by Anita Hughes
Hadley turned to the window and studied the bright birds of paradise and pink jacaranda.
“I’m the only person I know who doesn’t like vanilla ice cream,” she said finally.
He laughed. “You have to do better than that.”
Hadley felt slightly dangerous. As if she were an international spy and had landed behind enemy lines.
“In the summer I sleep completely naked,” she said. “I can’t stand anything against my skin except freshly ironed sheets.”
“That’s much better.” He leaned forward. “What’s number three?”
“My mother was the black sheep of her family. My father teaches geography at Miss Porter’s School in Connecticut and my mother was his student. It wasn’t as scandalous as it sounds. She was eighteen and they didn’t have their first date until after graduation but her family cut her off.” She paused. “He still teaches there, and when I was a student I thought the other teachers expected me to follow in her footsteps and run off with the Latin teacher.”
“Did you?” Sebastian asked.
“I’m only twenty-two and want to see the world.” She shook her head. “Love isn’t as interesting as taking the cable car to the top of Table Mountain or seeing the great white sharks in Simon’s Town.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” he said and drained his coffee cup. “Love is the greatest adventure of all.”
* * *
Sebastian said he was starving and they moved into the kitchen and ate lamb skewers and chakalaka. Sebastian had been there for a week and knew which curry was spicy and which jam was too sweet.
“Are you an artist?” Hadley asked, eating a spoonful of malva pudding.
“I’m supposed to start law school next month. I admire my parents; my father built a prosperous law firm and my mother is a respected psychiatrist.” He drummed his fingers on the tile counter. “But I suppose I’m a terrible egoist. I don’t want to help others, all I want to do is paint.”
“If you admire the great artists, why aren’t you at the Louvre in Paris or the Uffizi in Florence?”
“I couldn’t replicate the Mona Lisa or sculpt Michelangelo’s David.” He waved out the window. “But here everything is vast and wild and full of color. I want to paint sunsets with the sky on fire and cliffs that fall into the sea. I’m going to be one of the greatest artists of my generation.”
Sebastian said he had to run an errand and Hadley took a rusk and a cup of tea into the living room. It had been fun to talk to an American her own age, but the rain kept coming down and she was no closer to seeing Cape Town.
She wondered if she should have been like the other girls at Mount Holyoke who fled to Italy or the French Riviera after college graduation. They all packed their Kate Spade sweaters and Gucci pumps and promised to meet in Rome or Cannes.
But she was a scholarship student and couldn’t afford the designer boutiques on the Via Condotti or the cafés on the Boulevard Croisette. But in Cannes the sun shone three hundred days a year and in Rome she could have stayed in her roommate’s seventeenth-century palazzo.
The front door opened and Hadley inhaled the scent of wet grass.
“You’re still here, I thought you might have gone upstairs to take a nap,” Sebastian said. He carried a brown box and his wet hair was plastered to his head.
Other guests mingled near the fireplace and Hadley flushed. They shouldn’t have shared secrets. The last thing she needed was to get involved with someone when she might have to give up and go home.
“I’m not the least bit tired,” she said. “I feel like a lion cooped up in its cage.”
“Good, then you’ll like these.” He handed her the box.
She opened it and pulled out a yellow rain jacket and a pair of boots. There were thick gloves and a purple scarf.
“They’re lovely but I can’t accept them.” She handed him the box. “I’m sure you’ll find another American girl who wants to sleep with you; give it to her.”
“Did you think I spent half an hour bartering in the rain just so I could kiss you?” he spluttered.
“Why else would you give a present to a complete stranger?”
Sebastian studied her shoulder-length blond hair and blue eyes and small nose. He shook the water out of his hair and smiled. “Because I want to paint you.”
* * *
Hadley touched the iron and thought they had been so young, younger than Olivia and Finn. And Sebastian had been arrogant even then: certain that she would fall in love with him and that his paintings would be a success.
Why had she let him drink Felix’s bourbon and stay at the villa? That was the problem with Sebastian. You said yes to everything and it was only when he was out of sight that you realized you’d had every intention of turning him down.
But then she remembered the way Olivia’s face had lit up when she looked at her father. Surely he must have learned to behave himself, and he wasn’t any longer the green-eyed boy who was more persuasive than a snake charmer.
She would just make him follow the rules. Drinks and dinner were at 6:00 p.m., and then Olivia and Finn would go out for an aperitif in Gustavia. He was welcome to join them if Olivia asked or he could stay with her and Felix and watch an old movie. Felix liked the lights off by midnight and Esther would be furious if Sebastian smoked in his room.
A car pulled into the driveway and Hadley’s shoulders tensed. They’d had plenty of houseguests over the years, what was one more? She entered the living room and saw Sebastian’s empty shot glass and suit jacket folded over an armchair. The difference with other houseguests was that Felix knew they were coming.
The car door opened and Felix stepped out. Hadley gasped and wondered what he was doing home. He usually spent all day on the tennis courts and arrived at the villa in time to shower and dress for dinner.
He slung his tennis bag over his shoulder and Hadley thought he’d grown more attractive with age. His gray hair suited him and he had a lean stomach and muscular legs. When Felix was around everything flowed smoothly: the fridge was stocked with limes and the butcher sent the best cuts of beef and Esther kept the vases filled with calla lilies.
Hadley remembered when they started dating and he always opened her car door and gave her lilacs and boxes of chocolate truffles. It had been wonderful to slip out of the black slacks and blouses she wore at the gallery and put on sleek cocktail dresses and silver sandals and head out with Felix.
And the places they went! Chateaubriand and chestnut soufflé at La Grenouille and Bloody Marys and French onion soup at the St. Regis. She sat at the King Cole Bar and listened to jazz and felt young and pretty.
Sometimes she would lie in bed at night, her head buzzing from Kahlúa and cream and her skin smelling like cinnamon and vanilla, and feel a pang in her chest. But it was lovely to be with someone who took Olivia to the puppet show in Central Park and the tree lighting in Times Square and surprised them with tickets to The Lion King on Broadway. She remembered Olivia whispering to Felix she had seen a real lion in Africa and had to laugh.
Why was she thinking about this now? If only Sebastian hadn’t shown up out of the blue. Felix would be furious that she asked Sebastian to stay without consulting him.
The front door opened and she wished she had time to mix a pitcher of martinis and refresh her makeup. Felix would be easier to deal with if he were stirring a toothpick-speared olive and her cheeks were brushed with powder.
“Felix, you’re home.” She met him in the foyer. “I wasn’t expecting you for hours.”
“I had a surprise visitor.” He walked to the bar and filled a glass with ice. “You’ll never guess who showed up at the club.”
Hadley thought it couldn’t have been Sebastian; that would have been low even for him. She was glad Felix had come home early. She could tell him about Sebastian’s arrival and they could form a plan together.
“Finn appeared on the tennis court.” He poured a shot of vermouth and laughed. “He was lucky I
just beat Peter Gordon in straight sets or I wouldn’t have appreciated the interruption.”
“I thought he was going to Lorient to buy lobster for the barbecue.” Hadley frowned.
“He wanted to discuss something first. He swore me to secrecy, but I said whatever he told me I would share with you.” He paused. “Nothing is more important in a relationship than honesty. There isn’t a thing I’ve done that I couldn’t tell you.”
Hadley noticed Sebastian’s straw hat lying on the sofa and flinched. She tossed it under the sofa and smoothed her skirt.
“That’s what marriage is all about,” she agreed, suddenly longing for a gin and tonic.
“He asked me for Olivia’s hand in marriage. Of course, I said we were thrilled. He wondered if they could have the ceremony here at Christmas. St. Barts is so important to Olivia and they could keep it intimate.” He sipped his drink. “I gather Finn isn’t one for sixteen-piece orchestras and ten-tier wedding cakes.”
Hadley flashed on her wedding to Felix in the ballroom of the Carlyle. She hadn’t known a single person besides her parents but it was important to Felix’s family to have a five-course sit-down dinner and a bar stocked with Château Lafite Rothschild.
And it had been lovely! Wearing her Vera Wang gown and pearl necklace and watching Olivia scatter rose petals on the red runner.
When you were very young you thought you could get married on a barge on the Congo and true love would keep you together. But marriage needed traditions and love had to be very hardy to survive childhood croup and a steady diet of rice and beans.
“Having the wedding on St. Barts is a wonderful idea.” Hadley pulled her mind back to the present. “We’ll have the ceremony on the beach and the reception in our garden. Esther and I will make lobster ravioli and squash and kiwi meringue.”
“There’s only one problem.” Felix fiddled with his glass. “We would have to invite Sebastian.”
“Sebastian?” Hadley looked up.
“He is her father, he should have the option to give her away,” he said thoughtfully. “I’ll never understand how he chose to miss out on the most precious gift in the world.”
“There is something I have to tell you.” Hadley shifted on the sofa. Felix would understand Sebastian appearing unannounced; she had nothing to worry about.
“Tell me in a minute.” Felix walked to the staircase. “I have a terrible headache, I need some aspirin.”
A car screeched to a halt in the driveway. Hadley walked to the front door and saw Sebastian in the driver’s seat. His cheeks were flushed and his forehead was covered in sweat.
She ran outside. “What happened? Where’s Olivia?”
“It’s nothing.” Sebastian stepped out of the car and took off his sunglasses. He wore Felix’s navy board shorts and his foot was covered in a bandage. “I went swimming at Gouverneur Beach. The water was magnificent, like taking a warm bath. Then I felt a sharp pain and was sure I was stung by a jellyfish.”
“A jellyfish!” Hadley exclaimed. “I haven’t seen one in years.”
“The three lifeguards said it was a false alarm,” he continued. “But they were very helpful. One even offered me a glass of coconut milk, she said drinking it neutralized the sting.” He paused. “I told her it would be more effective spiked with rum and drunk in a dark nightclub.”
“Three lifeguards?” Hadley crossed her arms over her chest.
“I’ve never been stung before, I didn’t want to take any chances,” he explained. “The other guard said I probably just brushed my foot against some coral. He bandaged me up and sent me home.”
“Why didn’t Olivia drive you?” Hadley asked.
“She offered but I insisted she wait for Finn,” he mused. “Thank god I made her change out of that yellow bikini. Even in a one-piece every male under the age of fifty was staring at her.” He looked at Hadley. “She has your small waist and long legs.”
“She’s taller than me and in much better shape.” Hadley blushed. “You better come inside and get some ice.”
“A shot of that bourbon sounds perfect but Olivia said drinks weren’t until six.” Sebastian’s green eyes sparkled.
“I was talking about your foot,” Hadley said, and suddenly saw Felix standing at the bar in the living room.
Felix! What would he say when Sebastian hobbled in wearing his swim trunks? And if she opened the bottle of bourbon he would see that it was half empty.
Felix was right; they weren’t the kind of couple who had superficial flirtations or semi-innocent texts on their cell phones. Neither of them had secrets; it was one of the things she cherished about their marriage.
She would have just have to introduce them and explain why Sebastian’s toothbrush was already in the upstairs bathroom.
“Where is the lucky bridegroom?” Sebastian limped into the living room. “I saw the write-up in Town & Country years ago. I was stranded at Mumbai airport and it was the only English-language magazine. What a surprise to see you wearing an ivory satin wedding dress. I was quite jealous.” He looked at Hadley. “I’d been sleeping in a hut and eating chickpeas for breakfast. I would have given anything for the sautéed scallops and crème brûlée you served at the reception.
“I did send a gift, a set of terra-cotta pots I found in a mountain village.” He paused. “I don’t think I ever received a thank-you. Though another shot of that marvelous bourbon will do nicely.”
Felix, standing motionless at the bar, looked at Sebastian.
“Have we met?” He held out his hand. “I’m Felix London and you are…”
Sebastian clasped Felix’s hand. “Sebastian Miller, Olivia’s father.”
“Olivia’s father!” Felix jumped back. He looked at Hadley and his cheeks paled. “What are you doing in St. Barts?”
“Didn’t Hadley tell you I arrived? Good communication is so important in a marriage.” Sebastian smiled. “I’m sure you two had more important things to discuss. If you like I can go back to the beach and join Olivia. Give you two some time alone in the villa.”
“I was just about to explain to Felix…” Hadley flushed. She turned to Felix and smoothed her hair. “Sebastian arrived this morning.”
“He just showed up at the front door?”
“It wasn’t hard to find, the villa is quite well known on the island.” Sebastian walked to the balcony. “What a splendid location, I would love to paint the white sand and vibrant hibiscus.”
“But why are you here?” Felix poured a shot of vermouth.
“To celebrate Olivia’s twenty-fifth birthday, of course.” Sebastian turned to Felix. “Could I have a shot of that? I banged up my foot and it could use a little numbing.
“I have to tell you what a wonderful job you’ve done with my daughter. She’s poised and elegant and appreciates art. I couldn’t have raised her better myself.” His eyes were moist. “Though she does seem a little … sheltered. She’s only traveled to places that have a Starbucks at the airport.”
“Hadley didn’t tell me she invited you.” Felix poured a second shot of vermouth and handed it to Sebastian.
“Not recently.” Sebastian shrugged. “But invitations aren’t like lawsuits, they don’t have a statute of limitations.” He gulped the vermouth. “I had some business in Anguilla and thought I’d stop by. The airport could be upgraded. All those private jets and the landing strip is no wider than a bike path.
“It was so kind of Hadley to lend me her car. I’ve already explored Gouverneur Beach,” he said, finishing his drink. “And you mustn’t apologize for the size of my room, I’m used to sleeping in small spaces.”
“Your room!” Felix put his shot glass on the bar.
“Hadley insisted I stay at the villa. I did read that the Hotel Le Toiny has heated towels and an outdoor Jacuzzi, but I’m sure I’ll be perfectly comfortable.” He paused. “Though I am starving. I make an excellent turkey sandwich.” He looked at Felix. “Would you mind showing me around the kitchen?”
“Olivia asked Sebastian to stay,” Hadley said quietly. “She was delighted that her father arrived for her birthday.”
“I see.” Felix nodded. “Olivia, of course. She must be thrilled.”
“My god, is that a signed Kandinsky?” Sebastian gazed at a painting in a silver frame. “That’s more valuable than gold bouillon. And what a marvelous piece, I’ve never seen such bold use of color.”
“I’d like to talk to Sebastian alone.” Felix propelled Sebastian toward the study. He turned to Hadley and his jaw was tight. “We’ll only be a minute.”
* * *
Felix’s and Sebastian’s voices drifted up the staircase and Hadley sank onto the bed. She shouldn’t have left Sebastian and Felix alone together. Felix would do anything to protect her and Olivia if he thought their happiness was threatened. And Sebastian! She tried to imagine what he was saying to Felix and shuddered.
How could she have let Sebastian stay at the villa? Finn was almost certain to propose to Olivia; what if Sebastian messed up Finn’s plans? And she had had enough to worry about: she had to plan Olivia’s birthday and she was anxious to talk to Felix about what was going on between them. It couldn’t continue much longer. She tried so many times in New York but the phone rang or she got called away to the gallery or Felix had to meet a client.
She pulled open her drawers and noticed a black lace camisole. She remembered when the customs officer had unzipped her suitcase and she’d glanced over to see if Felix was watching.
Now she stuffed the camisole to the back of the drawer and took a deep breath. She couldn’t let Sebastian look too closely at her marriage. Or the whole birthday week would be ruined.
