The Perfect Getaway, page 4
Within a few moments, the captain appeared, taking off his hat to bow to us. “As you may have noticed, we have arrived at our destination. You may now disembark.”
In a single-file line, we climbed down the stairs, saying goodbye to the crew as we made our way across the ramp onto the wooden dock while they unloaded our luggage. One by one, we collected our bags and began wheeling them toward the end of the dock, where a man dressed in all white was waiting for us. He had thick brown hair, an even thicker mustache, and suntanned skin, and as we grew nearer to him, he took a step forward, meeting us directly where the sand met the wood of the dock.
“Greetings, friends. The island has blessed us with a beautiful day, and we are so thankful for newcomers to share it with. I am the resort owner, Manu, and I will be here for you every step of the way during this beautiful week on my Isla del Amor.” He gave a small bow and walked backward, gesturing that we should follow him onto the sand. We did, and once we were all on the island, he extended his hand toward Brad first. Brad took it, though once clasped, Manu enveloped both hands around Brad’s, keeping them completely immobile, a smile on his face as Brad introduced himself.
“I’m Brad Walker, this is my wife—”
“Brad,” Manu repeated slowly, then moved his hands from Brad’s to mine. “And you are his wife?”
I nodded, swallowing. “Yes. Yes, I’m Laura Walker.”
“Laura,” he repeated, his voice a low, steady rumble. It was oddly soothing. “Pleasure.” He took a step in between us, making his way to the next couple in line. “And you are?”
“Natasha Clemmons,” she answered, her tone clipped, and when he released her hand to take Jaren’s, she widened her eyes at me. I grinned, trying to tame it down as Jaren introduced himself.
He continued the ritual, holding each of our hands clasped in his and repeating our names back until he reached the last couple—Andy and Emily. When Emily introduced herself, she mimicked his actions, gripping both of his hands in hers, her tone suddenly filled with warmth.
“Emily,” he repeated, standing up straight as he released her hand. “You are the beautiful soul who has invited your friends to my paradise.”
“Yes,” she agreed. “Thank you for accepting us, Manu. We are all so excited.”
He chuckled patronizingly. “It is I who should be thanking you.” He spun around so he could see us all again, his back now to the water as we watched our boat start up and begin sailing away. I suddenly felt nostalgic for the crew we’d spent the day with, wishing they were staying, too. “I should be thanking all of you for coming to my island. This has been a longstanding dream of mine, to open a resort beyond the normal expectations. My dream is to see others living theirs.” He held out his arms. “And, alas, it has happened. Of course, there will be kinks to work out. Mistakes will be made. But I truly believe I have hired the best staff there is, to take care of my guests.” He pointed at us, before continuing on.
“Over the course of this week, you will be pampered, you will be able to relax, to play, to get active, to stay lazy, to eat five-star food, to connect with your partner, to connect with your friends.” He paused, letting it all sink in.
“We have every amenity I could squeeze onto the island here. A spa for the ladies, a gym for the men. Kayaks, canoes, beach chairs, hammocks, massages…anything you can think of for a perfect beach vacation—it is all here. My waiters will be at your beck and call, making sure you never get thirsty or hungry and, of course, everything is one hundred percent free to you. We will dine oceanside under the pavilion every night, and you will sleep in your own luxury huts, just steps away from the ocean. If anything, and I do mean anything, is not to your satisfaction, or if you have any suggestions for improvement, I am all ears. All I ask is that you be honest in your reviews and, of course, the most important thing…enjoy yourselves.”
My chest swelled with pride and excitement. For the first time, I was so happy we’d decided to take this trip. It was everything I could’ve hoped for, and any feelings of worry were washed away like the water across the sand.
“Now, if you will all turn around, your stewards await you to take you to your new homes for the week. Get unpacked, relax for a moment, freshen up, and then I will ask you to join us for dinner at six. Welcome again, and I look forward to getting to know you more this week.”
We turned around, and I jolted at the fact that our stewards were literally right behind us. Half a step away, stood a group of four employees, all dressed in identical garb to Manu. Two men, two women.
“Andy and Emily?” called one of the men.
They stepped forward happily, and the man grabbed their bags. I watched them walk away, their deep footprints trailing in the sand as they lost themselves in conversation with the man.
“Brad and Laura?” the second man called. He was tall and bald, with a friendly smile. His white pants and flowy, relaxed shirt that matched the other employees blew in the breeze. When we raised our hands, he moved toward us, taking our bags at once. “I’m Malik. Right this way. I’ll take you to your hut.”
We followed Malik across the hot sand; I eventually gave up and kicked my sandals off as they kept filling with every step, making it harder and harder to keep up.
“Welcome to Isla del Amor,” he said, slowing down when he noticed we were so far behind. “Is this your first time at a resort?”
“For me, yes,” Brad said, “but Laura went to a few resorts with her parents as a child.”
“Yes, and we’ve planned to bring our own kids to some, but they’re just now getting to an age where I think they’d finally start to enjoy them.”
“Oh, you have kids? How old?” Malik asked.
“We do, two daughters. Britta is six and Elena is four.”
“So precious,” Malik said, nodding. “I have a sixteen-year-old, Oliana.”
“That’s beautiful…” I told him, trailing off as our hut came into view. Andy and Emily were just ahead of us, saying goodbye to their steward from the doorway of the third hut as Malik stopped at the second.
The huts were gorgeous, walls consisting of large windows, with a structure of mostly bamboo and a ceiling covered in straw. The fronts were set up on stilts so they were just a few feet off the sand. Like the brochure promised, they sat just a few yards away from the ocean, and several feet from each other. There were four in total, and I could see another group of them off in the distance, past a thick set of palm trees.
“This is yours,” he said, gesturing to the open door of the second hut. We climbed the steps to the front porch and stepped inside the open sliding glass door. There was a bed in the center of the room, white canopy sheets draped down over it. To the left, was a set of stairs, which led to a second floor. On the right, was a built-in, cushioned area for seating. Another seat sat across from it. The walls directly across from the bed were solid glass, giving a perfect view of the ocean, though there were curtains tied back that could be closed for privacy.
“Second floor,” Malik said, pointing up, “is your private bathroom and shower. No windows up there.”
“This is beautiful,” I said in awe, and I truly meant it. Everywhere I looked, there were new intricate details to appreciate. The place must’ve been just less than five hundred square feet of space, but they’d utilized every square inch of it. It felt luxurious.
“I’ll leave you now, and let you get settled. I’ve placed a bucket of ice and a bottle of wine on your counter.” He pointed to the small bit of counter space next to the bed. “Is there anything else I can get you right now?”
“No, I don’t think so,” I said.
“There’s a button here,” he said, pointing to a red button near the door. “If you need me, you press it. I’ll get paged and be here within minutes.”
“Thank you so much, Malik,” Brad said, reaching out a hand to shake his.
Malik shook his hand kindly then bowed to me. “I will make sure you enjoy your stay. See you at dinner.”
As he backed away, I wondered if there was something more than genuineness in his voice. I pulled out my phone, walking toward the bed to sit down and call my parents.
“Any updates?” Brad asked, doing the same.
I shook my head, staring at the blank screen. “No… That’s strange.”
“What is it?” he asked, leaning over to get a look at my screen.
I put the phone to my ear, hoping my suspicions were wrong, but when the call disconnected instantly, I put a hand to my lips, the feeling of worry back with a vengeance. “Brad, our cell phones don’t work here.”
Chapter Seven
Nick
When our steward, Nani, left us alone, Megan approached me, her arms sliding around my waist as she leaned up, pressing her lips to mine. I kissed her back, distracted by the breeze from the open sliding glass door. Through our windows, I could faintly see into Laura and Brad’s next door.
“What are you looking at?” Megan asked, resting her head on my shoulder.
“Checking to make sure they didn’t get a better setup than we did,” I teased, looking away quickly.
“This place is gorgeous,” she said, inhaling deeply. “You can smell the salty air from here, Nicky. I can’t wait to dip my toes in the water… I’ve never seen anything so blue.”
Sometimes she was so irritatingly perfect, it was as if everything she said came straight from an advertisement. “It’s great.”
“Aren’t you glad we came?”
I wrapped an arm around her stiffly. “So glad. Have you checked on Winston?”
“Not recently.” She pulled away from me, walking to the bed and sitting down on the edge, digging through her bag. “Melanie texted me just before we boarded the plane and said she’d just taken him for his walk. He’s doing well under the circumstances… I’ve never been away from him for more than a day.” She poked out her bottom lip, though I hardly noticed as my eyes traveled back to the window, where Laura and Brad appeared to be arguing about something. She looked tense. What’s wrong?
“Nick?”
I jolted to look at Megan, my eyes wide and breathing labored as if I’d been caught red-handed doing something atrocious. “Yeah?” I asked, turning my back to the window and taking in her worried expression.
“Everything alright?”
“Yep,” I said, taking a seat next to her. “How’s Winston?” Had she already told me? I couldn’t remember.
She didn’t look at the bag she was still digging in, keeping her eyes on me. “What were you looking at?” Her usually warm expression cooled.
“What?” I feigned ignorance. “I was just looking around. Outside. We’re in paradise, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
She sighed. Not angry, just disappointed. I knew what she was thinking, but she wouldn’t say it. She wouldn’t accuse me of lying because that wasn’t the relationship we had. We’d built a foundation of honesty. Of trust. “Are you sure everything’s okay?” she whispered, resting a hand on my arm.
I leaned in, pressing my forehead to hers. There wasn’t a day that went by that I wasn’t grateful for the patient and understanding woman I’d been given. If only I could stop pining for the one I could never have.
“I wasn’t watching her,” I swore, heading off her thoughts. I closed my eyes for fear she’d see the lie in them. “I was watching a boat that drove past.”
Her expression remained stiff and unyielding. “Across the sand and straight through Laura’s hut?”
“Across the water.” I lowered my lips to hers, letting the kiss linger. “It’s you I love. It’s you I’m going to marry. You know that, don’t you?”
Her lips grew thin with a grim expression as she gave a stilted nod. “I love you, too.”
“I’ve actually been thinking.” I lifted my hand to hers, sliding my palm under her fingers. “What do you think about me asking Laura to work three days a week and then I could work the opposite three?”
Her eyes lit up. “Could you do that?”
“Of course I can.”
“Nick, I don’t want you to do that for me. I trust you, you know that.”
“I do,” I confirmed, rubbing my nose against hers. “But I don’t want you to have to worry. Laura is my best friend, but you are going to be my wife.” She was unable to conceal her smile then. “And I’m going to ask Andy to be my best man, I think.”
She raised a brow. “You are?”
“I’ve been thinking about it, and…I can’t not invite Laura—”
“I’d never ask you to do that—”
I put up a hand to interrupt her. “I know. Because you’re perfect.” I kissed her again, unable to stop. “You’re perfect, and you deserve for that day to be everything you have dreamed, so I understand why given my feelings in the past you wouldn’t feel comfortable with her being in the wedding. Plus, Andy will throw me a killer bachelor party.” I winked.
She groaned, slapping my chest playfully. “Are you sure about all of this? I promised you that I wouldn’t cause issues with you and Laura. I love her. I love you. I don’t want you to lose your best friend.”
I squeezed her thigh. “You’re my best friend now. It’s time I started proving it.” She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, looking up at me with hopeful eyes.
“I love you, Nick London.”
“I love you, too, Megan Graham. More than you know.” I kissed her nose, then her lips, ending the conversation.
It was a conversation we’d had before, but one that I never grew comfortable with. Megan came from a family of talkers, of lovers, people who flourished under good communication and soft tones. I was raised in a family of chaos, three older brothers, cats and dogs running around, a mother who was a teacher and worked at the local grocery store three nights a week to help make ends meet. My father was a dentist, too, starting the practice I eventually took over, but in those days, the profit was less and the hours were longer. There was love in my house, sure, but we expressed it differently. We didn’t talk much, unless it was an argument, and everyone had a short temper. Blame it on our fiery Greek blood.
When we broke apart, the worry was all but gone from her face. “Are you serious about splitting up days with Laura?”
I nodded, though I hadn’t thought of it until that exact moment. “It wouldn’t hurt the business, and it would give me more time with you. Maybe I could even help you with the bakery.”
“As long as you don’t go near the ovens.” She laughed. “Lord knows you burn water.”
“I’m not that bad.” I ran a hand over my forehead, relieved the argument had been avoided.
When she spoke again, her voice was soft. Hesitant. “I never want you to do anything you aren’t comfortable with. I trust you, Nicky. You don’t have to prove anything to me.”
It felt as if my heart squeezed in my chest at her words. Physical pain radiated through me at her trusting, hopeful expression. How in the world had I gotten so lucky? Why hadn’t the angel in front of me kicked me to the curb already, to be with someone much more deserving than I? “I know I don’t have to, but I want to. I had feelings for Laura once, like I’ve admitted to you, but Brad’s a great guy. They’re my friends. I’d never do anything to jeopardize that, or this.” I rested my hands on her hips. “I love you, Megan. More than anything or anyone else.” She leaned forward to kiss my lips, and I saw a glint of tears in her eyes.
“I love you, too,” she whispered, her voice holding no power. When we broke apart, she lifted the bag back to her lap, digging inside. As she discovered her phone, she pulled it up and turned it on. I ran a hand through her wavy blonde hair and tucked it behind her ear. She smelled of warm sunscreen and coconuts, her skin glowing from the tanning oil she’d applied. I ran a hand over the bathing suit cover she was wearing, white with purple, pink, and blue flowers across it. It was see-through, just enough that I could see the bright orange bikini top and black shorts underneath.
“There may be a problem…” Megan said, looking up at me. I glanced at her phone screen as she hit the button to place the call, a call we’d paid the phone company fifty extra dollars this month to be able to make without roaming charges. A black box filled the screen.
No Service.
Call Disconnected.
Chapter Eight
Andy
I jogged up the stairs to the top floor of the hut as soon as our steward left us. “Babe, you’ve got to see it up here!” I looked out the window in front of me, checking out the awesome view of the ocean. It was like paradise here, straight out of a movie. I’d never seen anything so perfect.
Below me, Emily was taking advantage of the scenery by placing her camera on the shelf, propped up on her favorite of her phone holders. She was always so inventive with ways to use the self-timer on her phone and creative with her photo ideas. It was what made her rocket to success the way she had, and I never failed to be impressed by her. I leaned over the rail, watching her stretch out on the bed, one leg bent up, her elbows holding her body up, a half laugh on her face. She held still for a few seconds, then jumped off the bed and rushed across the room to check it. I watched as she twisted her mouth, already sure that she wasn’t happy with the way she looked.
There was something to be said for staying with someone long enough to know them. To know the subtle intricacies within the way they moved, the way they carried themselves, the way the crinkle formed between their eyes when they were frustrated. It was true that I hadn’t always been the most serious about the women I’d dated, and my friends liked to joke about how many there’d been, but with Emily it was different. She made me want to be different, and I was determined to show her that.
She moved back to the bed, this time sitting on the edge with one leg draped over the other, the back of one of her hands pressed to her forehead. She closed her eyes, turning the side of her face toward the camera. After a second, she jumped down again, her face still contorted with displeasure.
