Confetti & Confusion

by Confetti

  Millie felt her cheeks colour when she recalled their dash through the afternoon downpour to a remote shack in the rainforest that she was sure was used as a love nest by the locals. As they had waited for the rain to abate, Zach had confided a little of his personal history and offered her the opportunity to reciprocate. It had been too early in their friendship for her to reveal the details of her broken engagement, but Zach had not been as reticent about sharing the fact that his former girlfriend, Chloe, had become engaged to someone else within weeks of them splitting up. Their conversation in the tiny wooden shack under the rainforest canopy had been a turning point for her.

  ‘The Diamond Falls are just one of many spectacular sights St Lucia has to offer. Are you up for another expedition?’

  ‘Zach, I’d love to explore more of the island, but I just don’t have the time if I’m going to get everything done before Imogen and Alex’s wedding on Sunday…’

  ‘What time is Imogen coming over tomorrow?’

  ‘Around twelve o’clock, but…’

  ‘Perfect. I’ve spoken to my friend François and he’s expecting us at seven a.m. – that means a six o’clock start for us.’

  ‘What exactly do you have in mind?’

  ‘It’s a surprise. Trust me. You’ll love it. Come on, Binks, let’s leave Millie to get a good night’s sleep. By the way, I recommend you wear a long sleeve T-shirt and a pair of comfortable shoes – none of those sparkly flip-flops you’re so fond of. Tomorrow, instead of affixing the badge declaring to the world that you are the Countess of Chaos and Cupcakes, or the Baroness of Buttercream and Brioche, you’ll be given the opportunity to perform in the starring role of Millie, the Mistress of Misadventure!’

  ‘Adventure? Zach I really don’t…’

  But he and Binks had already reached the end of the veranda and were ignoring her protestations. It was after seven o’clock and twilight decorated their duet of silhouettes with a golden glow until they disappeared into the trees.

  Millie heaved a sigh, indecision flooding her brain. Okay, the kitchen was pristine and ready for another busy day at the coalface of the culinary world. The cake pops were ready to be decorated, and Ella and Denise had the wedding cake under control. But could she afford to abandon her post, even if it was only for a couple of hours before their guests arrived? She really wanted to show Claudia that she was not just capable of supervising the building work and delivering a finished product on time, but that she could also take charge of an upmarket cookery school and showcase the fabulous Caribbean recipes that her boss had specifically devised for the Chocolate & Confetti course.

  Then something Ella had said earlier came screaming back to her. She should take some time to relax and have fun. Millie knew that her new-found contentment reflected in her disposition when she stood in front of the cookery school enthusiasts and encouraged even the most reluctant of students to grab their confidence and give the recipe a go. It had taken a mere few days in the St Lucian sunshine for her to discard the mantle of melancholy she had arrived with and replace it with a cheerful smile and a carefree demeanour. Being happy and being professional were not mutually exclusive; in fact she would even go as far as to say that they were a perfect partnership. As long as she made sure Zach knew she had to be back at the villa by eleven-thirty to be ready behind her demonstration bench at midday, then tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough.

  Chapter Eight

  Millie tossed back the covers and crawled out of bed. She had just ten minutes to make herself presentable before Zach arrived. The sun was already peeking over the horizon, ready to make its debut in another sun-filled day. The dawn chorus had started on its second verse and she flicked the switch on the radio to add a soft calypso soundtrack to her morning shower.

  As she dragged a brush through her voluminous curls, she decided that she would take a leaf out of Imogen’s book and put her hair into a ponytail with the hair tie Poppy had given to her before she left London for the Caribbean. It felt like a lifetime ago since she’d sat with her best friend and gossiped about the patisserie and the next guy on Poppy’s radar. She missed her and experienced a sudden urge to pick up her mobile and give her a call until she heard an impatient toot from the courtyard beneath the window of her tiny studio flat. Never mind, she thought, she would be seeing her in five days’ time.

  She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, slung her straw bag over her shoulder, and cantered down the stairs to meet Zach for her magical mystery tour of St Lucian highlights.

  ‘Jump in!’ Zach called through the open window of Tim’s scarlet BMW roadster. ‘Great to see you’ve heeded my advice about the sensible footwear.’

  ‘No Binks today?’

  ‘Can’t take him where we’re headed.’

  Millie groaned. That didn’t bode well. Perhaps Zach had hired a boat and they were going fishing, or worse, maybe he had organised a session of parasailing. A coil of trepidation began to weave through her abdomen but she shoved her fear to one side. It was pointless speculating what she was about to experience, so instead she decided to turn her attention to what was fast becoming one of her favourite pastimes – covertly appraising her companion as he expertly handled the twist and turns of the St Lucian roads through colourful villages and row upon row of banana and cocoa trees.

  In profile, Zach was as attractive as ever in his navy shorts and immaculate boat shoes. The collar of his peppermint green polo shirt was open at the neck to reveal a smattering of chest hair. It occurred to her that whenever she was in the company of Zach Barker her emotions always churned uncontrollably, whether that was an overflow of annoyance and indignation whenever he accused her of causing chaos, unexpected surprise and delight when he offered to help her with the washing up, or a concoction of apprehension and sexual attraction that was whipping through her veins at the present moment.

  Her inspection lingered on the way his long fingers draped across the steering wheel of the little sports car: sure, relaxed, confident. She recalled something that Carla had said about Greg – that he made her feel alive, and it was the same for her when she was with Zach. There was never a dull moment; either they were engaged in a battle of verbal sparring or he was challenging her to abandon her comfort zone and indulge in a brand new experience. She had a feeling that whatever he had organised for them that morning would involve plenty of physical exertion and mental agility – just like everything she did with Zach Barker.

  Why had he insisted on keeping the activity they were about to experience a secret? But she knew the answer – he had expected her to refuse, to plead a more urgent engagement. And he was right. After all, she was a confirmed beach and sunshine addict whose idea of a good time was swinging in a hammock beneath a swaying palm tree with a cocktail in one hand and a good book in the other, not an intrepid tropical rainforest explorer!

  Panic resumed its insidious journey around her body. She started to feel lightheaded and almost had a coronary when a hand-painted signpost for a local airfield loomed in front of them. Oh God! They were going skydiving! Her breath began to feel laboured and her heartbeat increased. She was about to die!

  ‘Zach, I really don’t think…’

  ‘What’s the matter? Your face is the colour of one of Ella’s meringues! Are you okay?’

  ‘I’m fine, it’s just that I think your idea of having fun and my idea of having fun reside at opposite sides of the entertainment spectrum. Can’t we just…’

  ‘Are you telling me that the gutsy, half-French Amelia Harper is frightened to try something new? You’re always telling me that you love experimenting.’

  ‘In the kitchen, with flavours and textures and the most exotic, even outlandish, ingredients I can get my hands on? Yes! But I would never in my wildest nightmares contemplate for even one second hurling myself out of a plane in the name of experimentation.’

  ‘A plane?’ Zach shot a mischievous glance at the signpost that flashed by. ‘You want to do a parachute jump?’<
br />
  ‘No, I do not want to do a parachute jump!’

  It was happening again. Her temper had been ignited and she opened her mouth to continue with a litany of justifications as to why she had no intention of throwing herself to her death. Her life might not be perfect after what had happened with Luke, but it was definitely on an upward trajectory at last. She loved her home in London. She adored her job at Étienne’s little patisserie and had fun on her nights out on the town with Poppy. And she was absolutely loving presenting the cookery courses at the Paradise Cookery School for Claudia, not to mention being blessed with the friendship of Ella, Lottie and Denise.

  Zach chuckled. ‘Ah, there she is! Cantankerous Millie pokes her head above the parapet again. I love her!’

  Millie gawped at him but before she could properly compute what he had just said to her, he had swung the car sharply to the left down a bumpy dirt track. She had to grab on to her seat to steady herself and the moment was lost. They had arrived at Treetop Adventures and the next, much more welcome sensation in her kaleidoscope of emotions, was relief. Although it wouldn’t have been her first choice of activity for an early Thursday morning jaunt, it beat the spots off anything airborne.

  ‘Are you ready to channel your inner eagle?’

  ‘Do I have any choice?’ she said as she slipped out of the passenger seat to greet Zach’s friend François, who was waiting for them in the deserted car park. Dressed in khaki combat trousers and Doc Marten boots, he could easily have been cast in the role of International Man of Action – Caribbean-style.

  ‘Hey, Zach, good to see you, man.’ François offered Zach a fist bump, a broad grin splitting his cheeks as he led them to the little wooden cabin that housed his company’s reception. ‘And you must be Millie. Welcome to Treetop Adventures. I’m pleased to see Zach has managed to persuade you to give it a go. I can promise that you’re in for an awesome ride!’

  ‘Hi, François. Thank you, I’m really looking forward to it,’ she improvised, hoping her expression didn’t give away the fact that she was terrified. Heights had never been one of her strongest points.

  ‘Had to keep Millie in the dark about our final destination, but I think as long as the activity doesn’t involve throwing ourselves out of the back of an aeroplane we should be good to go.’

  ‘Trust me, you’ll love the zip-line! Here, put this helmet on and take these gloves with you.’

  Millie smiled and took the safety equipment from François. She should have known Zach’s ‘exploring the island expedition’ would be something like this. She cast her eyes around the rainforest clearing that housed the Treetop Adventures offices and shuddered when she saw the mountaineering gear through the open door of the on-site storeroom – a separate wooden structure at the back of the reception lodge. However, now that she was there she was determined to make the most of the ride that had been built on the St Lucian hillside.

  It was only seven a.m. but already the humidity was rising. All around her, the lush tropical trees and plants crammed every spare inch of ground below what looked like a sky-high obstacle course. Shafts of diaphanous sunlight sliced through the branches overhead causing intricate shadows to dance on the forest floor. The aroma of coconut oil from her shampoo, and damp mulched bark, tickled her nostrils and the only sound, apart from the early morning echo of birdsong, was the persistent beat of her heart thumping through her eardrums.

  At that time of the morning they had the place to themselves for which Millie was grateful. She really didn’t want an audience for her approaching arboreal ordeal. Under François’s careful instruction, they climbed into the harnesses, pulled on their helmets and stood in a clearing beneath the canopy of leaves for a short safety briefing, which Millie knew was solely for her benefit. She listened to every word, wishing she had a notepad and pen to jot down a few of his tips. But this was not an activity where you could take a quick peek at your notes if you got stuck and a helix of alarm began to wind its way up into her chest. She shoved it aside and raised her chin in the air. She was going to do this.

  She plastered a smile on her lips and followed Zach and François to the wooden platform for her very first leap into the unknown. However, when she looked down and saw the zip wire dip steeply before disappearing into the dense congregation of trees, her stomach dropped like a penny down a wishing well.

  ‘Okay, Zach, it’s all yours. You know what to do. Have fun, Millie!’

  She watched Zach leap from the platform and zoom down the wire with astonishing speed, the hum from the friction causing her nerves to sparkle. She tossed a glance over her shoulder at François, who gave her a brief nod of encouragement.

  ‘Relax,’ he smiled, clipping the carabiner onto Millie’s pelvic harness. ‘Just jump before you have time to think about it too much. Trust me – you’ll love it!’

  Millie wasn’t so sure.

  ‘Jump!’

  And before she could formulate a cogent argument in support of a retreat to the lodge where she had seen cans of ice-cold lemonade, François had urged her forward. He must have detected her reluctance to tip her toes from the edge of the platform without persuasion, so he gave her a gentle push.

  Seconds later, she was swept from the wooden tree-top balcony, the on-coming breeze whipping her fringe from her eyes and cooling the perspiration that had collected at her temples and beneath her breasts. She leaned back as François had instructed and the momentum of her weight took her whizzing through an emerald tunnel of dense forest. Her initial nervousness was swiftly overtaken by a feeling of exhilaration as she sailed through the leafy wilderness. By the time she landed in an undignified heap on the next platform, every trace of anxiety had vanished to be replaced by a feeling of accomplishment.

  ‘Enjoy that?’ asked Zach, offering her his palm to pull her upright.

  ‘It was amazing!’

  Their eyes met for a brief moment and Millie struggled with the intensity of the feelings that swirled through her body. The impulse to grab Zach and kiss him was almost too much to resist.

  ‘Great. On to the second challenge then.’

  Millie’s eyes widened when she followed the direction of Zach’s finger as he indicated the next part of their elevated obstacle course. Her knees weakened at the sight of the taut steel cables that sagged precariously through the vegetation to her right. She could just about make out the next platform through the hovering morning haze.

  ‘Want me to go first again?’

  ‘Please.’

  She watched him fly through the air as though he was out on a Sunday stroll. When he arrived on the next wooden ledge he spun round and waved at her in encouragement.

  ‘Your turn!’

  This time there was no François standing next to her to encourage her to jump. She had to do this on her own. She gritted her teeth, relegated her swirling nerves to the crevices of her mind, and launched herself forward. Immediately the cables began to undulate and sway to the left and right. She clutched at the wires above her head like François had demonstrated in their safety briefing to slow her speed, allowing the errant branches to brush against her shins instead of whipping at her knees with sadistic zeal.

  Wow – what a spectacular view!

  Trees as tall as telegraph poles crowded the area, their trunks laced together with a cat’s cradle of steel cables and ropes. The sun glanced from the glossy leaves of the banana plants, heavy with ripening fruit, and the local bird population launched from their homes squawking their objection to her invasion of their privacy. It was a perfect Caribbean paradise.

  She was so busy drinking in the bucolic panorama that she had forgotten to prepare for her arrival. Within seconds, she had crashed into Zach as he waited to guide her onto the platform.

  ‘Elegant!’

  ‘Sorry,’ she smiled, enjoying the feeling of his arms around her waist as he steadied her.

  Sadly, her pride in her achievement was short-lived. When she chanced a peek over the edge to the gro
und below she experienced a sharp nip of vertigo, which sent her shooting backwards to glue her spine to the tree trunk, her stomach contracting around something akin to a miniature porcupine. Despite wearing gloves, her palms were already smarting from the friction caused by clutching onto the wire, but that was nothing compared to the twist of terror she felt when she saw how far up they were.

  ‘It’s probably best if you don’t look down!’ laughed Zach.

  The fragrance of damp leaves and Zach’s citrus-scented cologne pushed her senses into overdrive and she was suddenly overtaken by a bout of uncontrollable trembling. Zach grabbed her and pulled her into his chest, rubbing her back until her jitters passed. Her eyes locked onto his then dropped down to the curve of his lips. Whilst François’s safety briefing hadn’t specifically banned kissing, a shaky wooden platform ten metres from the ground wasn’t the most appropriate place to indulge in a passionate embrace.

  Thankfully the moment was broken by a shriek from an escaping parrot and before she knew what was happening, Zach was reattaching her clip to the next zip wire.

  ‘Just remember to look straight ahead and enjoy the experience!’

  She found Zach’s eyes, taking strength from his silent support. She inhaled a steadying breath, then tipped her weight from the platform. Sweat trickled down her spine and her fringe stuck to her forehead beneath her helmet. However, she could feel the intensity of Zach’s reassurance vibrate through the air, so she gathered every last ounce of courage she possessed and forced herself to enjoy the ride.

  ‘Having fun?’ Zach asked when he landed gracefully next to her.

  ‘Erm…’ she murmured.

  ‘Don’t worry, the best is yet to come. After you.’

  Millie swallowed down the rampaging emotions the last few minutes had stirred and wriggled her toes to the edge of the final wooden platform – this time without being coaxed. Every one of her senses had been woken from their slumber. Every nerve ending tingled, every pore in her body exuded an unexpected surge of confidence. This time she leapt into the air with a whoop of excitement, feeling almost intoxicated by the exhilaration of soaring through the lush tropical canopy like a bird spreading its wings for the first time.