The Love Resort Read online

  ‘I think I’ve just committed a deadly sin,’ Carla announced as she sat back in her chair.

  ‘What?’

  ‘Gluttony. I’ve stuffed myself silly.’

  ‘Well, in that case we need to repent. I know we’re on holiday but how about we go to the gym?’ Lee was big on exercise, but Carla was still aching from windsurfing the previous day.

  ‘Um, lying in the sun, or going to the gym. What about swimming? I’ll do lengths.’

  ‘I guess that’s OK. Shall we go?’

  ‘Yes, if I can still walk.’

  Carla took his hand as they made their way to the pool. The first pool they passed had a game of volleyball in it, music blaring from a sound system. Carla screwed up her nose, and marched straight past. Lee was staring, open-mouthed.

  ‘What are you staring at?’

  ‘This place, it’s weird.’

  ‘It is a bit, but I read in the information that there’s another pool. Let’s hope it’s a bit more normal than this one.’

  The second pool was smaller and quieter. It was almost abandoned. Lee went to collect some towels and Carla went to select the sun-loungers. She was spoilt for choice. They arranged the towels and covered themselves in sun cream. Lee had peeled his T-shirt off; Carla was in her tiniest bikini.

  ‘Looking good,’ Lee said, raising his eyebrows at her.

  ‘Thanks. Race you.’ Carla dived into the pool with Lee hot on her heels.

  Carla felt as if she’d been in the pool forever, and she was sure that she’d only burnt a fraction of the calories that she’d consumed, but then she wasn’t normally neurotic about her more-than-healthy appetite. She climbed out of the pool and shook herself over Lee.

  ‘Ughh, Carla, you bitch.’

  ‘Sorry, it was an accident.’ She laughed as Lee tried to look angry, and she lay down on the sun-lounger. This was the life.

  Carla put her book down after fanning herself with it. They’d swum, Lee had fallen asleep and Carla had read a quarter of her novel. Now she was hungry.

  ‘What time is it?’ she asked.

  ‘God, it’s four.’

  ‘I’m hungry.’

  ‘We’ve missed lunch.’

  ‘I know, but there’s the beach bar, which serves burgers and things all day.’

  ‘My God, you really did read all the information, didn’t you?’

  ‘Jet lag.’ Carla laughed, and wrapped her sarong around her.

  *

  ‘Well, I think that it’s good to be early,’ Emily said as they lay by the pool after breakfast. ‘Especially as we wasted most of yesterday.’

  ‘You woke me at half past six,’ Jimmy pointed out.

  ‘But that meant that we were able to have breakfast, go to the gift shop and get the pick of the sunbeds.’

  ‘Em, we’re on holiday.’

  ‘I know, but I wanted to send my postcards so they arrive before we get back. I should have thought of it yesterday.’ To illustrate her point, Emily began writing.

  ‘But we haven’t got much to tell them yet.’

  ‘Jimmy, we’ve got enough. It’s sunny, romantic, beautiful. That’s all you put on postcards, anyway.’

  ‘I guess. I just don’t really see the point in them.’

  ‘You wouldn’t. But I know my parents and friends want to hear all about the luxurious holiday we’re enjoying.’ Jimmy shrugged indulgently. She wanted to boast a bit, but so what? The holiday was going to be amazing and if Emily wanted to send postcards, then she should be allowed to. He was learning a lot about his girlfriend this holiday.

  At breakfast she had been wearing her ‘breakfast outfit’. The white terry tracksuit bottoms and skinny pink T-shirt (which Jimmy thought was more a gym outfit, but what did he know?) was apparently the best attire for breakfast as her day outfit (tiny sexy bikini and sarong) wasn’t suitable.

  ‘Em, how many outfits a day do you actually need?’ Jimmy had tried not to sound like he was teasing.

  ‘Well, there’s the breakfast, the day, which is really for the pool, but if we were going to go out I’d have to change. I’m not sure if I need to change for lunch, and of course for the evening I’d change.’

  Jimmy reached over and kissed her. She was so damn adorable with her outfits for every occasion. It amused him and touched his heart equally.

  ‘This is so lovely,’ Emily said a few minutes later, putting down her pen, ‘although it seems we’re the only ones here from the competition.’

  ‘They’re probably still in bed.’

  ‘Oh, well. Never mind.’

  ‘Jimmy, have you got your sunscreen on?’ Emily asked.

  ‘I actually applied it after breakfast. It said to do it an hour before going in the sun.’

  ‘I know, I did buy it. Anyway, if you feel you’re going to burn, make sure you tell me.’

  Jimmy pulled his baseball cap down over his forehead. It was hotter than he’d ever experienced. He thought about removing his T-shirt but he felt a bit self-conscious, although all the other men were bare-chested.

  ‘Take your T-shirt off,’ Emily ordered, as if reading his mind.

  He opened his mouth to argue, but instead did as he was told. He picked up his thriller and started reading. Jimmy didn’t read much—hardly ever—but he decided he should on holiday. He didn’t seem to be able to concentrate on the words, though; were there too many distractions: Emily, looking so incredibly sexy in her green bikini, with a bandana tied around her curls; the noise coming from the pool, where a large group of people were talking loudly, probably to make themselves heard over the music blaring out of the sound system. Jimmy went back to concentrating on his gorgeous girlfriend.

  *

  Thea woke with a start. Then she realised that the reason she was awake was because Tim was singing. She opened her eyes and looked around. He was in the shower, which she had to admit was a good sign. She looked at her watch; it was half past twelve. They’d missed breakfast again.

  ‘Tim?’ She pushed open the bathroom door and went to the sink.

  ‘Hi, Thea, I’m just finishing, but if you want to join me...?’

  ‘No, thanks. I’ll wait.’ She couldn’t figure out why she felt grouchy.

  When Thea emerged, clean and feeling much better, Tim was dressed. He was wearing a bright red Hawaiian shirt and a pair of navy shorts; full of holiday spirit.

  ‘Lunch?’

  ‘I’m starving. I suggest we run for it.’ Thea frantically threw on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. Tim laughed, took hold of her hand and dragged her out of the room. They made it to the restaurant, which was fairly empty. Thea sat at a table, slightly out of breath, while Tim insisted on fetching lunch for them both from the buffet.

  ‘I want to wait on you. Let me take care of you,’ he beamed, and Thea laughed.

  He was definitely in the holiday spirit. She began to think she’d been right all along. He was miserable at home, struggling for inspiration, and constricted. Here he was already like a different person—well, during the day he was. She tried not to think about how much wine he’d managed to consume the previous night, although he had been well-behaved.

  ‘So, what do you fancy doing for what’s left of today?’ she asked, as they tucked in.

  ‘I don’t know. I read that they organise lots of activities here.’

  ‘Tim, are we really the activities types?’

  ‘Um, good point. Well, you remember the last time we went on holiday together?’

  ‘Yes, we were about eight years old.’

  ‘I know and we went to that place in Wales with the beach and everything.’

  ‘Where are you going with this? It’s not exactly like Wales here.’

  ‘No, but remember how much I loved the beach then? Maybe we can spend the afternoon on the beach.’

  ‘Of course we can, but I still don’t get the connection with Wales.’

  ‘Oh, I’m sure there isn’t any. I just thought about it, that’s all.’ They collecte
d two towels and were able to nab the last two sun-loungers on the beach.

  ‘Race you to the sea,’ Tim said, getting up and running.

  ‘That’s cheating,’ Thea replied, grabbing hold of his shorts and pulling him back. They collapsed in a heap on the sand, giggling like teenagers.

  ‘This is fabulous, Thea,’ Tim said. His face was so close to hers...she stopped. No, she must be imagining it. She stood up, shaking her head. She’d been with Tim since she woke and she was absolutely, one hundred per cent certain that he had not had anything to drink.

  They dove into the waves, which didn’t look big but were fairly strong, and they swam a little way out until Thea got scared and made Tim go back to shore.

  ‘I don’t think there are sharks, Thea,’ Tim said as they collapsed on their beds.

  ‘You don’t know for sure. And also the current can change at any point and we could have been swept away, as far as Australia.’

  ‘You’ve got some imagination. If I was going to be swept away, I’d like to be swept away with you.’

  ‘You say the sweetest things.’

  *

  ‘Hi, guys,’ Lee said, as Emily and Jimmy approached.

  ‘What are you up to?’ Emily asked.

  ‘We just grabbed a burger, and now I can’t move. Sit down.’

  ‘We were just on our way back to the room,’ Jimmy said.

  ‘But not for anything important.’ Emily sat down; Jimmy followed suit.

  ‘Have you had a good day?’ Lee enquired.

  ‘Yes, lovely. We sat by the pool for most of it.’

  ‘We were by the pool. Oh, did you sit by the noisy pool?’ Carla asked.

  ‘I guess, as it was definitely noisy,’ Jimmy replied.

  ‘Is there another pool?’ Emily looked slightly upset.

  ‘Yes, if you go past that pool it’s behind the gym. It’s much quieter.’

  ‘But actually the pool we were at was quite amusing,’ Emily stated defensively.

  ‘Yeah, it looked fun, and our pool doesn’t have a bar. Maybe we’ll hang out there tomorrow, Carla.’

  Carla nodded in agreement. It didn’t matter, they’d had a nice quiet day together. She smiled at Jimmy. He was such a sweetie, although he came across as being a bit serious. Perhaps he was just shy.

  ‘You’ve got a nice colour to you,’ she told him.

  ‘Thanks.’ Jimmy sounded surprised, but he looked at his arms to check.

  ‘I just get more freckles,’ Emily moaned.

  ‘I think they’re really cute,’ Lee said, before Carla shot him a look, and Emily blushed.

  ‘They’re gorgeous,’ Jimmy stated, kissing his girlfriend. Carla shook her head. Lee was a flirt—harmless, but still she didn’t really like it, and Jimmy obviously felt protective of his girlfriend.

  ‘Thank you.’ Emily blushed again.

  ‘Mind you, babes, you’re going golden brown,’ Lee placated Carla and she grinned at him.

  ‘Hey, Tim,’ she shouted, and waved him over.

  ‘Hello. Is this a party?’

  ‘Not really. We bumped into Lee and Carla on the way back to our room,’ Emily explained.

  ‘Thea is having an afternoon nap, she’s really suffering from jet lag. Who fancies a quick beer?’

  They all agreed. They were on holiday, after all.

  *

  ‘This is the life. Perhaps we should buy one.’

  ‘Buy one what?’ Todd looked at Katie, who was almost bursting out of her bikini, which was pink. She always seemed to be wearing pink.

  ‘A yacht.’

  ‘What?’ Todd looked incredulous. Anne-Marie, a woman he’d admired before he’d met her, was actually becoming the second bane of his life. The first being his wife. Anne-Marie had organised for them to have a private cruise; she thought that she was doing him a favour. It was his fault for gushing about her novels. He hoped that neither Anne-Marie nor Lily guessed the real reason for his devotion to her hero. He wasn’t sure that the famous author would be pleased with the news that he imagined himself as the heroine.

  ‘We can afford one.’

  ‘Katie...’ He wasn’t sure if he had the energy to argue with her.

  ‘Look, I know, I know, where would we keep it? But there must be an exclusive island where we could park it.’ Todd decided to remain quiet. If Katie kept on with her fantasy life, and he ignored her, then perhaps she’d eventually get the message. Although he was beginning to think that his wife was one determined woman.

  ‘And don’t you think I’d look really cute in a sailor’s outfit?’

  ‘What?’ Todd spluttered. Did she think that by turning herself into one of the Village People he’d suddenly fall for her?

  ‘I know, it’d be adorable. I could get a little outfit and a hat. I wonder how much yachts cost.’

  ‘Do you think it’s lunchtime yet?’ Todd asked, desperate to change the subject before he ended up the proud owner of a yacht and a sailor wife.

  ‘Oh, darling, let me go and check.’

  Todd had to admit the idea of owning a yacht appealed to him. The lunch table, set up on the upper deck was stunning. As they ate fresh seafood, looking out on the dazzling blue sea, he felt something special. If only he could share it with someone special. He couldn’t help but picture Marcus sitting opposite him. Now, he really would look cute in a sailor’s outfit.

  ‘Todd, Todd, are you listening?’ Katie’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

  ‘Sorry. I was miles away.’

  ‘I was just saying that we could perhaps do this again before the end of our honeymoon. More champagne?’

  Todd nodded, and Katie filled up his glass. He noticed that she’d been drinking fairly quickly. Perhaps that was his fault.

  ‘Yeah, we could do this again. I really love the sea.’ He should try to make more of an effort.

  ‘It’s breathtaking. We can see for miles and miles.’ Katie had a dreamy look in her eye and Todd, once again, felt threatened. After lunch they went to lie on the lower deck.

  ‘This sun is too hot for me. I’m going inside,’ he announced after a few minutes in the punishing afternoon sun. He was worried about premature ageing.

  ‘Fine. I’m staying here, I need to work on my tan.’ She sat up, licked her lips and in one swift movement released her breasts from her bikini top. Todd had never moved so fast in his life.

  He lay on the sofa inside, grateful to the air conditioning. As he was on his own he pulled out the script. He had decided, to be fair to Katie, that he wouldn’t spend so much time on it. But with her sunning herself, he was free to indulge. He pulled out a notebook and started work...

  ‘Mr Cortes, sir.’ Todd looked up to see the yacht’s butler looking down on him.

  ‘Hi.’

  ‘It’s time to get ready for cocktails.’

  ‘Lovely.’ He swung his legs off the sofa. ‘Where’s Katie?’

  ‘Mrs Cortes is still sunbathing. Shall I go and get her?’

  ‘No, I’ll go. Thanks.’

  Todd made his way to where she lay, surprised that three hours had passed just like that. He stopped just short of her. She was lying down, her eyes were closed and she was pink. Almost as pink as her bikini bottoms.

  ‘Katie!’ he shouted.

  She sat up suddenly. ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘Katie, I think you fell asleep. You’re a bit red.’ It was the understatement of the century, like describing himself as a bit gay. Katie looked at herself. Todd looked at her. Her entire front was pink, or red, he wasn’t sure, but her breasts were almost glowing.

  ‘Ahhhhh,’ she screamed, and stood up.

  ‘Here, put this on.’ Todd threw her a towel. Although it covered her body, it left her pink face exposed.

  ‘How could you let this happen to me?’ she shouted, glaring at him.

  Todd was relieved. This was the first time she’d ever shouted at him. It felt like a good thing.

  ‘I fell asleep myself. I assumed yo
u’d have put on enough sunscreen.’ He cringed as he realised his chosen words weren’t going to help.

  ‘I did put on sunscreen, but this fucking water makes the sun hotter, and why didn’t anyone tell me that? Now I look like a fucking lobster and we’ve got a photo shoot to do. And it hurts.’ She started bawling loudly, but Todd couldn’t tell if it was genuine or not.

  ‘OK, here’s what to do. You go and get into a cold bath, which should take the stinging away. I’ll ask the skipper to get us home and we’ll get calamine lotion and you’ll be fine by the morning.’

  ‘You really think so?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘How do you know so much about it?’

  ‘I just do.’

  ‘Fine, but if I peel, I’m going to kill you.’ She stomped off and Todd finally allowed himself a smile.

  His penance for letting her sleep (although he could have argued that it was the amount she drank at lunch, or her own stupidity, he didn’t) was that he had to carry everything to the bungalow whilst ensuring that she wasn’t seen by anyone. It took them a long time, and a lot of hiding in the bushes before they actually got back in.

  ‘I’m calling Mary,’ Katie snapped. Todd tried to look ashamed as he nodded. Katie picked up the phone. ‘Oh, Mary, thank God. Can you get here straight away? It’s an emergency. Bring stuff for sunburn. Oh, please hurry.’

  Todd tried not to laugh. Within seconds, he opened the door to Mary, who was armed.

  ‘Hi, Mary.’

  ‘Where is she? What happened?’ Mary entered the room like a whirlwind, Todd thought, then she spotted Katie and rushed to her.

  ‘Oh, thank goodness,’ Katie said meekly. Todd decided to stand back.

  ‘Oh dear, Miss Katie. This looks bad but I can help. Todd, we need some cold wet towels.’ Mary touched Katie’s skin. ‘Yes, it’s still too hot. Go, go.’

  Todd looked with surprise at Mary issuing orders to him. Only yesterday she was refusing to call him by his first name. However, he did as he was told.

  ‘You can fix this, can’t you? It’s so important that I don’t look red,’ Katie cried as Todd returned with the towels.

  ‘Of course I can. Now first we make the skin cooler. Then we smother it with aloe vera. You need to reapply it every half-hour. I shall stay with you and do it myself.’ Todd was surprised once again that Mary sounded so assertive.