Once Upon an Island

There’s a knock on the door. We all turn at the sound. I look at my friends. There isn’t anyone who isn’t completely covered in paint.

“Maybe they’ll go away,” Arya whispers.

The person knocks again.

And again.

“They aren’t going away,” Renee says.

I rub at my cheeks and more paint flakes fall off. Oh well. I walk to the front door and pull it open.

No one’s there.

Instead, on the porch there’s a package. It’s a box, wrapped in brown paper with a gold bow. I take it inside.

“What is it?” Kate asks.

“I don’t know.” I set it down on one of the few clean spots left on the paint cloth on the floor.

“Who’s it from?” she asks.

“I don’t know,” I say.

“Ooooh, a secret admirer,” Kate says.

“Or a bomb,” Renee says.

“Shhh,” Arya says. “Let her open it.”

I kneel down and unfold the bow, then unwrap the paper. The box is white cardboard. There aren’t any markings. I pull off the lid. Kate, Arya and Renee have gathered behind me.

Inside the box is gold tissue paper. And sitting on the tissue paper is the turtle statue from the gala.

“Wow. That’s…a turtle,” Kate says. She sounds disappointed. I look over my shoulder and grin at her.

“I bid on it last night at the gala. I guess I won.”

But then I frown, because honestly, my bid wasn’t that high. I didn’t actually think it was possible that I’d win.

“There’s a card,” Renee says.

She points out a small white envelope stuck to the side of the box.

I grab it and open it up. Inside is a small piece of paper. It says, “Look. A turtle. It’s pretty, but you’re even prettier.”

I frown.

“What does it say?” Arya asks.

“It says I’m pretty,” I say and I can hear the confusion in my voice.

“Who’s it from?” Kate asks.

I look at the handwriting. It’s bold, neat, the letters are in all caps. But there’s no signature.

“It doesn’t say.” I bite my lip, then I smile. “But Michael was there when I bid on it. He said almost the same thing to me last night. That the turtle was beautiful, but I was more so.”

“Awwww,” Kate says. “He’s sweet. It’s a sign. You have to invite him for the sail.”

I look back at my friends. They all seem to be in agreement. Well, except Renee, I don’t think she cares. She’s picking at the paint stuck beneath her nails.

“Fine,” I say. “On one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“You hags help me clean up and actually paint these walls like you said you would.”

Kate snorts and pulls me, Arya and Renee in for a hug. “Of course we will.”

“This is going to be great,” Arya says. “Just think, a romantic sunset sail. Thanks Kate. You’re the best.”

“I’m forgiven? You’ll come to my wedding?” Kate asks.

Arya rolls her eyes. “You’re not as mercenary as you’re pretending to be.”

“I know,” Kate says. “But I do want to see my family.”

“We’ll be your family,” I say.

With that, we get back to painting. After all, we only have a few hours before we need to scrub layers of dried paint off our skin and out of our hair so that we can look halfway decent for our sunset sail.

Arya is hoping for a proposal.

Kate is hoping for a ticket to England.

And I…I’d like to thank Michael for the gift.

I’ll avoid Declan. But that goes without saying.