Sunshine and Secrets (The Paradise Cookery School series Book 1) by Daisy James

Author:Daisy James [James, Daisy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-07-27T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

They drove down the hill towards Soufrière. Some of the houses on the outskirts of the town were little more than sheds with corrugated-iron rooftops, but they had been proudly painted with bright Caribbean hues of emerald, aquamarine and sunflower yellow. She wondered how such flimsy structures managed to withstand the daily dose of what Clavie had labelled liquid sunshine, never mind the not-infrequent hurricanes.

They reached the harbour and Millie skimmed her eyes over the storefronts which were awash with exuberantly coloured souvenirs, busy with bustling tourists from the two yachts moored at the jetty. Young boys swam in the sea at the boats’ sterns, squealing to those on board to throw in coins for them to retrieve from the seabed.

Millie couldn’t help but smile as they passed the Purple Parrot and saw Andrew in the alleyway indulging in a forbidden cigarette, his bandana – today’s blue – knotted around his neck.

They passed Dylan’s Dive Shack around which a disparate collection of surfboards and kayaks were scattered, along with rails of wetsuits drying in the sun. Dylan himself lounged in a white plastic chair, his ankle over his knee, plugged into his phone, tapping his foot to the beat. She cast her eyes over her shoulder to the wooden veranda of the Purple Parrot and was not in the least bit surprised to see Lottie loitering on the steps as she delivered a tray of lunchtime drinks to thirsty patrons, her eyes resting on the object of her affection, her burgundy hair streaming in the breeze.

‘Doesn’t Dylan realize Lottie adores him?’

‘You’ve noticed that too?’

‘How can you not!’ she laughed.

Zach swung the steering wheel to the right, taking the road that skirted the foothills of the Pitons. They left the streets of Soufrière behind and followed the signs for the Diamond Falls Botanical Gardens.

‘I don’t think Dylan realises the extent of her devotion. He’s happy with his life as it is. He has his business; he works with his best friend, Ryan, and the third musketeer in his group, Elijah, works up at one of the luxury five-star resorts in the next bay. And there’s Jake, of course, who works at the Purple Parrot with Lottie.’

‘Sounds like an idyllic life.’

‘Dylan tumbles into a romance every other week with a girl who’s desperate for a holiday fling to boast about when she returns home to the wind and rain. You could write an epic novel about his exploits. Who better to cavort with for a while than a golden-tanned surfer dude with his own diving school? Alone in the boat, drifting serenely under a perfect sky, reliant on each other for your safety as you swim beneath the sapphire waves exploring the magnificent coral and all those secluded coves. Dylan’s been here for ten years and I don’t think he has plans to leave any time soon. Hang on!’

Zach swung the Roadster into a hidden clearing and jumped out.

‘Here’s the path. Come on, slowcoach! Watch out for the snakes!’

Zach forged ahead

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