Chapter 11 #2
I point at the water. “Look carefully. You can see the bigger fish swimming around the coral.”
Lexi stares and stares. “For real,” she whispers as she finally sees what I see.
“Yep. This is paradise.”
She smiles up at me and pushes a strand of windswept hair away from her brow. “All yours to explore and capture on film.”
I want to hug her, so I do, giving her a tight side squeeze. “Thanks to you.”
“Look that way.” Lexi pushes herself awkwardly from my chest. Too much, I note. “My perfect escape, thanks to you.”
I look up as I drop my arm. The island is a breathtaking swath of green, seeming to float in a custard of creamy white sand. Palm tree tufts rise above the lush tropical forest and bow to the water. Nobody is going to come get her here. “Now you can finally relax about the whole Mia Reed mess.”
“Yes. This feels like the end of the Earth, in a good way.”
Buoys line the route the skipper needs to take to avoid hitting the coral, and soon we cross over into idyllic turquoise blue, where there’s only soft sand under the water. On the beach, two people are waiting in the shade next to a sign that says Welcome to Ne’emba Island.
“Best you roll up your jeans,” Mike says as he switches off the engine. “You’re about to get wet.”
“Who’s waiting for us?” Lexi asks as she toes off her sneakers, stuffs her socks in them, and rolls up her jeans.
“That is Miriam and Don, the current management couple.”
Roger drops the anchor to keep the boat floating close to shore, then lowers a small ladder, jumps barefoot out of the boat, and Mike indicates to Lexi that she should come down first with Roger’s helping hand.
“We’ll get your luggage to your cottage in no time,” Mike says. “With all the travel and this heat, you’ll probably want to catch up on some sleep.”
“Yes, thank you,” I say. “I’ll see you around?”
“Every day. I’m in charge of the fleet and the other activities,” Mike says. “Roger is your skipper for the diving.
Awesome. Or not. “Small world,” I say, just to say something.
At this, Mike laughs. “Small island.”
I make sure Lexi is secure on the ladder, and Roger smiles for the first time as he helps her down. I’m going to ignore that. I jump down, and my feet sink into the soft sand, the water up to my knees. It feels like coming home.
Lexi wades to the shore, wet up to her crotch and jeans clinging, sneakers and purse held high. I bet none of that is coming out of the closet again. I catch up with her, fingers brushing her elbow. “Not so fast, babes.”
“You don’t have to say that when we’re out of earshot, you know.”
“Just method acting.”
She pauses, hand outstretched, eyes rolling. “Don’t get used to it.”
I chuckle as we walk up onto the beach hand in hand, and Miriam and Don head our way. They’re an older couple, probably late sixties, but looking fit as fiddles.
“Welcome to Ne’emba Island,” they say in unison. Handshakes and pleasantries about our flights and jet lag follow.
“Let’s show you your place,” Miriam says.
“We have no plans for today except to get you settled in.” She leads the way from the beach to a sandy trail hacked out of the tropical thicket.
“We’ve vacated the management cottage for you.
We’re in the last available room in the staff quarters since the hotel is full. ”
“Oh wow.” Lexi lets go of my hand since there isn’t enough space to stay abreast. “You didn’t need to do that. Surely we—”
“Oh, it’s only for three nights, and before coming to fill this gap, we were RV-ing through the US,” Don says.
“It’s perfect practice for us to get used to small spaces again.
We’ll be picking up our travels where we left off two months ago.
” He pauses at a split in the trail. “This path goes to the lodge and this one goes to your cottage.”
A small sign that says Private is the only indication that something hides in the thicker tropical forest.
“This is a young couple’s gig, not something for retired folks. By the look of that ring, your engagement is recent?” Miriam’s gaze homes in on Lexi’s hand, where the diamond winks in a drop of sunlight that penetrates the foliage.
That ring had me so torn, but it was the right thing to do if management notices it like this.
After walking all the shops in the terminal building, I ignored the expense.
My only conclusion was this: Lexi deserves nothing but the best. She’s putting everything on the line here for me, and this was the least I could do.
I wanted to get her that eye-popper and half of me cursed.
Somewhere in me there is a boy that still wants to be just like his dad and fling money around and buy expensive things for the woman in his life.
Lexi giggles—that little laugh she has when she’s uncomfortable and called out—as she brushes at a rogue strand of hair. “Very recent. How do you know?”
“We get a lot of honeymooners. No wear and tear on their rings, just like yours.”
“Ah.” Lexi’s gaze catches mine, and maybe it’s my imagination, but I’d swear that’s a spot of panic in her eyes.
“Your job descriptions always say pay attention to detail, babes.” I reach for her hand and get in a squeeze before she can pull away. We’re under a magnifying glass right now.
“All you need here is a bed and some space away from guests for your own privacy.” Miriam indicates for us to continue on the path. “The management cottage is perfect for that, and probably the most romantic cottage of them all, if you ask me.”
Don leads the way until the forest opens up to what must be our cottage.
“Oh…” Lexi breaks off.
I blink in confusion. It’s massive.
“This is it,” Don says. “We’ll run you through the basics and then give you some space.”
We stroll up to the entrance of an A-frame wood-and-woven-palm-leaf structure.
This is what I could see on Google Earth—the pointy rectangles that got so pixelated as I zoomed in that I couldn’t figure out much except that they all had solar panels.
The frame is tall and wide but has no walls as such, and it covers the verandah and interior of the space.
Under this “roof,” the room is another wooden frame with big glassless windows.
It gives open concept a new meaning. Woven grass “curtains” have been rolled and pinned up so you can see straight through to the massive king-size bed, which has mosquito net hanging like a veil around it, suspended from a wooden frame up above.
It’s a snug fit but leaves about two feet of space open around the bed to move around.
I swallow, refusing to meet Lexi’s gaze. This is… I clear my throat. Expectedly unexpected.
“So, this is pretty much what the guest rooms look like,” Don says.
“This is bigger, though, as you have this extra sitting room to the side, over and above your outside living area.” He pauses to take off his flip-flops and wash his feet in a foot basin at the door.
“For the sand, you know.” He leads the way into the room, and we all dip our feet and trail behind him through the covered outdoor seating area.
“Here’s the kitchenette for coffee and so on, but meals stay in the staff canteen to keep it contained.
We don’t want to develop a cockroach problem. ”
“Cockroach problem?” Lexi croaks, her tired eyes blinking.
“It’s common in the tropics. Just don’t tempt them with food,” Miriam says. “This way to the bathroom.”
We follow into the open space behind the dividing wall. “The toilet is separate, but here you have the bathtub and outdoor shower,” she says. “Twin basins, and a walk-in closet with a safe and a door you can lock.”
“Perfect. Exactly what we need. Very spacious.” I’m rambling now, but Lexi hasn’t peeped a word.
She’s staring at the massive bathtub, set in an alcove on a raised dais.
Next to it are the only glass windows I’ve spotted in the whole place, offering a view of the thick tropical forest. Candles line the windowsill.
Fucking. Candles. Line. The. Windowsill.
“All good?” Don walks out of the bathroom back into the bedroom. “We were very comfortable here. Housekeeping looks after everything, of course. And you look after housekeeping.” He gives Lexi a smile, and her lips twitch up at the corners.
Oh babes, not the fake smile. She’s been stunned speechless.
“It’s fantastic,” I say as I try to guide everybody to the front of the cottage. We need alone time. As a last resort, I pull Lexi to my side in another awkward hug. I plant a kiss on her forehead. “We made it, babes.”
“We sure did,” she says, stiff as a plank as she pats my chest.
“And here’s your luggage. Perfect timing.” Miriam’s all-consuming gaze locks on the porters as they stack our luggage in one corner. “We’ll meet again at the general guest area in three hours? Dinner is served starting at seven, so if we meet at six, it will give you some time to take a rest.”
“Sure. Thank you,” I tell them. “We’ll find our way.”
Don laughs. “You will. Can’t get lost here. Just follow the walkway.”
As soon as Miriam and Don’s backs are turned, Lexi twists out of my embrace.
With a suppressed groan, I watch everybody walk off.
Finally we’re alone, with only the piercing sound of a million cicadas and the gentle kiss of the waves on white sands coming through the few palm trees that separate our cottage from the beach.
I turn to Lexi, only to find her standing frozen, her face buried in her hands.
“You knew there was going to be a catch, didn’t you? Surely.” I wait for her to move, to peel her hands from her face, but she doesn’t. “Well, this is it,” I say as I wave at the most romantic hotel room I’ve ever seen. “This is the catch.”