Page 55 of A Taste of Paradise

‘I was actually thinking of introducing you two,’ Naomi told her. ‘Since you’re now young, free and single again.’

‘Single, yes, but sadly no longer free. Or young for that matter,’ she groaned. ‘But nah, he’s not my type.’

‘What? I mean, why wouldn’t he be?’ Naomi asked, genuinely curious.

‘Like I said, not my type – I was merely trying to get some information out of you, that’s all. A man who seems to love kids and who can make my best friend smile like that is worth enquiring about.’

‘I wasn’t smiling because of Will,’ Naomi protested as she waved down one of the waiting taxis. ‘I was smiling because of Holly.’

Chapter 37

The bustling shopping area the concierge had recommended to Naomi was located on the water right in the thick of the St Lucia capital. A collection of small alleys lined with local boutiques and artisan stores, Castries possessed a vibrancy and charm that completely captivated her and Sam both.

The architecture was reminiscent of the area’s history, with most of the buildings retaining their original two-storey structures of wood, carved stone and even some of the same red brick familiar to back home, a legacy of former British colonialism. However, the vibrant colours of the buildings were what drew the eye. They were painted such that it almost seemed as if the entire spectrum was on display. Pastel-pink walls with electric blue doors and bright yellow façades with blue and green trim, with racks of equally colourful clothing of kind out front, contrasted with the aquamarine water only steps away.

There were a couple of cruise ships moored in port as they ambled along the wooden boardwalk and Naomi could see their large striped dorsal fins towering above the nearby roofs.

The boardwalk itself was alive with people, tourists and locals alike, and as Sam and Naomi walked, they took turns trying to decipher the various accents they were hearing. Visiting each store in turn, they marvelled at the level of skill and creativity of the local artisans, plus the humour of quick-witted local personalities.

They stopped for lunch at a pretty waterside eatery and shared a bottle of local wine, enjoying the pure (and rare) luxury of having nothing whatsoever to do with their day but relax. While it would be a no-brainer in such a picturesque and vibrant area to take snaps for her social media channels, Naomi had since decided that she was off duty once and for all, and intended to keep this little slice of paradise all to herself.

Unlike Greg, she didn’t think it crucial to share her every waking detail with the world or to keep the stupid algorithm happy or what have you. The bloody algorithm could go into the sea for all she cared.

And rather more worryingly, she was beginning to feel the same way about Greg himself. Greed was not an attractive trait and while she’d always admired her boyfriend’s savvy mind for numbers and keen work ethic, now she wondered whether the pursuit of money for money’s sake was the driving force behind his famous life plan.

Whereas that had never been a motivator for her. While yes, of course it was nice not to have to worry about it, her social media had started out as a way to connect with people, but in the ensuing years had transitioned into a way to sell to them. And that felt … wrong. But thinking back, hadn’t that been entirely driven by Greg?

‘So I’d better rein in the spending until I sort myself out with a job,’ Sam joked as if reading Naomi’s mind but she knew her friend was referring to her ex’s former role as the family breadwinner.

While Naomi admired Sam’s bravery in facing motherhood alone once she got home, she definitely didn’t envy her the task of having to provide and care for Nate all at once.

‘You’ll be fine. You could always set yourself up as an Insta-flogger like me,’ she suggested half-jokingly. ‘According to Greg it’s highly lucrative if you do it properly.’

‘No, thanks.’ Sam made a face and then looked at her. ‘Are you still enjoying all that? I notice you haven’t been posting much on this trip.’

While she was tempted to confide in Sam about her true feelings on her social media ‘career’ and Greg’s misguided hopes of scoring a hotel freebie on this trip, it was so tacky and … downright miserly that she didn’t want to sully his reputation with Sam even further. There had never been any love lost between them as it was.

‘I’m on holiday, remember?’ she laughed, by way of diversion. ‘And yes, it can be a pain, but I kinda have to keep it going now that I’ve taken the career break.’

‘You do intend to go back to teaching, though? I dunno, I get that the whole sharing stuff served a purpose during the pandemic, but surely it’s not a long-term career?’

Sometimes it was a little scary that Naomi’s best friend knew her so well.

‘We’ll see,’ she said noncommittally. But she wondered now if Sam had, in fact, been right in querying his motivation for this trip. Did Greg intend to propose to her on her birthday, or had she got it all wrong? Could this entire exercise be some kind of trial attempt to use Naomi’s so-called status to secure a getaway for them all purely at the hotel’s expense?

No, he couldn’t possibly be that calculating. While Greg had a keen business brain and was always mindful of money, budgeting and heavily focused on financial stuff, he wouldn’t honestly have dragged her and her family all the way here on the off-chance of a freebie holiday. Would he?

Naomi truly wasn’t sure anymore. All she knew was that, so far, this dream trip to St Lucia wasn’t quite turning out to be the life-changing experience she’d hoped for.

After lunch, Naomi and Sam headed back to the resort, laden down with the morning’s retail haul. Sam had bought a collection of locally made trinkets and a few pretty tops for herself, plus several funky little toys and cute clothes for Nate.

‘He’s going to look so cute in this.’ She grinned as she lifted out a purple tie-dyed shirt from its carrier bag.

‘Of course he will. I picked it out.’

‘You picked it out? I picked it out,’ her friend corrected, and their banter continued as they walked the poolside route through the gardens leading back to their wing.

Unlike many hotels that chose to surround their pool deck with concrete or tiles, Naomi loved that The Palms pool terrace made the most of the abundance of natural tropical flora, incorporating it directly into the design. Or rather, the pool had been incorporated into the landscape. Lush palms, towering birds of paradise and banana plants were dotted along the edges of the terrace, and here and there were brightly painted wooden Adirondacks beneath thatched parasols to ward off the brilliant Caribbean sun.