“Welcome back to Coral Island,” she called, striding to meet the three of them.
She embraced them one at a time, kissing cheeks and remarking over how thin Harry was or how tanned Dani had become. Her beautiful daughter had dyed her naturally blonde hair a brownish colour, but she bit her tongue to keep from remarking on it. She still looked stunning. There was no getting around how pretty her face was, but it was a shame she’d changed her hair. Bea had always loved its golden shine. It reminded her of the three-year-old who’d laughed at life and spent hours swinging in the park with Bea patiently pushing until her legs almost went up over her head. Still, she’d shouted,higher!
“You look good, Mum,” Dani said as she lifted her luggage into the boot of the car. “It’s only been three months since I’ve seen you, but you seem rested.”
“You all look fantastic,” Bea replied. “Now, let’s get going. I’ve got some cakes for you to try. I don’t have a bakery anymore, so I’m always cooking something, and Aidan says if I don’t stop, I’m going to make him fat, so the three of you will need to bring your appetites with you.”
Aidan was waiting to make coffee when they arrived at the house. Both dogs bounded around in excitement until Bea finally gave them each a treat to chew and shooed them away. They all sat out on the deck and ate scones with jam and cream, banana cake, chocolate mud cake with caramel ganache, and freshly sliced fruit arranged on a white platter with a big blue dolphin painted along one side.
“Phew. It’s good to be back on the island,” Dani said with a loud sigh. “I’ve missed this place, although I’m still getting used to you not living in the cottage.”
“I know. It’s so strange that there’s a renter living there,” Harry added, his brow furrowed. “I hope they’re taking care of it.”
“She’s taking very good care of it, and her name is Chaz. She’s a friend of mine. I trust her completely.”
“Isn’t she the one whose brother burned down your café?” Dani asked around a mouthful of scone.
Damien looked alarmed. “What?”
“Allegedly,” Bea corrected her. “We don’t know that for sure. And it’s not her fault she has a sociopathic brother. We all have our burdens to bear.” She did her best not to look at Damien, instead focusing her attention on slicing a small piece of mud cake to slide onto her plate.
“Well, I don’t know if you should have a friend like that,” Dani continued. “She sounds dangerous, Mum. And I worry about you. We both do.”
“You and Harry?” Bea asked.
“Me and Damien,” Dani replied with a huff. “You’re doing all sorts of strange things lately. Making friends with people related to murderers and arsonists. Damien says that for a small island, there are certainly a lot of felons living here, and I’d have to agree. What’s going on?”
Bea and Aidan exchanged a glance. He arched an eyebrow as if to remind her to be nice. Why did he think she needed a reminder? She was always nice. Manners were one of the things she’d never struggled with. As long as she’d been an adult, she’d always managed to act perfectly respectable in public, even if she seethed beneath the surface.
She raised her chin and turned back to the task of eating her cake. The chocolate was deliciously rich, not too sweet, and the cake was moist and heavy. Exactly how she liked her mud cake. She could think about cake instead of her daughter’s words and the boyfriend who was putting ideas in her head. He never seemed to speak the words himself, instead using Dani as a mouthpiece.
“It sounds like you’ve blown things a little out of proportion,” Aidan replied. “Coral Island is completely safe. Nothing terrible happens here… at least not most of the time. Accidents are part of life, and according to the police, the fire is likely to have been an accident. They’ve completed their investigation, but still haven’t managed to interview Sean. When they do, they’ll no doubt find he wasn’t involved, but even if he was, at least he’s no longer on the island. The police will figure it out and make sure justice is served, however that looks.”
Bea nodded. “Now, who would like more cake?”
Five
The following Saturday,Charmaine found herself seated on a small yacht near Point Prospect, wearing a one-piece red bathing suit, a cotton cover-up, a large floppy straw hat, and oversized sunglasses. She lounged back on the deck and adjusted the pillow beneath her head.
“You’re spoiling me,” she said lazily.
Bradford laughed, handing her a champagne flute. “You deserve it.”
“But I didn’t do anything.”
“Yes, you did. You’re always so good to me, I thought it was about time I returned the favour. Besides, you work so hard every day between the florist’s, wedding planning, and now the reunion, I thought it would be a good idea to give you a break.”
Charmaine sat up straight so she could sip her champagne. “Mmmm… Thank you. It does feel good to relax. I’ve been spending every spare moment I have on weddings and party planning. There was a gap in the market when I decided to take on Penny and Rowan’s wedding, and now word is spreading across the island that I’m affordable.”
“And very good at your job. Maybe you should raise your rates.”
Her cheeks flushed with warmth. “Thank you. And I’m sure you’re right. If I charged more, I could do fewer parties and spend more time with you.”
“I approve the plan wholeheartedly,” Bradford replied with a grin.
Bradford wore a white shirt, unbuttoned, and a pair of blue board shorts. His hair was mussed and shoved beneath a peaked cap. He was tanned and fit, and he stepped around the boat on bare feet, adjusting ropes and pulling on this and that. Charmaine didn’t know any of the technical terms, but she imagined they were jibs and sails or something equally impressive-sounding. She watched him in silence, sipping her champagne.
Behind Bradford stretched the sparkling azure waters of the Pacific Ocean. Sunlight danced on the water’s surface, the shallow waves seeming to wink as they shifted this way and that. Point Prospect loomed in the distance, dark rocks crowding around the bottom of it and climbing up to a grassy knoll fenced off with a lookout on top. A family moved about the grassed area, children climbing onto park benches and standing on tiptoe to peer through sturdy lookout binoculars.
