Page 92 of Here for a Good Time
Zwe shakes his hand. “Yes. Well, statistics.”
“How are you two liking England?”
“The weather is much nicer in Southeast Asia, obviously,” I say through a grimace, and they return similarWell, obviouslyexpressions. “But it’s been a good change of scenery. I’ve been using ‘writing retreat’ as a general excuse to explore different parts of the country.”
“Speaking of writing—” Tyler’s face explodes into a grin. “Did you see the latest script? I think this might be it.”
“I saw it arrived in my inbox yesterday,” I say. “But we’ve made a deal to not do anything work-related while we’re here, so I’ll read it when we get home.”
“I really need to take a few lessons from you regarding work boundaries. Do me a favor and please don’t tell my wife how good you are at setting them,” Tyler says. He looks up, squints, and pulls his sunglasses back down. “Shit, sorry, I just realized I’ve been making my guests stand in the sun while we talk. Are you okay walking back to the reception area, or should I call for a buggy?”
“Walking is fine,” Zwe says, and I nod in agreement. “In fact, I’d say it’s welcome after all of that time spent sitting on planes and boats.”
“Your guests,huh?” I raise my brows at Tyler. “It sounds so natural coming from you. Who would’ve thought Tyler Tun would’ve pivoted from acting to hotel management?”
“Not me,” he laughs. “Or my wife, for that matter. When I told Khin that this place was possibly up for sale at a ridiculously low price, the first thing she asked was if this was my midlife crisis.”
“I would have had the exact same reaction,” I admit.
“To be honest, who’s to say it isn’t?” Tyler shakes his head at himself. “I guess that’s the problem with retiring early. I know, I know, champagne problems. But I was trying to figure out what the next chapter of my life would be, and the way you described this place, Poe, it’s like… like…”
“Like I have a way with words?” I offer.
I love Zwe more than anything in the world, but when Tyler shoots me that movie-star grin, my knees go a little shaky and I know it’s not just because of this heat. “That,” he agrees. “And when I saw it for myself, I just couldn’t leave it in the state it was in. To be honest, though, the staff was what sold me in the end.” He throws that traffic-stopping grin over in Leila and Antonio’s direction, and they both blush.
Staff members drop by the reception area while we’re there, including Sandra and Antonio’s grandfather. I can’t believe how quickly Tyler managed to redo the whole place. It looks similar to what it was before, but alsonot,like a distant cousin of the original resort. The basic architecture is still standing, but all the expensive marble and fountains are gone. It’s homier and cozier, like a giant mansion that was built not for show, but to house an equally giant family. Thebiggest new installment here is a massive mural of the island painted directly on the wall behind the row of reception desks.
“My aunt painted that,” Leila says when she catches me staring at it.
“No way,” I gasp. “Your aunt paintedthat?”
“Yeah, she’s an artist. She used to teach art classes on the mainland,” Leila says. “She really missed the island, though. When Tyler said he wanted to commission an artist to paint this wall, I knew she’d be the person for the job. In fact, he loved it so much that he commissioned her to paint individual pieces to be hung in each room. She got to move back homeandmake more than enough money to live comfortably through her paintings alone. They’re even talking about maybe doing an exhibition with the pieces for sale so guests can take home a one-of-a-kind locally produced memento.”
“That’s so cool,” I tell her, still mesmerized by the island on the wall. Various layers of paint and textures make up the land, the shades of brown and green getting darker in the mountains and hills to provide a striking contrast to the pastel, nearly translucent blues and greens on the shores. “It’s gorgeous,” I murmur.
“It’s home,” Leila says. I turn, and I swear I catch a light sheen in her eyes before she blinks it away. I’m not expecting it when she puts a hand on my shoulder. “Thank you for convincing Tyler to buy this place. He’s been thebestboss any of us could have hoped for. He kept paying all of our salaries even while everything was being renovated and none of us were actually here. I got to take a nice break and spend time with my family without worrying about my next paycheck.”
I know I’m beaming. I’m so happy for her that I could burst. I look around, realizing that this is my first time back in this room since I almost, you know,diedin it.
“I’m happy to be back. And that you’re still here,” I tell her. “How’s the rest of your family? How do they feel about the new ownership?”
“They love it,” Leila says, grinning like she’s been waiting for me to ask. “Tyler’s given them full access to the whole island. He’s also even given my grandparents a job.”
“A job? I thought they were retired.”
“Retired and bored.” Leila shakes her head in aDon’t get me startedmanner, but her grin doesn’t falter. “So now they’re going to host cooking classes as a new resort activity. Guests can trek up to the village and learn how to cook traditional dishes using ingredients that are found on the island. It’s entirely up to my grandparents how many classes they want to host and what they want to make, as long as they give us a few weeks’ heads-up so we can inform the guests. My grandma was thrilled. She offered to do it for free because she loves to cook and talk anyway, but Tyler refused.”
“I’m so happy for them,” I say. “It sounds like your grandparents are actually excited about the resort now.”
“I hope so,” Tyler’s voice comes from behind me. “They’re our lead on-site project consultants. Have you guys tried Leila’s grandma’s rice salad? It’s—” He makes a chef’s kiss gesture with one hand.
“I was telling Leila that it’s so cool you employed her grandparents,” I say.
“Well, I want our guests to have a good time, and I realized, who better to ensure that than the people who know this island? Why would I hire some marketing firm to come up with a clichéd activities brochure for us when the people who know the most fun activities on the island are the ones who live here? Besides, I wantgood people on my team, and anyone that Leila vouches for—” He gives her a nod. “—is a good person in my book.”
“You’ve hired other local staff?” I ask.
Tyler nods, then gestures at Leila. “One of Leila’s uncles is a marine biologist, and lucky for us, he was thinking of moving back here.”
