Once Upon an Island

“I’ll start the coffee,” she says.

She turns and heads down the hallway toward the kitchen. My friends come over in the early morning often enough to know where the coffee beans and French press are.

Michael and I remain quiet until we hear Arya opening cupboards and pulling down mugs.

“Thank you for coming to check on me,” I say.

I look Michael over. He really is cute in a down to earth, nice guy kind of way. His short walnut-brown hair is shiny and soft and has a bit of wave to it and his cheeks have a permanent pink tint to them. Like he’s always happy or embarrassed. This morning he’s dressed in linen pants and a white collared shirt. Business-like but casual.

He nods and puts his hands in his pockets. “Kate told me your address last night and suggested I stop by…” He clears his throat.

Apparently, Kate has decided that I should definitely hook up with Michael. She’s completely transparent. I can imagine her grand plan. A triple summer wedding on the beach. Where Declan, Percy and Michael all wait at the altar for Arya, Kate and me to walk down the aisle.

I cringe at the thought.

In my imaginings, Declan punches Michael, then Michael tackles Declan, and the entire arched wedding arbor collapses on top of them.

Guests scream and run down the beach.

Hungry seagulls swoop down and carry away the wedding cake.

Kate descends into tears and Arya catalogues how many birds come to steal our wedding favors.

It’d be chaos.

Absolute chaos.

Kate’s out of her mind.

“That was nice of Kate,” I say.

He nods, then looks at the flowers in my hand.

“I have a breakfast meeting on the other end of the island, but perhaps this weekend we might see each other? If it isn’t an inconvenience to you? I’d like to make up for our interrupted evening.”

He’s so polite. Charming.

This is how a man should behave toward a woman.

I search for a spark, some bit of feeling that tells me Michael and I might travel further along the road to romance.

My stomach growls, and there’s an empty gnawing feel in my gut. If I were being generous I might catalogue that as lustful enthusiasm, but honestly, I’m just hungry for fritters.

But that’s alright. Like I told Declan, my ideal man is the one who is normal, average, who doesn’t light my fire, until after months or years into our platonic relationship, he suddenly…does.

After we have dinner together, watch movies together, fix up my house together, go to the beach. All those normal things. Laying the foundation for a relationship that lasts a lifetime.

“That sounds wonderful. We’ll have dinner,” I say, deciding that Michael will definitely, probably, maybe someday be the one.

“Until then,” he says.

Then he touches his hand to his head in a sort of tipping his metaphorical hat salute and jauntily walks out the door.

Arya comes out of the kitchen.

“Coffee’s ready,” she says.

We both watch Michael drive away in his rented 4x4.

“I still think he’s a rat,” Arya says. And in case I didn’t remember that rat is one of Arya’s worst insults, she adds, “Rats steal nesting birds’ eggs.”

“Rats don’t bring flowers,” I say. I hold up the sunny yellow daisies.

She shrugs. “Percy doesn’t trust him.”

“Why? Did he say something specific?”

We walk toward the kitchen.

“No,” she admits, “just that if Declan doesn’t care for him then he must have a good reason.”

I snort. “Declan doesn’t care for anyone he meets, with or without a reason.”

I block the image of the apricot that’s trying to nudge its way into my mind.

We step into the kitchen and the smell of delicious coffee surrounds me. I feel more awake already.

“I guess swimming to shore with him didn’t change your opinion.”

I’m silent as I pour two mugs of coffee. I pull out a tin of sweetened condensed milk for Arya, open it and hand her a spoon. She drops two heaping tablespoons into her mug.

Finally, after a long sip of coffee, I say, “He probably isn’t as awful as I thought, but he’s not as nice as Percy believes either. I asked him about Michael’s father, he admitted to taking the money, but he also said he’s sorry.”

“Huh.” Arya looks nonplussed. “So he did take the money?”

I nod.

“Huh.” Her nose wrinkles. “I suppose Percy doesn’t know everything after all.”

Then her eyes go all gaga in love, so I send her a cheeky grin. “We both know that I’m alive and well, but how about you? What did you and Percy get up to last night?”

She bounces in her seat and I can tell she’s trying her best not clap her hands in excitement.

“He said he has something important to ask me. He was going to last night, but then you and Declan disappeared and we were all so worried but…” She sends me a happy, glowing look. “He told me he wants to see me tonight. To ask me something important.”