“No. You can’t blame yourself. She is not your responsibility.”
Sasha blows out a puff of air. “I always knew that chick was a psycho.”
“Anyway, it’s all over now. I called the cops, and Cal is taking care of everything, so there’s no need to worry. Whatever happens, she definitely won’t be staying on the island.”
I don’t want to stop holding Noah. I know I only just told him we shouldn’t be involved, but he feels so safe and warm, and Lani’s actions have rattled me. He gently pulls back and looks into my eyes. “Do you feel like a trip back to the mainland to pick up the catamaran with me? I think we could both use a little distance from Lani, and you can be my second-in-command when I drive it back.”
“Are you sure you want to take me and not one of the guys?”
He gives me a look that makes my whole body tingle. “Is that a serious question?”
“Okay. Then thank you. I would love to.”
“Perfect.”
Sasha looks at us, beaming. “You two are so cute.”
I blush. “Sasha!”
“I know, I know. The whole unbalanced corporate hierarchy thing. But still. It shouldn’t apply until we officially reopen, should it?”
“It doesn’t work like that.”
“Why not?”
“Sasha, you’re making it awkward,” Noah says. But he’s smiling.
“Sorry,” she sing-songs, not looking remotely apologetic. “Okay, I suppose I should get to work. I’m finishing up some of the rooms with Ciara this afternoon.”
“Have fun.”
I watch her leave and shake my head. “Sasha is awesome, but she could use a filter every now and again.”
“I agree.” He grins. “I’ll probably have to give a statement to the police when they arrive, but we’ll head off soon after that, okay?”
“Sure.”
I finish drinking my mimosa and wash up all our glasses. I can’t believe Lani would go to such extreme lengths to hurt me. She’s the one who cheated on Noah and treated him horribly. And he’s such a sweet, caring guy. Damn it. It’s getting harder and harder to keep my distance from him.
And when I head over to the jetty and see him at the boat an hour later, I know it’s going to require a Herculean effort not to touch him on the way back to the mainland.
I sit facing him, watching as he pulls the boat out into the open water.
“I was thinking about what Sasha said,” he starts.
My belly does a little flutter. “Noah…”
“No, hear me out. We still have almost two weeks until reopening. Why can’t we…you know…see what happens?”
“And then what? Just pretend nothing ever happened after that?”
“I don’t know. We’ll figure it out.”
“I’m not sure it’s a good idea.” I’ve already had a relationship cut short by an external time influence. I don’t think I can go through all that heartache again.
“But why? We’re both grown adults. I know you wouldn’t ever abuse your role as manager.”
“Still…I’ve already had two close calls just in the last few weeks. If Cal finds out…”
He temporarily slows the boat, letting us drift for a moment. “I don’t think Cal would care. But we don’t have to tell anyone anyway.” He strokes the side of my face. “It’s killing me not to be able to touch you…” He leans forward, and I don’t stop him. He plants a soft kiss on my lips. “To kiss you…”
I sigh, a combination of happiness and uncertainty. “You’re making it really hard to for me to say no…”
“Then don’t say no. Please. If it’s too problematic, we’ll just go back to being friends and professional colleagues.”
I laugh. “Yeah, because that’s so easy to do.”
“Are you worried about the whole thing with Lani?”
“On top of everything else.”
“That woman is out of my life forever. I would be quite happy if I never heard from her again.”
“Okay. Let’s just take it one day at a time.”
“Sounds good to me.”
He kisses me again, this time starting at my neck and working his way along my collarbone. I sigh happily.
This could be a huge mistake, but at least I’m going to have some fun along the way.
***
Noah needs to stop by his mum’s house before we pick up the catamaran, and I suddenly feel shy about seeing her.
We get out of the car, and Noah takes my hand to walk with me up to the front door. He looks at my face and smiles gently. “Are you nervous?”
“A little,” I admit.
“Don’t be. Mum told me after you made her lunch how much she liked you.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. But we don’t have to make a big deal of it.”
He knocks before opening the door. “Hello?”
“Back here!”
Noah ushers me in, and we walk down a hallway into a lovely open plan living and dining room, where his mum and aunt are in the process of ironing a mountain of clothes.
He goes over and gives them each a kiss on the cheek. “Is this the latest batch of donations?”
“Yep. All freshly washed and now being prepared for sale.” Noah’s mum notices me. “Oh, hello. Emily, wasn’t it?”
“That’s right. Hi, Mrs. Hawkins.”
“Please. It’s Dot. Short for Dorothea, but no one calls me that. And you remember Dinah?”
“I do. It’s lovely to see you again.”
“What brings you two here today?”
“We mainly came across to pick up the catamaran, but also, someone left these on the island.” Noah holds up a pair of sparkly sandals. “I’m assuming they’re yours, Dinah?”
She beams. “Oh, I wondered where they’d gotten to. Thanks, honey. Sorry to make you come all the way just for that.”
“It was no bother. As I said, we had other reasons to leave the island today.”
“Oh, I’m so glad the boat is now operational. I look forward to coming over again sometime. Are they going to offer any locals’ rates?”
“I’ll have to talk to Dash. He’s the closest thing to a marketing coordinator we have. Although, if I were in charge, I’d be letting Emily do that kind of thing. She worked as a tourism director in Vancouver for five years.”
Dinah’s eyes light up. “Oh, I love Vancouver! I was there a couple of years ago during the summer visiting a friend. Where were you living?”
“Downtown, next to English Bay,” I say.
“Lovely. My friend lives in Kitsilano, so we went into the city a lot. I became addicted to those Blenz maple latte macchiatos while I was there.”
I smile sadly. “I liked them too.”
Noah sees my reaction. “Emily had a slightly traumatic departure from Canada thanks to her old boss selling her out. But thankfully, the truth came out in the end.”
“Jeez. What is wrong with all these ridiculous employers?” Dinah tuts. She looks at me. “You haven’t had the greatest luck with bosses, have you, sweetie?”
“I know. But hopefully it changes now. As long as Bruce stays hands-off and Cal lets us do our jobs.”
“With the two of you running the place, it’s bound to be a success.”
“That’s very sweet of you to say.” I glance down at the pile of clothing still to be ironed and see a shirt missing a button. I pick it up and show it to Dot. “Do you have a sewing kit anywhere? I can fix this if you like.”
“Oh, only if you have time.” She looks at Noah. “Can you please keep this lovely girl around? She is a vast improvement on the last one.”
I blush, and Noah reaches out to squeeze my hand. “It will be up to her.” He looks at his watch. “I suppose we can spare an hour or so before picking up the cat. Put me to work too.”
“Actually, there’s a pair of pants that needs a new zipper. You remember where the sewing machine is?”
“I do.” He heads over to a nearby c
upboard and opens it, pulling out the machine, along with a basket containing sewing paraphernalia.
“I know it’s probably a little sexist to say, but I’m impressed you know how to sew,” I tell Noah.
“What did you expect when I was raised by these two women?” he says, smiling.
“We needed to make sure he wasn’t going to be a drain on anyone he ended up with,” Dot says. “We take full credit for all that boy’s talents.”
I laugh. “You’ve done well.”
“I’d like to think some of it was down to me too,” Noah protests with a mock frown.
Dot’s eyes twinkle. “Whatever you say, darling.”
Because I grew up practically on my own, I didn’t have a choice but to learn everything early and quickly. My mum wasn’t around after I turned eight, and because Dad almost never took me clothes shopping, I had to learn how to mend the items I did have. I find a needle and thread, along with a button that closely matches the others on the shirt and start stitching it back on.
And then I feel like I’m being watched. I glance up and see Noah looking at me, a little smile on his face.
“What?” I say.
“Nothing,” he replies. But the way he says it makes me think it’s far from nothing.
I really like this guy, and I hope whatever is happening between us continues to feel as good as it does.
TWENTY-FIVE
Noah
The rest of the week passes like a dream. The island—at least a decent chunk of it—is finally starting to look like something I’d be proud to show off. I have my catamaran back and the giddy feeling of someone experiencing the high of a new relationship.
Not that we’ve officially put a label on it, but it’s definitely easier and more fun than anything I had with Lani in the last couple of years.
Cal advised us that the police are charging Lani with wilful damage, of which the maximum penalty is seven years imprisonment. When I think of the fact that Emily was being set up to look as if she sabotaged the day spa, a wave of intense dislike washes over me. How could I have not seen how malicious Lani was capable of being?
At least with me catching her in the act, it meant the blood—or whatever it was—was able to be wiped up quickly. And on the upside, we were also able to ditch some of the more offensive furnishings Lani chose, replacing them with more island appropriate décor. Once we finish renovating the rest of the resort, we’ll set aside some time to redo the tiling and lighting too.
Emily and I had been back on the mainland during the initial clean-up, but Monty and Reid volunteered for the job and later reported back that the blood wasn’t real. Lani had admitted to mixing up stage blood using ingredients she’d located in Monty’s supply cupboard. I suppose that’s preferable to the alternative.
But I’ll be glad if I never see that woman again.
And even though Cal is as frustrating as ever, he’s been more subdued lately, which means the rest of the island has taken on a more festive atmosphere. Emily’s ability to bring out the best in everyone has impacted productivity in a hugely positive way.
On Friday afternoon, I find her at reception, running through some reports with Sasha.
I pause and momentarily watch the two of them engaged in an animated discussion of check-in processes.
Emily looks up and smiles. “Hey.”
I love how her happiness is genuine. “You almost done? It’s 5pm on a Friday. Time to relax.”
“Just about.”
“I was thinking of heading down to the beach. Lachie invited us for a drink if you’re interested?” I offer.
“Since when does Lachie want to socialise with the staff?” Sasha asks.
“Since Emily wowed him on her first day here.”
“Of course she did. So, is this an open invite?”
“I wouldn’t bring the whole gang, but if you wanted to ask someone along, I’m sure it would be fine.”
She gives Emily a look, who shrugs. “It’s totally up to you. Do you want me to ask?”
“Ask who what?” I say, confused.
Sasha squeals nervously. “All right. Let’s do it.” She turns to me. “Can we ask Dash?”
I furrow my brow. “You want Dash…oh.” It finally dawns on me that Sasha has an interest in my roommate. I’ve never been one for getting involved in others’ relationships, so I had no idea. “Uh, sure. Do you want me to invite him?”
“If that’s okay? I don’t want to come on too strong.”
“No problem. I’ll text him, and I’ll see you both down at the beach when you’re done here?”
“Perfect.”
I smile at Emily as I leave. I know our relationship status isn’t defined yet, but there’s no doubt my feelings for her are reciprocated.
I send Dash a quick message and jump on a bike. Once at the beach, thanks to some new earthworks, I can finally walk along the boardwalk right to the end. I make my way over to the gang, admiring how they’ve maximised the ambience here with fairy lights strung between the tents, and tiki torches planted in the sand. A campfire burns just back from the waves.
I find Lachie, and he hands me a beer. “How’s it going, buddy?”
“Pretty good. You?”
“Amazing. How can it not be in a setting like this?”
“Do you miss your old life?”
“Nah. Not at all.”
“So, you don’t feel the need to set goals? I noticed you asked Emily about business when you first met her.”
“That was just me messing around. But I also wanted to see what kind of person had been hired to help manage the resort. With Cal being such an interesting character…”
“Interesting is one word for it.”
“Ha, yeah. But getting back to your question about setting goals: I still have them, only they’re a lot simpler now. I have a set of daily activities, including meditation and swimming. I take great pleasure in cooking and cleaning. It’s basically a Buddhist monastery life, but in one of nature’s most beautiful locations. And there’s also a bit of alcohol involved,” he laughs.
“Does everyone else here feel the same?”
“For the most part. We occasionally lose a few people because they aren’t ready to let go of the drama back in civilisation.”
“You don’t feel like you’re stagnating? What about absorbing energy from new people?”
“I’m not opposed to meeting new people. But I have enough intellectual stimulation already. And then of course there’s people like you who come visit me.” He looks around. “Where’s Emily?”
“She’s on her way. I hope you don’t mind, but Sasha and Dash are coming too.”
“No problem. I’ve always liked the people you work with, although I have to say, I’m not sad Lani’s gone.”
I’d talked to Lachie during the week and explained how we’d broken up. I think it was the reason he’d invited me tonight.
“Now that she’s out of my life, I can see how much easier things can be,” I admit.
“See? You’re already on the path to clarity.”
I hear voices near the boardwalk and turn to see Emily, Dash, and Sasha approaching.
I think about what Lachie said about finding meaning and agree. Life shouldn’t be about keeping up on the treadmill of expectations. It should be about finding calm and happiness amongst the simple things.
And I think I’m well on my way to achieving that.
***
Lachie cooks up some fish and corn on the barbecue, and I sit back, watching Emily interact with everyone. She’s so natural, laughing and reacting to any teasing good-naturedly.
After we finish eating, I take her hand and pull her down to the edge of the water. She looks back at Dash and Sasha. “Do you think they’ll be okay?” she asks.
“They’re adults. I’m sure they can handle themselves.”
She dips her toes in the water, reminding me of the day we discovered the waterfall. I should have known then that Emily was a m
uch better match for me than Lani.
“Have you ever been skinny-dipping?” she asks.
I chuckle. “Not for a while. Why? You feel like a swim?”
“I haven’t decided. I only realised recently that I’d never been.”
I guide her farther away from everyone. “Here’s your chance if you want to. I mean, I’m not going to force you or anything…”
Before I can even finish my sentence, she’s lifted her shirt over her head and dropped it on the sand. She pulls down her skirt and steps out of it as well.
“Maybe I’ll start slow,” she says, leaving her underwear on and running into the water.
I don’t need any further encouragement, quickly abandoning my own clothes apart from my boxers and following her into the sea.
It’s almost winter, but this part of the world doesn’t ever get very cold. And the excitement of being here with Emily makes my blood run hot.
She swims over and wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me in for a kiss. I run my hands down her sides, feeling the goosebumps rise on her skin.
She moves her mouth lower, kissing my neck and my chest. I reciprocate, gently pushing aside the strap of her bra and kissing the soft flesh beneath.
Her breathing gets heavier, and she presses her body closer to mine. I know what I would like to happen next, but I’m going to let her take the lead.
She drags me back up to eye-level, her gaze direct, her fingernails scratching my back.
The water washes around us, each wave gently nudging us back to the shore.
Somehow, we find ourselves on the sand. Emily lies down just out of the foam’s reach and pulls me on top of her.
I am in literal and figurative paradise.
TWENTY-SIX
Emily
I am a lost cause. There is no way I can see my relationship with Noah going backwards from this point on.
The rest of the evening passed in a blur, but I can now say for a fact Lani was lying when she insulted Noah’s sexual ability. After what seemed like hours of total bliss, we lay on the sand talking. It was only much later that we put our clothes back on, but we stayed entwined, looking up at the stars. There was no light pollution from nearby cities, so the sky was brighter than I’ve ever seen, adding to the surreal quality of the night.
Welcome to Coco Bay Page 14
