Someone Like You: Escape with this perfect uplifting romance

by Tracy Corbett

  ‘Thanks again for finding her,’ he called after her, just as the first firework exploded into the night sky. ‘I really appreciate it!’

  But Lily didn’t respond. She couldn’t.

  She kept on walking. Away from Will Taylor. Away from his gorgeous daughter. And away from her time in Windsor.

  Bloody hell, it hurt.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Six months later…

  Lily took a deep breath and closed her eyes, relishing the feeling of warm sun on her skin. She could smell coconut and fresh mango, and she could hear the rhythmic sound of nearby crickets. Soft reggae music drifted in and out of earshot, playing at the bar further down the beach. The gentle breeze lifted her hair, a welcome respite against the burning sun. The lap of the waves lulled her into oblivion as she trailed her fingers through the warm sand beneath.

  It was bliss. Utter bliss.

  She smiled, still unable to get her head around the joy of being back in the Caribbean.

  Who would have thought it? Her second holiday in less than a year. But then, not a lot surprised her these days. Life had been a series of twists and turns. She was getting used to the rollercoaster of living life on the edge, rather than relying on the security of a regular routine. It still scared her, but she was certainly never bored.

  The low point had been last July, after the festival, when she’d left Windsor feeling heartbroken and a complete failure, with both her personal and professional lives lying in tatters. She’d moved in with her friend Taye for a couple of weeks, fully intending to accept defeat and apply for a regular job. But an unexpected offer had landed in her lap.

  Taye’s uncle had announced he was retiring from running his tailor’s shop in Richmond, and rather than selling, he’d offered Taye the business at no cost. Taye had jumped at the chance to leave Clothing Connexions and escape the wrath of Darth Vader, and had accepted his uncle’s offer. He’d then asked Lily to go into business with him.

  She hadn’t hesitated. It was the stuff of dreams. A chance to make something of herself. Even better, she’d been offered tenancy of the small bedsit above the premises. It was perfect.

  And so, three months later, Malik & Monroe had opened, a bespoke boutique with a quirky purple and gold shopfront, offering tailormade clothing at affordable prices. Lily had moved into her new pad, and life had been a chaotic whirlwind of orders and deadlines ever since.

  She couldn’t be happier.

  Well, she could, but at least her professional life was on the up. Her personal life was still lacking, but there wasn’t much she could do about that. She’d been coerced into going on a few dates by her friends, but she’d yet to meet anyone she’d liked as much as Will. She still missed him… which was nonsensical, infuriating, and hugely depressing in equal measures. But such was life.

  At least her friendship circle had increased.

  ‘Do you realise how embarrassing it is asking for a virgin Pina Colada?’ Megan said, appearing with their drinks. Her sheer sarong flapped in the breeze, revealing bronzed shapely legs that nearly caused the man next to them to spill his beer. ‘The barman looked at me like I had a screw loose.’ She handed Lily her mocktail and settled on the sunlounger next to her. ‘So, have you heard anything yet?’

  ‘I haven’t checked.’ Lily sipped her drink. It was sickly sweet and delicious.

  Megan rolled her eyes. ‘How can you be so relaxed? This could be your big break.’

  ‘I don’t want to get my hopes up.’

  ‘Where’s your phone?’ Megan delved into Lily’s bag, unearthing her phone. ‘Right, let’s see.’ She scrolled through her emails. ‘It’s here!’ She grabbed Lily’s arm. ‘Do you want me to open it?’

  Lily nearly spilled her drink. ‘Go on then. Put me out of my misery.’

  Megan opened the email, and took forever to read it, her expression giving nothing away.

  ‘It’s a no… isn’t it?’

  ‘Patience, woman. Let me read it.’

  ‘Just tell me. Is it a yes, or a no?’

  Megan looked up, serious at first… and then smiled. ‘You did it. You landed the job.’

  ‘Seriously? Let me see.’ She snatched her phone from Megan and scanned the email. ‘Thank you for attending the recent meeting… blah blah blah… impressed by your portfolio of ideas… after careful consideration… and a glowing endorsement from your previous project… we’re delighted to offer you the position of head costume designer.’ She squealed with delight. ‘Oh, my, God. I did it. I actually did it!’

  Megan launched herself at Lily and hugged her. The man next to them got an eyeful of the back of her friend’s bikini briefs. He didn’t look unhappy about it.

  ‘Well, of course you did. I knew you would.’ Megan squeezed her so tightly Lily almost couldn’t breathe. ‘We get to work together again. Yippee! And I get to wear your gorgeous costumes.’

  And then something clicked in Lily’s brain.

  ‘Wait a sec.’ She extricated herself from Megan’s clasp and reread the email. ‘Glowing endorsement from my previous project…? Will Taylor gave me a reference?’

  Megan avoided eye contact. ‘That’s nice.’

  ‘But how did he even know I’d gone for the job?’

  ‘A little birdie must’ve told him.’

  ‘And you’ve no idea who this little birdie might be?’

  Megan avoided eye contact. ‘Look, what does it matter? You’ve got the job. This is a massive deal. Your first feature film. The exposure will do wonders for your career.’

  But Lily wasn’t letting her friend off the hook that easily. ‘You haven’t answered my question.’

  Megan ignored her. ‘If you think you’re busy with orders now, just wait until after the film. You’ll be inundated. My friends can’t get enough of your designs as it is.’

  ‘You’re not going to tell me, are you?’

  ‘Tell you what?’ Megan feigned innocence, fluttering her long eyelashes. ‘Maybe he heard through the grapevine? Or maybe Zac told him? Or maybe he saw the error of his ways and wanted to make amends…’

  ‘Or maybe you coerced him into giving me a reference,’ Lily concluded, hating the idea of Will doing her any favours. Then she had an awful thought. ‘Please tell me you didn’t fake it? I’ve only just recovered from the mess of my last forged reference.’

  ‘As if I’d do such a thing.’ Megan’s attempt at being ‘affronted’ fell a little short. Especially for an actress. ‘What kind of friend would that make me?’

  ‘The interfering type. Which is a waste of effort when it comes to Will Taylor. The man hates me.’

  ‘He does not hate you.’

  ‘He called me a child-molesting incompetent fraud.’

  Megan grimaced. ‘Yes, that was rather unfortunate. Still, nobody’s perfect.’ She stood up. ‘Come on, finish your drink, we need to get ready for tonight.’

  ‘It’s only five o’clock. What’s the rush?’

  Megan’s hands went to her hips. ‘I have a full evening planned. Our first night in the Caribbean needs to be memorable.’

  ‘Should I be worried?’

  ‘Of course.’ Megan pulled Lily to her feet. ‘You know me. Now, come on.’

  ‘Wait… let me get my drink.’ Lily stretched for her half-finished mocktail, before allowing Megan to drag her up the beach. ‘This is supposed to be a relaxing holiday.’

  Megan linked arms with her. ‘Relaxing days. Party nights… And proper cocktails,’ she said, looking disdainfully at Lily’s drink. ‘I have my reputation to protect.’

  Lily laughed. ‘Idiot.’

  ‘Now, what are you wearing tonight?’

  ‘No idea.’

  ‘Did you bring that gorgeous red dress with you?’

  ‘The one I made last year? Yes, why?’ Lily stopped walking. ‘Hang on, how do you know about that dress?’

  ‘Err… I must’ve seen a photo?’ Megan said, trying to sound innocent, but not achieving it. ‘Anyway,
the point is, wear it.’

  Lily resumed walking, suspecting something was afoot.

  Megan patted her hand. ‘Trust me. We need to go all out to impress.’

  ‘Why? You have a boyfriend, remember?’

  ‘Yes, but you don’t, darling.’ Megan kissed her cheek. ‘Meet you in The Olive Bar at seven. Look gorgeous.’

  ‘I’ll do my best.’ Lily would still pale into insignificance next to her stunning and exotic friend. Not that she minded, she was content with how she looked. She’d finally found her groove, so to speak. ‘See you later.’

  ‘Don’t be late!’ Megan called, disappearing into her room, blowing kisses.

  Smiling, Lily returned to her own room. Who’d have thought she’d end up friends with Megan Lawrence. They’d met up for a drink shortly after leaving Windsor and realised they enjoyed each other’s company, and things had developed from there. Life really was strange.

  She flopped onto the bed and flicked on the air conditioning. She needed to cool down before getting ready for their girls night out.

  Digging out her phone, Lily reread the email from the producer of the film. She could hardly believe it. She’d been offered the role of head costume designer on a big budget film. Two months based in Prague. Working on the set of a fantasy extravaganza, the costumes on a par with Game of Thrones. It was beyond exciting.

  And as Megan had said, it would give her design business a massive boost.

  When she’d agreed to go into business with Taye, she’d fully intended to give up the idea of working in films, but Taye had been in total favour of her juggling the two. He said the publicity would put them on the map. She hoped he was right. She’d be leaving him to run the business solo when she was off filming, so he needed to be on board with it.

  When she’d previously met with the film’s producer, he’d been impressed by her proposed designs for the costumes, but he’d expressed concerns about her lack of experience. She hadn’t been foolish enough to lie twice about her career, so she’d been brutally honest. So much so, she feared she’d talked him out of offering her the job. Had Will’s reference swayed him?

  At the reminder of Will, she hauled herself off the bed and headed for the shower, hoping a dose of cold water would shock some sense into her and stop her pining after a man she couldn’t have. And shouldn’t want… but did. Such was life.

  At seven p.m. on the dot, she was dressed ready for a night clubbing. Her recently highlighted hair was scrunch-dried, her lips were painted red and she was perfumed and ready to go.

  At Megan’s request, she’d opted for the long clingy red dress with the split up one leg, and teamed it with jewelled flip-flops rather than heels, knowing otherwise her feet couldn’t withstand a night partying with Megan. She’d been dragged to enough events over recent months to know hours of relentless dancing lay ahead. She needed to be prepared.

  Lily exited the chalet and walked past the infinity pool, now minus any swimmers and lit with soft lighting. The palm trees swayed in the warm breeze. The crickets were in full voice, amplified by the stillness of the night. The indigo sky above was clear, the stars out in force.

  It was an enchanting evening. She stopped for a moment to absorb her surroundings, closing her eyes and filling her lungs with warm air, focusing on her breathing.

  This time last year she’d been mourning the loss of her granddad. Fast forward twelve months and she was the joint owner of a small business, enjoyed a colourful social life, and was about to embark on her first film. It was almost perfect.

  Almost.

  She glanced at her reflection in the water. Last year she’d faked being a costume designer. She’d pretended to be happy and confident, with the promise of being a ‘new version’ of herself. A pretence that had crumbled under the scrutiny of the man she’d fallen in love with and also when challenged by the reality of working on a demanding project. She’d floundered her way through those months, experiencing failure and heartbreak, but she had emerged bruised, yet more resilient, and certainly less naive.

  She crouched down and trailed her fingers through the water. The image reflected back now was a hybrid version of ‘Lily’. Here was a woman who’d found her calling, was proud of her achievements so far and was ready to be challenged by the next adventure.

  All that was missing was a family.

  But what would be, would be, as her grandma used to say. Sometimes you couldn’t have it all.

  ‘Nice dress,’ a man said behind her. He gave her such a shock that she lost her balance… and fell face-first into the pool.

  It wasn’t even an elegant landing. She ended up sinking to the bottom, her dress dragging over her head, her new underwear unattractively wedged up her bum and both boobs unleashed, floating about like a couple of untethered life rafts.

  Consequently, by the time she was rescued and dragged to the surface coughing and spluttering, she was beyond fearing for her life, and was more concerned with rearranging her clothing. Thankfully, they were in the shallow end and she could stand up.

  ‘I’m so sorry,’ the man said, sounding scarily familiar. ‘Are you okay?’

  ‘Am I okay?’ She wiped wet hair from her face. ‘No, I am not okay!’ she yelled, shoving a wayward boob back into her dress.

  And then his face came into focus.

  Will bloody Taylor.

  Of course it was.

  Why was she even surprised?

  She groaned. What had she ever done to deserve this? She was a good person. A hard-working person. Caring and loyal. She just wanted to live a quiet life. Fly under the radar, with no desire to be the centre of attention. But for some reason whenever Will Taylor was around she ended up soaking wet!

  And then she realised he was smiling.

  ‘Oh, you think this is funny, do you?’ She tried to sound outraged. ‘I’m drenched.’

  ‘Me, too.’ His hair was flat against his head, yet somehow he still managed to look desirable. Damned man. ‘I hadn’t planned on an evening swim either.’

  ‘Then you shouldn’t have given me a shock.’

  ‘You’re right, I shouldn’t have.’

  She viewed him suspiciously. ‘Why are you agreeing with me? You never agree with me.’

  ‘On this occasion I am.’

  Then Megan appeared from the bar. ‘What on earth are you doing in the pool?’

  Lily rolled her eyes. ‘Swimming.’

  Megan came running over – an impressive feat in her skyscraper heels. ‘Why?’

  ‘Oh, you know, it seemed like a good idea at the time.’

  Will’s sheepish grin widened. ‘Need a hand getting out?’

  ‘I’m fine,’ she snapped, shaking him off and making a right palaver of getting out of the pool. Her red dress clung to her body, weighing her down, the neckline sagging so low she had to hold the material in place to prevent flashing a member of hotel staff who was fast approaching.

  ‘No night swimming,’ the manager scolded, wagging his finger. ‘Pool closed.’

  ‘Oh, you think?’ Lily realised she’d lost a flip-flop. ‘Tell him that,’ she said, pointing at Will. ‘It was his fault.’

  But Will had returned to the pool to retrieve her shoe. ‘Yours, I believe, Cinderella.’

  She snatched her flip-flop from him. ‘Thank you. But you are no Prince Charming.’

  ‘No more swimming,’ the manager said, making a slicing motion across his neck. ‘Too dangerous. Not good mix with alcohol.’

  ‘Oh, she’s not drunk,’ Will said, ringing water from his shirt. ‘Just clumsy.’

  ‘I was startled,’ she said, indignantly. ‘And can you blame me? I mean, what are you even doing here?’

  He gave her an embarrassed grin. ‘Surprise!’

  ‘Surprise?’ That was one word for it.

  And then Zac appeared from The Olive Bar, holding a beer bottle. ‘Why’s everyone wet?’ he said, looking confused.

  Lily’s night was getting stranger by the second. �
��Zac…? What are you doing here?’

  He slung his arm around Megan’s shoulders. ‘Couples holiday,’ he said, wincing when Megan elbowed him in the ribs. ‘What? What did I say?’

  ‘I haven’t told her yet,’ hushed Megan, glaring at him.

  ‘Told me what?’ Lily looked between three very guilty looking faces. ‘What the hell is going on?’

  ‘Okay, timeout.’ Megan marched over and took Lily’s arm. ‘Let’s get you dried off and then we can try again.’

  ‘Try what again?’ she said as she was being dragged towards the hotel. ‘Will someone please tell me what’s going on?’

  ‘We’ll reconvene on the beach as soon as I’ve got Lily dried off,’ Megan called back to Will and Zac.

  Lily squelched her way back to her room, hampered by her dress sticking to her legs. ‘I’ve got mascara in my ears. How is that even possible?’

  Megan carried her bag for her. ‘Well, that didn’t go quite according to plan, did it?’

  Lily stopped. Realisation dawning. ‘You knew he was going to be here, didn’t you?’

  Megan tugged on her arm. ‘Keep walking. Time is of the essence.’

  ‘I’m not done yelling.’

  ‘Then yell while you walk.’

  ‘You planned this, didn’t you?’ She was torn between wanting to rip her best friend’s head off and needing more information. ‘This isn’t a random coincidence. You engineered this.’

  They had reached Lily’s room. Megan shrugged, ‘Now, are you going to keep yelling at me and waste more time, or are you going to get changed and meet Will on the beach for a romantic evening?’ She pushed Lily’s wet hair away from her face. ‘The choice is yours.’

  ‘Romantic?’

  Megan smiled. ‘Well, he’s not flown halfway across the globe to talk about the weather, has he?’

  Lily quashed the glimmer of hope flickering inside her. ‘I’m not sure this is such a good idea. It didn’t work out well the last time, did it?’

  ‘So now’s the chance to try again.’ Megan suggested. ‘At least hear what the man has to say. If you don’t want to see him again after tonight, we’ll move to a different hotel, okay? Promise.’