Flying with Ellie had been the most fun Alex hadeverhad travelling. She made everyone laugh around her, filling the plane with cheerful holiday vibes that would make even the most hardened traveller crack a smile.
Every aspect of his luxury lifestyle had filled her with wonder, from the VIP lounge and quick security passes – to the fact that they turned left when they got on the plane and she discovered a whole new world of private cubicles and spacious seats.
‘We’ve got a cubicle each. Oh my God! Look, that guy’s flattening it out, it turns into a bed!’ She was practically vibrating out of her skin as they were shown to their seats.
Alex grinned at her over his partition. ‘I’m glad you like it.’ Now he felt bad that he’d not accepted his mother’s offer of the private jet for the entire journey. Ellie would have probably fainted.
‘Like it? I love it,’ she said with a teasing wink, followed by a gasp. ‘They’ve given us a blanket and a load of knick-knacks too.’ She began to tear through the amenity kit, pulling out each item with increasing excitement. ‘Oh man, I know I should sleep. But look at all this stuff!’ She gestured to the bag and the entertainment screen like it was the eighth wonder of the world.
Shaking his head, he said decisively, ‘I’m choosing sleep.’
‘I’ll do a bit of both,’ she said after a moment of thought. ‘Quick, show me how to recline this thing, I want to veg out.’
Alex moved to help her, but the flight attendant arrived first, and efficiently flattened down her seat. After she’d gone, he leaned into her booth and asked in an admittedly terrible French accent, ‘Champagne, mademoiselle?’
‘Yes, please.’ Ellie’s brown eyes sparkled. ‘I amofficiallyliving my best life!’
They arrived in sunny Nassau at two in the afternoon local time. As Alex had promised, the connecting flight to Exuma was short, and made more palatable by the fact that it was in his mother’s private jet. Ready and waiting to go within minutes of their arrival, that, combined with the private cars to and from the airports, had been almost too much for Ellie to bear.
When they arrived at Exuma’s harbour and boarded his parents’ boat, she side-eyed him. ‘Seriously? I thought you meant we were catching a ferry, not a freaking private yacht.’
‘It’s only fifty feet, so not a big one.’
‘Ah yeah, it’s pretty much a dinghy.’ Ellie stifled a yawn, and he imagined all the champagne and lack of sleep was beginning to catch up with her.
‘Come on, let’s get you a drink and set you up with a nice view.’
Moments later they were settled on one of the padded benches, each with a bottle of chilled water in hand, as they whipped through the glorious ocean spray. Ellie immediately perked up, especially when the captain stopped the boat so they could watch a school of stingrays sail majestically by. She said she would have gladly spent all day watching them, but then Alex had pointed out a shark and she’d been quick to suggest they ‘crack on’.
‘Everything’s so much brighter here,’ she said with a sigh of pleasure, lifting her face to the sun and allowing the breeze to run through her hair. ‘I’m sure thirty years of London pollution has just been swept out of my lungs. I always thought I was a city girl at heart, but this really is paradise.’
He couldn’t agree more; the colours were sharp and vivid in the Caribbean, the sand whiter, the aqua blue of the ocean somehow more radiant than any other place on earth and the salty breeze a gentle kiss in the shimmering heat of the day. Awe-inspiring wildlife and natural beauty combined in perfect harmony.
Experiencing the Bahamas through Ellie’s eyes was inspiring, giving him a new and greater appreciation of its exceptional beauty.
Luminous green palm trees swayed on beaches of islands dotted with luxurious homes. Beaches with shallow crystal-clear waters stretched into the never-ending horizon.
She was right, they really were in paradise, but he wouldn’t have been grateful for any of it without Ellie by his side.
‘I think this must be the most beautiful place on earth,’ she said reverently, turning to face him.
‘It’s pretty spectacular, isn’t it,’ he said softly, thinking how beautiful her olive skin looked in the afternoon sun. She had changed in the small bedroom of the jet from her sweatpants and t-shirt to a white linen dress she’d kept rolled up in her hand luggage. The wind pressed the material against her body and his appreciation of the scenery moved from the landscape to the sweeping curves of Ellie’s body. He would never tire of looking at her.
They anchored at the quay of his parents’ sprawling holiday home. The yellow mansion was just visible through the tropical gardens, white imposing pillars stood on either side of the large front doors and a white wooden veranda flowed around every side of the house. The beach, landscaped gardens and shiny moorings only added to the opulent luxury.
‘Christ! From a distance I thought it was another one of those hotels we’ve passed.’ She paused, as if realising something for the first time. ‘Is this… their private island?’
Uncomfortable, he nodded, unsure of what to say.
‘Damn, your family are riiiiiiiccchhhh,’ she drawled, and he couldn’t help the blush that crept up his neck.
‘My parents both had a successful thirty-year career in films. They’re…’ He paused, searching for the right phrase, and then shrugged with defeat. ‘Veryrich. But I’m not. I just enjoy the perks occasionally.’
Ellie reached over and touched his arm. ‘Hun, I hate to break it to you. But you’re all very rich. And that’s okay, I’m honestly not judging you.’
‘None of these places ever feel like home,’ he confessed. ‘Not like yours. There’s no love or history. They’re empty shells that my parents hop between like hermit crabs. I don’t remember half of them, and when my parents are bored they’ll just discard it and move on. This is their third house here.’
A flash of understanding crossed her face. ‘Is that why you were looking for a house with a bit of history behind it?’
