"Wow," Rosie breathed as Olivia returned a few minutes later. "How did you do that? You look like a million bucks again!"
Olivia smiled, warmed by the other girl's open friendliness and kind words. "Thanks, Rosie. I was feeling a bit like the Swamp Thing."
"Maybe the Creature from The Black Lagoon?" Cody sniped as he walked past. Rosie whacked at his legs, and he evaded her hand with a laugh. Olivia glared at his retreating back. The guy might be gorgeous, but what an asshole!
"Don't mind Cody, he's a total troll," Rosie said, rolling her eyes.
"I think you're being insulting to trolls," Olivia quipped back, and they laughed. Despite the disaster of her unplanned dip in the harbor, Olivia relaxed. At least she'd have one friend at Sunfish Island Resort, she thought as Rosie leaned across her to point out the window and tell her that they were just about to round the southern tip of the island.
Rosie held Olivia back until the guests had all disembarked. The other man took her suitcase with a friendly grin.
"Tell the porter to take it to 6B, please, Jack," Rosie told him.
"Sure thing." He gave Rosie a casual salute. "And welcome to Sunfish, Olivia."
At least everyone was very friendly, Olivia mused as she followed Rosie, who trailed after the last of the guests. Cory stood by the ramp, offering his hand to her in an exaggerated gesture, his blue eyes glinting with mirth.
She debated giving him a shove into the water. It was a very, very tempting thought... and it was also petty and beneath her. She swallowed the impulse and took his hand, letting him steady her as she crossed the ramp.
"Thanks," she muttered grudgingly.
"You're welcome. And... I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you before."
Startled, her gaze flew up to meet his. He looked quite sincere, and his hand was warm and strong as he held on to her for just a moment longer than necessary.
"Olivia Stratten," a voice said, thankfully obviating her need to think of something to say to Cory's unexpected remark. She let go of his hand and turned to see a handsome man in what she guessed was his early forties and actually wearing a business suit, albeit with an open-necked shirt and no tie. "It's good to meet you. I'm Luke Collyer, the resort general manager." He took in her dripping hair with a curious glance but said nothing about it as he offered his hand for a friendly shake.
"It's very nice to meet you, Mr. Collyer." They'd communicated by email after the resort owners had hired her, and his ideas and incisive manner had impressed Olivia.
"Luke, please. We're not formal here at Sunfish."
She smiled in acknowledgment, following him along the shaded dock and into the hotel's main lobby.
"Wow." Olivia's head tipped up. The atrium was amazing, five stories high with a domed glass roof, and live pines growing in gigantic stone pots. Water trickled from stunning fountains and ran underneath shining plate-glass panels in the floor. There were fish in there, she realized, as one swam directly under her foot. It was hard to know where to put her eyes at any given moment.
"Pretty swish, huh?" Luke gave her a knowing smile. "It's very different to how it looked ten years ago, I can tell you. I was working here as assistant hotel manager at the time."
Most of the photographs available online had been of the old resort, so Olivia knew what he meant. She shook her head in wonderment.
"The owners really did spare no expense."
"This whole building is new." Luke gestured upward at the glass dome. "That even has cyclone shutters that can be closed over it. While we're required to evacuate all guests in the event of an oncoming cyclone because the island may be inundated during a storm surge, the upper floors of this building would actually be quite safe even under the most severe conditions."
"Impressive," Olivia said with a nod, wincing as a trickle of cool water ran down her neck from her soaked hair. Luke tilted his head at her curiously.
"Excuse me for asking, but why is your hair wet?"
She sighed and gave him a rueful smile. "I may as well ‘fess up; I'm sure it'll be all over the resort within the hour. I fell off the ramp when boarding the boat."
"You what?" Luke looked startled.
"Entirely my own fault, I'm afraid. I was wearing spike heels and not looking where I was going." Luke was clearly making an effort to hold back his laughter. Olivia smiled at him cheekily. "Go on, you might as well laugh. I've seen the funny side now, anyway."
He permitted himself a few chortles before shaking his head. "I wish I'd seen it, though I'm sure you're glad I didn't. Well. I was going to ask if you wanted the full tour, but all things considered, I think maybe we'll postpone it to tomorrow morning and let you get settled in today instead. I've got meetings this afternoon, I'm afraid."
She smiled at him gratefully. "I admit I'm eager to get to work... but I'm even more eager to have a proper shower and wash the ocean out of my hair."
"Then let's make that happen." Luke turned to the left and swiped an access card through a slot beside a door marked STAFF ONLY. A short passageway led them outside and down a narrow path between high hedges. "This leads to the senior staff accommodation," he told her. "The cabins were actually part of the old resort; the owners decided to leave them for staff use when they built the new ones. You're in number six, which is a two-bedroom. You're sharing it with Suzannah, our executive chef; she's very nice but you probably won't see a lot of her. She's a workaholic."
Olivia nodded, looking with pleasure at the rustic timber cabins, set on low stumps, as they came upon then. Each had a small covered veranda at the front with a couple of comfortable-looking sun loungers; a brass number was screwed to the front railing on every cabin. It wasn't long before they arrived at number six, and Luke fished in a pocket to pull out a key and an access card, both of which he handed to her.
"The card gets you into all the staff areas of the resort. These cabins don't have electronic access like the newer ones, so you'll need to hang on to the key. It fits both doors to your room: the one that exits onto the veranda and the one into the living area of the cabin. Don't forget to lock both, and don't leave valuables lying around in the common area, because it's not secured; anyone can walk in."
Olivia nodded in understanding as Luke turned the door handle and opened the main cabin door. "This is lovely," she said in pleased surprise, looking around the simply furnished room. It had a tiny kitchenette at the other end, a large squashy couch facing a decent-sized flat-screen TV, and a small dining table with four chairs. The floor was tiled, and everything was immaculately clean.
"Maid service will go over the room once a week, on whatever is Housekeeping's quietest day that week. They can do your room and bathroom if you wish, but you need to let them in." Luke gestured to the door on the right-hand wall. "That's your room."
Her suitcase was already sitting by the door, Olivia noted. "Thanks," she said gratefully.
"I'll leave you to it. Suze will be in the middle of lunch prep, so you won't meet her until this afternoon. I'll get someone to come by and show you around a little bit, take you to the staff dining area—all your meals are included, of course."
"Of course," she echoed with a small smile. She'd never had an all-inclusive job before, but then you couldn’t actually pay for much on Sunfish apart from drinks, she recalled from reading the existing marketing literature. Feeding the staff was pretty much required when they couldn't easily source their own supplies.
"I'll see you later. Get settled in," Luke left her with a friendly nod. Olivia sighed a little in relief as she was finally left alone, and the tension dropped from her shoulders.
The day had been a mess right from the moment her cab driver in Sydney got a flat tire on the way to the airport and she'd nearly missed her flight. Rising tension and nerves about making a good impression had twisted a tight knot in her stomach, making her unable to eat or drink anything. Feeling an intense thirst, she crossed to the kitchenette to take a look in the fridge. She found several cans of soda, some
of brands she didn't recognize. They had to belong to the unknown roommate. Biting her lip, Olivia eventually shrugged and grabbed a cola. She could always replace it later.
Sipping on her purloined cola, she let herself into her room and dragged her suitcase in after her. The bedroom was just as pleasantly furnished as the shared living area, with a double bed, dressing table with large mirror, and to her surprised pleasure, a high-quality desk and office chair with a new-looking computer on the desk. It also had a generous-sized walk-in closet and a beautifully appointed ensuite bathroom.
Delighted by her new living quarters, Olivia decided everything else could wait until she'd showered. The drapes over the sliding door to the veranda were already closed, so she closed her door, stripped, and headed for the ensuite.
Chapter Three
Half an hour later, Olivia felt a good deal more human. She'd showered and washed her hair, put on the fluffy bathrobe she'd found hanging on the back of the bathroom door, and was now sorting through her suitcase rather despairingly, wondering what on earth she could wear. Everything she'd brought now looked far too formal, even though she'd selected the most "casual" items from her wardrobe before putting everything into storage back in New York.
A light tap on the door leading out to the veranda made her look up. She could only make out a vague shape through the sheer curtain. "Who is it?" she called.
"Rosie!"
Smiling, Olivia went to let her new friend in, her smile widening even further as she saw the armload of clothes Rosie was carrying. "Oh, you star. I was just wondering what to wear in order not to look completely overdressed."
Rosie smiled shyly back at her, piling the clothes on the bed. "I think you look great. Your clothes are just gorgeous."
"They are," Olivia agreed, "and they're perfect for New York City life, or even Sydney, but here on Sunfish I'll just look... I don't know. Like I think I'm better than everyone else. I want to fit in here, be part of this lovely staff-family vibe you all seem to have going on."
"You will! Everyone's really nice and welcoming. And... well, to be honest, probably falling in the harbor really helped, because now they all know a funny story about you and it'll be a good icebreaker for you to get to know everyone."
Olivia smiled wryly, choosing a pair of shorts and a flowered blouse from the pile Rosie had put down and taking them to the bathroom to dress. "And here I was thinking I'd made a disastrous first impression," she called back.
"Well"—Rosie looked at the laptop and tablet lying on a soggy towel on the desk—"I mean, it was a disaster in some ways, but in others it could be a blessing in disguise?" She looked up at Olivia as she returned from the bathroom.
"I've seen the funny side now, anyway." Olivia grinned back at her. "When Luke said he wished he'd seen it, I got a mind's-eye picture of how I must have looked and almost cracked up laughing on the spot."
"That's the spirit," Rosie said warmly. She took a pair of pink rubber flip-flops—thongs, Olivia remembered, sternly telling herself not to snicker—from the pile of clothes and held them out. "These ones are fairly new. Should last you awhile."
"I'm only borrowing these until I have a chance to go back over to Hamilton Island and go shopping," Olivia told her, accepting the shoes.
"Oh, don't. Everything there is really expensive because it's all brought in for tourists. Take the other boat over to Airlie Beach on the mainland—that one goes every day too. The supermarket is only a five-minute walk from the marina, and there are plenty of other shops too."
"That's good to know, thanks!" Olivia made a mental note to ask Luke which day she could do that. "And how about doing laundry?"
"I'll show you where the staff laundry is on the way to lunch. You ready?"
Olivia scooped her keys and access card off the desk. "I am now."
As they left the cabin, Rosie pointed to their right, away from the main resort building. "I'm in the next cabin, by the way, number 7. Jill and I share it. Suze, your roomie, is a close friend; she often comes over and hangs out with us. You're welcome too, anytime."
Olivia nodded. "Thank you," she said genuinely.
They girls turned to walk back toward the main resort, and a deep voice stopped them in their tracks.
"Well, well, it's the Little Mermaid! How's tricks, Ariel?"
Cory leaned on the veranda rail of the cabin next to her own, a broad grin on his face. Remembering the way he'd apologized to her as she left the boat, and thinking of Rosie's advice to look at the whole incident as a blessing in disguise, Olivia flipped him the bird with an answering grin. Cory laughed, vaulted easily over the rail, and fell into step beside them.
"Good to see you can laugh about it." He smiled down at Olivia. She had to fight not to be knocked sideways from the impact of his good looks again; that combined with an intoxicating, spicily masculine scent as he stood close to her made her head reel.
"I can laugh about it, but call me Ariel again and you won't be laughing," she said in a mock-menacing tone, narrowing her eyes at him.
Cory laughed again and nodded amiably.
Stop being nice, you're making it very hard for me to keep my mind out of your pants, Olivia thought with an internal sigh, and resolutely turned her eyes away from his chiseled, handsome features. She caught Rosie giving her a speculative look and did her best to smooth her face to neutrality.
"Cory's single, y'know," Rosie murmured as they stood in line for the lunch buffet in the staff dining room. Cory had peeled off to go speak to someone else and was thankfully out of earshot.
"Oh?" Olivia tried to keep her tone light and disinterested. "Why?" she had to ask. "I mean..."
"I know, and trust me, it's not like he doesn't get offers." Rosie gave her a conspiratorial grin. "Every week there's a few tourists trying to throw themselves at him, but Cory's not the sort to have flings." She handed Olivia a plate. "I've known him forever. We were in school together in Cairns as kids."
That explained how comfortable the pair of them seemed; they really were childhood friends. Olivia did her best to divert the subject, though. "You grew up in Cairns, so you're a North Queenslander?"
"Spent my whole life on or near the Reef," Rosie confirmed. "I'd never want to be anywhere else."
"Hear, hear," Cory affirmed, rejoining them and collecting his own plate. "It's 'beautiful one day, perfect the next,' don't y'know." He quoted the Queensland advertising slogan at Olivia.
"I haven't been here long enough to confirm the truth of that," she pointed out, "but I'm looking forward to finding out."
"You'll see." Cory sounded utterly confident. Looking at both him and Rosie, incredibly healthy-looking, tanned, and practically glowing compared to her pasty-pale self, Olivia could quite believe it. "Although you'll need to use some pretty heavy-duty sunblock," Cory continued, "or that lovely creamy skin will be lobster-red."
"I bought a bottle in Sydney," Olivia agreed, "and I'll get more when I go into Airlie Beach to shop Rosie's been kind enough to lend me a few things, but I'll need to make a trip."
"Thought I recognized that blouse." Cory grinned at Rosie as the three of them left the buffet and headed over to a table. "Looks better on Olivia, I'm afraid."
Rosie made a face at him, but she also gave Olivia a sideways glance and a surreptitious nudge in the ribs. Olivia rolled her eyes in return.
"We are not thirteen," she hissed in Rosie's ear as another man paused by their table, distracting Cory briefly. "Stop trying to matchmake!"
Rosie laughed but turned her attention to her food, which was well worth paying attention to, Olivia conceded. The buffet had a huge variety, everything beautifully presented and perfectly fresh. She scooped up a forkful of pasta salad and hummed with pleasure at the taste.
The other man who'd stopped to speak to Cory took the fourth seat at their table then, and Olivia swallowed hastily as Cory introduced him.
"Olivia, this is Bryce, the resort's dive master. Bryce, meet Olivia."
Br
yce was younger than the other two; Olivia estimated him to be about twenty-three or twenty-four. His dark hair was buzzed close to his scalp, and his deep bronze tan set off grass-green eyes.
Involuntarily, Olivia wondered whether all Australian men were this attractive. Cory, Luke, and Bryce, the three she'd met on Sunfish Island so far, were all good-looking enough to be models... though if she were completely honest, Cory was the only one who'd sparked more in her than a mere aesthetic appreciation. She smiled at Bryce's cheerful greeting.
"Nice to meet you too."
"So when are you coming out for your first dive with me?" Bryce asked. Olivia blinked, another forkful of food on her way to her mouth.
"Uh, what?"
"No way can you effectively market this place without seeing its primary attraction. The Reef. And you can't really see the Reef without diving on it."
"Technically she already made her first dive," Cory said, grinning, and Olivia had absolutely no compunctions about kicking him in the shin under the table.
Bryce frowned with confusion, and Olivia realized that news of her plunge hadn't reached him yet. Prudently moving his shins out of her reach, Cory promptly filled Bryce in. Olivia settled for glaring at him, though the way Cory described her had her inwardly glowing. Or maybe not so inwardly, considering the way Rosie was smirking at her.
"You should have seen her. She dived off the boat like an Olympic champion," Cory concluded. "I half expected her to turn a double somersault on the way in. I'd give her a 9.9 for execution. She sure was a sight for sore eyes coming out too."
A little puzzled at that remark, Olivia frowned at him; at least until Rosie murmured in her ear, "Your blouse went transparent. Cory got quite the eyeful."
Olivia hoped the two men interpreted her flaming cheeks as being caused by Bryce's laughter. Picking up her water glass, she took a deep gulp. "I daresay people will be telling stories of my arrival for years," she said, "getting more exaggerated with each telling."
Finding Cory (Island Escapes Book 1) Page 2