‘The guy fired Gus, Harper. Old man Gus who has been on this island as long as his own mother has. A man who helped raise him after his dad died. What kind of person could do such a thing?’
‘But why did he fire him?’
‘Over money! It’s always about money with Xavier. That’s all it ever comes down to.’
He scrubs his face as if the conversation has taken it out of him. That coupled with the intense heat has taken it out of me. The confession stops me in my tracks. He fired the guy who helped raised him since he was a boy? From Gus’s own words in the letter he left for me in the notebook I know he did something wrong – he spoke of his transgressions – but how bad could they be to have resulted in Xavier firing a father figure who has been on the island with his mum since the seventies?
What if Michel is right and Xavier isn’t who I think he is? Wouldn’t it be just my luck to have been fooled again by a guy with mad charisma? That aside, there’s a lot to worry about for the locals and expats.
Michel flips that switch in the way he so often does. His cheeky smile soon returns. ‘So, where are we having dinner, here or mine?’
‘You wish.’
‘I do wish.’
I laugh. ‘You’re welcome to join me and the gang for dinner in the staff kitchen?—’
‘But that’s not a date.’
‘No, it isn’t!’
‘You’ve broken my heart.’ He makes a show of clutching his chest.
‘Liar.’ Michel loves a performance. I’m sure Joji learned all his tricks from growing up with him. ‘Why don’t you tell Mariola how you feel? Why hide behind this persona?’
He blanches. ‘What?’ It’s good to get the upper hand over Michel.
‘It’s blatantly obvious.’
‘It is,’ Lucy says.
‘You trail after Mariola like a lost puppy,’ Lucia says with a laugh.
Michel’s complexion reddens. ‘I – I do not!’
‘Yes, you do!’
For the first time ever, he’s lost for words. ‘Mariola is too good for me.’
‘Yeah,’ I agree. ‘But something tells me she’s got a soft spot for you too – why, who knows.’ I’ve caught her double takes when he’s in the vicinity. Her averted gaze when he glances her way.
‘Really?’
‘Really. Maybe you could offer her some driving lessons? She’s one step away from mowing down a guest. My heart is in my throat every time she hoots along in the golf cart.’
‘Yes,’ Lucy Lou says. ‘We’ve put Brian in her path so many times but she just misses him.’
‘You… what?’ I ask.
‘Nothing, nothing.’
The smiley-faced pilot has given me a lot to think about. Does Xavier plan on selling the Last Chance Resort down the track? He has every right to, but it would be a shock to his mum, the expats and staff. There’s no question things would change around here; it’s likely the expats wouldn’t be offered the same affordable price they are now. What would become of them? They’re on limited incomes and would have to move on. But where to? The resort would lose its soul without them and their sketchy behaviour.
40
That night I fall into bed, phone in hand, my mind spinning in so many directions. Could Xavier really demolish so much rainforest for his own financial gain? People do that sort of thing all the time, right? And why do I care so much? But that’s the thing; the resort with its petri dish environment is its own little ecosystem and I’ve come to feel protective of the people here, and by extension the island too. But is it my place to stomp my feet and tell him not to do it? No. Just like it wasn’t my place to get involved with Tia Amboro, and look how that backfired.
It brings into stark contrast my own issues. This role might be tenuous at best, so perhaps the smart choice would be to consider my eventual return to London. Why does the idea feel so foreign?
