by Joanna Neil
‘Is everything all right?’ she asked, checking the soil around the base of a fern. He looked ready for the day, dressed in casual clothes, dark trousers and a crisp linen shirt that was open at the neck. He glowed with health, and his keys dangled from his fingers as though he was ready to be on the move again. He was full of vibrant energy, and she resisted an urge to put her arms around him and slow him down. ‘Ross told me your father wasn’t well…he said he thought it might be a stomach ulcer.’
He nodded. ‘I think he’ll be okay. At least he seems to be feeling much better now. I gave him some tablets and told him I would speak to his doctor to arrange for tests to be done. There could be a bacterial cause, but he’s suffered from ulcers before, and I don’t think the atmosphere at home helps. I expect Ross told you about that?’
‘A little.’ She put away the watering can and turned to face him properly. ‘It sounds as though your father and stepmother have a fairly volatile relationship.’
He shrugged. ‘Well, you know what they say…he made his bed, now he has to lie in it.’
She frowned. ‘You don’t seem particularly sympathetic.’ Maybe that wasn’t altogether unexpected, given the circumstances. ‘Ross mentioned that you went through quite a bit of upheaval when your parents split up.’
‘Yes, we did, but these things happen. You learn to be philosophical about it in the end. Anyway, I expect they’re happy enough. Some people enjoy living life on the edge.’
‘Hmm. That wouldn’t do for me.’ She wondered how much of what he said was bravado. After all, that fourteen-year-old boy, shielding his brother from upset, was very much still part of the man.
‘Or me.’ He looked around and saw her bag on the table. ‘So, are you about ready to leave?’
‘I am.’ She smiled at him. ‘I’m looking forward to this trip. Though I do have a few misgivings. I hope we don’t…’ She frowned as a sudden thought struck her. ‘I mean…we’re not likely to come across any nasty creatures, are we? Like crocodiles, maybe? I’m not sure quite how I’d cope with them.’
He laughed. ‘No, nothing like that. You’ll be quite safe. It’s really very tame out there. You might see a few crabs scuttling about in the water, but that’s about as dangerous as it gets.’ He studied her thoughtfully. ‘How are you on the water? Do you think you’ll get on all right in a kayak?’
She pondered on that for a moment or two. ‘Um…actually, I don’t know…I imagine I’ll be okay. I’ve been in a rowboat before, and I can swim, if that’s what you’re asking.’
He smiled. ‘I don’t think swimming will be necessary. If by some remote chance you manage to overturn the boat, you’ll be able to stand up in the water. It’s not very deep.’
‘Hmm. That’s all right, then.’ Her shoulders relaxed as relief washed over her. ‘But I was hoping I wouldn’t be on my own. These are two-man boats we’ll be using, aren’t they?’ She walked with him to the door.
‘That’s right. But you’ll be with me, so you shouldn’t have any problems.’
Her eyes widened. ‘You mean…you’re coming along on the trip?’ Her pulse leapt in response to the unexpected news. ‘I didn’t realise—I thought you were simply taking me to the meeting point.’
‘Oh, no. I’m definitely along for the ride.’ His gaze meshed with hers. ‘I wouldn’t miss out on the opportunity to spend the day with you, would I?’
Warm colour flushed her cheeks. He wanted to be with her?
‘And besides,’ he went on, ‘as one of the partners in the company I’ve always thought it a good idea to see how things are going with the filming. I need to take an interest and have some say in what goes on.’
Her jaw dropped. ‘You’re a partner? I didn’t know. Ross never said…’
‘Did he not? Ah, well…’ He opened the passenger door of his car and waited for her to be comfortably seated. ‘I helped to set up the company with Ross some years back, but I’m more of a silent partner, so to speak. I’m so busy at the hospital that I don’t have time for anything more.’
‘I wondered how it was that you came to see the filming whenever you had the chance.’ She looked at him as though she was seeing him for the first time. ‘What was it that made you get into film production? It’s a long way from medicine.’
‘True.’ He gave it some thought as he started up the car. ‘We’ve always been interested in films—as boys we went to see all the latest blockbusters, and Ross had a knack for seeing how scenes were set up or how things could have been done better. For myself, I thought there was a brilliant opportunity for basing production on these islands. There’s a whole lot of glamour and excitement here, all the things that filmgoers want to enjoy.’
‘It’s not everyone who has the money to contemplate starting such an enterprise. Were you just fortunate that way?’
‘I guess so.’ He drove along the coast road for a while, so that the vista of the deep blue ocean washing up onto an unbroken stretch of white sand stayed with them along the way. ‘My grandfather made a good deal of money from exporting fruit, and he set up a trust fund for us. My father runs a financial consultancy business, and I learned from him how to invest any money I managed to save.’ His mouth curved. ‘I did pretty well out of it, all things considered.’
‘So it seems.’ Her eyes were wide with admiration. He’d done more than well. ‘I suppose Ross must have done much the same.’
‘Yes, he did.’ Connor sent her a brief, sideways look. ‘Where is he, anyway? I thought he would have been around to see you off.’
‘He was. He came down to the apartment for a while, but then he took himself off back upstairs. I think he’s feeling a little out of sorts.’
‘Poor Ross.’ His mouth made a crooked line. ‘He hates it when I get to spend time with you.’
‘No…no, it isn’t that.’ She shook her head to emphasise the point. ‘He just hates to be away from the filming.’
‘Sure he does. He’ll get over it soon enough.’ Connor was still smiling as he turned the car onto the main highway.
Alyssa sank back in her seat, deep in thought, contemplating the day ahead. Was it true, what he’d said earlier? Was that really why Connor had decided to come along today, because he wanted to be with her? After the way she’d opened up to him the other evening about her failures as a doctor, she hadn’t expected him to be at all interested in her. After all, how could he have any respect for her when she didn’t respect herself? But now…despite her misgivings about getting involved with him, she couldn’t deny that the idea of spending time with him made her insides tingle.
Still, doubt crept in once more. Ever since her ex-boyfriend had let her down and proved untrustworthy, she’d had a problem taking things at face value. Was it actually the company business Connor was most concerned with today? And his reaction to Ross’s grumpiness had been a little strange, too. Was he simply taking the opportunity to keep them apart whenever possible? It was all very puzzling.
‘Here we are. This is the meeting point,’ Connor murmured a few minutes later, and she quickly brought her attention back to the present. They had arrived at a coastal stretch of the island, where a brackish creek flowed into the sea, and people were already beginning to gather by the water’s edge. Sliding out of the car, Alyssa went with Connor to join them.
All around everything was green, rich with lush vegetation, and an overhang of densely populated, leafy trees countered the heat of the sun.
They exchanged greetings with everyone who was taking part in the filming, relaxing for a while ahead of the day’s events. Then the director stepped forward and spoke to them all for a few minutes, cast and extras, about the course the filming was to take. Dan was a well-built man, florid and exuberant, with brown hair that had been bleached by the sun.
‘Okay folks, listen up,’ he said. ‘You’ll be going through the mangrove swamps at a leisurely pace. Try to forget that the camera is on you. You need to be as natural as possible. Take in the scenery all a
round you as if you’re on a pleasure trip. Our leading man will be trying to blend in like one of the tourists, and his major activity won’t start until we reach the cave system, so you’ve no need to be anticipating anything untoward. Is that all clear?’
He looked around, and everyone nodded. ‘Good. We’ll be heading for the landing point—just follow the lead kayak and ignore the cameras. From there you’ll take the boardwalk to the cavern system and the beach, and that’s where your part ends. You’ll have lunch there.
It’s all laid on.’
A small cheer went up. ‘I hope you’ve provided something for us to drink,’ one bright spark piped up. ‘Something of the alcoholic variety would be good.’ There were a few more cheers in support.
‘Yes, yes, it’s all arranged. Along with a bus to take you home again.’ Dan clapped his hands together. ‘Okay, shall we get on? Time’s wasting, and the light’s perfect right now. I don’t want to lose it.’
Alyssa gazed around her. The mangrove swamp was a truly magnificent sight. Huge trees seemed to walk on the water, their gnarled, tangled roots above the surface and below. Everything was verdant, bustling with life, and through the canopy the sun glinted down on the salt creek.
Connor helped her into their kayak. They were seated one behind the other, with Alyssa at the back, and slowly they edged out into the water, dipping their paddles in unison.
As they moved deeper into the swamp, she was overwhelmed by the serenity of the place. ‘It’s beautiful here, so peaceful,’ she murmured. ‘I wasn’t expecting that, but it’s perfect.’ Birds called to one another, darting from tree to tree or gliding leisurely on the wind currents. And when she looked into the forest on either side she saw glimpses of broad-leaved ferns and, here and there, flowers, delicate, beautiful blooms in bright colours. ‘They’re orchids, aren’t they?’ she said quietly, her voice full of awe.
‘Yes, that’s right.’ Connor stowed his paddle for a while, allowing them to drift and take in their surroundings, and Alyssa followed his example. ‘They grow wild out here,’ he said, ‘in small pockets in the trunks of the trees or in crevices in the rocks.’
‘Somehow I didn’t imagine there would be flowers. It’s all so lovely, it’s breathtaking.’
Connor smiled. ‘I thought you’d like it here. It’s something we have in common, don’t we…a love of nature? Ross and I often came here when we were teenagers, kayaking through the lagoons. I really appreciated it when we moved from Florida and came to live here. I loved everything about the islands. There’s so much variety.’
They paddled idly through the water, passing by billowing seagrass and oyster beds, where molluscs had fastened themselves to the underwater tree roots.
They chuckled as a sandpiper teetered along the bank, in his distinctive wobbling gait, his tail bobbing up and down while he searched for titbits with his orange, pointed bill. And a few minutes later they were startled by the sudden loud call of a green heron that came to settle on the opposite bank.
‘That’s a bonus for us,’ Connor said softly. ‘You don’t usually see them in the daytime, unless they’re hungry or feeding their young.’
Once again they stopped paddling and remained still for a while, following the bird’s movements as it picked out insects one by one and then dropped them in the water to attract any passing fish. Then, as soon as he spied his prey, he swooped, triumphant.
Soon, perhaps too soon, Alyssa thought, they reached the landing point, and tied up the kayak, stepping out onto the wooden boardwalk. On either side of them the mangrove forest became a thick, green wall of leaves and branches.
Connor put his arm around her. ‘I’m glad you agreed to come along today,’ he said quietly. ‘I wasn’t sure, after the night of the storm, whether you’d still be up for it. Those winds can be scary and they leave a wide trail of damage behind them, one way and another.’
‘With people, as well as property, you mean?’ She tried not to think about that arm that circled her shoulders and protected her from any stray, encroaching branch as they walked along. ‘I was just so glad you came to find us that night. I don’t know what I’d have done without you.’
‘You’d have found a way to get him to hospital, even if it meant waiting for the next driver to come along. I was fortunate in that I found you first.’
‘Yes.’ She smiled up at him. ‘Thank you for what you did, anyway. I was so impressed by the way you saved that little girl.’
‘Ah…that was a joint operation, I think. And by all accounts, she’s doing well now.’
‘I’m glad about that.’ She frowned. ‘But what will happen about all the damage to their village? They looked like poor people, so even though things have been cleared up, it might be difficult for them to get the repairs started. I heard of other villages, too, where there were a few slight injuries and property was wrecked.’
‘Yes, that’s true. A number of settlements were hit, and people need help, but we’ve organised workers to go on with the clearing-up process.’ He hugged her briefly. ‘I thought it was great how you pitched in to help. Anyway, at the end of filming we’ll give a gala dinner and invite people to donate to the fund we’re setting up to help with rebuilding.’
She looked at him with renewed respect. ‘By “we” you mean you and Ross?’
He nodded. ‘We couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.’
‘No. I think it’s great, what you’re proposing.’
They walked along the pathway to a sheltered area of the rock-strewn beach, where the cast and crew were assembling for a picnic lunch. To Alyssa’s surprise, someone had set up a gas-fired barbecue beneath the palm trees and a chef dressed in traditional white jacket and dark trousers was there, already busy preparing food. The cameraman turned his attention to the inlets and caves some distance away where the film action was taking place.
Connor found a patch of smooth, white sand a little apart from the crowd, shaded by the branches of a tropical sea grape tree. He sat down, reaching for her hand and pulled her down beside him. The fruits of the tree hung down in clusters above them, purplish-red in colour, as though inviting someone to pick and eat them.
‘Mmm…something smells good.’ Alyssa’s mouth was beginning to water as the appetising aroma of chicken and barbecue ribs filled the air. ‘I was expecting something like sandwiches, definitely not hot food.’
‘We aim to please.’ Connor smiled, and just then a couple of catering staff came around with plates, inviting people to help themselves.
Alyssa was handed a plate and Connor helped her to pick out a selection of crab cakes, served with tangy zucchini and cucumber coleslaw, along with smoked chicken wings and conch fritters. These were served with a spicy dipping sauce, and there was rice and salad to complete the dish.
A table had been set up in the shade of a cavern, where wine bottles were chilling on a bed of ice, and Connor went to fill two glasses with sparkling white wine. He came and sat beside her once more and she realised he’d brought the bottle with him, along with a bucket of ice.
‘I think,’ Alyssa murmured, after a while, leaning back against a sun-warmed rock, ‘this is what I came here for—to the Bahamas, I mean…Sun, sand and sea, and the most delicious food ever.’ There had been a wonderful selection of fruit for dessert, a perfect accompaniment to the meal. ‘I sometimes think I must have died and gone to heaven.’
Connor laughed. ‘Heaven here on earth, perhaps,’ he murmured, filling up her glass once more. ‘You might as well relax, because we’re free for the rest of the afternoon, as the man said.’
She nodded dreamily as she sipped her wine. ‘I will. You don’t need to encourage me. I can’t think of anything I’d rather be doing.’
‘You can’t?’ He moved closer, his hand coming to rest on the soft curve of her hip, and she cautiously set her glass down on a nearby flat rock.
‘Connor, I…’
‘Maybe I could help you with a few ideas.’ He dropped a kiss o
nto her unsuspecting lips and murmured softly, ‘Mmm…you taste of spice and summer fruit…pineapple, I think, and plump, juicy peaches, luscious…just like you.’
She gazed up at him, eyes widening, her lips parting in startled awareness after that dreamy, soft-as-thistledown kiss, while her whole body had begun to fizz with heightened expectation. He’d kissed her just once, and to her shame she wanted more. She wanted to feel his lips on hers all over again and his hands to stroke along the length of her body.
‘I…uh…’
‘You…uh…need me to show you how to let go of your worries and enjoy being cosseted, don’t you?’ he said with a smile. ‘I can do that, Alyssa. I can make you feel good about yourself. Let me show you…’
He kissed her again, slowly, thoroughly, his hand splayed out over her rib cage, warm, tender, inviting her to lean into the protective curve of his body. And she was sorely tempted. More than anything, she wanted to feel his long body next to hers, to have him hold her and to have him transport her to some magical, sensational world where nothing mattered but the two of them and their slow, sweet exploration of each other.
But something in her resisted, some faint vestige of self-preservation managed to rise above his sensual onslaught. So, instead, she shifted in his arms and even before she pressed the flat of her hand against his rib cage, he had come to realise that all wasn’t well.
‘What’s wrong, Alyssa?’ he murmured. His cheek brushed hers, teasing her with his closeness, his lips so near, yet so far, and to her dismay she felt her resistance crumbling at the first hurdle.
‘Connor, I…uh…I don’t think this is a good idea.’
‘Are you sure about that?’ he demurred softly. ‘That’s a great shame because, you know, I’d really like to kiss you again.’ His head lowered, his mouth coming dangerously close to hers. ‘Why don’t you want me to kiss you?’
She made a soft groan. ‘I do…but I can’t let it happen. I can’t get involved. Besides, there are way too many people around. It wouldn’t be right. It wouldn’t feel right.’