Chapter 27
Lily and Shay ducked through the opening of one of the greenhouses in the botanical gardens.
At this time of year, the jade vines were in full bloom.
Bluish-green in colour, hence the name, the plant’s petals were shaped like praying mantis forelegs, and it only bloomed for a few short days every year which made it particularly special.
The vines were their first stop in their afternoon exploration of the spectacular four-acre property. There was no tour guide or specific order that you were supposed to follow. You simply went where your feet took you.
Lily liked the unsophisticated nature of that, which allowed you to feel free while still confined within the boundaries. There wasn’t even a specified time to leave, the latest arrival time was four-thirty in the afternoon, but when you left was entirely up to you.
Since learning in the meantime that Erin’s planned search of Shay’s room had been unexpectedly waylaid, she was in no hurry.
And not only for that reason.
‘It’s like a mini rainforest in here,’ he commented now, stuffing his hands into the pockets of the grey linen shorts he wore. He toed the earth with his sneakers, his hair falling over his forehead as he inspected the soil. ‘There’s some rich earth here.’
‘What, are you a gardener too?’
‘No,’ he chuckled. ‘I just happen to like fresh produce and growing it yourself is the best way.’
‘So a farmer?’
‘In my spare time,’ he replied, and Lily was surprised. The architecture thing didn’t exactly gel with the farming element. But maybe that was par for the course in Ireland?
‘How do you have the time, though?’ she asked.
He shrugged. ‘Making time is dependent on how important something is to you. If it’s important you’ll make sure to find the time to do it and stick with it. If it’s not, you won’t. It’s that simple.’
‘You’re not wrong there.’
‘Yeah. And it sort of holds true to everything in life,’ he added, and Lily couldn’t help but think he was referring to Sarah and her frequent absences in the run-up to the wedding.
She also idly wondered if such behaviour had extended to more than just their wedding plans. It was one question she wasn’t about to ask.
‘But I knew from the get-go that you were serious about your work,’ Shay continued, as they meandered along a path dotted with the names of the flora that lined it.
Lily didn’t care about the names of the plants that much, it was being surrounded by so much beauty that brought her there.
‘Yes, I keep being told how committed I am,’ she muttered. She touched the leaves of a triangular, purple-leafed shrub with a name she didn’t dare try to pronounce. Oxy-something.
‘I’ve been told the same thing,’ he echoed as he reached to touch the same one. He looked at her and gave a smile that only rose on one side of his face. ‘It’s kind of a blessing and a curse, isn’t it?’
‘What do you mean?’ she asked, her voice coming out softer than she’d expected.
‘Works great most of the time, but if not, you’re the one who’s left holding the bag.’
Lily searched his gaze for hidden meaning but found she couldn’t hold it. It wasn’t intense though; on the contrary, it was warm and open.
It was the way Shay made her feel that was the problem. It had been a long time since a man had been that close and looked at her the way that he had. It stirred up feelings she couldn’t entertain.
‘Sorry, I’m probably speaking out of turn,’ he apologised.
‘No, it’s OK. I think I know exactly what you mean. All too well actually.’
‘So how long have you been working at The Palms?’ he asked idly.
Too long, Lily almost replied, but didn’t.
‘About seven years now. My best friend Dee, she’s been there forever and pretty much got me the position.’
‘Your best friend? You two must be close. I’m not sure I could hack working with my best friend every day.’
Lily smiled. ‘We are.’
‘I know you said your parents are originally from the UK. But what about your friend Dee, is she from the island or … ?’
Lily wasn’t sure why he was suddenly so interested in Dee or their work at the resort. It felt like a weird turn in the conversation. Taken with everything that was going on with the hotel and Eugenie Cooke’s claim that a hotel guest was playing saboteur, she couldn’t help but wonder …
Thinking about it, a so-called cancelled wedding was certainly a pretty good cover story for a guy holidaying alone at the resort, wasn’t it?
And Shay’s association with her potentially allowed him to get closer to proceedings behind the scenes.
Heck, Lily had even suggested he help her out with the preparations for next week’s beach party.
Was she once again, as Dee kept pointing out, the soft target? The one whose weaknesses were so easily exploited?
No, Shay wasn’t like that, she told herself. She’d spent months getting to know him while making arrangements for the wedding. He wasn’t some corporate mole, for goodness’ sake; he was simply a guy down on his luck.
Still, now that the very notion had entered her thinking, she found herself instinctively distancing herself from further conversation about the resort, at least until Erin could better ascertain what was going on.
And whether Shay Brady truly was someone Lily could trust.