At least that was her intention. But as the saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Chapter 32
Joss hailed a cab just outside the Nadi airport. She was tired but still her nerves were firing on every cylinder.
“Where to?” the cabby asked as she climbed into the back seat. She saw his eyes in the rear view mirror and smiled at him.
“Vuda Marina, please,” she instructed, getting comfortable.
As he drove her to her destination she tried to focus on the beautiful surroundings, but her tired eyes just wanted to close. She smiled dreamily to herself, recalling the events of the past week.
* * *
She’d been off the grid for two months, no phone calls, emails, or internet. She had no regrets unplugging from life, in fact it had been necessary for her peace of mind, but as soon as she’d arrived home from the Appalachians, she fired up her computer and found an email from Charlie. Along with a short note was an electronic airline ticket to Fiji, first class.
I’ll be in Fiji on November 3rd. Meet me where it all began. I’ll be at the Vuda Marina. You can’t miss me. No excuses and no more words. Just come. Love, Charlie.
Joss thought about refusing, for 5.7 seconds, but the moment she read his email she knew. There was no fear, no guilt, no grief, and no doubt. Every ounce of love she’d had came flooding back in a heartbeat. She felt clear, calm, and beyond that, happy. Something in her gut told her she had to go.
So she sent him a reply. No words, just a smiley face. He’d figure it out.
“Here we are miss. $15.00 please,” the cabby asked politely, holding out his hand. “Do you know what slip you’re looking for?”
Joss reached across the seat and handed him twenty Fijian dollars.
“Oddly enough, I don’t,” she laughed, gesturing him to keep the change. He helped lift her suitcase out of the trunk and offered her a nod in farewell before driving away. She stood on the boardwalk, helplessly wondering where to go next.
Rolling her suitcase behind her, Joss walked towards the slips. It was a well kept marina, catering to people sailing and yachting throughout the islands of the South Pacific. People with money. She modestly peered from one slip to another, trying not to stare. She’d nearly reached the end of the pier, turning back before she passed the final slip. In it was the most impressive yacht she had ever seen, resembling a floating two story penthouse apartment. It had to be 20 meters in length! She almost walked away before something surprising caught her eye. On the boat, painted on the stern:
Jocelyn’s Paradise
“Joss.”
She looked up, into a familiar pair of blue eyes and an inviting smile. He offered her a casual wave, as though five minutes had passed rather than more than five months. His greying hair blowing in the Fijian breeze, Charlie looked relaxed, tanned, healthy.
Joss could have sworn her knees almost buckled beneath her, suddenly recalling the many times they’d been naked together. She smiled back at him, genuinely happier than she’d been in a long time.
“Welcome to Fiji,” he said, climbing down the stairs to the dock. He approached her cautiously, as though he wasn’t sure the proper way to greet her. She released her suitcase and ran into his arms, squeezing him as tight as she dared. His manly scent was intoxicating, a spicy cologne mixed with fresh, ocean air.
“I missed you,” Joss cooed, burying her face in his neck. He sighed deeply, as though breathing her in.
“Me too, more than you will ever know,” he said, leaning back. He held her at arms length and looked her up and down. “You look amazing.”
“I look like crap. I just spent eighteen hours getting here,” she pouted, running her fingers through her disheveled hair.
“You’re forgetting how dirty we were on the island,” Charlie laughed, reaching for her suitcase.
“Oh, I haven’t forgotten,” she flirted, throwing him a suggestive wink.
“Mmm, good to know,” he said, wrapping his free hand around her shoulders. “Come on board, you can freshen up and I’ll make you something to eat.”
After a quick tour of the yacht, he left Joss to change in the master bedroom. It was bigger than her entire apartment. The shower was a walk-in, built comfortably for two. It was stocked with beautifully scented soaps and expensive shampoo, as though Charlie wanted to pamper her. She peeled off her clothes and stepped inside, allowing the warm water to wash away her exhaustion. She and Charlie had a lot to catch up on.
* * *
“I have a surprise for you,” Charlie said, taking away her empty plate. They were sitting in the galley (a chef’s kitchen to die for), enjoying an early lunch of fresh oysters with lemon, and a chopped salad. Joss had wolfed it down, not realizing just how famished she’d been. He returned to the table with a cold beer for each of them, popping the cap before handing one to her.
“You mean other than this?” she teased, raising her brows. “Yes. I want to take you on a cruise, somewhere special.”
“Today?” she asked, sipping her beer, the cool amber liquid quickly quenching her thirst. She hadn’t had a sip of alcohol in more than two months and was certain she would be tipsy before the bottle was empty.
“Yes, as soon as we’re done lunch I’m going to fire her up. At top speed this bucket will cruise at about 35 knots, so it might take five or six hours to get there. I know you probably haven’t slept. You’re welcome to go to bed. I’ll be busy piloting the rig anyway.”
“Knots?” Joss questioned, unfamiliar with nautical terms.
“Sorry, yes. Sixty-five kilometers or so an hour.”
“Wow, where is this place?”
“You’ll see,” he shrugged. He regarded her warmly for a moment, as though he had something on his mind. Joss was pretty sure she knew what it was. She was thinking the same thing. But he was right, she was exhausted and the beer wasn’t making it any easier to stay awake. She tried, unsuccessfully, to stifle a yawn and giggled.
“I’m sorry,” she smirked, taking his hand. “I know we have so much to talk about, but I don’t think I can stay awake. Maybe just a quick nap?”
“Of course,” he agreed, his dimples framing his smile. She’d almost forgotten how devilishly handsome Charlie was.
She leaned in and kissed him, her lips softly brushing his tanned cheek.
“Sleep well. I’ll be on the bridge. When you wake up, come and see me,” he encouraged. Out of habit, he reached out to touch her cheek, but dropped his hand indecisively. The gesture did not go unnoticed but Joss let it slide. They were both still adjusting. Rebuilding intimacy after five months apart would take a little time.
Joss smiled sweetly at him, patting his hand. He nodded in return, as though he knew exactly what she was trying to say: Relax, we’ll get there.
* * *
Joss fell asleep quickly, lured to sleep by the constant hum of the engine. She had only meant to rest a few hours but her worn out body had other plans. When she finally opened her eyes, she was startled to see she had slept almost five hours. She never meant to stay apart from Charlie so long.
After freshening up, she wound her way up the stairs towards the bridge. Charlie was sitting in the captain’s chair, steering the boat towards the coastline. Joss moved slowly towards him, admiring the view through the expansive windows. Something about the rugged landscape in front of them reminded her of their little island, making her feel nostalgic, even a little homesick.
“Hey,” Charlie greeted, gesturing her to come near, “how did you sleep?”
“Surprisingly well. Better than I have in months,” she admitted, taking the seat beside him.
He turned to her and smiled. “That’s good. You probably needed it.”
“Charlie,” Joss sighed, pausing to collect her thoughts. “Can we talk about the elephant in the room?”
“Of course,” he agreed, as though he knew the question was coming.
“Can we talk about the boat? You named it after
me?” she asked, her eyes settling on his.
“Yes.”
“Why?” she pressed cautiously, locking her emotions up tight. Although touched by the gesture, they still hadn’t talked about the future.
“Because it’s yours,” he stated flatly.
“The boat?”
“It’s a yacht, baby, but ya,” he smirked, tilting his head puckishly.
“The yacht. What do you mean?” Joss asked, sucking in air.
“I mean I bought it for you. It’s yours.”
“Charlie, what the hell are you talking about? Why would you buy me a yacht?”
Charles chuckled softly, shrugging his shoulders. “Because I want you to live the rest of your life like a queen.”
Her jaw dropped, searching for words. He chuckled quietly, waiting for his news to settle.
“Well...that was...pretty presumptuous,” she said, still reeling from the shock.
“Yes,” he affirmed.
“Charlie, have you gone mad?” she asked, leaning forward in her seat.
“Not that I know of,” he laughed, taking her hand. “It’s in your name, Joss. You can do whatever you want with it. You can kick me off and sail it around the world if you want, continue your adventures. Or you can invite me to stay and I’ll be your captain...”
“Hmm, I’m sure you would,” Joss said recalling how Charlie liked to take control.
“I told you everything was going to work out, and I meant it. I just want you to know you have choices.”
“Charlie, this is too much!” Joss gushed, overwhelmed by the extravagant gesture.
“No, it’s not. Joss, I have more money than I could spend in five lifetimes, maybe more. What’s the point in having it if you can’t spend it on the people you love?”
“But Charlie...” Joss stopped short, letting his words land on her.
He shook his head and grinned, obviously pleased with himself. “I’ve been intimately familiar with seven women in my life, three of them I married, and the common denominator with all of them was that they each wanted me to take care of them. They loved the money more than me. You’ve never asked me for anything, Joss. In fact, it was always you taking care of me.”
“Well if I’d known how rich you were...” she teased, chuckling softly.
“Cute,” he said, squeezing her fingers, “but you knew I was filthy rich. I was in Fiji to buy a frigging island when we met, for chrissakes.”
“Yeah yeah,” she said, shrugging her shoulders lightly.
“I’m in love with you, Joss,” he suddenly choked, his tone rich with emotion. “I know how hard the past five months were for you, being apart from everyone. It was for me too. We bonded like a family; in some cases the family that none of us had...”
Joss dropped her eyes, afraid she might cry. She missed her boys so much, every single one of them. It was hard hearing Charlie talk about them. She didn’t want to stir up all her old feelings before she figured out what her new feelings were. How would that be fair to Charlie?
“I want you to be happy, Joss. It’s all I’ve ever wanted. When we were together on that island you shone like a diamond. You were truly in your element, like you belonged there. You made it feel like home for all of us. Christ, if Ryan had not taken so ill, I think we all could have stayed forever. In fact, I’m sure of it. I’ve never known a woman so self-assured, so fucking real. Please look at me” he begged, raising her chin with two strong fingers.
“Oh Charlie,” she choked, absorbing his words, a million thoughts swirling in her head. “I have missed you so much. All of you. I tried so hard to move on, to shake my feelings... but...”
“Before you say ‘but’, I need you to look forward, out the window,” he smiled, gently turning her chair.
Joss followed his eye line, looking at the land in front of them. As they had closed in on the island the silhouette started taking on a shape she recognized. The familiar peak of a mountain, pushing up through the centre, like a fist in solidarity. It was their island! They were sailing towards the north beach!
“What is this?” Joss asked, jumping to her feet.
Charlie, continuing to steer the yacht towards the coast, smiling peacefully, pleased with her response.
“You found it?” she asked, turning back.
“It wasn’t that hard Joss, the coordinates were in all the transcripts from the rescue. I came back months ago. I wanted to check out the north beach. You, Daniel and Ryan were so excited about it.”
Joss blushed, recalling the naughty nights the three of them had spent there together. She turned her head, hoping Charlie wouldn’t read those memories on her face.
“It’s a beautiful spot. You know, the island was actually uncharted and unclaimed...” he added. She knew him well enough to recognize his tone. He was leading her somewhere.
“Was?”
“It now belongs to us. I registered it so I could build on it,” he revealed proudly.
“Are you joking? What do you mean us?” Joss gushed, slowly walking towards him.
“It’s our Island. All of us. You, me, and the boys. I claimed it for us.”
“This is crazy,” she laughed, slipping her arms around him. He allowed her to hug him, keeping his eyes on the horizon.
“I thought you might like to see it again, show you what I’ve been doing. I had a crew come in and build a small structure, nothing extravagant, more of a cabin really but we can add on to it in time.”
“What about work, Charlie?” she asked, pragmatic as ever. “Live there? Permanently?”
“Well sort of, the options are open. I made sure to install wind and solar power, and we have a fresh water well too. Your yacht will make it easy for us to come and go as we please, have some fun off the island, keep the pantry stocked, unless of course you’re happy trapping rats.”
“I think I’m good,” Joss laughed, still in shock. “And work?”
“I sold my shares to my business partners and stepped down as CEO. I’ll stay on the Board of Directors, but I can do that from anywhere in the world. I’m done working so hard. If my heart attack last year didn’t send me a clear message, then the plane crash did. Being on that island with you, and the rest of the guys, made me realize that life is too fucking short. I have more money than God, Joss. I don’t have to work another day in my life.”
“I just can’t believe it...” she stammered.
“Honestly, even if I had to give up everything to be back on this little island with you I would have,” he admitted, reaching for her hand. “You’re my family now, Joss.”
Joss nodded, her heart bursting with love. “Me too, Charlie.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful I don’t have to, I mean come on, look at this boat!” he boasted playfully.
“It’s a yacht, baby...” Joss teased, quick on the comeback. Charlie raised a brow and laughed at her, gently smacking her ass.
“Smart-ass,” he teased, pulling her into his lap, a frisky kiss stifling her giggles. At first it was playful, but quickly became more passionate, until Charlie finally pulled away.
“Honey, I’m driving. Unless you want me to run aground, I had better pay attention to what I’m doing.”
Joss jumped off his lap, and let him steer them towards the shore. When they were a hundred yards from shore he stopped the engines, dropped the anchor, and hopped out of his chair.
“Come on, let’s go,” he suggested, gesturing with a nod.
“Are we going ashore?” Joss asked, following him off the bridge and down the stairs.
“Yes, we’ll take the dinghy the rest of the way. It’s not safe to pull the yacht in any further.”
Within minutes they were pulling up to the dock Charlie had built, the sun just starting to set behind them. The dock was lined with unlit tiki torches, which continued all the way up the beautiful beach, guiding them towards the cabin. Charlie had understated things a little. It was more like a cozy cottage, a beautiful porch wrapping it on t
hree sides.
“Are you ready?” Charlie asked, escorting her up to the porch, smiling like the cat who ate the canary.
“Yes!” Joss gushed, stifling her giggles.
Just as Charlie stepped out of her way, the cottage door swung open, and Willie stepped through.
“What?” Joss cried, closing the gap between them, passing a grinning Charlie. She threw herself into his arms, tears spilling from her eyes. Laughing, Willie released his embrace and stepped aside, revealing Ryan and Daniel, also in the doorway.
“Oh my god, is this really happening?” Joss squealed, hugging them both. “How?”
“Charles arranged it all. He sent us a message a few weeks ago telling us about his plans,” Ryan explained joyfully, “we all arrived a few days ago and have been working to get this place ready for you!”
Joss was speechless. She couldn’t believe they were all together, home again. She looked towards the door, waiting, her eyes filled with hope.
“He’s not here, Joss,” Daniel offered soberly.
Joss looked at Charles who nodded, clearly just as disappointed as she was. “I tried to reach out to him. I sent him an email telling him the plan and the day you would be arriving. I never heard back from him.”
“Oh,” she choked, her smile waning.
“Well, we’re here,” she continued, making her voice as cheerful as possible. She wished with all her heart that Grant had joined their reunion, but she wouldn’t let her disappointment ruin things for the others.
“Come inside,” Ryan smiled, grabbing her suitcase. “We’ll give you a tour and open some wine.”
“Sounds good to me,” Joss giggled following him inside, the others close behind.
The place was sparsely furnished and modestly decorated, simple and comfortable, just the way you would imagine a beach house should be. Aside from a functional little kitchen and a cozy living room, there were three bedrooms, one with a king sized bed.
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