Page 17 of A Taste of Paradise

‘Well, I tried,’ Erin muttered, shaking her head in frustration, as she resumed walking in the direction of the Hacienda Suite.

She knocked lightly on the door and it opened almost immediately.

‘Evening, Molly, checking if everything’s …’ The remainder of Erin’s sentence trailed off and she stopped short as she saw inside.

If she’d been surprised by the other woman’s swift response in opening the door, she was even more shocked by the state of the room. Drawers and closet doors hung open, the bedsheets were undone, and even some of the artwork was hanging askew on the walls.

What the heck …

‘Oh my gosh, I’m so, so sorry,’ she apologised, wide-eyed, passing Molly to go inside and immediately feeling the beginnings of a headache at this latest disaster. Wanda and her staff obviously hadn’t yet reached this room. ‘According to the system, the suite was ready for occupation,’ she assured their new guest. ‘Must be some mistake …’

‘No, the room was perfect, it’s my fault … I was … looking for something,’ Molly admitted timidly, closing the door behind her.

Yet Erin noted that her suitcase was still standing nearby, unopened. Now she was completely perplexed. What could Molly have lost in the short time she was here if she hadn’t yet unpacked? And why were all the curtains closed when it wasn’t yet dark?

‘I don’t understand …’ This, taken with the fall in the lobby, was very disconcerting, and more than a little weird.

After checking her in earlier, Erin had made it her business to gather some more background information. She’d asked around and, according to the staff, Molly’s mother Eugenie Cooke wasn’t merely a long-time returning patron, but a St Lucia native and original investor in The Palms Hotel.

The woman had recently died of cancer and this trip it seemed was one of Eugenie’s final gifts to her daughter before her passing.

Maternal love was almost a foreign concept to Erin. Her own mother had abandoned her and her dad when she was only five years old. They hadn’t seen her since, and Erin doubted anyone who would have walked out on a child about to start school was the type to plan grand deathbed farewell gestures like sending her off to a luxurious resort to grieve. So it was strange, but she kind of envied Molly on some subconscious level for being blessed with something she herself had longed for her entire life, even if that was lost to them both now.

‘May I sit?’ Erin asked, and when Molly nodded, she duly took a seat across from the mussed-up bed. Even though the sheets were all untucked and curtains closed, the bed clearly hadn’t been used to sleep in, and the mattress looked as if it had been upended and fallen back in the wrong place.

As if, like Molly had said, she’d been trying to locate something she’d lost.

‘I have to say, I’m a little concerned. Is everything OK? More to the point, are you OK after your fall earlier? Or is there something else going on? I’m here to help, remember.’

Molly didn’t answer but she looked torn. Instead, she began to twirl a strand of long dark hair around her finger as her gaze shifted to and fro. The woman looked so anxious that Erin was almost tempted to put a comforting hand on her arm, but she worried that might be too familiar and inappropriate.

‘I know that things are difficult for you right now,’ Erin continued, ‘after your mum and everything. While I didn’t know her, it seems she was very beloved and well thought of here so I’m sure it must be so hard being back in The Palms without her.’

‘It’s not … I mean this is actually my first time here. I’ve never even been to St Lucia before.’ She swallowed nervously when Erin looked surprised. ‘It’s, well … I’m terrified of flying.’

The poor thing was so cripplingly shy that it seemed to Erin she was terrified of everything. Which merely made her want to help Molly all the more.

‘Well, I’m sure your mum wanted you to come for good reason. Most likely to help you through this very tough time, heal your heart maybe? It’s her homeland and a beautiful island, so peaceful, here especially.’ She waved an arm towards the curtains concealing the magnificent scenery outside.

‘I … don’t think so really.’

The reply was so forlorn it reminded Erin of the hurt she’d once felt all those years ago. While it was such a long time ago and she’d only been a little girl, she still remembered it so well. She didn’t want to blithely tell Molly she was sorry for her mother’s passing. She remembered how at the time everyone had apologised for her mother leaving and assured her that everything would be OK, but none of that helped. It only made Erin feel worse – as if it could ever be OK that the woman who was supposed to have loved her unconditionally had abandoned her.

‘OK, so I don’t know precisely what you’re feeling right now but … I have felt something … similar,’ she admitted, and Molly looked up, intrigued. ‘When I was five my mother left, and she never came back. People told me they were sorry and some even swore she’d return, but they were wrong. She wasn’t there and she never would be again.’ Looking at Molly she saw a hint of recognition, kinship even. ‘It will get better with time,’ she assured her. ‘You just have to keep living every moment until it does.’

At this, the other woman looked up. ‘What did you say?’

‘That it’ll get better – eventually. Obviously not right now, but …’

‘No, the bit about living every moment.’ Tears appeared in Molly’s eyes now. ‘That’s something Mom used to say too.’

Erin smiled. ‘Well, then she gave very good advice. But please, Molly, let me help you. There are lots of things to do here and wonderful places to see, and while I’m not going to suggest you go zip-lining or anything like that, I could recommend …’

‘Thank you, but I meant it when I said that’s not really why I’m here. I mean, yes, I’m sure Mom wanted me to see her homeland, of course, but she didn’t arrange this, only for me to spend my time here mourning her, or distract me from her passing.’ She sighed and then looked closely at Erin as if again weighing up whether to confide in her. ‘She needs my help.’

Erin frowned in confusion as Molly stood up and walked over to the bedside table, where a piece of paper lay folded. ‘You said you’ve only just started working here?’ she asked.

‘Yes, this week. Why?’