Page 55 of One Week in Paradise
‘Right,’ I say. The rejection chokes in my throat. ‘Let’s go.’
Penelope leads our group out to the back of The Blue Mahoe, where the doors open out to the beach. We turn a corner and see a secluded area with four small gazebos, each a short distance away from the nearest one, providing an air of privacy. The gazebos are covered with soft, billowing white curtains with a floral pattern across them. Beneath each gazebo is a small table and two comfortable-looking chairs. There’s a candle on each table, illuminating the scene.
‘Please, have a seat!’ Penelope says to us all with a wide grin. ‘Dinner will be served shortly.’
Cash wordlessly holds out his hand to help me navigate the sand in my heels. Things may be awkward between us currently, but he’s still a gentleman. I grip his forearm to steady myself as we walk towards our gazebo.
Irritatingly, Lacey and Danny are seated in the gazebo closest to ours. I’ve managed to avoid her for the most part ever since that day by the pool, but she catches my eye as we all hobble across the sand.
‘Careful, Bea,’ she calls with a sneer. ‘The sand is really uneven. You don’t want Bailey to trip and steal your man.’
Anger crashes down on me like waves against the shore. I choke down the venom-laced words I desperately want to hurl back at her and force myself to keep looking forward. I don’t even glance back to see how the others have reacted. I won’t give her the attention she wants.
‘What is her problem?’ Cash murmurs. It’s the first thinghe’s said directly to me since we left the suite. His grip on my hand tightens slightly. It’s a small comfort.
‘Ignore her,’ I say. ‘Just ignore her.’
Cash makes an irritated sound but doesn’t say anything else. He leads me to our gazebo and pulls my chair out. I drop it into it and realise, with a twinge of annoyance, that I can see Lacey perfectly from here.
She raises a perfectly plucked brow at me, then turns to Danny and says, ‘I just don’t think I’d ever be able to trust a cheater.’ She’s acting like she’s only talking to him, and they’re resuming a conversation they’ve already begun, but her voice is loud enough to carry over the waves and reach the others in their gazebos.
She’s goading me, and Cash can tell too.
‘Can youstop?’ Cash says sharply, raising his voice, so there’s no mistaking who he’s talking to.
Danny shifts in his seat and fixes Cash with a stern look. ‘You watch how you talk to my lady.’
‘It’sfine,’ I say through gritted teeth. ‘Don’t worry about it.’
Cash shoots both Lacey and Danny a withering glare before he turns his attention back to me. ‘It’s clearly not fine.’
I’m saved from having to respond as a waiter approaches to pour wine into our glasses and recite tonight’s menu.
‘Chef Pépin has three phenomenal mains on offer tonight.Traditional Jamaican curry goat; rum glazed pork tenderloin; or lobster sautéed in coconut milk.’
They all sound delicious, but there’s a knot of anxiety forming in my stomach that’s rapidly erasing any appetite I may have had. I opt for lobster, and Cash goes for the curry goat. The waiter gives us a polite nod and then disappears back into the restaurant to fulfil our order.
Once he’s gone, the silence between us seems to stretch on for an eternity. It doesn’t help that all around us, I can hear Bea and Marcus giggling softly or that I can see Meera and Sara staring lovingly into each other’s eyes. Even Lacey and Danny look happy, a picture of perfection as Lacey snaps photos and videos of the waves crashing onto the beach.
When the waiter comes back with our dishes, we’ve still not said a word.
My heart hurts as I watch him slice into his meal, deliberately avoiding making any eye contact with me.
‘How is it?’ I ask quietly. My voice is wobbly, and I realise I’m on the verge of tears.
‘It’s great,’ he mumbles, still not looking up from his plate. ‘And yours?’
‘Cash.’
There must be something in my voice because, this time, he looks up. His eyes are dark and haunted.
‘Talk to me,’ I plead. ‘I don’t want to… I don’t want to lose you. Not like this.’
‘I’m not going anywhere.’
‘You know what I mean.’
Lacey’s high-pitched laughter trills over to us, and I feel myself stiffen at the sound.
