Page 12 of A Taste of Paradise

‘Fine,’ Judy murmured, and Karen echoed her assent.

Their parents, George and Janice, were the quintessential happily married couple. The kind of twosome that finished each other’s sentences, knew what the other wanted without being told, and managed to make disagreeing look like the most amusing thing, at least in Naomi’s eyes. They immediately relegated their daughter to the couch when she arrived at their room while they continued unpacking.

‘Don’t put it there, George. Put it here,’ her mother ordered.

‘Why should I put it there? I think it’s perfectly fine where it is.’

‘It’s in the way over there. Put it over here. What if people need to pass?’

‘Why would anyone be passing through our room?’ her dad countered, much to Naomi’s amusement.

George was seventy-three and Janice seventy. They’d spent most of their lives together and had the longest and happiest marriage she knew – forty-nine years. Even as they argued over where to put the empty suitcases, they were still taking such good care of one another.

‘Did you put your medicine by the sink in the bathroom? You’ll forget if you don’t,’ Janice cautioned. Naomi’s dad had developed diabetes over the past few years and was now on several daily doses of medication to manage it.

‘I already did,’ he replied as he refolded Janice’s favourite nightgown and placed it on the foot of the bed, exactly like he did at home.

‘Mum, we’re going to grab a bite in maybe half an hour or so,’ Naomi told her.

‘Do you think they’ll have something normal? Maybe an English food menu? You know I can’t handle weird food,’ her mother harrumphed. ‘And your father’s heartburn too. That’s the problem with these bloody foreign places …’

She laughed. ‘Mum, look at this place, the food is sure to be incredible. It isn’t exactly eating grubs in Australia or raw chilies in Mexico, it’s the Caribbean. It’s all about flavour and fun.’

‘Maybe to you, but it will be me sitting up all night with your father while you and Greg do whatever you’re doing in your room.’

‘Mum!’

‘What? You’ve lived together for years, do you really think I believe you sleep in separate beds?’ Her mother flashed her a knowing look. ‘Besides, are you going to come in here and rub your father’s back all night when his throat’s on fire? I don’t think so.’

‘Fine. Point taken. I’m sure we can find something suitably bland for you and Dad to eat,’ Naomi teased as she crossed the room to kiss her mother on the forehead. ‘Meet you downstairs?’

As she turned to leave them alone, she looked back at her beloved parents as they continued to unpack and bicker, and smiled. Quietly confident that she and Greg would surely be the very same in thirty-odd years.

Chapter 11

Erin hadn’t seen Mack since their previous disastrous encounter over breakfast at The Azure.

Not that getting to grips with various other resort duties allowed her time to mull over her mistake, though the disappointment stayed with her. How could she have misread the situation so badly? She rarely failed at anything she set her mind to, so the monumental misstep left her more than a little unsettled. She had a feeling that rowing back on all the financial elements she’d outlined in her pitch wouldn’t work, but, perhaps worse, alternative strategies hadn’t materialised either. She was beginning to think something was wrong with her. This had never happened before. She’d never felt so … out of sync with what was expected of her. Thank goodness she had Makellah the receptionist, Nadine the concierge, and that nice Lily at least in helping her find her feet; those welcoming fellow staff members were about the only thing going right with this position since she started. Sadly the majority of the other resort staff still viewed her primarily with suspicion, and she wasn’t winning any friends in management either.

And now as Erin sat across from the general manager in his office, her concern grew even further. ‘What do you mean Mr MacKenzie won’t speak to anyone from the resort?’ she asked, eyes widening.

Grant’s hands were folded on his desk, the vein in his temple throbbing visibly. ‘He was very categoric that if he heard anything further about potential endorsement or partnership with the hotel, he’d end his stay here and go somewhere else.’ His words felt like bile in Erin’s stomach. She could still see the disdain in Mack’s eyes. Those absorbing blue eyes.

Grant huffed. ‘I thought you said you had this under control.’

‘I do.’

‘How is this under control?’

Her mind was reeling. ‘I … I haven’t figured out the optimum approach yet. He thinks I was trying to manipulate him—’

‘Were you?’

Her eyes were slow to rise at the question, but eventually her gaze met his. ‘I guess I did try to use our … previous unexpected encounter on the mountain as an in,’ she confessed. ‘I was sure that it would make things a whole lot easier.’

‘Well, you were wrong. The guy resents that and, worse, maybe even the resort by extension.’ He shoved some papers around. ‘If you don’t fix this, my dear, truly I don’t know what will happen.’

She flushed a little. ‘What do you mean?’