Alex.
“Hmmm” I mumble, groggily. “See you in 20”
I pull my achy body out of the cool sheets and slump across to the shower, letting luke warm water run soothingly down my body. It is too hot to have anything above hand hot temperature. I dress quickly in casual shorts and a vest top, and head out to meet the others, realising I am famished.
***
We dine on fresh caught fish and salad sharing a couple of bottles of crisp white wine. It is a pleasant evening, still very warm, but with a gentle cooling breeze. I take the opportunity to shoot some pictures of the chalets and surrounding area. A trio of local children are curious about why we are here, as they already know we are not typical tourists, so I also take pictures of Jake as he entertains them with stories that we are going to build a magic castle for the beautiful princess to live in.
“Is that her?” One of the children points a tiny finger in my direction, wide eyed in wonderment.
“Yes, that’s her. Isn’t she the most beautiful princess you have ever seen?” A huge smile spreads across Jake’s face. The other engineers laugh, shaking their heads at their boss.
“Yes!” Cries out the smallest boy. “But where is her dress….and…..”
“Not all princesses wear dresses!” The lone girl in the trio says defiantly, tugging at the hem of her own shorts.
“Yes, they do!” The boy retorts, before all of them disappear back down the path, laughing and giggling excitedly. They have much news to tell their friends.
The rest of the evening is spent planning the site visits tomorrow. Each of us , in turn, takes a wander around waving our mobile phones in the air, as the signals are patchy to say the least. I manage a brief call to Tilly who squeals with delight as I recall the story of Jake telling the children I am a beautiful princess. I reprimand her kindly that there is nothing to read into that, Miss Matchmaker !
***
The owner of the chalets returns to retrieve our dinner plates, gesturing another bottle of wine. We all decline. We need to retire to our beds in a very short while and get as much rest as possible.
“There is a storm threatening to head this way” He looks to where he believes the direction of the storm may arrive. “It may pass through and miss us, but if it does come this way……then the cruise ship won’t be able to get here…..or anything else for that matter. Just thought you should know”
I glance anxiously between Jake and the chalet owner. Jake pats my arm reassuringly. “It will be fine. If it does hit, then we’ve got a couple more days on this great Island. Two days of work, and two days of no work. Doesn’t sound too bad to me.” He nods at the owner.
The owner grasps immediately that Jake is saying this entirely for my benefit, to calm any anxiety. The young engineer, Alex, however, seems unconvinced. This is obviously his first trip overseas and he really doesn’t like the sound of any storm heading our way. The owner shakes his head, smiling at both of us.
“No need for any concern. The last big storm to hit us that we had to worry about was back in 2010. We have no warning that this will be a big storm…..just a bit of inconvenience, that’s all.”
I thank him, planting an unexpected kiss on his cheek. I make to head back to my chalet as sleepiness is fast descending on me again.
As I reach my chalet door, Dave shouts across at me.
“Need someone to tuck you in?”
“No!” I retort, throwing him a warning scowl.
The look of distaste spreading across Jake’s face as he turns to Dave doesn’t escape my notice either.
Chapter Twelve
The morning sun is already very warm on my shoulders as I follow the team of engineers through the lush green landscape of the Island, heading out towards the proposed development site. We drove part of the way on Quad Bikes which is one of the traditional methods of transportation around the Island, however, they had to be abandoned and we are
“Hmmm” I mumble, groggily. “See you in 20”
I pull my achy body out of the cool sheets and slump across to the shower, letting luke warm water run soothingly down my body. It is too hot to have anything above hand hot temperature. I dress quickly in casual shorts and a vest top, and head out to meet the others, realising I am famished.
***
We dine on fresh caught fish and salad sharing a couple of bottles of crisp white wine. It is a pleasant evening, still very warm, but with a gentle cooling breeze. I take the opportunity to shoot some pictures of the chalets and surrounding area. A trio of local children are curious about why we are here, as they already know we are not typical tourists, so I also take pictures of Jake as he entertains them with stories that we are going to build a magic castle for the beautiful princess to live in.
“Is that her?” One of the children points a tiny finger in my direction, wide eyed in wonderment.
“Yes, that’s her. Isn’t she the most beautiful princess you have ever seen?” A huge smile spreads across Jake’s face. The other engineers laugh, shaking their heads at their boss.
“Yes!” Cries out the smallest boy. “But where is her dress….and…..”
“Not all princesses wear dresses!” The lone girl in the trio says defiantly, tugging at the hem of her own shorts.
“Yes, they do!” The boy retorts, before all of them disappear back down the path, laughing and giggling excitedly. They have much news to tell their friends.
The rest of the evening is spent planning the site visits tomorrow. Each of us , in turn, takes a wander around waving our mobile phones in the air, as the signals are patchy to say the least. I manage a brief call to Tilly who squeals with delight as I recall the story of Jake telling the children I am a beautiful princess. I reprimand her kindly that there is nothing to read into that, Miss Matchmaker !
***
The owner of the chalets returns to retrieve our dinner plates, gesturing another bottle of wine. We all decline. We need to retire to our beds in a very short while and get as much rest as possible.
“There is a storm threatening to head this way” He looks to where he believes the direction of the storm may arrive. “It may pass through and miss us, but if it does come this way……then the cruise ship won’t be able to get here…..or anything else for that matter. Just thought you should know”
I glance anxiously between Jake and the chalet owner. Jake pats my arm reassuringly. “It will be fine. If it does hit, then we’ve got a couple more days on this great Island. Two days of work, and two days of no work. Doesn’t sound too bad to me.” He nods at the owner.
The owner grasps immediately that Jake is saying this entirely for my benefit, to calm any anxiety. The young engineer, Alex, however, seems unconvinced. This is obviously his first trip overseas and he really doesn’t like the sound of any storm heading our way. The owner shakes his head, smiling at both of us.
“No need for any concern. The last big storm to hit us that we had to worry about was back in 2010. We have no warning that this will be a big storm…..just a bit of inconvenience, that’s all.”
I thank him, planting an unexpected kiss on his cheek. I make to head back to my chalet as sleepiness is fast descending on me again.
As I reach my chalet door, Dave shouts across at me.
“Need someone to tuck you in?”
“No!” I retort, throwing him a warning scowl.
The look of distaste spreading across Jake’s face as he turns to Dave doesn’t escape my notice either.
Chapter Twelve
The morning sun is already very warm on my shoulders as I follow the team of engineers through the lush green landscape of the Island, heading out towards the proposed development site. We drove part of the way on Quad Bikes which is one of the traditional methods of transportation around the Island, however, they had to be abandoned and we are
Similar Books
