Page 22 of A Taste of Paradise

‘If they are a protected species, we can’t do anything that might cause harm to them.’

Erin forced herself to look at the pool once again. One snake flapped its tail forcefully along the edge, causing the surface to ripple like an ocean wave. It was pretty obvious that they didn’t want to be in the water. So leaving them trapped in there hardly seemed in their best interest either. And it made her wonder what the heck they were doing there in the first place.

‘OK, so go ahead and call them quickly. Meantime, maybe we could find something for them to crawl on, so they can get out of the water?’

She tried to rid her brain of the image of the snakes crawling out and back onto land, since, once they were free, they could go anywhere they wished.

Or take their anger out on someone nearby.

Erin truly hoped the blasted creatures would get as far away from this area and her as possible, so she would never have to see them again.

Talk about a baptism of fire …

Chapter 17

Sea Shells was filled with the sweet and savoury aromas of fried plantain, scrambled eggs, and sausage. Foxtail palms swayed gently in the warm breeze and Lily occasionally glanced out the window of her mother’s house as she made brunch. The kitchen overlooked the pool and deck and, beyond that, fencing separated the property from the public beach. The vista before her was a beautiful collection of blues; pale-blue pool water, while the sky was royal blue, and the ocean a mix of all shades in between. It was the perfect morning to eat outside.

Barbara was evidently roused by the smell of freshly brewed coffee. ‘Good morning, darling,’ her mum greeted as she kissed Lily’s cheek and proceeded to grab her favourite mug. ‘It smells delicious.’

‘Thanks. I was thinking we should eat out on the deck. It’s such a beautiful day.’

‘Sounds good.’ Barbara peered into the frying pan. ‘But how come you’re here so early? You on a later shift today?’

‘I’m not going in at all today actually,’ Lily divulged, as she stirred the eggs.

‘Oh? I thought there was a big wedding happening at the hotel this week.’

‘That fell through,’ she answered simply, as she added the eggs to two plates of plantain and sliced fruit.

‘Fell through … ?’

‘Everything was bought and paid for; and all in place except one, possibly the most important, element … the bride. She broke up with the groom right before they were due to travel.’

‘Oh well, could be worse,’ her mother answered blithely as she picked up her plate and walked toward the door out to the deck.

‘Huh,’ Lily called, confused, as she picked up her own food and glass of orange juice. ‘What do you mean? You do understand that she dumped the poor guy practically at the altar.’

‘I understand perfectly, honey, and I still say it could have been worse,’ her mother continued as she set her plate on the table and claimed a seat facing the ocean.

Their deck was half concrete and half dark stained wood. They didn’t have much furniture out there, only a round white table with a glass top and push-up parasol to shield off some of the sun. Like the ocean, the umbrella fabric and the chair seats were aquamarine.

‘How so?’ Lily probed, as she took a seat beside her.

‘It’s simple really. Better the bride-to-be did this now than when the poor groom’s standing before all their guests waiting for someone who was never going to turn up. Worse yet, what if she’d never said anything, went ahead with the charade, and then months or years from now, cheated on him with a friend, colleague, or some stranger even? Just to escape the unhappiness of going along with something when she wasn’t ready. Sure, it hurts, but it was the decent thing to do. At least this way she’s left him to find the right woman. Ms Right can’t come along if Ms Wrong is still in the picture, can she?’

Lily was agog. Her mother had a way of putting things into startling perspective. She hadn’t thought that what Sarah had done to Shay could ever have been considered the decent thing. All she could think of was that this girl had so callously discarded someone who loved her that much.

‘Do you really believe that?’

‘Of course.’ Her mother picked up a forkful of eggs and began to chew. ‘Your father would have said the very same. He was dating a girl he’d wanted to marry, but hadn’t gotten around to asking her yet – he was waiting for the perfect time. Amazingly, the day he planned to buy the ring was the day she ended it. He was hurt, of course, but then a week later he met me,’ she continued. ‘So yes, I fully believe that, honey. Things happen for a reason. I don’t believe in coincidence. Neither did your father.’

They continued to eat and chat before Barbara returned to her presence at home this morning. ‘So you decided to take it easy today because that event fell through?’

‘Well, there’s a little bit more to it than that …’ Lily began tentatively. ‘The groom arrived at the hotel as planned and since I’m the only one he knows here, I thought I’d take him under my wing a little, show him around the island and maybe he can help me with some other stuff to keep him preoccupied. No one should be alone while they’re going through this sort of thing.’

‘That’s very nice of you of course, but … be careful.’

There it was; another warning. Lily wasn’t sure she wanted to know what her mother meant exactly, but she couldn’t leave the question unanswered. It wasn’t in her nature.