One Way Ticket

by Tricia O'Malley

  “You’ll get used to them,” Mariposa said, leaning on the bar near Paige as the couple began to chatter at each other. “They’re…a lot to take in.”

  “I guess I’m trying to decide if I actually have a job here or not. CeCe seems to have no recollection of hiring me.”

  “There’s no surprise there. Don’t worry. Jack will sort it out.”

  “Is he…I thought he was the gardener?” Paige asked.

  “Jack’s the backbone. Luis is the gardener. Be nice to him or I’ll cut you.” Mariposa turned away. Paige’s eyebrows rose. Surely, the woman had meant she’d cut her off…as in cut her off from alcohol. Swallowing, Paige turned back when CeCe tapped her leg.

  “Tell me, dear, do you know how to do acrobatics? Absolutely fascinating body work, really. I’m sure it’s just like yoga…”

  Paige drained her glass.

  Chapter Five

  Dinner was…a production. A tragic one at that.

  Paige watched, wide-eyed, as CeCe fluttered about, rearranging plates, and insisting people move until she had everything exactly the way she wanted it.

  “I like pairing people who don’t usually sit together next to each other,” CeCe explained. “It encourages different conversations.”

  Paige examined the table and pressed her lips together. As she was the only new person at the table, she could only wonder if this was a nightly event or if CeCe was putting this on for her benefit. Jack sat, stone-faced, at one corner of the table, steadfastly refusing to move even when CeCe shot him an annoyed look. He’d cleaned up since Paige had last spoken with him and wore a simple white t-shirt and khaki shorts. His feet were bare, something CeCe had commented on, and Jack had also ignored. Paige wondered what his relationship with his employers was, as it was clear he had some sort of upper hand over them. He’d yet to speak to her again, and now she was even more curious about his story.

  “This is Luis, our gardener, and Martin, our chef.”

  CeCe pulled her attention back to where two men stood at the end of the table. Martin was a towering man with brown skin and an apron tied at his waist; and the other, Luis, was handsome in a pretty way – as though he paid great attention to his skin and hair care. Paige quickly understood why Mariposa had warned her about being mean to Luis. Paige wondered what the attitude about homosexuality was on the island.

  “Nice to meet you both. I’m Paige, and I’m the new events coordinator here.” Paige stood and shook both of their hands.

  “A new coordinator? Oh, that’s fantastic. I have some ideas about introducing herbal teas or even gardening as meditation practice for the retreats. Would that be something of interest to you?” Luis asked, smiling at her with perfect white teeth.

  “Absolutely,” Paige assured him. “Once I can get an understanding of how things are run, I’m certain I can incorporate ideas like that for guests. I’d love to hear more about what you have to offer.”

  “Hmm, already better than the last coordinator,” Luis said. “She was too full of herself to even listen to any of my ideas.”

  “She was just very busy, darling. We all are, you know,” CeCe chided Luis and pointed at a chair for him to sit in.

  “More like she was busy stealing money,” Luis muttered, but Paige caught it and raised her eyebrows at him. He shook his head slightly to discourage her from asking anything further.

  “Paige, darling, come sit by Jack. It would do him well to have actual dinner conversation for once.”

  “That’s really not necessary,” Jack sighed. “I just want to eat my food and get back to work.”

  “It’s night. What’s there to work on, dearest boy?” Whit laughed and raised a glass to him. “It’s time to relax.”

  “I need to go over the accounts and figure out how we’re going to afford your new hire,” Jack said, his words like a splash of cold water on the table. Luis sniffed and looked away, while the chef turned on his heel and disappeared into the back room. Paige’s stomach turned at his words and she looked to where CeCe stood, her face sad as she shook her head at Jack.

  “Jack, you’re well aware that CeCe doesn’t like to talk work at dinner,” Whit chided.

  “Or ever, really,” Jack muttered.

  “Dinner is served!” Martin boomed as he returned, wheeling a cart in front of him.

  “Is Mariposa joining us?” Paige asked, trying to change the subject as she eased into the chair next to Jack. They sat at a long table on the other side of the reception hall, beneath two palm leaf fans that gently moved the air around them. Though the fans helped with air movement, the humidity still pressed on Paige’s skin like a wet blanket. She’d applied a natural bug repellent as the sun had gone down and the mosquitos had appeared out of nowhere. The others had promised that she would get used to them, but Paige wasn’t so sure.

  “She had to go pick up her daughter. It will be self-service at the bar tonight if you want more to drink,” Jack said.

  “What happens when guests are here? Is it self-service then? Like an honor system?”

  “She’ll stay late when guests are here. We’ve had a few guests stretch the honor system when we tried that.”

  “Ah, that’s unfortunate,” Paige said, and smiled up at Martin as he placed a dish in front of her. “This looks lovely, thank you.”

  “A simple meal, but with big taste,” Martin promised her.

  “Those are the best kind,” Paige agreed and he beamed at her before moving on. Paige’s eyebrow rose when he plated and then sat at the end of the table, but she supposed this was kind of like a family dinner of sorts. Her food did look delicious – tuna, mixed vegetables, and seasoned rice. Her stomach grumbled, as she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. The wine had made her feel loose, and she was starting to enjoy the ridiculousness that was CeCe and Whit.

  “Darlings! Let’s all welcome Paige to the Tranquila Inn family,” CeCe raised her glass at the head of the table and everyone else, except for Jack, did the same. “May Poco Poco Island work its magic on you as it has on all of us. Cheers to sunny days and languid nights.”

  They all dug into their food, though Paige had to wonder if CeCe had actually meant liquid nights. Looking across the table, she saw that CeCe and Whit were leaned close to each other, hotly debating something about a submarine that had sunk off the coast of England years ago, and Luis and Martin chattered to each other in rapid Spanish. Which left her surly dinner companion, Jack.

  “So, how long have you been on the island?”

  “I came here to help renovate and clean up Tranquila Inn after the last big storm.” Jack stabbed a piece of tuna with his fork.

  Shocked, Paige gaped at him.

  “Do you get big storms here? Hurricanes?”

  “We are in the hurricane belt. What did you think that meant?” Jack looked at her like she’d just told him the sky was red.

  “I didn’t realize Poco Poco Island was in the hurricane belt. I’m from California. Earthquakes are our jam.”

  “Could you imagine?” Luis gasped and put his hand to his chest. “Buildings shaking and everything falling from the shelves? It must be horrifying.”

  “But you’re okay with hurricanes?” Paige laughed. “Aren’t they quite devastating?”

  “Depends on the category.” Luis shrugged. “We haven’t had a really big one in ages, so I’m sure we’re due for one. You just have to be smart and prepare for it. You can’t live your life worrying about a potential storm.”

  A hurricane seemed like the least of her worries at the moment, Paige thought, and bent her head to her food.

  Chapter Six

  Too keyed up to sleep, Paige found her way to the beach later that night. She’d successfully navigated her way out of after-dinner drinks, and instead had retreated to her cabin to…just lie on the bed and stare at the ceiling. When it was clear that sleep wasn’t coming anytime soon, the call of the waves outside had been too much for her to resist. Wrapping a sarong loosely around her body, Paige had
padded silently to the beach with only the moon to light her way. Now she sat, huddled on a lounge chair, and contemplated where she’d landed.

  This wasn’t the first time an impulsive decision had gotten her into sticky situations, but this was certainly the most potentially damaging one. Her bank balance was at an all-time low, and with no safety net, she needed this job to work out for her. At least until she could figure out her next steps. Now, Paige had no idea what – or if – she’d be getting paid, let alone how she could afford to get herself off this island if she needed to.

  It looked like she had booked a one-way ticket into learning to accept her life choices.

  “I could hear your big sighs all the way across the beach.”

  Paige jumped at the voice that reached her through the darkness.

  “Pity-party of one, please.” Paige glared in the direction of the voice, and waited until Jack strolled into view.

  “Ah, too bad, I do enjoy a good sulk,” Jack said, dropping to the lounger next to her. “I prefer mine with a glass of good whiskey and a cigar, but I suppose a moody ocean under the moonlight will do the trick.”

  Amused despite herself, Paige shot him a look.

  “I’m not sulking.”

  “That pouty lower lip says differently, but I’ll play along. If you’re not sulking, then what are you doing?” Jack leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms over his head. His shirt looked bright white in the moonlight, as did the smile he flashed at her.

  “I’m contemplating,” Paige clarified.

  “Ah, a dangerous pastime, if I do say so myself.”

  “Not one for deep moments of reflection, are you?” Paige slanted a look at him before turning back to where the light of the moon trailed a gentle path across the water.

  “While I do my best to avoid them, even I have my moments, I suppose.”

  “Well, welcome to mine.”

  “And what are we reflecting on this evening?”

  “Safety,” Paige surprised herself by saying.

  “It’s pretty safe here. Though I wouldn’t advise you wander onto a beach near town late at night alone.”

  “Oh, I mean more like in, you know, life choices. Financial decisions. Jumping without looking first. That kind of thinking. I’m feeling like I forgot to put on my parachute.”

  “Ah,” Jack said.

  Paige waited a moment and then huffed out a little breath when no more was forthcoming.

  “A man of few words, are you?”

  “Well, you didn’t ask me for advice, and you didn’t elaborate on your problems, so there wasn’t much for me to offer now, was there?”

  The man had a point, Paige realized, and stretched her legs out in front of her. The tension that knotted her stomach began to ease as the rhythm of the ocean soothed her.

  “That’s actually a nice trait you have there, Jack.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Not rushing to tell me what to do or man-splain something to me.”

  “I fix enough problems around here. It can get tiring. Plus, I’ve just met you. I can’t presume to have any answers for you that you haven’t already considered.”

  “Well, you might, actually.” Paige turned to look at him again. Inexplicably, she wanted to reach out a hand to touch him…or run a finger over the smooth muscles that rippled in his arms. Bad girl, Paige warned herself. No sleeping with the boss. If he was even her boss. It was yet to be determined.

  “What can I do for you?”

  “Well, that finances thing I mentioned? I find myself in a precarious position of desperately needing them.”

  “Like how desperate? You running from a gambling problem or something?” The moon glinted off Jack’s eyes as he turned to her.

  “No! Oh my god. No. Nothing like that. Just…well, I made shit for money working at Yoga Soulone. Horatio did almost everything on a trade and I just fell into the lifestyle. It didn’t give me much room to save. I don’t spend a lot. But I also don’t have a lot. Do you really think CeCe won’t be able to pay me?”

  “You’ll get paid. I’ll take care of it.” The words were like a cooling balm to the anxiety that clawed through her every time she thought about money.

  “I would greatly appreciate that. Um…”

  “Yes?”

  “How much? To be precise?” Paige’s voice went up a notch as she asked.

  “I’ll have to doublecheck the contracts tomorrow.” Then Jack quoted her a price that made her close her eyes and whisper a silent “thank-you” to the universe.

  “That would be most welcome. Thank you.”

  “Now that we’ve sorted that out, are you done contemplating for the night?”

  “I don’t know.” Paige laughed again, relaxing back against the chair. “I do think I have a lot to process.”

  “What’s there to process? You move to a new country. Start a new job. Meet new people. Have fun. Rinse and repeat.”

  “Is it so easy for you then?” Paige tilted her head to study him. What an interesting life he must lead, she thought, where he didn’t blink twice at moving to another country.

  “Yes, it can be. But let me tell you something about island life…don’t get too attached to people.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Well, I should amend that. Don’t get too attached to people like you.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Paige glared at Jack and was rewarded with that flash of grin again that sent a low tug of heat through her stomach.

  “You’re transient is all.”

  “Did you just call me a transient?” Paige pulled her head back like he’d just called her a grave robber. “That makes me sound like I’m homeless or something.”

  “I mean, you kind of are, right? Without this job…where would you stay? Do you have a house in the States?”

  “Nope, the Ex got custody of that.” Paige picked at the fringes on her sarong.

  “See?” Jack laughed before she could respond. “But what I meant is that people breeze through to work on an island and they leave. Particularly in the hospitality industry. You get used to people taking a cool summer job or interning, but they don’t stay. It’s a transient kind of lifestyle. It makes it difficult for people who are here long-term to get attached, is all.”

  “Ah, gotcha. Be careful not to fall for me, then,” Paige quipped and then pressed her lips together. Eeeek! Why did she just say that? When she was rewarded with another laugh, Paige let out the breath she’d been holding.

  “I’ll try my hardest. But I’ll warn you – I’m hard to resist.”

  “Oh, is that a challenge?” Paige turned and lifted an eyebrow at him. He was grinning at her in the darkness.

  “Not much of a challenge, is it, sweets? I saw how you looked at me when you arrived.”

  “Oh…you’re an ass!” Paige couldn’t help but laugh at him though, as his grin widened on his face. “And that look was my disgust at your smell.”

  “Ah, you’ll get used to it. We all sweat here.” Jack shrugged it off.

  “Or was it at your rudeness?” Paige tapped a finger to her lips as she thought about it.

  “Treat ‘em mean…keep ‘em keen.”

  This time Jack full on belly-laughed when she whirled on him.

  “Oh, you’re going to be fun to poke. Don’t stay out here too long or you’ll fall asleep and get eaten alive by the sand flies in the morning.” Jack stood up.

  “Well, that sounds just lovely.” Paige looked up at where Jack had stopped at the end of the chair. “You don’t have to worry about me, I can take care of myself.”

  “Says the woman out here contemplating how she ended up in an uncertain job position with no way off the island.” Jack gentled his words with a soft smile. “For what it’s worth – I think it’s pretty great of you to have taken the leap. Fortune favors the brave and all…” With that, Jack sauntered into the darkness leaving a warm glow coursing through her. Moments before, she’d been certain
she’d just made the worst decision of her life.

  Now, Paige realized that Jack was right. She was brave. And there was nothing standing in the way of her making this island-life a reality.

  Chapter Seven

  Surprisingly, Paige slept soundly for the first time in days. Perhaps it was the lack of sleep catching up with her or the several glasses of wine she’d had, but once she’d returned to her little cabin, it had taken all of Paige’s willpower to force herself to have a quick shower before crawling naked into bed. Now, as the first light of morning slipped through her windows, Paige stretched and stared up at the ceiling where a fan wafted cool puffs of air over her skin. Sometime during the night, she had kicked off her sheet, and now she lay naked across the double bed. Paige took a moment, as she did every morning, to take a few deep breaths and to center herself. While Horatio may have been on the extreme end of the mindfulness culture, she still felt there were actual benefits to a daily practice of yoga and meditation.

  Once she’d centered herself, Paige allowed her mind to drift over her impressions from the night before. There was no doubt that CeCe and Whit would be a handful. She’d have to carefully monitor their behavior around the guests. But with a few more weeks to get settled before the next retreat would arrive, Paige was sure she could learn the best way to manage her new employers.

  Somewhere, a wind chime tingled charmingly in the ocean breeze, and Paige finally worked up the energy to pull herself from bed. Standing, she did a series of full body stretches at the end of the bed and then gasped when she looked out the window. Jack stood, a shit-eating grin on his face, holding a coconut in one hand and a machete in the other. Paige squealed and dived out of the way of the window.

  He’d warned her about pulling the shades, hadn’t he? Paige slapped a hand to her face and duck-walked across the cabin to dig in her bag until she found her bikini. Pulling it on while she muttered a long string of decidedly not-mindful curses, Paige finally stood and wrapped a sarong around her waist. Flinging the door to her cottage open, Paige glowered at Jack.