Page 38 of A Taste of Paradise

Before coming here, she’d decided she was going to treasure these little moments with her parents as much as possible and never take them for granted. Mostly because she hadn’t had the chance to spend enough time with them over the last couple of years, and had missed them terribly when separated during the lockdown years.

And also because there was simply no telling how many more they would have left. Which made her even more determined to make this trip special for them all.

Chapter 27

Lily and Shay ducked through the opening of one of the greenhouses in the botanical gardens. At this time of year, the jade vines were in full bloom. Bluish-green in colour, hence the name, the plant’s petals were shaped like praying mantis forelegs, and it only bloomed for a few short days every year which made it particularly special.

The vines were their first stop in their afternoon exploration of the spectacular four-acre property. There was no tour guide or specific order that you were supposed to follow. You simply went where your feet took you.

Lily liked the unsophisticated nature of that, which allowed you to feel free while still confined within the boundaries. There wasn’t even a specified time to leave, the latest arrival time was four-thirty in the afternoon, but when you left was entirely up to you.

Since learning in the meantime that Erin’s planned search of Shay’s room had been unexpectedly waylaid, she was in no hurry.

And not only for that reason.

‘It’s like a mini rainforest in here,’ he commented now, stuffing his hands into the pockets of the grey linen shorts he wore. He toed the earth with his sneakers, his hair falling over his forehead as he inspected the soil. ‘There’s some rich earth here.’

‘What, are you a gardener too?’

‘No,’ he chuckled. ‘I just happen to like fresh produce and growing it yourself is the best way.’

‘So a farmer?’

‘In my spare time,’ he replied, and Lily was surprised. The architecture thing didn’t exactly gel with the farming element. But maybe that was par for the course in Ireland?

‘How do you have the time, though?’ she asked.

He shrugged. ‘Making time is dependent on how important something is to you. If it’s important you’ll make sure to find the time to do it and stick with it. If it’s not, you won’t. It’s that simple.’

‘You’re not wrong there.’

‘Yeah. And it sort of holds true to everything in life,’ he added, and Lily couldn’t help but think he was referring to Sarah and her frequent absences in the run-up to the wedding.

She also idly wondered if such behaviour had extended to more than just their wedding plans. It was one question she wasn’t about to ask.

‘But I knew from the get-go that you were serious about your work,’ Shay continued, as they meandered along a path dotted with the names of the flora that lined it.

Lily didn’t care about the names of the plants that much, it was being surrounded by so much beauty that brought her there.

‘Yes, I keep being told how committed I am,’ she muttered. She touched the leaves of a triangular, purple-leafed shrub with a name she didn’t dare try to pronounce. Oxy-something.

‘I’ve been told the same thing,’ he echoed as he reached to touch the same one. He looked at her and gave a smile that only rose on one side of his face. ‘It’s kind of a blessing and a curse, isn’t it?’

‘What do you mean?’ she asked, her voice coming out softer than she’d expected.

‘Works great most of the time, but if not, you’re the one who’s left holding the bag.’

Lily searched his gaze for hidden meaning but found she couldn’t hold it. It wasn’t intense though; on the contrary, it was warm and open.

It was the way Shay made her feel that was the problem. It had been a long time since a man had been that close and looked at her the way that he had. It stirred up feelings she couldn’t entertain.

‘Sorry, I’m probably speaking out of turn,’ he apologised.

‘No, it’s OK. I think I know exactly what you mean. All too well actually.’

‘So how long have you been working at The Palms?’ he asked idly.

Too long, Lily almost replied, but didn’t.