Chapter 35
It was well after sundown when Lily’s Mini parked in the large parking lot behind one of the island’s most popular hotspots, Gros Islet.
The revitalised fishing village close to Rodney Bay, once a major seaport, was always a buzzing hotspot on Friday nights, where numerous vendors offered the best they had to choose from to those seeking a change of scenery, a tasty fish dish, or a chance to peruse some local art and craft.
The area had a lot more to offer besides fish, but Lily had promised Shay a taste of how the locals did it, and there was no better place in her mind.
The sound of ragga soca, a rhythmic blend of calypso and Jamaican dance music, filled the air. The party was already underway and would only increase as the night progressed.
Lily hadn’t said anything to Shay about the delivery to her mother yet. She wanted to, but at the same time, she wasn’t sure if she should in case she’d got it all wrong.
Or worse, that she’d got him all wrong.
As they walked beside each other in silence and waited for the traffic lights to change so they could cross the street, she considered what his actions may have meant in isolation, regardless of any more nefarious suspicions.
Would he truly have gone to such trouble to do a good deed for her mother?
Did it have anything to do with her? Could he be feeling the same tug she was feeling? All reasonable questions that Lily knew would never be answered unless she said something.
‘Shay,’ she asked as they continued to wait on the light. ‘Did you send my mother a herb bouquet?’
The lights changed.
He looked at her for a moment and then his hand closed around hers.
‘I did,’ he replied simply, and she felt a gentle tug at her heart as he led her across the road.
‘Why?’ she asked as they continued in the direction of the festivities, her hand still in his.
The look he gave her made her stomach flutter. His fingers loosely held hers in his hand, though he acted as if it was nothing.
‘I’m sorry, was it inappropriate? Should I not have done it?’
‘No, it’s not that. She loved it. I wondered why you did it. You don’t know her. Or me, really for that matter.’ Lily searched his face as she spoke, and she thought he looked a little stung by those last few words in particular.
‘My da died a couple of years ago. My mam was like yours after, she didn’t seem to be able to come out of that place of sadness …
of darkness, even. I was living in Dublin and she was back in Galway where I’m originally from, and it was right when I’d started at a new company and I couldn’t get away much.
So I sent her flowers anonymously.’ He smiled.
‘Scared the hell out of her the first time. I didn’t sign my name or anything and, at first, she worried she had some kind of stalker.
’ He continued to chuckle, shaking his head.
‘Anyway, once she realised it was safe, she started looking forward to them, almost. I pretended I didn’t know anything about it, but I could tell she was starting to come back to life.
It took a while, but eventually, those little tokens of encouragement gave her …
hope, I suppose? She had something to look forward to now.
Eventually, though, she didn’t need that anymore so I stopped, but every once in a while I’ll send her a small bouquet to cheer her up. ’
‘Thank you. I think it did the same for mine, and it was very kind.’
‘Don’t mention it. When you told me about what happened to your dad I was racking my brains for a way to help.
Just like you’ve gone out of your way to help me lately.
’ He flashed her a crooked grin and then secured her hand more tightly in his as he resumed walking.
‘So I rang yer man Larry and asked if he wouldn’t mind helping out. ’
Exactly as she’d figured. Lily nodded, satisfied and also more than a little relieved.
That’s all there was to it.
It would be so easy to fall for him. She could see it already. She could see herself spending nights like this with Shay, having fun, exploring the island, and having someone care about her, rather than about what they could get out of her.
Still, it all seemed too sudden, too soon.
And – since he’d been practically dumped at the altar, and should right at this moment be celebrating his marriage to someone else – completely crazy.
‘I really think maybe …’ she began, trying to figure out what she wanted to say.
‘Look, if it helps your mother at all, then it helps you too, and after all you’ve done for me, Lily, it’s the least I can do.’
Was that the reason then? Was this all a way to repay her for trying to help him through a difficult situation?
It certainly made more sense than the notion that there could be something between them.
Maybe she might be feeling something, Lily still wasn’t sure, but it seemed impossible to comprehend that he might be too.
Regardless, it was probably better to keep her thoughts to herself, and as they neared the restaurant, she decided that the less she said about all that, the better.
They got dinner at Lily’s favourite fish spot, Patsy’s. The order line was long as usual, but at least it moved at a decent pace.
Lily opted for grilled potato and vegetables, with marlin and garlic bread, while Shay had tuna and macaroni pie. He’d heard so much about it from her, he had to try the cheesy pasta dish that looked like for all the world like a square of orange waves with a cheese-toasted crust.
As expected, they enjoyed their meal immensely and Shay started chatting to a couple of tourists from Germany seated beside them on the picnic table they’d grabbed.
The DJ was playing some of the year’s new musical selections for the coming Crop-Over Festival, the time of year when the island shores overflowed with tourists and returning nationals, participating in the island’s carnival, Kadooment.
And the reason for The Palms’ upcoming beach party.
‘Want to dance?’ Shay asked over the din.
His head had been bobbing along to the music for some time, but Lily didn’t think he would dare to actually dance in front of all of those people.
Next thing she knew he was on his feet with a hand outstretched and she had to laugh at this crazy Irishman and his weird moves.
‘I hope you know what you’re doing,’ she said dubiously, then took his hand and followed him into the throng of dancing bodies packed between the lines of stalls.
The beat crept into her bones immediately. Shay was doing his best to keep in time with the fast-paced Caribbean rhythm but he was noticeably off.
Lily couldn’t help but laugh as he tried to ‘wine’ his waist like one of the other dancers. When he started to do some kind of hybrid swing and hip-hop, she was about to stop him before he hurt himself, but then the DJ announced a change.
The upbeat tempo dissipated for a slow local ballad from days gone by.
Lily wasn’t sure how to react, but Shay seemed unfazed. He pulled her to him, holding her close but not too close as to be intrusive, as he began to shuffle his feet in time to the music.
‘You’re better at the slower stuff,’ she teased, as they fell into a comfortable rotation with the other couples around them. Some were twirling their partners and showing off their talents – mostly the older crowd.
Still, Shay was holding his own as they danced to one of her mother’s favourite songs, ‘Beautiful And Unspoilt’. The slower the music played, the more comfortable she became in his arms.
Lily wasn’t sure when she’d moved to rest her head on his chest, but the faint sound of Shay’s heart could be heard in her ears as his arms wrapped more securely around her.
This is a bad idea, she warned herself, but yet it felt too good to move away.
Maybe she could enjoy this feeling while it lasted. Maybe Lily could let herself pretend there could be something more, even if only until Shay left her life and returned home.
Was it so wrong to want to enjoy this lovely man’s attention? A little voice inside her told her it was, but a louder one that soundly strangely like her father told Lily to take a chance.
Just this once, she told herself as she blotted out the warning voice entirely.
Let me have this, just this once.