“This is yours,” he said, gesturing to the open door of the second hut. We climbed the steps to the front porch and stepped inside the open sliding glass door. There was a bed in the center of the room, white canopy sheets draped down over it. To the left, was a set of stairs, which led to a second floor. On the right, was a built-in, cushioned area for seating. Another seat sat across from it. The walls directly across from the bed were solid glass, giving a perfect view of the ocean, though there were curtains tied back that could be closed for privacy.
“Second floor,” Malik said, pointing up, “is your private bathroom and shower. No windows up there.”
“This is beautiful,” I said in awe, and I truly meant it. Everywhere I looked, there were new intricate details to appreciate. The place must’ve been just less than five hundred square feet of space, but they’d utilized every square inch of it. It felt luxurious.
“I’ll leave you now, and let you get settled. I’ve placed a bucket of ice and a bottle of wine on your counter.” He pointed to the small bit of counter space next to the bed. “Is there anything else I can get you right now?”
“No, I don’t think so,” I said.
“There’s a button here,” he said, pointing to a red button near the door. “If you need me, you press it. I’ll get paged and be here within minutes.”
“Thank you so much, Malik,” Brad said, reaching out a hand to shake his.
Malik shook his hand kindly then bowed to me. “I will make sure you enjoy your stay. See you at dinner.”
As he backed away, I wondered if there was something more than genuineness in his voice. I pulled out my phone, walking toward the bed to sit down and call my parents.
“Any updates?” Brad asked, doing the same.
I shook my head, staring at the blank screen. “No… That’s strange.”
“What is it?” he asked, leaning over to get a look at my screen.
I put the phone to my ear, hoping my suspicions were wrong, but when the call disconnected instantly, I put a hand to my lips, the feeling of worry back with a vengeance. “Brad, our cell phones don’t work here.”
Chapter Seven
Nick
When our steward, Nani, left us alone, Megan approached me, her arms sliding around my waist as she leaned up, pressing her lips to mine. I kissed her back, distracted by the breeze from the open sliding glass door. Through our windows, I could faintly see into Laura and Brad’s next door.
“What are you looking at?” Megan asked, resting her head on my shoulder.
“Checking to make sure they didn’t get a better setup than we did,” I teased, looking away quickly.
“This place is gorgeous,” she said, inhaling deeply. “You can smell the salty air from here, Nicky. I can’t wait to dip my toes in the water… I’ve never seen anything so blue.”
Sometimes she was so irritatingly perfect, it was as if everything she said came straight from an advertisement. “It’s great.”
“Aren’t you glad we came?”
I wrapped an arm around her stiffly. “So glad. Have you checked on Winston?”
“Not recently.” She pulled away from me, walking to the bed and sitting down on the edge, digging through her bag. “Melanie texted me just before we boarded the plane and said she’d just taken him for his walk. He’s doing well under the circumstances… I’ve never been away from him for more than a day.” She poked out her bottom lip, though I hardly noticed as my eyes traveled back to the window, where Laura and Brad appeared to be arguing about something. She looked tense. What’s wrong?
“Nick?”
I jolted to look at Megan, my eyes wide and breathing labored as if I’d been caught red-handed doing something atrocious. “Yeah?” I asked, turning my back to the window and taking in her worried expression.
“Everything alright?”
“Yep,” I said, taking a seat next to her. “How’s Winston?” Had she already told me? I couldn’t remember.
She didn’t look at the bag she was still digging in, keeping her eyes on me. “What were you looking at?” Her usually warm expression cooled.
“What?” I feigned ignorance. “I was just looking around. Outside. We’re in paradise, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
She sighed. Not angry, just disappointed. I knew what she was thinking, but she wouldn’t say it. She wouldn’t accuse me of lying because that wasn’t the relationship we had. We’d built a foundation of honesty. Of trust. “Are you sure everything’s okay?” she whispered, resting a hand on my arm.
I leaned in, pressing my forehead to hers. There wasn’t a day that went by that I wasn’t grateful for the patient and understanding woman I’d been given. If only I could stop pining for the one I could never have.
“I wasn’t watching her,” I swore, heading off her thoughts. I closed my eyes for fear she’d see the lie in them. “I was watching a boat that drove past.”
Her expression remained stiff and unyielding. “Across the sand and straight through Laura’s hut?”
“Across the water.” I lowered my lips to hers, letting the kiss linger. “It’s you I love. It’s you I’m going to marry. You know that, don’t you?”
Her lips grew thin with a grim expression as she gave a stilted nod. “I love you, too.”
“I’ve actually been thinking.” I lifted my hand to hers, sliding my palm under her fingers. “What do you think about me asking Laura to work three days a week and then I could work the opposite three?”
Her eyes lit up. “Could you do that?”
“Of course I can.”
“Nick, I don’t want you to do that for me. I trust you, you know that.”
“I do,” I confirmed, rubbing my nose against hers. “But I don’t want you to have to worry. Laura is my best friend, but you are going to be my wife.” She was unable to conceal her smile then. “And I’m going to ask Andy to be my best man, I think.”
She raised a brow. “You are?”
“I’ve been thinking about it, and…I can’t not invite Laura—”
“I’d never ask you to do that—”
I put up a hand to interrupt her. “I know. Because you’re perfect.” I kissed her again, unable to stop. “You’re perfect, and you deserve for that day to be everything you have dreamed, so I understand why given my feelings in the past you wouldn’t feel comfortable with her being in the wedding. Plus, Andy will throw me a killer bachelor party.” I winked.
She groaned, slapping my chest playfully. “Are you sure about all of this? I promised you that I wouldn’t cause issues with you and Laura. I love her. I love you. I don’t want you to lose your best friend.”
I squeezed her thigh. “You’re my best friend now. It’s time I started proving it.” She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, looking up at me with hopeful eyes.
“I love you, Nick London.”
“I love you, too, Megan Graham. More than you know.” I kissed her nose, then her lips, ending the conversation.