Page 35 of The Cruise

‘Go easy, have a soft drink next or we will be carrying you back.’

Jane thought it would take more than Toots, Spirit and Selwyn to carry her back and grinned as she imagined Kath’s and Anne’s faces.

Spirit was handing round a spliff, and Jane, now mellow, reached out. Her limbs felt like liquid honey, sweet, sexy, and supple.

‘Are you sure?’ Selwyn asked.

‘Absolutely,’ she lied. ‘I puff the stuff all the time.’

Jane had never smoked in her life, and as she dragged deeply, she felt her eyes bulge, her heart pound, and her chest expand as though it was about to explode. Music began to play, and she recognised the beat of a reggae song. In a trance, Jane rose to her feet and, handing the spliff to Toots, began to sway. She rocked her hips from side to side and, closing her eyes, began to dance. The feeling was incredible, and her body had come alive! Why had she never listened to reggae music before? It was the most delightful sound, and Jane’s sense of well-being was unlike anything she’d ever known. She reached out and, taking the fabric of her dress in both hands, moved away from the seated group.

‘The thing about reggae is that when it hits you, there’s no pain, physical or emotional,’ Selwyn said to Toots as he watched Jane dance.

Jane sang along with the music and began swirling the flowing, flamboyant fabric. She was oblivious to her surroundings and totally immersed in the beat.

Selwyn smiled. He was fascinated to watch Jane come to life and resisted the urge to jump to his feet and join her. This was her moment, and nothing should break the spell.

Caught up in the moment, Jane didn’t notice that Selwyn had reached into his pocket and pulled out a plastic pouch. Opening it carefully, he waited until all eyes were on Jane, then scattered the contents on the sandy floor. Flo had never liked dancing. She was happy to sing and clap her hands in the church choir, but dancing was the devil’s work to be avoided at all costs. Ash mingled with dust, and Selwyn thought he could hear Flo cussing him for placing her in such a den of iniquity.

‘Dance like no one is watching, my dear,’ Selwyn whispered.

Pushing thoughts of Flo to one side, he turned back, his eyes following Jane’s every move. The woman was confident and carefree in a world of her own, and he remembered the painting. The artist’s words rang in his ears, ‘Maybe it’s the woman ofyourdreams?’

Yes! Selwyn realised, it was Jane! Every brush stroke replicated the vision before him. Why hadn’t he seen it before? Selwyn’s heart felt full, and he was suddenly moved by a surge of emotion as he realised –he was falling in love!

But, as Selwyn took a deep breath, he knew that she would be a challenge, and he determined to make it his mission to bring Jane out of her shell to blossom and live her life to the full.

‘Every little thing gonna be all right!’ chanted Selwyn, Toots and Spirit as they sat back to smoke, drink, and enjoy the whirling mass of moving colour before them.

ChapterSixteen

Anne had enjoyed a wonderful day in the company of Dicky as they’d toured around the island of Saint Vincent. She felt exhilarated as she walked through the ship and into Hibiscus, where she found Kath sitting in the shade of the balcony. She was reading a book.

‘Hello,’ Anne called out as she tossed her damp beach bag onto the bathroom floor, ‘have you had a lovely day?’

‘I certainly have,’ Kath replied, looking up from the open pages as Anne joined her, ‘Brigette was a knowledgeable guide and knew everything about conservation and plant history.’

‘Was her talk interesting?’

‘Yes, fascinating. The botanical gardens are massive and one of the oldest in the world. We saw the famous Saint Vincent parrots hiding between bunches of breadfruit in the boughs of the trees. It was quite a sight.’

‘I had a budgie once.’ Anne frowned. ‘I accidently opened a window, and it flew away.’

Sensing that Anne had more interest in budgies than botanical gardens, Kath didn’t want to hear about Anne’s escapee. ‘But how was your day?’ she asked. ‘Did you enjoy yourself?’

‘It’s been brilliant, I haven’t had so much fun in a long time.’

‘How was the movie set?’

‘Stunning, they’ve transformed Wallilabou Bay into a studio backlot to make it look like Port Royal in Jamaica. That was where the firstPirates of the Caribbeanfilm was supposed to have been located.’ Anne flopped down on a chair beside Kath and stared at the calm sea.

‘You’ve caught the sun; your skin looks baked.’

‘We’ve been swimming for most of the day. It was marvellous.’ Anne grinned. ‘Dicky pretended that he was Captain Jack Sparrow and stepped off a sinking boat to capture a drowning damsel, who was me.’

‘My word, he’s quite a hero.’ Kath’s eyebrows were raised, and she tapped the book. ‘I’m sure he lives up to some of the escapades he describes in his novel.’

‘It’s not a novel, it’s his autobiography.’

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