Tropical Fantasy. Monica McKayhan

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СКАЧАТЬ a crime. He’d accused her of being too preoccupied, and she thought he was making too big of a fuss over a small ding.

      “You can barely see the scratch,” she’d said.

      “This is a custom paint job,” he’d claimed, “Do you know how much this is going to cost to repair?”

      “I have insurance,” Sasha spat. “I’m sure they’ll take care of it.”

      And they had taken care of it, sending her premium through the roof. She’d developed a strong opinion of Vince in the process—he was arrogant.

      Today he seemed much taller, and way more gorgeous. And had he always owned that deep set of dimples? She couldn’t, for the life of her, remember seeing them before. She was being ridiculous! Simply experiencing jet lag. And for that, she had the perfect remedy—a nice, long afternoon nap once she made it to her hotel quarters.

      “Is this your only bag?” Vince was asking as he grabbed the handle of her suitcase.

      “Yes,” she replied and suddenly wished she’d gone to the restroom and freshened up a bit, checked her hair. She hoped it wasn’t all over her head or smashed down in the back from the snooze she’d taken earlier.

      She followed Vince to the silver Mercedes that was parked curbside with the flashers on. He popped the trunk and placed her bag inside.

      “Can I take your smaller bag too?” he asked, pointing at her carry-on Coach bag. She handed it to him and he placed it in the trunk also. He moved around to the passenger’s side of the car, which happened to be the opposite side of cars in the United States. He held the door open for her until she slid onto the leather seat. She watched as he took his place behind the wheel of his rented vehicle.

      “Doesn’t it confuse you—driving on the opposite side of the car?”

      “I love a challenge.” He grinned that mesmerizing grin again.

      “It seems silly, especially when most car rental places offer cars that are created the right way.”

      “The right way?”

      “Yes, with the steering wheel on the proper side of the car.”

      “Proper according to whom?” Vince asked.

      “According to car makers in the U.S. of A.,” said Sasha.

      “Last time I checked, we weren’t in the U.S. of A.” He maneuvered the car into traffic and spoke in his best Bahamian dialect. “Ve’re in da islands of da Bahamas, with its clear blue skies, sandy beaches and da best conch fritters dis side of da hemisphere.”

      Sasha laughed—she couldn’t help it. He sounded so ridiculous, yet he was cute in his own little way. And he had a sense of humor.

      “Yeah, I wish I was on the other side of the hemisphere—in the U.S. of A. right now,” she said.

      “Instead of here...in the beautiful Bahamas?”

      “Yes, this wedding couldn’t have come at a worse time for me,” Sasha complained.

      “Really? Why?”

      “My office is hosting its annual retreat this weekend in Savannah, and I’m missing it. My sister’s nuptials are putting a real damper on my schedule,” she mumbled.

      “Wow, you must be a workaholic,” said Vince.

      “I’m not a workaholic. My career is just very important to me.”

      “It’s your sister’s wedding. Isn’t that important too?” Vince glanced over at Sasha and pierced her with those brown eyes.

      “Of course it’s important. It’s just...I just...well, it was just not a good time for me.”

      “Are you really that shallow?” Vince asked. “There’s nothing more precious than family.”

      Had he just called her shallow?

      “I beg your pardon. You don’t know anything about me! And I’m not shallow.”

      “I’m sorry for calling you shallow. I meant to say that you made a shallow comment.”

      “I’m just saying...why couldn’t she just do a simple little ceremony in Atlanta? Why fly to another country just to say ‘I do’?”

      “You should consider it an honor to stand up for your sister on such an important day.”

      “I have things going on in my life right now,” Sasha retorted. “And this trip here, right now...this is inconvenient.”

      “That’s too bad,” said Vince. “You’re completely missing it.”

      “Oh really?” Sasha asked. “So I guess you have it all figured out.”

      “I have a pretty good handle on things. I know what’s important. In fact, when Derrick asked if I could fly to the Bahamas and be the best man at his wedding, I didn’t give it a second thought. I knew I had to be here.”

      “How noble of you,” Sasha said sarcastically and then stared out the window at the palm trees as they rushed past. She was done talking to this man.

      An awkward silence suddenly resonated through the car, and Vince adjusted the volume on the stereo. As the sound of Caribbean rhythms filled the air, Sasha pulled her iPhone out of her purse and checked her email. The music wasn’t very successful at drowning the silence, and the short drive seemed so much longer than it really was. Sasha wished her sister hadn’t sent Vince to pick her up from the airport. She’d have been more comfortable taking a taxi. At least the driver would’ve kept his opinions to himself.

      “I have to make a quick stop along the way,” Vince said. “I hope you don’t mind.”

      “You’ve got to be kidding.”

      “Not at all. Won’t take but a sec.”

      Soon Vince pulled into Potter’s Cay, the island’s fish market and fruit stand tucked away under the Paradise Island Bridge. Potter’s Cay, a place where Bahamians shopped for the fresh catch of the day and the freshest produce on the island, was an attraction that Sasha and her family had visited on occasion.

      “What are we doing here?”

      “I’m in the mood for fresh snapper.”

      “Fish?”

      “There’s nothing like it.” Vince smiled as he turned off the engine and removed the keys from the ignition. “Let’s go.”

      “Let’s go?”

      “It’s pretty hot, and you’ll roast in the car without air-conditioning.” He smiled but still seemed adamant that she get out of the car.

      She immediately caught the smell of conch fritters and fried fish. She and Vince strolled along the sidewalk, taking in the eclectic stalls where food vendors sold their freshly cooked items. Friendly female vendors СКАЧАТЬ