Clara in the Caribbean (Clara Andrews Series - Book 6)

by Lacey London

  Since she set up her interior design firm, Periwinkle, Li has been more than a little stressed out, although I can completely understand why. Being the managing director of a successful business is going to take its toll. With conferences in Paris, working lunches in Madrid and a list of high profile celebrity clients to deal with, it’s easy to see why she doesn’t have any time left for herself. I have tried and failed to encourage her to take some days off, but all she seems to do is work. Seeing her now without the obligatory power suit and tablet glued to her hand, she looks like the carefree Lianna that I once knew and loved.

  Setting out one of Eve’s plush beach towels on a sunbed, I strategically pull the playpen into the shade. The beach playpen is one of the most genius inventions in the world. The canvas sides and hooded top ensure that babies can enjoy the beach without getting into any trouble. Happy that he has enough sun cream on, I take Melrose from Gina and sit her beside him. Bless them. They are ridiculously cute when they’re together. Gina and I joke that they will get married in the future, but if Melrose turns out to be anything like Gina, my little Noah may run in the other direction. At less than two years old, Noah already has a defined personality. Just like his father, he is independent, easy going and drop dead gorgeous. Melrose on the other hand is equally as gorgeous, but she is already a diva in the making.

  Stepping out of my purple maxi dress, I pluck a magazine from my bag and breathe a sigh of relief. This is the life. I could most certainly get used to this. Trying not to look as Gina whips off her hot pants and adjusts her neon green string bikini, my mouth stretches into a smile as Eve appears behind us with a tray of drinks.

  ‘Anyone for a refreshment?’ She trills, holding out a luscious looking cocktail. I look down at my wrist for the time, only to discover that I left my watch in the room. ‘Go on then.’ Well, it would rude not to, wouldn’t it?

  Taking a sip of the creamy coconut concoction, I nod appreciatively and flash Eve the thumbs up sign. That tastes so good and so bad at the same time. If I have many more of these, I think there’s a good chance that my clothes aren’t going to fit by the end of the week. Obviously not having the same body worries, Gina drains her glass in one before reaching for another.

  ‘You might want to go easy on those.’ Eve laughs. ‘They’re deceivingly strong.’

  Gina shakes her head defiantly and chews on the end of her straw. Being completely used to Gina’s stubborn behaviour, Eve rolls her eyes and peels off her kaftan to reveal a flawless gym honed body. With her platinum blonde hair and rock hard abs, she is really the perfect beach bum. Sucking in my mummy tummy, I take a sip of my cocktail and try not to feel envious. Between skinny Eve and curvy Gina, I feel like the piggy in the middle. Whilst Eve puts a lot of blood, sweat and tears into looking good, Gina is one of those infuriating women who eats pizza morning, noon and night, yet has womanly curves in all the right places. To be honest, Gina must be a good couple of stones heavier than I am, but whereas my weight gravitates to my stomach, hers seems to avoid the area completely. The enormous G cup breasts and arse that rivals Kim Kardashian just seem to get bigger with each pound that she gains. Annoyingly, her stomach stays bizarrely flat, despite her not lifting a finger to exercise in years.

  Telling myself not to feel self-conscious next to my two gorgeous friends, I take a deep breath and enjoy the sensation of the warm air washing over my body. Listening to Gina and Eve discussing their plans for the week ahead, I find myself starting to relax. After all the chaos of the past twelve months, this holiday is well overdue. Between moving back to the city from Spring Oak and helping Marc and Gina with baby Melrose, things have been hectic to say the least. For months now I have been pestering Oliver to whisk me away for some fun in the sun. I have lost count of the amount of times I have day dreamed of Spanish siestas and gorgeous Greek beaches. Not once did I expect to be rushing off to Barbados like Inspector bloody Gadget.

  ‘Fancy a dip?’ Lianna’s voice springs me from my daydream. ‘I’m going to take MJ for a paddle.’

  ‘I want to paddle too!’ Not missing a beat, Madison jumps out of Marc’s arms and tears across the sand.

  Pushing myself to my feet, I leave Gina to watch Noah and Melrose and take hold of Madison’s sticky hands. Unsurprisingly, Madison insisted on applying her own sun cream and is now a sticky ball of white paste and sand. Watching her waddle along in her Minnie Mouse swimsuit, I let out a giggle as she swings her arms back and forth. The water washes over our toes and she squeals in delight. Bending down to pick up a handful of sand, she discovers a tiny pink shell and plonks down in the water to inspect it. Sitting down beside her, I grab a handful of sand and give my legs a quick exfoliation.

  In the distance I can two pairs of flippers bobbing about in the ocean and I am pretty sure that one of them belongs to my husband. Holding onto Madison tightly as the strong waves push us further up the beach, I smile as Li dangles MJ’s legs into the water. Even though it’s easily thirty degrees, the ocean spray makes the humidity bearable. It’s hard to believe that this same blue sky is grey and overcast back home. Not wanting to think about the daily grind that we left behind, I grab Madison’s bucket and start to make a sand castle.

  As usual, Little Miss Independent takes charge and gets to work at digging up the sand. Not wanting to miss out, MJ breaks free from Li and starts to help his big sister. Taking the opportunity to talk to Lianna, I wait for her to sit down next to me before I speak.

  ‘Well, you were right.’ I sigh, running my fingers through my mangled curls. ‘Barbados really is paradise.’

  ‘I knew you would love it.’ Stretching out her long limbs, she takes down her straps to avoid the dreaded tan lines. ‘But you haven’t seen anything yet. I have so much planned for this week. Catamaran trips, the famous fish fry, rum tastings and of course, The Hangout.’

  My stomach flips at the mention of The Hangout. Since we arrived here, we haven’t really spoken much about Vernon, which is strange because for the past twelve months it is all she has talked about.

  ‘The Hangout…’ I repeat, watching her cheeks flush pink. ‘When is that scheduled for?’ She picks up a handful of sand and lets it run through her fingers, obviously avoiding my question. ‘Well?’ I probe, not wanting to drop the subject so easily.

  ‘We can go whenever you want.’ She replies casually, shrugging her shoulders as if she isn’t really bothered.

  ‘How about right now?’ I fire back, determined to get a date out of her.

  Li laughs loudly and shakes her head.

  ‘Tonight then?’ I pester, shielding my eyes so that I can see her face.

  Looking up at the sky, she taps her foot and smiles. ‘How about tomorrow?’

  I nod in response as Madison puts the final handful of sand into the bucket and instructs Lianna to flip it over. Tapping the bottom of the bucket, she lifts it up to reveal a near perfect castle.

  ‘Yay!’ MJ squeals, clapping his hands furiously and running over to Marc to show off his handy work.

  Not wanting to let MJ have all the credit for her sand castle, Madison tears off after him.

  Feeling the sun on the back of my neck, I let down my hair and allow the waves to pull me into the water. The last thing I want to do is burn and ruin the rest of the trip. Slipping my sunglasses onto my head, I spot Eve waving from the veranda. Catching my eye, she points to my empty cocktail glass and I flash her the thumbs up sign. Warm sun, turquoise waters and rum cocktails – what more could you ever want?

  Dipping my shoulders under the surface of the water, I swim out until my feet no longer reach the sea floor. Hundreds of tiny fish dart between my legs as I kick to stay afloat. Flashes of yellow, orange and silver twinkle in front of my eyes, creating a dazzling display of colour. Regretting not bringing my underwater camera, I tip my head back and let my hair soak through. The buoyancy of the water makes me feel completely weightless as I float on my back. I could stay in here forever.

  Making my way back
over to Lianna, I hold out my hand to pull her to her feet. The sun is now high in the sky and even though he is in the shade, my mummy instincts are telling me to give Noah another coat of sun cream. I have only been in the sun for an hour and my shoulders are already pink. What I would give to get a golden glow like Li.

  Trudging up the sand, I pull over a parasol and pluck Noah from his playpen. In his dolphin printed shorts with matching t-shirt and hat, he looks ridiculously cute. Digging around in my bag, I take out his water bottle and try to get him settled. I was a little worried about how he would handle the heat, but he seems happier than usual. Batting away my hands he attempts to hold the bottle himself, resulting in water trickling down his t-shirt. Not wanting a screaming match, I leave him to it and reach down for my magazine, only to realise that it isn’t where I left it. There’s only one magazine thief around here and they answer to the name of –

  ‘Gina!’ I snatch the mag out of her hands and playfully hit her with it. ‘I haven’t even read that yet.’

  Sticking out her tongue, she rolls off her lounger and sashays over to the playpen, twerking along to the music as she goes. Spotting their mum jump around like a crazed monkey, Madison and MJ erupt into a fit of giggles. Their little faces crease into laughter as they collapse onto the sand. Unable to resist in joining the hysterics, I shake my head and chuckle quietly. There’s always one and thankfully for me, it’s always Gina…

  Life is better at the beach…

  Chapter 5

  ‘Seriously, Clara. You have absolutely no idea how amazing these fish are.’

  Nodding in response, I roll my eyes and tug on a swimming costume. Ever since Oliver returned from his snorkelling trip yesterday, he has not stopped raving about what lies beneath. From the friendly turtles to the vibrant reefs and shoals of playful fish, I must have seen over a hundred images in the last hour alone.

  ‘Look at this.’ Handing me the camera, he smiles broadly as I flick through the images. Images that I have looked at ten times already.

  ‘That’s fantastic.’ I stretch my lips into a smile and try not to get agitated.

  Now, you might be thinking that I could have a little more patience with my excitable hubby, but the truth is that today I have bigger fish to fry. After much pestering on my behalf, Lianna finally agreed to let Gina and I visit The Hangout and I have just five more minutes to find an outfit. Don’t ask me why it matters to me so much what I wear to meet Li’s boyfriend as I don’t know myself, but I do know that I have tried on everything in my suitcase and nothing feels quite right.

  Settling on a flamingo print sundress and a pair of leather gladiator sandals, I twist my curls into a messy top knot and sigh loudly. This will have to do. After all, it’s too bloody hot to wear any of the maxi dresses that I brought and all my playsuits just stick to my thunder thighs like pigs in a blanket. With a quick slick of lip balm, I grab my sunglasses and check my handbag for all the essentials. Unlike all my holidays prior to having Noah, my essentials now include some not so glamorous items. From spare nappies to Sudocrem and cleansing wipes, the days where my handbag contained nothing more than my phone, keys and a Chanel lipstick are long gone.

  After a final glance in the mirror and a quick spritz of bug spray I turn my attention to Noah. Snuggled into Oliver’s chest, he seems perfectly content nibbling away at his fingers. I almost don’t want to disturb him, but Oliver and Owen have another day of underwater activities planned so Noah is coming with me. Thankfully he will have a playmate to keep him occupied as Gina and Melrose are tagging along too. Lianna wasn’t too pleased about that part. Gina is a handful at the best of times, so I’m not surprised that she is a little apprehensive at the prospect of introducing her to the new man in her life.

  Scooping up Noah, I plant a kiss on his soft cheek before strapping him into his pram. A quick glance at my watch tells me that it’s almost time to leave. With The Hangout being a little further than walking distance away, Li thought it would be best to hire a car rather than traipsing the children through the hot morning sun. Feeling a little miffed at having to leave before breakfast, I try to ignore the rumbling that is coming from my stomach.

  ‘Alright, you have fun today.’ I lean down and kiss Oliver goodbye, resisting the urge to climb back under the sheets with him.

  ‘You too. Call me if you need me.’ Stretching out his brown arms above his head, he yawns lazily and grabs a pair of shorts from the floor. ‘Hey, do you know if Marc wants to join us today?’

  Not wanting to embarrass Marc by revealing his secret, I shake my head and make for the door. ‘I think Marc has daddy duties today.’ Smiling regrettably, I blow him a kiss and grab my handbag. ‘I shall see you later. Love you.’

  Enjoying the cool air conditioning on my sunburnt skin, I flash Gina a smile as she stumbles out of her room. Wearing a see through crochet dress with Melrose strapped to her chest in a bright yellow baby carrier, she doesn’t exactly look restaurant appropriate.

  ‘I’m not changing.’ She retorts, as though reading my mind.

  Holding my hands up to surrender, I pop my sunglasses onto my head and lead the way through to the kitchen. Just like yesterday morning, James is hard at work preparing another delicious breakfast. My nostrils flare like a hungry hippo as I take a seat at the kitchen island.

  ‘Good morning, James.’ I smile broadly and accept a piece of fruit from the bowl in front of me. ‘How are you today?’

  ‘Good morning!’ Sprinkling a handful of spinach into a frying pan, he whistles along to the music and tosses a tea towel over his shoulder. ‘Can I get you some breakfast?’

  I am about to ask him if he can whip up a cheeky omelette when a car horn beeps loudly outside. ‘That will be Lianna. Thanks anyway, James.’

  Taking Noah’s pram, I say a quick goodbye to Eve and motion for Gina to follow me outside. When Li left an hour ago to collect the car, she didn’t explain that by car she meant huge red Range Rover. Rolling down the window, she slides her sunglasses down her nose and raises her eyebrows mischievously.

  ‘You like?’ She smirks, turning up the radio so that reggae music floods out of the speakers.

  I open my mouth to respond, but Gina beats me to it. ‘I love it!’ She squeals, clapping her hands together excitedly and throwing open the passenger seat.

  Looks like I’m in the back with the babies then. Impressed to discover that she has remembered to get car seats, I whip Noah out of his pram and buckle him in safely. Collapsing the pram in one swift movement, I toss it into the boot and dive in besides him. According to Li, The Hangout is situated on a secluded corner bay further down the same beach, so it shouldn’t take us too long to get there. Waiting for Gina to stop dancing and fasten Melrose into her seat, I fan myself with my handbag and will her to hurry up. Can’t she see that I’m melting back here?

  Slamming the car door shut, she bangs on the dash board and instructs Lianna to drive. As she speeds along the rustic road, I poke my head into the front of the car and eye up Lianna’s outfit. Considering that she has talked about this meeting for almost a year, she doesn’t exactly look dressed for the occasion. In a pair of tiny denim shorts and a loose fitting white vest top, she looks like one of the hippy students you see at Camden Market. Catching her eye in the rear view mirror, I stick out my tongue and flash her a wink. Her usually poker straight hair is tousled from the humidity and her freckles are on full view for the world to see. She hasn’t even got any make up on! To anyone else, the fact that Lianna has left her skin bare might not mean much, but I know that Lianna doesn’t reveal her freckles for just any old man.

  Looking out of the window as the world rushes by, I start to feel a little nervous about what we are about to do. What if I don’t like him? Do I tell her? Do I keep it to myself? Hearing her laugh with Gina, a pang of hope washes over me. From commitment-phobes to serial cheaters, Li seems to be a magnet for douchebags and sleaze balls. After all of the useless relationships Lianna has been in over the ye
ars, isn’t it about time that she found Mr Right?

  Last night after dinner when the rest of the house had retired to bed, Marc and I spent a good hour or so discussing Lianna’s old flames. The most unfortunate thing with Li, is that she has never put a foot wrong in any of her relationships. I would even go as far as to say that she is pretty much perfect when it comes to her behaviour with the opposite sex. The only thing she is guilty of is giving someone her heart without taking theirs in return. I just hope that this time will be different.

  Pulling over onto the side of the road, Li flicks off the car engine and spins around to face me.

  ‘We’re here.’ Her face is alight with anticipation as she unbuckles her seat belt and dives out onto the road.

  Looking around dubiously, my brow creases into a frown as I take in my surroundings. This can’t be right. Sliding out of the car, I shield my eyes from the sun and shoot Gina a quizzical look. We appear to be in an abandoned car park that is surrounded by huge leafy trees. Tipping her head upside down and giving her hair a quick scrunch, Li shoves her keys into her back pocket and proceeds to get Melrose out of the car. Totally puzzled, I follow suit and unbuckle Noah.

  ‘Do I need the pram?’ I ask, trying not to show how perplexed I am.

  ‘Nope. You won’t need your shoes either in a moment…’ She smiles brightly and points through the trees. ‘It’s this way.’

  Locking eyes with Gina, I shrug my shoulders and follow Lianna through the thick branches. A leaf falls onto Noah’s head and he giggles happily. I am about to ask her where the hell we are going when I suddenly get a glimpse of turquoise blue ahead. Squinting my eyes, I let out a gasp as we reach the end of wooded area and stumble out onto soft white sand. Letting out a surprised laugh, I slip off my flip flops and pop them into my handbag. Li was right, we really won’t need our shoes.