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I stop dead in the middle of the trail. I can see the resort building up ahead, but I can't convince my feet to move even one step further. No, I am not still in love with Craig. That would be insane. We broke up for a damn good reason, and I won't skip down memory lane with him like nothing happened.
What was the damn good reason? I can't remember anymore.
Of course I do. Don't I? The sex had gotten stale, but that wasn't the reason. The kids had all moved out and started their own lives, but that's not the reason either.
"Hey, Vanessa, there you are."
I whirl around and find my beach buddy striding up the path toward me. I can't help grinning at him. "Hi, Zach, it's great to see you again."
The hot young man trots up to me and smiles. "I was hoping I'd see you again. Didn't want to get in between you and your ex, but if you're free now..."
"Yes, I am totally free." I can't believe I just used the word totally in that context. I sounded like a horny teenager. Oh, who cares. I'm on a naughty nudist island, for pity's sake. "Zach, would you like to have lunch with me?"
"In the dining hall? Or someplace else?"
"Anywhere that's private."
"I'd love to have lunch with you, Vanessa. You're the hottest woman I've ever met."
Has anyone ever called me that before? Craig used to tell me I was beautiful, but he never called me the hottest woman he'd ever seen. I'm here to have a good time, so I might as well embrace the age-gap insanity. Maybe I'm having a midlife crisis, but I don't give a damn.
I offer my hand to Zach. "Let's go to the dining hall just to grab some food, then enjoy our lunch at the waterfall."
"Sounds awesome." He clasps my hand. "I'm so glad I bumped into you again."
"And so am I."
While we walk, we talk and laugh about how strange it is to be naked all the time, what we hope to do during our stay here, and how beautiful the island is. That means our journey takes at least twice as long as it would otherwise. Who cares? I've never been courted by a twenty-something man, and I can't deny I'm enjoying the attention. Do I want to date him? Probably not. I wouldn't mind a vacation fling, though.
No, I can't do that. It's something young people do, not post-menopausal women.
On our way out of the dining hall, we bump into Craig.Perfect. I was hoping to steer clear of him for awhile, and maybe I would rather not have him see me with my very young companion. But I have nothing to be ashamed of, right? I'm an adult with no entanglements, not these days. I don't even have kids to take care of anymore.
Yet somehow I feel guilty now, all because we bumped into my ex-husband.
Craig glances at the picnic basket Zach is carrying. "You had a picnic in the dining hall? I didn't see that on the itinerary."
Zach laughs. "No, we didn't do that. We got some food, and now we're heading out to have a picnic. Didn't you read about that in the welcome packet? The resort provides baskets."
"Sorry, I didn't memorize the whole welcome packet."
Craig sounds a bit peevish now, but Zach hadn't said anything nasty. He was politely pointing out the facts. My ex has no business getting jealous.
I ignore Craig and curl my arm around Zach's. "Let's go. I'm starving."
Zach seems a touch confused, like he expects me to explain why I'm having a picnic with him, but honestly, I have no obligation to do that. I just want to have a nice, relaxing lunch with a friend who happens to be a man. A very young man.
"Nice to see you again," Zach tells Craig as we walk past him. "This place has awesome food. Can't wait to see what's on tap for dinner."
Thankfully, Zach starts walking away, so I don't need to say anything else to my ex-husband. He looks mildly annoyed, which I suppose is a step up from very insulted.
I wave to Holly Bythesea and the desk clerk as we exit the building. They both smile and offer us cheerful greetings. Then Zach takes me down the main trail until we reach the sign that points to the waterfall, and we veer down that path. I haven't seen much of the outdoors part of the resort, and I can't stop gawking at the scenery. Gorgeous tropical flowers. Towering green trees. I hear the songs of exotic birds and even glimpse a few of the brightly colored creatures, like parakeets, doves, hornbills, and minivets. I might have studied a South Pacific birdwatching book during the thirty-six-hour flight to Fiji. I won't tell Zach that. He might think I'm a geek, which I absolutely am. This is a teacher's paradise.
My first glimpse of the waterfall takes my breath away. It towers above us, the spray misting onto our bodies even from twenty feet away. The spray generates a faint rainbow too. This should be a romantic setting that makes me want to start something with the attractive younger man sitting beside me. But it doesn't. I probably just need time to adjust to my environment.
Zach brushes the backs of his fingers across my cheek. "You are so beautiful, Vanessa. Would you mind if I kissed you?"
"We haven't even had lunch yet."
