Page 20 of Stuck in Paradise with You

Joe nods, as if he already knew the answer to the question. Then he stands on two feet again, reaches one arm up, plants his opposite hand on his hip, and starts tipping like a teapot, over and over, stretching his side.

‘Luke tells me you took advantage of the beach this morning.’

‘He did? Did he tell you he took advantage of the view, too?’ I silently growl at Luke,That’s right, I know you were checking me out and you have no right speaking about me like you have anything to do with me, not in the slightest, not remotely, not at all.

If I’m not mistaken, the skin of Luke’s neck is deliciously taut and unusually flushed.

‘There’s nothing sweeter in life than an early morning sea swim in the Caribbean ocean,’ Joe continues as if I hadn’t responded to his question. ‘The loves of my life aside, of course.’ He starts jogging on the spot, knees high, and tells me breathlessly, ‘It’s relationships that make life. I feel qualified to say that.’ He stills. ‘When you’ve tasted the level of success and income I’ve had over the years, you learn that those things are nice, but connections to other humans, animals and life, that’s why we’re put on this planet.’

‘Aren’t you trying to put together a space program and move to Mars?’ Luke asks. Despite myself, the question tickles me.

Give him his due, Joe’s amused too. ‘To make more connections, matey. Come on. Those were some heartfelt words I just spouted, let me have them.’

Some odd kind of exchange is happening between the men, but like Ella said last night and Luke just reminded me, men are from Mars, so…

I set my papers down on the large, shiny white oval desk and take my laptop out of its carrier, where Henry kindly left it on the table.

I’m busying myself with setting up, taking my fancy pen from my designer laptop case – both of which are things Callum bought me as special-occasion gifts. But I don’t miss Luke rising from his seat and muttering, through gritted teeth, what sounds like, ‘Is this your idea of playing it cool?’

In response – I see in my peripheral vision – Joe pats Luke on the arm and says, ‘You’ll thank me one day, friend.’

Then Luke moves to one end of the room and, casting my eyes in his direction, I see he’s pouring coffees from a French press –yes, please!– while Joe hops (literally) to the exit.

‘I trust you two will do good business, so I’ll leave you to it.’ Then he pulls the door closed behind him. Poking his head back through the narrow gap at the last moment, he adds, ‘Don’t kill each other.’

I gawp at the shut door. ‘You told him?’ I snap at Luke when I’m sure Joe is out of earshot.

He shrugs, breezy. All kinds of stupid effing breezy.

‘He’s my client, Luke, not a fucking therapist.’

He scoffs and I’d love to know what undertone he has now, but I’m too pissed to ask. ‘Relax, almost-partner,’ he says, sitting and sliding one of the coffees along to the seat perpendicularto his. ‘I’m your client now and you’ve screwed me before, numerous times.’

Screwed?That word makes my stomach twist. Of course we were justscrewingto him. That’s why it was so easy for him to walk away.

He drags his fingers through his thick hair, which is already mussed up, as if he let it dry naturally after his dip in the ocean earlier.

‘Joe’s one of my oldest friends, Carrie. It’s not like I’ve been making water-cooler gossip. He already knew about us.’

‘There is nous,’ I correct him, coming to sit in front of the coffee and adjusting my laptop position.

He sighs, maybe feeling an ounce of the exasperation I am. ‘Fine. Our past, then. And, come on, didn’t you tell anyone when we were together?’

‘No!’

His vexation seems to be fleetingly – like, blink and you’d miss it – replaced by something else.Hurt? Surprise?But it’s gone before I can decide. Maybe I imagined it.

‘I told my mom,’ I say, feeling a teensy amount bad about shouting.

‘Your mom? Of all people, you told your mom?’

Yes, because I thought one day, you might at least meet her.

His shock speaks volumes.

‘I did. And I should have listened to her because she told me not to get involved between a man and his wife.’

‘We were separated,’ he bites.

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