Sebastian took her by the arm and laughed. ‘Too bad. This fine gentleman is the pilot who’ll be taking us there whether you like it or not. Eh, Giorgio?’
‘Si, Signor Fielding, the grotto it is unique and very blue.’
Paige widened her eyes and pulled a face at Sebastian. ‘It seems that I have very little say in the matter.’
The boat was almost touching the cliff, but still Paige couldn’t see an entrance. ‘How will we get in?’ she asked hoping she wouldn’t have to get wet.
‘Like this,’ he indicated the chain attached to the side of the cliff. She watched as the pilot stood up and grabbed hold of it. ‘Now, um, lie back against me,’ said Sebastian, gently pulling her back against his lap.
Paige automatically stiffened at the unfamiliar closeness with this man she hardly knew and pushed her sunglasses up on top of her head.
‘It’s so you don’t hit your head on the way in.’
She lay back down against him, trying not to think about where her shoulders were and gasped as the boat shot forward under the low stone arch. ‘Wow,’ she said, her voice echoing in the cavernous space and forgetting about Sebastian as she sat up. The coolness of the interior after the heat of the sun outside was welcome on her skin. She stared at the sharpness of the rock all around them as visitors in nearby boats spoke to each other in awed, hushed tones.
Leaning to one side, Paige looked down at the bright blue water all around them. She had never seen a colour like it, it was as if someone had dyed it. ‘The water really is a perfect blue. How do they do that?’
‘Apparently it’s the reflection of the water from the sand about twenty metres below us. Sensational, isn’t it?’
‘It’s incredible.’ Giorgio began to sing and Paige couldn’t remember when she’d last been in such a magical place.
‘I’m glad you like it,’ Sebastian said over her shoulder. She could feel his warm breath against her neck and it made her shiver.
‘It is a bit cooler in here,’ he said mistaking her reaction.
‘It’s fine.’ She was relieved he’d misunderstood. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite so incredible. Thank you for bringing me here.’
Later, as the taxi took them once again up the steep winding roads to the old town where Sebastian had said he’d booked a table for them in the piazza, Paige thought about how perfect this place would have been for a honeymoon.
‘I thought you’d enjoy eating under the umbrellas,’ Sebastian said when the taxi stopped. He took her hand as she stepped out onto the pavement. ‘I enjoy people-watching.’
Paige nodded. ‘That sounds lovely, but I’d like to pay for our meal.’
‘No. I invited you.’
Paige stopped walking, so he had to turn to face her. ‘So far you’ve paid for the ferry, taxi ride, and the boat to the grotto, and if you don’t agree to me paying for our meal, then I’ll eat by myself.’
Sebastian frowned. ‘But …’
Paige held up her hand and shook her head. ‘I’m serious. It’s my turn to pay for something.’
He shrugged. ‘It seems I have no choice, if I wish to eat with you.’
Paige smiled. ‘Good. So where are we heading?’
‘We have to walk from here,’ he said, ‘but I think you’ll be impressed by the shops, they have an impressive array of them, especially for such a small community.’
She pulled her sunglasses down from her head and covered her eyes against the white-washed walls along the street, so startlingly bright in the sunshine as they made their way towards the town. ‘This has been a perfect day so far, thank you.’
‘My pleasure, I’ve enjoyed it.’
Relishing the warmth of the sunshine, Paige was relieved not to have missed out on these experiences and could only imagine how perfect it would be to visit here with someone you loved.
‘Tell me a little about your business,’ Sebastian said, interrupting her thoughts. ‘I know you’re a shoe designer with your own shop, but what are your plans for the future?’
Happy to be distracted, Paige said, ‘At the moment I source all my stock from suppliers in Spain because their leather is excellent quality. My shop is just a small concession in a larger store. One day I hope to be able to lease, or even buy my own property and set up on my own.’
‘When do you see yourself doing that?’ he asked looking down at the pavement.
Paige frowned. ‘Not for a few years yet, I’ve only been going for two years so far. I’m getting quite a reputation for my designs though, which is fantastic. Although, even though I have a great relationship with my suppliers, it’s still expensive sourcing the materials. I think it’s important to only accept the highest quality accessories for my designs, which means it’s going to take me a little longer than I’d first anticipated raising enough money to completely branch out into my own shop.’
‘Was it always your ambition to design your own shoe collection?’
It made a change being able to speak to someone who seemed interested in her work. ‘Yes, ever since I can remember. I was always sneaking upstairs to walk around in my mother’s shoes.’ She touched a small scar on her lip. ‘Sometimes I came off worse for my obsession.’ She raised an eyebrow and laughed.
Sebastian smiled. ‘It adds to your appeal.’
Paige hoped she wasn’t blushing. It had been a while since she’d received compliments from Jeremy. It dawned on her that maybe this should have been a bit of a clue that his affections for her were waning. ‘What about you? Do you get along well with your uncle?’
Sebastian nodded. ‘He’s a good man but can be a little misunderstood. He’s always been highly ambitious, which can make him too intense at times, but it’s also resulted in him being very successful. When my father died, he promised my mother he’d take me under his wing and when I left university he gave me a job.’
‘He did as he promised then?’
Sebastian smiled. ‘For the most part, yes. Look,’ he said, pointing up at the Dior sign behind her. ‘I told you there were great shops here.’
She didn’t miss his change of subject and couldn’t believe that such a small island could have so many designer shops. They walked past Chanel, Ferragamo, and Louis Vuitton. ‘I notice there aren’t any discount stores on this street,’ she said.
‘Not up here,’ said Sebastian. ‘Would you like to buy a few things?’
Paige shook her head. She didn’t like to admit that she probably couldn’t afford anything from any of these places.
‘Will you let me buy something for you?’ he asked, looking awkward for the first time since they’d met.
‘No,’ she said, smiling to soften her refusal. ‘Thank you though. Let’s eat, I’m famished.’
Sebastian looked a little disappointed by her refusal. He nodded. ‘Of course. Would you mind though if I quickly show you around that little studio over there?’ He pointed across the road. ‘It’s run by a friend of mine and he’d be offended if I came here and didn’t pop in to see him.’
‘I’d love to go in.’ Paige said honestly, stepping in front of him as he held open the front door of the small shop. She glanced over at the brightly coloured impressionist painting taking up most of the window space, before walking inside the cool air-conditioned room. At first, she thought the room was unoccupied, until a tanned man she assumed must be around her age stood up from behind the stone counter and smiled at her. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he uttered a word he spotted Sebastian following her inside and smiled widely, opening his arms.
Paige moved to let Sebastian greet his friend. The men hugged, and she could see he obviously held Sebastian in high regard.
‘Sebastian Fielding, so you’ve finally come back to visit me?’
Sebastian nodded. ‘I said I would, but I was hoping not to have left it for so long.’
‘Your uncle?’
Sebastian nodded. ‘He’s well, thank you.’
‘Good. Please give
him my best wishes and tell him I’m proving you right.’
Paige wasn’t sure what was going on, but could tell the two of them were very happy to see each other again. She moved away to give them some time alone and enjoy the amazing paintings on display around the small studio.
‘Which do you like best?’ Sebastian’s friend asked her a few minutes later.
She studied the paintings. It was a hard decision to make, they were all so beautiful. She spotted the label hanging from the back of one and wished she had a few hundred euros to spare to be able to buy one to take home to her cottage.
‘Assuming you like any of them,’ he teased.
‘Paige, please let me introduce you to a good friend of mine, Carlo Rosselli.’
Paige smiled and shook Carlo’s proffered hand. ‘It’s good to meet you. Did you do all these paintings?’
‘I am. What do you think of them?’
Paige raised her eyebrows in surprise, relieved she wouldn’t have to pretend. ‘I love them, they’re stunning.’
Carlo looked up at Sebastian and winked. ‘You have a woman of good taste, Sebastian.’
‘Oh, we’re just friends.’ Paige said hurriedly. Sebastian was great company and very handsome, but she didn’t want his friend getting the wrong idea.
‘Yes,’ Sebastian added. ‘We’re staying at the same hotel and I offered to show Paige some of the sights in the area.’
Carlo’s smile disappeared, but Paige couldn’t tell if he was teasing her, or not, because there was a definite sparkle of mischievousness in his dark eyes. ‘Excuse me, I don’t wish to make you feel uncomfortable.’ He stepped back and stood next to a small, but exquisite painting depicting a colourful water scene. ‘My paintings, you still haven’t said what you particularly like about them.’
‘Carlo, stop pushing for compliments,’ Sebastian said. ‘Would you like to join us for lunch in the piazza?’
‘I would, but I have a commission I’m running behind with. It’s for a birthday present, so I have to finish it on time. Maybe another day, if you’re coming back before your return to England?’
‘Not this time,’ Sebastian said, his voice filled with regret. ‘I will be here soon though and we can catch up over lunch then.’
Happy with this suggestion, Carlo hugged Sebastian and kissed Paige on both cheeks before showing them to the door. ‘Thank you both for coming here. I hope to see you again sometime, Paige.’
‘That would be lovely.’ She smiled at him and took one last look around his colourful studio. ‘I might even come back to buy one of these from you some day.’
They walked the few paces to the restaurant and were soon shown to a table in the packed piazza and Paige couldn’t take her eyes off the obvious wealth all around her. Where were the locals? Everyone here had the best of everything, or so it seemed. ‘Where do all these people come from?’
‘Some of them would have come by ferry, like we did.’
She indicated the expensively clad group of people sitting at the next table to them. ‘I don’t think many of them came across on the ferry,’ she whispered.
‘Probably not. I think they more than likely have their own cruisers. This place comes alive at night when the tourists and ferries leave; it’s when the parties begin.’
‘Sounds like fun.’ She would love to experience an evening here at some point, she decided. She took off her hat and waved it in front of her face for a few seconds, before placing it on the table. It was hot, and she was glad of the shade. She was slowly getting to know more about her new friend and it had been wonderful to discover Carlo’s artwork and meet a friend of Sebastian’s. ‘Thank you for introducing me to Carlo and his intricate artwork,’ she said. ‘I love discovering painters, and one day I’m going to treat myself to as many originals as I can afford.’
Sebastian smiled. ‘He is very good. My uncle is an avid supporter of talent that he believes has a future.’
‘And was it you who put him in touch with Carlo?’
Sebastian nodded. ‘He needed someone to back his ambitions for his own studio and despite his initial reticence, my uncle eventually helped Carlo.’
She didn’t like to ask why his uncle had needed persuasion. ‘I was excited to discover the work of an impressionist artist when I visited Wales a couple of years ago. He’s so good and I must admit that I did buy one of his smallest paintings. I couldn’t help myself.’
‘If you give me the link to his website, I’ll check out his work online.’ He typed in the website name into his Blackberry as she gave him the artist’s name.
‘He’s got an excellent website,’ she said. ‘The paintings are displayed in a much more user-friendly way than most sites. Olly’s suggested I update the basic website I’ve currently got for my shoes and handbags. He believes I’m missing a trick because the site isn’t as professional as it could be.’
‘I agree with him,’ Sebastian said. ‘It’s another outlet without having to pay rent, and you can take orders and maybe show designs before they’re actually released. Teasers, as it were.’
Paige raised her eyebrows. ‘You seem to know a lot about retail.’
‘A little.’
‘What exactly do you do for a living?’ Paige pierced some of the lemon sole on her plate and put it in her mouth, relishing the delicate flavour.
‘All sorts really. My uncle has 11K status in Jersey.’
Paige had heard about wealthy island immigrants, although she hadn’t yet met one. ‘Does that mean he can only visit the mainland for ninety days at the most each year then?’
Sebastian nodded. ‘It does. And you’d imagine most people would be thrilled to live in Jersey, but he finds it restricting. He loves England and resents not being able to live there all the time.’
Paige adored the island where she had been born and always lived, but decided she would hate having to be told where to live. ‘Would it be too dreadful for him to go back then?’
‘It would mean they’d tax him on his worldwide assets going back to the seventies when he moved to Jersey, so yes, it would.’
‘Poor thing,’ Paige chewed her lower lip. ‘I’ve never imagined I’d feel sorry for someone really wealthy like him before now.’
‘It could be worse,’ Sebastian said, raising his eyebrows and not looking to Paige as if he had much sympathy at all. ‘I spend most of my time either in the office he has in London keeping an eye on everything or working from my office at home.’
‘But you travel to Jersey a lot by the sounds of it?’
Sebastian nodded. ‘It’s where the head office is, and where the company board meetings are held.’
She didn’t like repeating her question, but her curiosity was too strong to stop. ‘You still haven’t said what it is you actually do.’
Sebastian seemed to consider her question for a moment. ‘I mainly take over failing businesses and find a way to make them work. It usually takes big changes though and the hardest part is discarding anything, or anyone, that’s surplus to the companies’ requirements.’
‘It sounds unpleasant.’
He pursed his lips. ‘Not exactly, but when you’re making people redundant and having to sort the wheat from the chaff, as it were, things can get a little heated and personal. It has its good side.’ He held his hands palms upward. ‘And its less savoury side, but most of the time it’s very satisfying clawing a success out of something that seems to have flat-lined.’
The Jersey Scene series box set Page 35
