Romance: One Fine Holiday (3 page)

Chapter 5

When I arrive back at our room, both Mel and Kate are sitting on the balcony eating breakfast looking out to the beach.  Kate can spot my smile instantly.

“Where have you been?” she asks with a smirk.

“On the beach,” I state matter of fact.

“Not just the beach…” Mel leans forward.

I respond with a smile.

“What happened on the beach?” Kate asks.

“There was…”

“It was a man!” Mel exclaims.

She is more excited than I am.

“Who was he?”

“He said his name was Clarke.  He is a local on the island.”

“What did he look like?”

“Like the man of my dreams…”

“Ooohhh!”

“Well, he looked like a picture of the man of my dreams but I couldn’t imagine dating a man like him.”

“Why not?  Did he look like a massive playboy?”

“Not really.”

“Then what was wrong?”

“I just… I want to date someone that is a go-getter.   You know, someone who is as driven as me.  I don’t want to date someone that is like Nick again.  I’ve had enough of that life.  Clarke looked like he would be very comfortable spending his days sailing by the beachside, catching fish, and never working another day in his life.”

“Nothing wrong with that life.”

“Might be ok for some, but it’s not the life for me.  I couldn’t imagine living a life like that. “

I really couldn’t imagine a life where I don’t check my emails every ten minutes.  Even in this conversation with the girls, I am wondering how my work files about C.J Rowan are progressing.

“You need to let go of that work lifestyle, Ella.  Life is not all about success at work,” Kate adds.

“I thought you would understand Kate.  You work a lot.”

“I do work a lot.  I work some late hours and some weeks I would put in over eighty hours.  But I also know when to let it go.  I know when to relax and forget about work.  When I leave the office at the end of the day, I switch off.  It is really important to separate work and life.”

“And what makes you think I don’t do that?”

“Because you’ve checked your email at least ten times since we’ve arrived.  We are on holidays, Ella.  It’s time to let go of work and live your life.”

Deep down, I know Kate is right. 

And she can tell by my non-response that I agree with her. 

“There’s nothing wrong with working hard,” Kate continues, “But life is about balance.  It may sound like a well-worn statement but no-one has been on their death bed and wished they spent more time at work.”

“And life is about experiences.  Experiencing new things is an amazing feeling,” Mel adds.

“I wouldn’t mind experiencing what Clarke has to offer.  That would be an exciting new experience,” I smile cheekily.

“Yes!” Kate jumps up, “A holiday fling is just what you need!”

“A holiday fling?”

“Absolutely!  You need a one night only fling with your new island man.  Lose yourself in his passion.”

“I’m not sure I could do that.”

“Why not?!” Mel laughs, “I dream about it all the time!”

“You have too.  This will be your moment to state that Nick is out of your life forever.  This is your moment.”

“But I don’t even know where to find him?”

“You said he was an island local?”

“He’s an American that has chosen the island life.”

“Then there is only one place the locals live on the island.  It is that strip of houses and huts over near the restaurant.  We can find him.”

“We
will
find him,” Mel laughs again.

Perhaps the girls are right.

Perhaps this is my chance to start over again and leave my life with Nick behind.

“I don’t think I’m pretty enough for him,” I let my lack of confidence get the better of me.

“Don’t be silly!” Kate states, “You are beautiful.”

“But Nick used to say that I am not…”

“No!” Kate interrupts me, “Forget about Nick.  Forget about what he used to say to you.  This isn’t about Nick anymore.  This is about you and your life.  This is your turn.”

“Maybe.”

“No maybe,” Mel is firm, “You need to do this.”

The girls are right.

I do need to forget about Nick. 

I need to forget about how he made me feel.

But I’m not sure I’m attractive enough for such a perfect man.

“Do it for me,” Mel adds, “I will never get the chance to do something like that again.  Do it for my dreams.”

“A holiday fling…” I ponder.

Chapter 6

I spend most of the day dreaming about Clarke and his beautiful body. 

His toned physique has captured my thoughts as we lounge by the pool, drink cocktails and laugh about our separate lives.  Right now, this holiday couldn’t be going any better. 

I have my two best friends in the world next to me, I’ve met an amazingly handsome island man, and the weather couldn’t be more perfect.

“I have been looking forward to this holiday more than you both could ever imagine,” Mel sighs as she leans back in her poolside lounge chair.

Mel has found it hard over the past few years. 

She has been a stay-at-home mum to her three rowdy boys and found herself quite lonely at times.  It must be hard being isolated on a farm and having to deal with only boys and men.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love my boys to bits but sometimes…”

“You just need a little time,” I add, sipping on my cocktail drink.

“Exactly.  I just need some time.  Just a few moments for me.  I don’t need much time, but some days I get no time to myself.  And my husband’s job is seven days a week, which means I never get a break from raising the boys.  That’s what life is like when you own a farm.  The animals don’t stop because it’s Saturday.”

“So you’ll do that until the boys grow up?” Kate asks.

“Oh no.  The end is in sight.  We had to work hard to set ourselves up on the farm over the first few years but we are starting to see the benefits of all that hard work now.  Soon, we’ll be able to hire four or five staff, which means that my husband can have a rest and take a few days off.  And my eldest starts school next year.  That will be a big release.”

“I remember my mother saying that it was only when I started school that she saw the social side to being a mother.  At the school she met all the other mothers and had a great social life.  But before I went to school, she told me she was very lonely.  The loneliness almost scares me off having children,” Kate says.

“Oh, it’s all worth it.  I wouldn’t change what I have now for the world,” Mel takes a long pause, “But I would like more breaks away from them.”

“You and Nick were talking about having children?” Kate asks me.

“Yeah, and thankfully I never got pregnant.  Otherwise I wouldn’t know where I’d be now.  But I am starting to hear that clock.”

“What clock?” Mel asks.

“The biological clock,” Kate and I state in unison.

“Oh.  I never had the chance to hear that one.”

Once I reached my late twenties, I started to feel the urge of children.  I never really wanted children with Nick but I felt like it was the next step in our relationship, and my life.  I knew that I wanted to start a family at some point but with Nick, it didn’t feel right.

“I’m hearing it loud and clear,” Kate laughs, “I look at men now and think about how well they would do at fatherhood, rather than thinking about how solid their abs are!  Like that one over there.”

Kate points to a young adult male standing on the other side of the pool. 

The man stands tall, toned and very fit.  He could have walked straight out of the pages of a modelling magazine.

“That man there would have caught my eye once,” Kate smiles while we all stare, “I would have walked over there, and had a little holiday fling.”

“He still has my eyes,” Mel smiles behind her drink.

“But now I look at him and think about how bad a father he would be!  He would be out partying every night while I spent many sleepless hours breastfeeding.  I wouldn’t go near him now.”

“I’m the same,” I add.

“And the man you met this morning?  What was he?”

I ponder the thought for a while before answering,

“The perfect combination,” I smile.

Chapter 7

After a day lounging by the pool and sipping on cocktails, we walk along the quiet main road of the island, taking in all the sights, smells and sounds of this tropical paradise. 

Five minutes down the road, we walk past the staff quarters, the local’s huts and the local’s bar.  I read in the welcome magazine of the resort that there is a small population of island residents that don’t work on the resort but they keep mainly to themselves. 

The local’s bar is an open island hut, with no walls.  It only has a straw roof and stools sitting around the outside of the bar. 

And sitting on one of the stools is the strong figure of the man I met earlier today.

My mouth drops wide open. 

He steals my breath, and my hearts skips a beat.

The girls clearly see the change in my expression.

“Is that Clarke?” Kate whispers over my shoulder.

I don’t respond.

“I would be impressed too,” Mel smiles.

“Go and talk to him,” Kate states. 

How can I talk to him? 

I can hardly even breathe just looking at him.

“Take a deep breath, and relax,” Kate reassures me, “You are a beautiful, confident, funny and sexy woman.  You can talk to him.”

“Don’t worry about stuffing it up - you’re on holidays.  What’s the worst that could happen?” Mel laughs.

When I start to think about running away, Clarke turns on his bar stool and looks straight at us.  He catches us staring at him.  Kate and Mel turn away quickly and pretend to look at something else.

Clarke smiles a beautiful smile.

Damn.

I can’t run away now.

“You’re beautiful,” Kate whispers.

“And funny,” Mel adds over the other shoulder, “Meet you back at the hotel room in the morning.”

I take a long slow deep breath and begin walking towards the man sitting at the bar.  Clarke watches me the whole way - he does not take his eyes off me once as I walk towards him.

His staring makes me feel uncomfortable, and even something as normal as walking feels strange.  I think about how my body moves as I walk and I try to be seductive. 

But it just feels awkward.

“Hi,” Clarke smiles.

He has such white teeth for an island man.

“Um… hi,” I nervously reply.

“You look great today,” he adds, “Please, sit down.”

His large hand points to the high bar stool next to him.  I always have trouble climbing up really tall bar stools and my heart beats at the walls of my chest as I approach. 

I really don’t want to fall off in front of Clarke.

I lean backwards and awkwardly raise myself up onto the chair.

Good.

Embarrassment has been averted.

“Spent some time by the pool today?” Clarke asks.

“How can you tell?”

“I can’t.  But I can only imagine that is what a beautiful young woman would do on holidays.”

Oh, he is so charming.

“I did spend some time by the pool today.  I read a book and drunk a cocktail.  It was perfect,” I lie.

What I actually did today was: tried to read a book, dreamt about Clarke’s body and drank three cocktails.

“I imagine that it was perfect.”

“And what did you do today Clarke?”

“I went fishing this morning, and surfing at lunchtime.”

“Sounds like a tough life.”

“It’s not.  It’s an amazing life.  It is a collection of beautiful moments day after day.”

This man has stolen my heart. 

Clarke is what I always dreamt an island man would be like.

“What would you like to drink?” the bartender interrupts my fascination with Clarke’s natural beauty.

“I would like…”

“A Top-Tom,” Clarke chooses for me.

“A what?” I question.

“A Top-Tom.  It is a tropical cocktail that we invented on this island.  You’ll love it.”

The bartender leaves with a smile on his face, and begins to shake many bottles and cuts numerous fruits.

After much action, the bartender hands across a beautiful golden cocktail.  I take one sip and I instantly love it.  It is an explosion of spectacular tastes.

Clarke gives me a wink as I drink through the straw.

“How long have you been on this island?” I ask.

“Long enough to know it is home.”

“You wouldn’t go back to America?”

“America will always have my heart, but I could not imagine living in a place more perfect than this island.  But it is missing one thing.”

“What’s that?”

He stares at me for a few moments and then smiles to himself.  His blue eyes stare out to the horizon and then he comes back to reality and begins to move.

“Come, I want to show you something,” Clarke says to me, and reaches his large hand across to hold mine.

He guides me off my chair and we begin to walk away from the bar.

“What about my cocktail?” I ask as he leads me away.

“Don’t worry about that.  We can get another one when we get back.  We don’t have much time to get where we need to be.”

“And where is that?”

Clarke doesn’t answer and instead runs up the nearby hill, ducking and weaving through the island plants.

We walk up to the top of the hill and look out to the horizon.

“Here,” Clarke sits on a patch of grass and looks out to the distance, where the sun is starting to set over the vast stretch of water.

I am breathless.

It is a moment of pure beauty.

I sit quietly next to Clarke and we don’t speak another word as the sunset plays out in front of us. 

The sky is a canvas of beautiful colors, reflected in the perfect blue water below.  The sun is slow moving as it touches the horizon and slowly sinks behind it.

This is too perfect.

“What a moment,” Clarke whispers under his breath.

I look at him watching the sunset.

He is too good for me.

Too perfect.

I can’t live up to the wants of a man like him.  He has everything he needs, and could have any woman he wants, and I could never be good enough for him.

“It is nice to share this with someone,” Clarke states, still staring at the dusk.

“It’s beautiful,” I’m not sure if I’m talking about him or the sunset, “Do you come up here often?”

“Yes, I do.  It reminds me of all the beauty in the world and how much we miss when we’re in the city.  This happens every day and yet, most people in America don’t get the time to appreciate it.  They’re all too busy trying to earn money, so that they can buy the latest products.  But money can’t buy what we just saw.  It is priceless.”

Clarke’s hand reaches across and touches mine, resting on the ground.

His eyes look to mine and he stares into me.

My heart pounds.

He is too perfect for me.

My mind races.

His touch feels so warm and inviting.

But I couldn’t possibly be what he wants me to be.

I’m not pretty enough for him.

In a moment of panic, I turn and run away from the moment.  My fast moving legs take me down to the village, and back to the resort.

I run away from the island beauty as fast as I can.

He is much too perfect for a girl like me.