair stuffed down in the old part of the resort?
I might be agreeing to hole up in some dark, dingy room for all I know, with Xavier lording it over me all hours of the day.
No, it’s best I have the full picture before I commit to anything.
Not that I have much choice, since jobs aren’t exactly falling from the sky for me, but he doesn’t know that.
It’s this strange island where time warps, and it’s just been the longest day.
‘Sure, I’ll meet you there before breakfast tomorrow,’ he says. ‘How does that sound?’
‘Or we could go now?’
‘It’s best seen in sunlight.’
Oh God, it is a dreary room at the back of beyond.
The waitress returns with a tray of dishes. ‘I took the liberty of ordering a selection of Seychellois Creole signature dishes.’
I smile. The spiced scent of the food is mouthwatering and so colourful on the plate. ‘Amazing. What are they?’
He points to a fish dish. ‘This is poisson sale, salted fish with coconut rice. Brinjal, a spicy sweet eggplant chutney. And this one is gateau piment, which are fried lentil fritters with chilli and garlic. There are more… controversial dishes in these parts, but I wasn’t sure you’d enjoy those.’
Yet again, a man deciding what I do and do not like. A man who doesn’t even know me. ‘I can make up my own mind. I have the constitution of an ox and can eat anything. I’ve travelled extensively, you know, and have quite the adventurous palate.’ OK, none of that is true.
‘Oh? Shall I order one of the traditional delicacies of Seychelles civet de chauve souris? I warn you though, it’s an acquired taste.’
This feels like a trap. ‘What is that?’
‘Fruit bat curry.’
‘No, thank you. I’m vegetarian.’
‘Since when?’
‘Since thirty seconds ago, you monster.’
‘Sorry.’ His face breaks into a smile and I use all my willpower not to smile back.
It’s the sort of prank Lily is always playing on me too and because of that I have unwittingly eaten all sorts of oddities in my life, which I thoroughly enjoyed until I found out what they were.
‘I’m joking. We don’t actually serve it here because of the ecosystem importance of the fruit bats, but it is a traditional dish.
We stick to more sustainable practices in the kitchens.
My long-term goal is for the resort to become more eco-friendly as a whole. ’
‘You have big plans then?’
‘I do. And the bookshop is part of that. I hope you can make it a success, Harper.’ The look he gives me is searing and it’s all I can do not to feel a frisson of excitement.
He’s just a man! Why does he seem to have this immediate hold over me?
Especially when I’ve closed the chapter on men for the moment who, of late, have only let me down.
‘Of course I can with enough time.’ I might not be confident in all aspects of my life but the one thing I am confident about is books and the fact that they add value to every single day.
What else can you buy for such a small sum that provides hours of escapism?
That gives you the ability to shut off your worries?
That opens up your eyes to other worlds, and ways of living?
Nothing, that’s what. Books are a salve.
A Band-Aid. A friend. And that is priceless.
Especially when you live or holiday in paradise and have the most beautiful view to accompany you as you dive between the covers of a book.
‘I hope you’ll enjoy your time with us, Harper,’ he says, and takes a slow sip of wine.
He’s hard to read, doesn’t give much away when he slips on his neutral expression. ‘I’m sure I will.’ If I can keep myself out of trouble that is. And this man has trouble written all over him. A weakness of mine is to go directly on a collision course into chaos. I must resist.
Speaking of chaos, I spot Michel by the door. He gives me a wave, which I return. When his gaze skips to Xavier, his smile soon drops. It seems like Michel is really not a fan of our fierce leader…