“Yes, and we’ve planned to bring our own kids to some, but they’re just now getting to an age where I think they’d finally start to enjoy them.”
“Oh, you have kids? How old?” Malik asked.
“We do, two daughters. Britta is six and Elena is four.”
“So precious,” Malik said, nodding. “I have a sixteen-year-old, Oliana.”
“That’s beautiful…” I told him, trailing off as our hut came into view. Andy and Emily were just ahead of us, saying goodbye to their steward from the doorway of the third hut as Malik stopped at the second.
The huts were gorgeous, walls consisting of large windows, with a structure of mostly bamboo and a ceiling covered in straw. The fronts were set up on stilts so they were just a few feet off the sand. Like the brochure promised, they sat just a few yards away from the ocean, and several feet from each other. There were four in total, and I could see another group of them off in the distance, past a thick set of palm trees.
“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
