“At a dancing class.”
“Really. I wouldn't have thought you were the type to go to dancing classes.”
Aaron laughed. “I'm not, but my mom forced me. I was only sixteen. I can still remember what she said to me. She told me that it was the best place to meet girls, because every girl liked to dance. So I went, reluctantly. Lindsey was there. I asked her out at the end of the first evening.”
“So fast?”
“Yes, but she told me to sod off. It took me five attempts to get her to go out with me, and even then I had to threaten her.”
Jodie sipped her orange juice and imagined Aaron as a spotty sixteen-year-old chasing a girl who didn't want to be chased. “You threatened her?”
“Yes. I told her if she didn't go out with me, I'd put a frog down her panties.”
“Jesus. Did it work?”
“Sure. Threats often do work. I use them all the time to get what I want.”
Jodie flicked her blond hair back over her shoulder and looked at him. She could imagine him threatening people. He was handsome, tall, and well-built and she sensed a slight air of danger about him.
“What about you, Jodie? Have you got anyone special?”
“No. I'm only twenty-three, and I keep telling myself I've got time. I'm too busy anyway.”
“You're very good at what you do. I'm pleased we found you. I love Matthew, and I want the best for him. In you, I think we've found it.”
*****
Six months passed and Aaron began to find it easier to think of Lindsey without getting too emotional. He'd put her things in boxes and sent them to a charitable institution, but he kept one article that was dear to him: a pink shawl he'd bought Lindsey the day they got engaged.
“I need a vacation,” he said to Jodie one evening. “Do you think it will harm Matthew to go away?”
“I don't think so. Not if we make a tight schedule and stick to it. If we tell him well in advance and do what we say, he'll be fine.”
“Okay. Then I'll book something. I'll have to work on vacation as well, but I'll try to keep it to the mornings and save time for Matthew in the afternoons.”
“Great. Where do you propose to go?”
“I've thought about Grand Cayman. I've been there before, and it's safe for kids. The beach is great, and now that he likes swimming, he can go in the sea. That's safe too.”
“The Caribbean. It sounds great.”
“Yes, it is.”
Three weeks later they landed on the small Caribbean island and were driven to their hotel. The Caribbean Club Hotel was located on the beach along a strip called Seven-Mile Beach.
“Pure luxury,” Jodie exclaimed when they arrived. She took Matthew and carried him to the foyer while Aaron paid the taxi driver and got a concierge to take their bags.
Aaron had arranged for a family suite that was large enough to house them all. Jodie got a separate room. When she went into her room, she gasped when she saw the view. Her balcony looked out over the sea. The sea looked clear and was almost the same color as her eyes. She'd heard of Grand Cayman as some kind of tax haven. She’d had no idea it was such a beautiful place for tourists.
Jodie ate a meal with Matthew at 5 p.m. and put him to bed at seven. Then she went to her room and plugged in the intercom system. She sat on the balcony and watched the people walking along the beach and the boats full of divers coming and going.
Aaron had gone for a walk along the beach and was enjoying the feel of the sand on his bare feet. It was a popular time for joggers, and a few of them nodded at him as they passed. When he'd walked a kilometer, he stopped at a beach bar and ordered a beer. He sat down at a table and looked out over the bay. The sun was getting lower in the sky, and there was a soft feeling to the evening. He watched as couples walked past hand in hand on their way back to their hotels or to a restaurant. His thoughts drifted to Lindsey and how she would have loved it there. He'd had a busy few months, and his company was thriving like never before. The only thing he didn't have was someone to share his success with. He wondered what Lindsey would considered a reasonable amount of time to wait before he dipped his toe into the world of dating again. Until now he hadn't felt like it, but sitting in the evening sun and watching beautiful women walk by, he couldn't help but think about the future.