Chapter 17
Sea Shells was filled with the sweet and savoury aromas of fried plantain, scrambled eggs, and sausage.
Foxtail palms swayed gently in the warm breeze and Lily occasionally glanced out the window of her mother’s house as she made brunch.
The kitchen overlooked the pool and deck and, beyond that, fencing separated the property from the public beach.
The vista before her was a beautiful collection of blues; pale-blue pool water, while the sky was royal blue, and the ocean a mix of all shades in between.
It was the perfect morning to eat outside.
Barbara was evidently roused by the smell of freshly brewed coffee. ‘Good morning, darling,’ her mum greeted as she kissed Lily’s cheek and proceeded to grab her favourite mug. ‘It smells delicious.’
‘Thanks. I was thinking we should eat out on the deck. It’s such a beautiful day.’
‘Sounds good.’ Barbara peered into the frying pan. ‘But how come you’re here so early? You on a later shift today?’
‘I’m not going in at all today actually,’ Lily divulged, as she stirred the eggs.
‘Oh? I thought there was a big wedding happening at the hotel this week.’
‘That fell through,’ she answered simply, as she added the eggs to two plates of plantain and sliced fruit.
‘Fell through … ?’
‘Everything was bought and paid for; and all in place except one, possibly the most important, element … the bride. She broke up with the groom right before they were due to travel.’
‘Oh well, could be worse,’ her mother answered blithely as she picked up her plate and walked toward the door out to the deck.
‘Huh,’ Lily called, confused, as she picked up her own food and glass of orange juice. ‘What do you mean? You do understand that she dumped the poor guy practically at the altar.’
‘I understand perfectly, honey, and I still say it could have been worse,’ her mother continued as she set her plate on the table and claimed a seat facing the ocean.
Their deck was half concrete and half dark stained wood. They didn’t have much furniture out there, only a round white table with a glass top and push-up parasol to shield off some of the sun. Like the ocean, the umbrella fabric and the chair seats were aquamarine.
‘How so?’ Lily probed, as she took a seat beside her.
‘It’s simple really. Better the bride-to-be did this now than when the poor groom’s standing before all their guests waiting for someone who was never going to turn up.
Worse yet, what if she’d never said anything, went ahead with the charade, and then months or years from now, cheated on him with a friend, colleague, or some stranger even?
Just to escape the unhappiness of going along with something when she wasn’t ready.
Sure, it hurts, but it was the decent thing to do.
At least this way she’s left him to find the right woman.
Ms Right can’t come along if Ms Wrong is still in the picture, can she? ’
Lily was agog. Her mother had a way of putting things into startling perspective. She hadn’t thought that what Sarah had done to Shay could ever have been considered the decent thing. All she could think of was that this girl had so callously discarded someone who loved her that much.
‘Do you really believe that?’
‘Of course.’ Her mother picked up a forkful of eggs and began to chew.
‘Your father would have said the very same. He was dating a girl he’d wanted to marry, but hadn’t gotten around to asking her yet – he was waiting for the perfect time.
Amazingly, the day he planned to buy the ring was the day she ended it.
He was hurt, of course, but then a week later he met me,’ she continued.
‘So yes, I fully believe that, honey. Things happen for a reason. I don’t believe in coincidence. Neither did your father.’
They continued to eat and chat before Barbara returned to her presence at home this morning. ‘So you decided to take it easy today because that event fell through?’
‘Well, there’s a little bit more to it than that …
’ Lily began tentatively. ‘The groom arrived at the hotel as planned and since I’m the only one he knows here, I thought I’d take him under my wing a little, show him around the island and maybe he can help me with some other stuff to keep him preoccupied.
No one should be alone while they’re going through this sort of thing. ’
‘That’s very nice of you of course, but … be careful.’
There it was; another warning. Lily wasn’t sure she wanted to know what her mother meant exactly, but she couldn’t leave the question unanswered. It wasn’t in her nature.
‘Why should I be careful? I’m not doing anything dangerous.’
‘Not that kind of careful. I mean you need to be careful in case this man tries to maybe … soothe his broken heart in your company. Rebounds are never a good thing, sweetheart.’
‘Mum, I’m not trying to date him! I’m just being a friend.’
‘And is he a friend?’
‘Yes. Shay and I both consider each other friends. We’ve spent a lot of time chatting over calls in the past six months while planning the wedding.’
‘But that was work surely? And with the fiancée too.’
‘Actually, it was just Shay. She left him to do all the planning. And we didn’t just talk about the wedding either, we got to know each other quite a bit during that time. He’s really funny. He has a laugh a bit like Dad’s,’ she continued, completely unaware that she was smiling.
‘I see,’ her mother commented, watching her closely. ‘Well, like I said, be careful …’
It was closer to lunchtime when Lily collected Shay from the resort. He was so tall he practically had to fold himself into her Mini but seemed comfortable enough once he was in. His black hair was brushed back out of his face and today his attitude was less melancholy, even if only marginally so.
When a few minutes later they pulled up outside a pair of red iron gates that served as the entrance to a stately two-storey historic plantation house, he looked around impressed.
With its multiple cursive gables and Tudor arches, the house was a testament to old and new-world architecture and skill.
‘Wow, what is this place?’
Lily smiled. ‘Since you obviously appreciate architecture, I thought you might like this. It’s one of only three remaining Jacobean mansions in the West.’ She pointed out the ornate sash windows.
‘See those? They were added in the late seventeen hundreds, plus a Chippendale staircase and triple arcaded portico.’ She went on to give him a lengthy rundown of the property’s background and history.
‘At this rate, I hardly need to take the tour,’ he joked.
She chuckled. ‘Sorry, I guess I know a lot about this place. It’s owned by family friends and I’ve spent quite some time here over the years.
They took great lengths to see this place restored.
It has a colourful and intriguing history of secret lovers and even a little rumour of murder,’ she continued like a storyteller weaving her yarn. ‘Now it’s a business and museum.’
They were met by Larry, the owner of the property who knew Lily’s family well and was a long-standing customer of her father at the bank. His kind inquiries about her mother’s welfare caused a quizzical look from Shay, but thankfully he didn’t say anything as they continued their tour.
The house had many of the features and furnishings of the original plantation owners, including two Wedgewood tea sets.
The floors had been replaced in 1910 with Honduras Pitch Pine, but some of the wood structures, such as the mahogany drawing-room door and the cedar panelling, were from trees felled on the property itself.
While Shay was taken with the architectural elements, he didn’t seem especially interested in the furnishings.
His main interest seemed to be the accompanying rum distillery, which housed a uniquely manufactured distillation system to produce the island’s signature rum made from cane syrup.
It was 184 proof before dilution for ageing, and gave a new meaning to the term ‘strong drink’.
Lily could only hazard a guess that his interest in this stemmed from his Irish heritage.
‘So how do you like the plantation?’ she asked, as she and Shay strolled the expansive grounds in the warm sunshine. The entire property was spread over 400 acres and included gullies, cane fields, and herb gardens.
‘It’s great. I’m definitely picking up a few bottles of rum to take back home,’ he commented as he knelt to study the leaves of a rosemary plant in the herb garden. He thumbed the delicate spines and then sniffed. ‘I love this scent,’ he commented. ‘Always good in a rub for lamb.’
‘I can see you like to cook too …’
‘Is it that obvious?’ he joked as he stood and walked towards her. He smiled and she couldn’t help but notice the way his eyes wrinkled at the outer edges when he did, and his teeth weren’t quite straight. It was cute and rather endearing.
‘Something wrong?’ he asked, when he noticed her staring.
‘Sorry, no. Just lost in my thoughts for a moment,’ Lily explained as she pulled at the leaves of a bush she didn’t know the name of. ‘It’s almost lunchtime. Will we get a bite to eat?’ she mumbled, more for something to say than any actual hunger.
‘Sure. Lead the way.’
Shay followed her to the nearby terrace café, which overlooked a lush tropical gully close by.
The terrace itself was tiled and adorned with ornately crafted black wrought-iron chairs and tables, which bore a tree motif to complement the surrounding flora.
It was still early for lunch, so they were able to have their pick of tables, which were shaded by centre umbrellas to ward off the heat.
Shay decided on one closer to the trees. A pianist, sitting on a raised platformed gazebo nearby, played a popular tune to entertain visitors, while she covertly checked her messages to see that she had a couple from Erin at the hotel, requesting to call her back.
It had been months since she’d had a day off – couldn’t The Palms get by for a couple of hours?
Lily thought, a little irritated. But to be fair, the new manager might not have remembered that Dee was also available in case of any issues.
She’d call her back later, but this was merely another example of why it truly was way past time for her to consider her options.
She and Shay each started their meal with a local delicacy, salted codfish, that was served with pepper jelly sauce and crisps. Lily followed hers with a chicken salad sandwich with sweet potato fries, while Shay had a roast beef wrap and a rum punch.
They ate in comfortable silence for a while, before he spoke up. His question was one she wasn’t entirely surprised by, but she had kind of hoped he wouldn’t ask.
‘That man, Larry, asked about your mother when we arrived earlier. Is she sick or something?’ he asked as he bit into his wrap.
Lily watched for a moment as she contemplated the best way to respond.
She didn’t want sympathy, and she supposed she could simply lie and say her mother was indeed ill, but it wasn’t in her nature.
‘No, it’s not that. My dad passed away recently and she isn’t … handling it so well,’ she admitted and averted her gaze.
‘Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that. When did it happen? If you don’t mind me asking, of course …’
‘It’s fine. About five months ago, but it takes time to heal. Mum just isn’t getting there as fast as we’d hoped.’
‘How long were they married – your parents?’ he asked, with what seemed to be genuine curiosity.
‘Forty-five years.’
‘Good Lord, that’s a long time,’ Shay commented. ‘I can’t imagine it would ever be easy to lose someone you’ve spent the better part of your life with.’
‘No, it isn’t.’
Then he put his sandwich down. ‘But you never said anything, Lily. We’ve been in touch over the last six months, all throughout your grief, and you never said a word.
You never even took time off as I recall,’ he commented.
Suddenly his eyebrows rose as if something had popped into his mind.
‘Hang on, remember that time when we had that video call scheduled and you said you were unwell – that was it, wasn’t it?
’ His memory was remarkable, she had to admit. ‘That was when he passed away.’
‘Yes.’ Lily hung her head and tried to focus on her food. She didn’t want to talk about it. Today was about distracting and helping Shay feel better about his loss, not bringing up hers.
‘Why didn’t you say anything?’
‘Because it’s my job to make my clients happy, not burden them with my issues,’ she answered somewhat sharply, as he studied her with an intensity she found unnerving.
‘Of course it wouldn’t have been a burden,’ he said gently. ‘Anyone would understand, considering.’
‘Thank you, I appreciate that. But I’m fine now,’ she continued and hoped the conversation was at an end. He seemed to pick up on her reluctance to continue and quickly changed the subject to something safer.
As they drove back, she could sense Shay’s occasional glance toward her across the close space, but he’d asked nothing more other than a brief inquiry about her mother and on what part of the island they lived.
When they arrived back at The Palms, she dropped him off at the hotel entrance, thankful that his mood seemed to have improved a little by getting out and about today; though she regretted he had to learn about her recent troubles.
She turned back onto the highway, determined to take the coast road all the way home.
As she drove she kept hearing her dad’s voice in her head.
The best things in life rarely come easy. Sometimes it has to get messy before you see the beauty in it.
Lily wasn’t sure why she was thinking about that piece of advice in particular, but she couldn’t shake it.
Probably because her own life was somewhat of a mess right now, and the beauty in it was eluding her.