White Sand, Blue Sea

by Anita Hughes

  “I made you laugh. I used to read the ‘Dear Abby’ column out loud and you came up with answers.” His green eyes flickered. “Can you imagine being so young and thinking you know everything?”

  “We didn’t invent the aging process,” she said sarcastically. “It’s a natural progression.”

  “We think we get wiser when we’re older but that’s not true,” he continued. “Most people mistake wisdom for giving up and settling for less.”

  “I’m not interested in your self-pitying pop psychology,” she answered. “Just because your daughter is getting married doesn’t mean your life is over. As soon as you arrive in Anguilla, you’ll be surrounded by people admiring your talent and lapping up your stories.”

  “I wasn’t talking about myself,” Sebastian said.

  “What do you mean?” she looked up.

  “I was thinking about you. Things aren’t going to change by themselves; if you are unhappy you have to change them.”

  “The only thing I want to change is the linen in the guest bedroom after you leave.” She wiped her hands. “Excuse me. I’m going to see if Felix wants more coffee.”

  * * *

  Hadley entered the study and took a deep breath. Felix had gone to bed and Sebastian had walked to Gustavia for cigarettes. She slipped off her sandals and was suddenly tired. Finn and Olivia were finally engaged and there was so much to do.

  If they could get through tomorrow, Sebastian would leave and she could talk to Felix. It was impossible to discuss anything with Sebastian hovering like a firefly.

  She turned off the light and noticed Olivia’s new African blanket. She pulled it over her shoulders and fell asleep.

  Chapter Fifteen

  OLIVIA LEANED OVER THE BALCONY and felt the breeze touch her cheeks. The sky was bright blue and the sea was cut glass. Goats grazed on the hill and yachts gleamed in the harbor and she was glad to be in St. Barts on her birthday.

  Last night had been magical. Making love on the beach with Finn was glorious and the emerald-cut diamond ring was everything she imagined. But then she pictured Sebastian’s toast on the patio and a lump formed in her throat.

  If only she and Sebastian could travel together this summer. But Finn had been so angry; she couldn’t mention it again. The last thing she wanted was to start another fight when they were so happy.

  She had so much to look forward to: the ceremony at St. Bartholomew’s and the reception at the villa. Fairy lights would be strung across the lawn and there would be a black-and-white dance floor over the swimming pool. They’d drive off in Felix’s convertible and spend the night in the honeymoon suite of Le Toiny.

  She slipped on her sandals and ran down the staircase. Hadley stood at the kitchen counter, slicing peaches. She wore a blouse and capris and her blond hair loose.

  “It’s your birthday too.” Olivia kissed her mother on the cheek. “You should be reclining against silk pillows. Felix will bring you Esther’s homemade pancakes and fresh papaya juice.”

  “The weather is too nice to stay in bed.” Hadley looked up. “I think Felix is at the flower market. He had a smile on his face and wouldn’t tell me where he was going.”

  “Finn left early on some mysterious errand,” Olivia laughed. “Aren’t we lucky that our men are so romantic?”

  “Everything has turned out perfectly,” Hadley agreed. “In twenty-four hours Sebastian will be gone and we can relax. It will be like one of those miraculous survival stories in People magazine.”

  “You’re too harsh on Sebastian,” Olivia replied. “His toast was wonderful and he gave us a fabulous present.”

  “Sebastian was on fire last night. But I still don’t trust him,” Hadley mused. “I’ll be happy when he’s sitting on the airplane and we’re waving goodbye from the terminal.”

  “I don’t want to think about Sebastian leaving. I’d rather talk about the wedding.” Olivia bit into a plum. “Finn is so excited. We drank vanilla vodka and passion fruit liqueur at Bonito and he couldn’t stop looking at my ring. He can’t believe we’re engaged.”

  “When you’re engaged everything is new and thrilling. Felix and I tasted lobster mousse at the Carlyle and German chocolate cake at Sylvia Weinstock,” Hadley recalled. “In the evenings we pored over linen samples and it was so much fun.”

  “I’m going to make appointments at Vera Wang and Dior.” Olivia turned away so Hadley couldn’t see the tears in her eyes. “You must come with me and afterward we’ll have afternoon tea at the Plaza. We haven’t done that in years and I miss their smoked salmon sandwiches.”

  “Darling, are you all right?” Hadley asked. “You don’t look like a bride whose head is swirling with images of chiffon dresses and Tiffany favors.”

  “Last night when Finn proposed, everything was perfect,” Olivia explained. “But then Sebastian gave his toast and I felt guilty. I’m all he has and now he’s leaving.”

  “If that’s what you’re worried about you can relax,” Hadley laughed. “Sebastian is like a character in a Jane Austen novel. His champagne flute will never be empty and there will always be a down-filled pillow under his head.”

  “Sebastian has missed dozens of birthdays. There must be another reason he came,” Olivia insisted. “He’s getting older and doesn’t like being alone.”

  “I tossed and turned all night wondering why he’s really here,” Hadley agreed. “The Sebastian I knew would never let Finn derail his plans. But I couldn’t come up with anything and all I got was a headache.”

  “I suppose you are right,” Olivia sighed. “I feel terrible. He was going to show me so many wonderful places and I let him down.”

  “I’ll tell you what you can do. Take him this tray of fruit salad and whole wheat toast,” Hadley suggested. “I’d rather not start my birthday looking at Sebastian over a bowl of sliced peaches.”

  “That is a good idea.” Olivia picked up the tray. “I’ll ask him if he wants to go for a swim.”

  “Afterward go to Lilly Pulitzer and buy a dress for this evening,” Hadley said and smiled. “It is your birthday and there’s nothing like a new outfit to make your eyes sparkle.”

  * * *

  Olivia knocked on Sebastian’s door and smoothed her hair. She knocked again and opened the door. The bed was rumpled and a linen shirt was flung over an armchair.

  She entered the room and noticed a Matisse biography on the bedside table. There was a stack of magazines and a ceramic mug. She placed the tray on the mahogany desk and an envelope dropped on the floor.

  She picked it up and realized it was Sebastian’s plane ticket to Anguilla. She looked more closely and her heart raced. There were two tickets wedged between the pages of his passport.

  She stuffed the passport back in the envelope and gasped. He’d bought another ticket and he was going to ask her to join him.

  For a moment she felt light and happy. Sebastian wanted her to go to Anguilla! But Finn wouldn’t stay in St. Barts alone. And Sebastian should never have done such a thing without asking her.

  The door opened and Sebastian entered. He wore his straw hat and a newspaper was folded under his arm.

  “I must be dreaming. There’s a glowing birthday girl in my room holding a tray of fruit salad and mango juice.”

  “Hadley asked me to bring it up.” Olivia flushed. “She thought you’d prefer eating on your own private terrace.”

  “Your mother is so considerate.” Sebastian took the tray from Olivia and buttered a slice of toast. “What I need is a bowl of congee. It’s Chinese porridge and it’s the perfect cure for a hangover. All that champagne and cognac left me with a pounding headache.”

  “I’m sure there’s a bottle of aspirin in the bathroom,” she suggested.

  “I already looked. Did you know that in South Africa they eat an ostrich egg omelet to cure a hangover? And in Vietnam they believe rhinoceros horns can cure everything from hangovers to cancer.” He paused. “It’s a pity we won’t travel together this su
mmer. There was so much I was going to show you.”

  “Finn called his mother last night, and she is already planning an engagement party.” Olivia hesitated. “But perhaps we can join you for a week. Capri sounds stunning and Finn loves fettuccine marinara.”

  “I’m not going to Capri,” Sebastian answered. “I decided I’m going to spend three months at an ashram in Tibet. There’s no cell-phone reception or Internet and all your meals are eaten in silence.”

  “But I thought you had a commission in Capri.”

  “It didn’t work out.” He shrugged. “I’ve intruded enough in your life for the time being, it’s better if I disappear. Finn will be a lot happier if he knows my number can’t pop up on your phone. Don’t worry, there is mail service. Though the post is delivered by yak and it takes longer in the rainy season.”

  “You must visit Manhattan before you go!” Olivia exclaimed. “You can stay in my apartment and I’ll sleep on the sofa. We’ll eat apple cinnamon pancakes at Balthazar and drink vodka gimlets at the Four Seasons and it will be a proper vacation.”

  “That’s the best invitation since a French comte asked me to stay at his country estate.” He brushed crumbs from his shirt. “But I don’t have time. The ashram session starts the first week of May and they frown on late arrivals. I’m going to leave straight from Anguilla.”

  “You are?” Olivia felt the air leave her lungs.

  “Have you been to Anguilla?” he asked. “You can ride horseback into the ocean and the spa at the Viceroy hotel gives Blue Tranquility massages. I’m going to paint and eat crayfish and sip rum punch.”

  “It sounds wonderful.” Olivia fiddled with her earrings. “The summer will go by quickly and the fall is always busy at the gallery. December will arrive faster than we can imagine.”

  “December?” Sebastian rubbed his forehead.

  “It will be so festive with the boat parade and colored lights in all the boutiques.” She stopped and her green eyes were huge. “You are coming to the wedding?”

  “The wedding!” Sebastian put down his glass. “It’s just that…”

  “That what?” Olivia inquired.

  “Never mind,” Sebastian said and smiled. “How could you even ask? Of course I wouldn’t miss your and Finn’s wedding.”

  * * *

  Olivia strolled along the Rue de Roi Oscar II and shielded her eyes from the sun. Usually she loved looking in the window of Black Swan with its French bikinis and brightly colored sarongs. She could spend hours sifting through jeweled caftans at Poupette and admiring rope handbags at Lolita Jaca.

  But she thought about the two tickets wedged into Sebastian’s passport and her stomach turned. If Sebastian asked Olivia to go to Anguilla, Finn would be furious. And why had Sebastian hesitated when she mentioned the wedding?

  She passed Calypso with its striped men’s shirts and European loafers. She should be angry with Sebastian: he’d showed up after twenty years and almost ruined her engagement. But she pictured his green eyes and cocky smile and felt a pang in her chest. When he was around, the world was full of possibilities.

  She entered Marina and gazed at the Chloé dresses and Calvin Klein shifts. There were Tory Burch sandals and Gucci moccasins as smooth as butter.

  “Can I help you?” the saleswoman asked. “We have Facçonnable wraps that are perfect for the beach and Lanvin tunics that are wonderful for lounging around the pool.”

  “I was looking for a cocktail dress,” Olivia explained. “It’s my twenty-fifth birthday and we’re having dinner at Maya’s.”

  “I adore Maya’s! The grilled sole is mouthwatering and the orange sorbet is the best on the island. The last time I was there, Johnny Depp was at the next table with his wife.” She glanced at Olivia’s blond hair and high cheekbones. “You want something fabulous that compliments your complexion.”

  She handed Olivia a green Courrèges sheath and silver sandals. Olivia zipped it up and glanced in the mirror. The color brought out her eyes and the cut was elegant and sophisticated.

  “You could be on the cover of Vogue,” the woman commented. “Wear your hair in a chignon and add diamond earrings. You’ll look like a French movie star.”

  “I do like it.” Olivia turned in front of the glass. “I think I’ll take it.”

  “What a gorgeous ring,” the woman said as she glanced at her hand.

  “Thank you. I just got engaged yesterday.” Olivia flushed. “I’m not used to seeing it on my finger.”

  “It’s your twenty-fifth birthday and you’re engaged,” she said and smiled. “People on St. Barts are so lucky. They seem to have everything.”

  Olivia thought the saleswoman was right; she was worrying about nothing. Sebastian hadn’t mentioned Anguilla and he said he wouldn’t miss their wedding. It was her birthday and they were going to have a delicious dinner.

  “I do love birthdays.” She took out her charge card. “Everyone spoils you and the whole day is perfect.”

  * * *

  Olivia stepped onto the sidewalk and saw Finn leaning against the railing. His sunglasses were propped on his forehead and he clutched a bouquet of tulips.

  “What are you doing in Gustavia?” Olivia asked.

  “Hadley said you went shopping.” He kissed her. “I wanted to give you a present.”

  “You already gave me a diamond ring,” she laughed. “I don’t need anything else.”

  “Come with me.” He took her hand. “You’re going to like it.”

  * * *

  Finn drove along the winding roads and Olivia caught her breath. Clouds scudded across the sky and the sea was an Impressionist painting: all clear water and pastel-colored boats and white sand beaches.

  The car pulled around a curve and she wondered what they were doing at Le Toiny. It was the most exclusive hotel in St. Barts, with its own coconut grove and pineapple orchard. Cottages with tin roofs climbed the hill and there were sweeping palm trees.

  Finn stopped in front of the canopied entrance and turned off the engine.

  “I thought about getting a suite, but we’d never get out of bed. And if we ate lunch at Le Gaiac, we wouldn’t be hungry for dinner,” he turned to Olivia. “We’re going to spend the afternoon in the Spa Cottage.”

  “The Spa Cottage?” Olivia repeated.

  “I read the brochure and it sounds fantastic.” Finn’s blue eyes sparkled. “You can have a hot shell massage or coconut rub and milk ritual wrap.”

  “It sounds heavenly. But what are you going to do while I’m lathered in lotions?” she said and laughed.

  He tucked her blond hair behind her ear and kissed her. “I’m going to eat avocado bruschetta by the pool and wait for you to join me.”

  * * *

  Olivia slipped on a cotton robe and knotted her hair into a ponytail. The Spa Cottage had blond wood floors and white rattan sofas. There were bowls of red cherries and heated hand towels.

  She rarely got a massage. In New York she was too busy at the gallery to join her friends at Elizabeth Arden. And in St. Barts it didn’t seem right to lie on a table when she could be snorkeling or sailing.

  But the spa attendant wrapped her in a towel and coated her skin with Japanese oils. Cucumber slices covered her eyes and the air was scented with jasmine and rosemary.

  Now her skin was polished and her cheeks glowed. She thought fleetingly of the places Sebastian wanted to take her and bit her lip. She didn’t have to get on an airplane; everything was available in St. Barts.

  “You look like a movie poster,” Finn said when she walked out to the pool. “We should do this more often.”

  “I’ve never been so pampered.” She lay on a chaise longue. “The hot shells come from the Philippines and the oils are extracted from flowering plants in Kyoto. It was like taking a mini-vacation.”

  “I’ve been planning it for days. I wanted your birthday to be special.” Finn ate a bite of pomegranate. “You know, I was thinking about Sebastian.”

  “You
were?” Olivia looked up.

  “I’m glad he came,” he continued. “We might not be able to travel the world but we’re going to have wonderful experiences. And as long as we tell each other everything, nothing will come between us.”

  Olivia kissed him and his lips tasted of coconut and pineapple. The sun glinted on her diamond ring and she felt calm and relaxed. Everyone she loved was in St. Barts to celebrate her birthday. She crossed her fingers and hoped nothing would go wrong.

  Chapter Sixteen

  HADLEY RUBBED HER LIPS WITH red lipstick and glanced in the mirror. Her black dress was tighter than she usually wore and her gold sandals were quite high but they were having dinner at Maya’s. It appeared casual, with its open-air tables and plain white china, but everyone knew it was the most coveted reservation in St. Barts.

  Maya and her husband, Randy, personally welcomed every diner, and celebrities adored the restaurant perched on the harbor. Hadley had seen Paul McCartney sampling creole pumpkin soup, Leonardo DiCaprio eating sautéed scallops, and Marc Jacobs devouring Maya’s chocolate cake.

  She spritzed her wrists with Chanel No 5 and knew the real reason she’d spent an hour applying blush and mascara. She wasn’t trying to impress Pierce Brosnan or become friends with Salma Hayek. She wanted to be irresistible for Felix.

  Her stomach did a little flip and she wondered how she could be nervous after twenty years of marriage. It was all Sebastian’s fault. Until he started poking around her relationship, she was happy sleeping on the leather sofa.

  But she fiddled with her ruby necklace and thought that wasn’t true. She’d stuffed her yearnings away like the library books she didn’t have time to read and the Carolina Herrera dress she needed to take to the dry cleaner.

  She grabbed her quilted evening bag and walked down the circular staircase. Felix stood in the living room clutching a shot glass.

  “I didn’t know you were downstairs,” Hadley said. “Are you all right?”

  “I pulled my shoulder in the shower.” Felix flinched. “It hurts terribly. I washed two aspirin down with a shot of vermouth.”