Her Holiday Miracle

He looked at her questioningly and she responded in a soft voice, ‘Rebecca … Rebecca Flynn … most people call me Becky.’

‘Hi, Becky. We should be able to get some refreshments on board. Perhaps I could buy you a drink? I’m not hitting on you,’ he hastened to explain. ‘Well, maybe I would in different circumstances. It’s just that I noticed earlier you were looking a bit fed up and I thought maybe you could do with something to cool you down and perk you up—perhaps an iced juice of some sort—they do a good orange and mango mix?’

‘Do they?’ So he’d noticed her wilting. What was it that had given her away? Was it her hot cheeks or the way her curls clung damply to her temples? She should have taken the time to pin her hair back while she was on the plane.

She’d no experience of the facilities on board ferries in the Caribbean, but now she moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue in anticipation.

‘A cold drink sounds wonderful. I’d like that.’ She added as an afterthought, ‘This whole thing is a bit of an adventure for me.’

‘Are you here on holiday?’

‘Sort of. More of an extended break, shall we say? Things were getting me down back home and I needed to get away.’

‘Really? I’m sorry. I feel a bit that way, too. I’ve had a break-up with my girlfriend … it was really hard to take. It was a while ago, and I keep trying to put it all behind me, but it’s difficult.’

‘Yes. I know how that feels.’

Together, chatting amiably, they walked the short distance along the quay to the boarding ramp and stepped on to the deck of the boat.

It was strange … She didn’t know him from Adam, but she liked him instantly, in a platonic, unthreatening kind of way. All her usual English reserve seemed to be disappearing fast—melting away in the tropical sunshine.

Perhaps it was the heady atmosphere of the Caribbean beginning to exert its hold on her—or maybe the energetic beat of the music coming from the boat was serving to loosen her up. Whatever the reason, she’d throw all her inhibitions away right now for the chance of downing a long, cold glass of something. Anything.

William looked around. ‘Where do you want to sit? Would you like to be under cover, or do you want to look out over the sea?’

‘Both, I think.’ She smiled. ‘I’ve been stuck on a plane for several hours, so it will be great to move around and feel the fresh air for a bit.’

He nodded, his mouth curving. ‘Sounds great. We can get to know one another—it’ll take about an hour to get to St Marie-Rose.’

He was friendly and open with her, and as they chatted Rebecca was startled to find herself responding readily, a bit like a flower opening up to the sun. Why did she feel so at odds with herself about that? He’d already told her that he was getting over a broken relationship. Would it hurt to talk some more and maybe confide in him in return? He was easygoing and sociable and that was what she needed right now.

‘So what’s been getting you down?’ he asked.

‘Oh, a few things … I was ill, and my boyfriend decided that he couldn’t handle it.’

‘Ouch! That’s a tough one. It must have been difficult for you.’

‘Yes …’

It had been a few months since her relationship with Drew had disintegrated, and what had happened over that time had certainly taken its toll of her … Complications after her appendicitis had added to her problems and left her feeling low, and Drew had been less than supportive. After her appendix had burst, peritonitis had almost killed her, with the poisons in her bloodstream keeping her in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit for a couple of weeks.

But her problems hadn’t ended there. The doctors told her she might be infertile because of the scar tissue from those complications, and that was when Drew had decided to bow out. She had been devastated, overwhelmed by everything that had happened to her. How could she cope with the possibility of never having children? That question haunted her still.

It had all been a bit of a struggle. She desperately needed a change of scene—a chance to put herself back together again. Wasn’t it time she tried to relax and let her hair down? It could hardly matter what happened here, what she decided to tell William—he was only going to be around for a short time, after all.

She found a seat on one of the benches under the awning and put her bags down on the floor by her feet while he went to fetch the drinks. Padded bench seats were arranged along the deck, facing a central four-sided counter where dusky-skinned youths were busy cutting up all manner of fruits—oranges, melons, passion fruit, limes. There were a couple of urns available for hot drinks, along with juice dispensers and water coolers. She glanced around. There were even potted palms placed at discreet intervals on deck, all adding to the holiday atmosphere.

The man she’d seen earlier had gone to stand by the rail, looking out over the sea. He braced himself, leaning back against a stanchion, as the boat’s engine started up. He glanced her way, watching as William came towards her with a tall glass of iced juice. She couldn’t tell what the man was thinking. His gaze was smoke-dark—brooding, almost. As though he was disturbed to see her with another man. That couldn’t be so, though, could it?

For some reason he bothered her. Perhaps it was because in some way—maybe in the way he stood apart from the others—he reminded her of Drew. Though her ex had never possessed those bone-melting good looks, or that way of looking at the world as if it was his to command.

‘Don’t worry about him.’ William must have seen her cautious glance, and now, as she accepted the drink he handed her, she looked at him quizzically.

‘I won’t. Do you know him?’

He nodded. ‘He’s my cousin. He’s been over to Martinique on business—I think he probably wants some space to mull things over.’

‘Oh, I see … I think.’ She frowned and tried to put the man out of her mind, turning her attention to William and chatting to him about nothing in particular.

He was good company. He was fun and he made her chuckle, and at one point he even pulled her to her feet and had her dancing with him to the hot, rhythmic music that spilled out from the loudspeakers overhead.

Other passengers were already moving to the beat, and from time to time William’s friends came to join them. She laughed with them and exchanged banter, simply enjoying the freedom of letting herself go for a while. Her hair tumbled this way and that over her bare shoulders and her skirt gently swirled around her thighs as she sashayed to the beat of steel drums. She hadn’t felt this unrestrained in a long time.

The music stopped for a moment as the latest song came to an end and she stood still, attuning herself to the rhythm of the boat as it crested the waves.

‘Shall we go and stand by the deck rail for a while?’ William suggested, and she nodded, going with him and turning her face to the cooling breeze as the boat ploughed through the waves.

Standing with her by the rail, he put an arm around her shoulders to point out dolphins in the distance, playing in the clear, crystal water.

She felt a prickling at the back of her neck and looked around, suddenly distracted. The man at the rail flicked a glance in her direction, inclining his head in acknowledgement, his eyes narrowed against the glare of the sun. Was he still intent on watching her? Or was it William he was keeping an eye on?

William spoke to her, cutting into her thoughts. ‘Perhaps we might see each other again—hang around together from time to time? Don’t get me wrong—I know you’re not looking for a relationship and neither am I—but we do have something in common. We’ve both been hurt and we could be friends, maybe?’

‘Yes, I’d like that.’ It would be good to have a friend out here.

She looked out over the blue water once more. The island of St Marie-Rose was drawing closer, its green-clad mountains beckoning, while picturesque white-painted houses nestled among the trees on the hillsides—a perfect invitation to visit.

‘Whereabouts are you staying?’ he asked.

‘Tamarind Bay. My sister’s renting a house there … well, nothing quite so grand as a house—it’s more of a cabin, really. She was lucky to get it—it’s quite secluded, apparently, near to a small private marina. The owner of the property is a friend.’

He frowned. ‘That’s the opposite direction from me. We’re all staying at a rental place in the north of the island. Still …’ He brightened. ‘It’s not too far away. It’s not that big an island. You could go from one end to the other in two or three hours.’ He smiled. ‘There aren’t that many bars and nightclubs in Tamarind Bay. I’m sure I’ll manage to find you again. Maybe I could have your phone number? I could help cheer you up.’ He made a wry face. ‘Heck—we could cheer each other up.’

She nodded and smiled in response, but she wasn’t about to commit to anything. She wasn’t averse to having fun—in fact it would be great—but above all she’d come out here to spend time with Emma.

The catamaran moved into place alongside the dock at St Marie-Rose just a few minutes later and they readied themselves to disembark. Ahead of them, William’s cousin was among the first to leave the boat.

William helped her with her bags as they negotiated the steps to the quay. She paused for a moment to look around, feeling a deep sense of satisfaction as she took in the curve of the bay, with its wide strip of golden sand and palms that tilted towards the sun, their green fronds drifting gently in the light breeze.

‘Are you going to be okay getting to your sister’s place?’ William asked as they stood among the melee of disembarking passengers. ‘Tamarind Bay’s about an hour’s drive south from here.’ He seemed concerned, anxious to stay with her, but also aware of his friends waiting for him a short distance away. ‘I could find you a taxi. Better still, I could ask my cousin—’

‘No, please don’t do that,’ she said hurriedly. ‘Don’t worry about me. I’ll be absolutely fine. Go and join your mates. Enjoy the rest of your holiday.’

‘Okay …’ He frowned. ‘I suppose so … if you’re sure?’

‘I am.’

Reluctantly he walked away, and she looked around to see if there were any cabs left for hire. A man thrust a leaflet into her hands—an advertisement for sea trips to the local islands—and she glanced at it briefly. In the meantime passengers were still getting off the ferry, descending upon every waiting vehicle.