Finders Keepers

by Kris Lillyman

  Immediately he knew he had to see her again and was staggered by the strength of his reaction to her - as if something had, at last, awakened inside him that resembled emotion. Momentarily he felt silly, after all he had just set eyes on the woman, how on earth could he have that strong a reaction. But for the rest of that morning and all through the afternoon he could not stop thinking about her and hoping that he might see her again.

  That evening, at dinner, Jake’s hopes were rewarded as she sashayed past his table, being led by the maître d’ on the way to be seated.

  She had her hair tied back once more and was wearing a floral mini dress with a hipster belt and gladiator sandals. The outfit making the most of her long tanned legs and slim waist. Again their eyes met and Jake risked a half smile. She smiled politely back, but was gone almost immediately as a waiter led her to a table several rows away from Jake’s.

  She was seated at a small table for two on the terrace but she dined alone. Jake was relieved to see the seat opposite remained empty for the duration of dinner. He tried not to stare but could not help himself. When she ordered, she smiled delightfully at the waiter who was clearly not immune to her beauty and fawned sickeningly over her for the entire meal. But she seemed relaxed and carefree and once or twice Jake heard her laugh and he found the sound intoxicating.

  But then the guilt returned. Even the possibility of being happy was something he knew he did not deserve - but even knowing that he couldn’t stop himself from glancing over at the girl again. She was looking out over the balcony, out to see, a glass of white wine in her hand. Utterly breathtaking.

  My God, Jake thought, what’s happening to me. And he stood up in a rush, suddenly eager to be out of the restaurant, to clear his head and gather his thoughts. But in his rush he knocked over his empty wine glass and the sound as it smashed on the flagstone floor made heads turn. The girl’s included.

  “I’m sorry,” Jake said to the waiter, as he hurried away, thrusting twenty dollars into the man’s hand for his trouble.

  The restaurant quickly returned to normal as the diners got on with their meals. All that is apart from one. Lizzie’s eyes remained on the door which Jake had just left through, her expression mildly perturbed. The purpose of her visit to Nassau had just walked out.

  * * *

  An hour after dinner, Jake was at the open air bar with a long, cool beer in his hand and feeling fairly stupid. There was a slight breeze and he could hear the waves lapping at the shore over the sound of the calypso band that was playing somewhere off in the distance. It really was an idyllic spot and in another life it would have been paradise.

  “Hi, anyone sitting here?” An American voice asked.

  Jake turned to see the girl and smiled. Surprised at just how pleased he was to see her. “No. Please, sit down. May I get you a drink?”

  “Um, yeah, sure. Why not. A mojito, if that’s okay - thanks.”

  “No problem.” Jake signalled to the barman and gave him the order, then turned back to the girl. “Hi, I’m Jake, by the way. Jake Sloane.”

  “Hi, Jake Sloane. I’m Lizzie Barnes, nice to meet you.” She held her hand out and he shook it. It was soft, very feminine.

  “Nice to meet you, too, Lizzie. Just in today?”

  “Last night. Late.” The barman placed the mojito in front of her and she took a drink. “Ah, that hits the spot. What about you - you been here long?”

  “Yeah. A while. I’m kind of living here for the time being.”

  “Living here, huh? That’s cool. Must be some kind of job you got that lets you live at the Crystal Waters Resort.”

  “No, not really,” Jake said, “Just where I happened to end up.”

  “Hmm, sounds interesting, tell me more,” Lizzie said, tucking a rogue strand of hair behind her ear and taking another sip of her mojito.

  “It’s just convenient for the moment, that’s all.” Jake said, a little uncomfortable with the line of questioning. “What about you - you’re from the States?”

  “Wow, smooth subject change.” Lizzie smiled. “Keeping your cards close, I get it. But that’s cool too. Yeah, I’m from the States. The original California girl. You’re British, right?”

  “Yeah, born and bred.”

  “A Limey, huh?” She teased.

  Jake looked into her big brown eyes, she was absolutely stunning, high cheek bones, full lips and perfect white teeth that dazzled when she smiled. The only blemish he could see was the slightest little scar on her left temple but somehow that just seemed to add to her appeal.

  “You got me.” He replied, “And you’re a Yank.”

  “Guess I am at that.” She raised her glass in salute, her eyes looking playfully into his, “Thanks for the drink, Limey,” she said, and took another sip.

  “My pleasure, Yank.” Jake returned her salute and took a gulp of beer.

  They both laughed.

  “So, what is it you do in California, Miss Yank?”

  “Uh-uh. You’re the one who wanted to be mysterious - two can play at that. Let’s just say I’m a business woman.”

  “Okay, Business Woman,” Jake chuckled, “Do I get to know whereabouts in California you’re from or is that off limits too?”

  “No, I guess that’s okay. I’m from LA. Malibu.”

  “Very nice. So what brings a Californian beach babe all the way to New Providence, surely not the sun?”

  “Beach babe, huh?”

  Jake smiled and nodded.

  “Change of scenery. That’s all. I needed a vacation and the Caribbean is so beautiful, so I thought, you know, why not?”

  “Why not indeed. It’s definitely beautiful, alright.” Although Jake wasn’t talking just about the Caribbean.

  “So, Mister Lime, whereabouts in the UK you from?”

  “You know England well?”

  “I know it’s cold.”

  “You got that right. Well I’m from a small town to the south of London.”

  “Small town boy, huh?”

  “That’s me.”

  “And now an international man of mystery.” Once more she was teasing him. The rogue strand had come loose and was again hanging freely, adding to her already considerable allure.

  “Not exactly. Just wound up here sort of by accident.”

  “Nice accident.”

  “Yeah. So, are you here for long?”

  “Again with the change of topic. You’re really working that mystery man angle.”

  “Is it working?” Jake smiled.

  “Maybe.” Lizzie said. “I’ll let you know.”

  “Okay. That’s good. So, like I said, are you here for long?”

  “A few days, perhaps. Maybe longer, it all depends.”

  “Depends on what?”

  “On whether or not I decide to stay.”

  “Sounds like you’ve got an understanding boss.”

  “Who says I’ve of got a boss?”

  “Ah, so you’re the boss,” Jake said, “Beauty as well as brains, I like it.”

  “Glad you approve,” Lizzie grinned, taking another sip of her drink. “And what about you? How long are you going to stay?” She asked.

  “It’s like you said, it all depends.”

  “On your boss?”

  “On circumstances.”

  “Sounds intriguing.”

  “Not really. Not worth boring you with.”

  “Who said I was bored?”

  “No one. But it’s a conversation for another time, maybe.”

  “Now I really am intrigued.”

  “Don’t be. I’m nowhere near as mysterious as you seem to think.”

  “No? Well I think I’ll be the judge of that, Mister Lime.” Lizzie smiled and finished her drink. “But I think, for now, my investigations are over for the evening. I�
��m whacked and about ready to hit the hay.”

  “Ah, so you were bored after all,” Jake grinned.

  “Not at all. Quite the opposite actually. I’m tired, that’s all.”

  “Of course, I understand.”

  “Hey, but thanks for the drink.”

  “My pleasure.”

  Lizzie, stood up. “See you around, Limey.”

  “Sure. Goodnight, Lizzie. Nice to meet you.”

  Jake watched her as she walked away, then on impulse, he called after her. “Hey, Yank!”

  She turned, smiling.

  “How about dinner tomorrow night?” He asked.

  She shrugged and said, “Sure, that’d be nice. Thanks.”

  Jake grinned. “Great, shall we meet here - say eight o’clock?”

  “Sounds good, Mister Lime. Until tomorrow then.” And with that she was gone.

  * * *

  Jake had felt strangely anxious all the following day. Excited too, which was a feeling he had not had in a long time. That night he wore a lightweight pale grey suit over a white cotton shirt, open at the neck and a pair of soft brown loafers and looked every inch like an affluent, eligible bachelor; handsome, stylish and sophisticated - a million miles from the scruffy, overweight image he used to present. Now he would not look out of place on the catwalks of Milan. However, on the inside he felt ugly, damaged and unworthy. But he fought against those feelings as he glanced at his Omega watch at a little after eight.

  Lizzie arrived ten minutes late but he forgave her instantly. Tonight she was wearing her hair loose and it was thick, dark and lustrous as it fell down her back. She was a vision in a sky blue Dior dress that was just a few inches short of her knees. Around her neck she wore a simple string of pearls and on her feet white strappy sandals with a dangerously high heel. The outfit was finished with a tiny white clutch bag. The contrast of the sky blue against her tanned skin looked exquisite and Jake drank her in.

  “Hi, there, Yank.” He said. “Wow, you look beautiful.”

  “Why thank you kind sir, you don’t look at all bad yourself,” she grinned.

  “You mean this old thing,” he joked, making light of his clearly expensive suit, “Just something I found in the wardrobe.”

  She laughed and it was delightful. “Good find. You oughta think about going into salvage. Could work out pretty well for you.”

  “Now there’s an idea,” he said with a smile. “Can I get you a drink?”

  “Yes, please. A Jack Daniels would be lovely.”

  “Ice?”

  “Great.”

  Jake signalled the barman and ordered two Jack Daniels on the rocks. When they arrived, he gave her one of them and said, “Cheers.”

  “Cheers,” she said and they both took a sip, their eyes locked on each other.

  Jake surprised Lizzie. She really hadn’t known what to expect, except for a guy in his mid thirties. She had thought he would be arrogant maybe or look a bit more ‘criminal’, whatever that meant. She knew he was a thief though, someone who had stolen millions of pounds worth of diamonds, so she thought he might be someone who was obviously dishonest or unlikeable. But she did like him, much against her better judgement. He wasn’t like any of the stereotypes she had conjured up in her brain. He seemed genuinely nice. Quiet, reserved and intelligent. She also found him extremely attractive which had surprised her more than anything else and worried her slightly as even at this early stage she knew deep down that he was someone she could easily fall for. She would have to be careful that things didn’t get out of hand. After all, this was a mission with a firm and unquestionable objective and Jake Sawyer, or Jake Sloane as he was now calling himself, was just a small cog in a much bigger machine and she had to remember that.

  “So, Jake Sloane.” She said, unable to tear herself away from his eyes, “Snappy dresser and international man of mystery, what is it that you really do?”

  Jake smiled, but couldn’t hold her gaze any longer. He had anticipated the question and had an answer prepared. “Okay, you got me. I’m a spy. You’ve heard of James Bond, right? Well I’m his more sophisticated younger brother.”

  “Sorry,” Lizzie chuckled, “I’m not buying it.”

  “It was the bit about being the younger brother wasn’t it? Catches me out every time. M’s going to kill me.”

  She laughed again. “So what do you do really?”

  “Something a lot more boring and much less interesting, I’m afraid. I’m an artist. I’m out here working on pieces for a new show. Oil on canvas mainly - seascapes and tropical scenes, nothing very exciting but it pays the bills.” Jake hadn’t strayed too far from the truth. He did paint regularly and his bungalow was full of recently painted canvases. They were his escape, the way he unwound. They were pretty good too, probably with some fairly good value but Jake couldn’t even contemplate anything like selling them or even exhibiting them for the moment.

  “Wow! It must pay pretty good if it lets you stay here,” said Lizzie.

  “Sometimes. I’m no Van Gogh, but I do okay.”

  “No, that’s great. And it is very interesting. I’d love to see some of your work, sometime,” she said and then she gasped. “God! That sounds really forward, doesn’t it? What I meant was, I would like to see some of your work at some point in the future. I’m sure it must be very good.” She was blushing.

  Jake chuckled. “Sure, no problem, I’d like that.”

  They were both smiling now, a little embarrassed. Lizzie felt like a child on a first date and Jake couldn’t get over just how much this girl was getting to him.

  They each took a drink and for a moment it was quiet before Jake said, “So what is it that you do? Are you a model?” Then he checked himself, “Sorry, that sounded like a line, I didn’t mean it to. It’s just that you look like a model, that’s all.” Now he was the one who was blushing.

  “I bet you’ve used that one before, right?” she teased.

  “No. Honestly,” he smiled. “That was the first time - and I think the last!”

  She giggled. “Yeah, sure! But yeah, you were close. I did some modelling for a while among other things, now I’m a fashion writer. Freelance. Which I love. I work from my home in Malibu but my stuff goes out in New York, London, all over, so it’s great.

  “Sounds nice.”

  “Yeah, it is, kinda.” Lizzie drained the last of her drink. “I’m a lucky girl.” She smiled at him, he really was cute and she would definitely have to focus on the task in hand.

  “Hey, I’m starving. Are you hungry yet?” Jake asked.

  “Famished,” she replied. And suddenly she really was.

  “Great!” he said. “Let’s go eat.”

  * * *

  At dinner, Jake learned that Lizzie was twenty-eight and divorced. Her parents were both dead and apart from a brother, she was pretty much alone.

  She, in turn, learned very little about him as he managed to divert the conversation every time it looked like coming around to him. But she didn’t appear to mind.

  However, she did get around to asking if he was married. “Not anymore,” was all Jake said in reply.

  They had fun and got on exceptionally well with the chemistry between them fizzing nicely. Somehow, much later on, they got onto the topic of exercise and it turned out their fitness regimes were almost identical - a good, long run followed by a refreshing swim to cool off. “Well, I’ll be out on the sand tomorrow morning if you’re up for it?” Jake said.

  Lizzie smiled and looked once again into his gentle, almost vulnerable eyes. She had been doing it all night and had taken to physically trying to stop herself but somehow they drew her like an irresistible force and she couldn’t help herself.

  “Is that a challenge?” She said.

  “Maybe. I go at it quite hard - I don’t know if you’ll be up to it.
” He was teasing her now, suspecting quite rightly that her fitness levels were easily as high as his. “I don’t want to have to leave you behind.” He couldn’t resist a smile, giving himself away.

  “Well, I think that was the sound of a very heavy gauntlet being thrown down. I accept your challenge, Mister Lime, - but what do I get if it’s me who leaves you behind?”

  Jake grinned widely. “How about breakfast? Made with my own fair hands, of course.”

  “Fine. You’re on. I hope you got some Lucky Charms cos they’re my favourite.”

  “I’m not sure if I can manage those but I can do a great English fry-up - how’s that sound?

  “Sounds good,” she said, “It’s been a long time since I had one of those.”

  “Yeah? Said Jake. “Well you’ve gotta win first.”

  “Hmm,” Lizzie smirked. “Don’t you worry there, Limey - you’ll be cooking alright!”

  They both laughed, equally happy with the arrangement and the thought of seeing each other again so soon.

  Shortly afterwards, Jake signed for the meal and the two of them left the restaurant. Outside, Jake asked if she would like a nightcap but Lizzie declined. “No thanks. It’s the big race in the morning and I gotta prep.”

  “Haha!” Jake laughed, “How could I forget. Can I walk you back then?”

  “No, thanks. I’ll be fine - I’m just a short walk away.”

  “You sure?” Jake felt uneasy about leaving her alone but they were still within the very secure confines of the resort and there were lots of guests and staff members still milling about.

  “Yeah, perfectly. But thanks for a great evening, I’ve really enjoyed myself - you’re good company, Jake Sloane.”

  “Thanks. You too.”

  “Until the morning then?”

  “Until then. How about we meet here at say seven-thirty - is that too early?”