I also knew she was still in her feelings about Angela not speaking to her. It had been a couple of months since she had the baby and Angela hadn’t even invited Zoey to her baby shower, much less to come by and meet the baby. I’d hoped to shake that depression from her consciousness this week.
I held out my hand for her to take and we exited the plane after them. There was a car waiting just off the runway. As we waited for our luggage to be transferred from the cargo of the aircraft to the car, I checked my phone for emails and texts. On the other side of the car, near the front door, Rob lit up a spliff and pulled from it. I smelled it before I looked up and saw Zo frozen by the sight of Rob handing it over to Barry.
I chuckled. “What’s wrong, Zo? You looking like you’ve just witnessed the theft of the cookie jar.”
At that, she tried to straighten her face. “What? That?” she pulled in her chin, playing it off. “Pssssh…whatever!” she turned and looked away.
I pulled her into me by the hand. “You’ve never seen anybody smoke in public before?” I felt my brows wrinkling, not able to conceal my amusement. She had to be kidding me. She’s from New B!
“I…of course I have!” She fought hard to hide her face while wrapped in my arms.
“Hold up.” I tried to steady her in front of me, pulling tighter on her arms. “You’ve never smoked before, Zo?”
Zoey kept wiggling in my arms, now burying her face in my chest. I could see her mortified blush. I couldn’t help my explosive laughter.
“Awwww…they don’t teach you how to roll up in Sunday school, do they?” I teased.
“Shut up!” she mumbled as she laughed into my abdomen.
“Yuuuurp, chief…that’s us!” Barry yelled over to me.
I helped Zoey into the car, and we took off to our resort.
The villa I rented was in the outskirts of Grand Cayman that sat against the ocean of the western Caribbean Sea. I’d always enjoyed the view and vibe of the Cayman Islands. The island never failed to bring serenity to my cluttered mind, and I’d hoped Zoey would appreciate the calming energy as much as I always had. The modest two bedroom unit included a full state of the art kitchen, enclosed dining room, open living room, and a spacious master bedroom with an en suite bathroom. The unique feature of the place was the aquatic deck running alongside the villa with access from both the master suite and the living room. The competitor in me couldn’t wait to see if Zoey could swim the distance of the two rooms.
An additional feature of the property there was an in-law suite on the property with its own entrance and accommodations for them, giving us privacy. Rob and Barry would be doing their own thing this week anyway, finding trouble—aka, local women in town—to get into.
After touring the property, Zoey and I unpacked in the master suite. She was mesmerized by the bed, stared at it for what felt like minutes. It was a four-poster bed with sheer ivory curtains flowing in the island breeze. As I observed her entranced reaction, I allowed the excitement to build for how I’d planned to use that style of bed this week. It was not by chance that it was there.
I seemed to have taken more time than she did because at some point, I looked up and she was out on the deck off the suite. When I was done, I decided to check on her. As I came out, I found her at the Jacuzzi with her feet submerged in the water. She had her dress rolled up, exposing her thighs. I couldn’t tell if she was troubled or simply relaxed.
“What’s on your mind?” I asked, not knowing if I was prepared for the answer.
“You,” she said, looking out into the open air.
“What about me?” I stayed behind her, posted up on the door frame.