A Sprinkle of Tropical Trouble: A Cozy Mystery (Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book 9) (2 page)

Chapter Three

The flight was uneventful except for the loud snorts and snores emanating from Paige. Bruce attempted to pinch her nose to stop the rumblings but it did little to stifle the reverberating noise. But at least she was asleep. It was better than having her wide-eyed and white knuckled. Once the wheels touched down, it jolted her awake. She looked more refreshed than the rest of us.

“Don’t you look all wide-eyed and bushy tailed,” Stormi said from across the aisle.

Paige stretched. “I’m feeling pretty good. Ready to get this party started.”

Stormi sat back in her seat. “Glad someone is. I thought we hit turbulence, but it just your snoring.”

Paige pulled her phone from her purse to check for messages. “I don’t snore. Must have been someone else.”

Stormi gave her the side eye. “I beg to differ. It sounded like an enraged bull.”

Paige looked at Bruce. “I don’t snore, do I?” Not a question…more like a statement.

Bruce shook his head. “Of course not dear.” He gave Stormi an ‘I surrender’ look. Greg smiled. He was learning how to best get along with your better half.

“Well then, the flight attendants better search under the seats for the bullfrog someone stowed away on the plane,” Brandon laughed. Paige gave him a withering look.

Brandon looked at me. “This resort has free alcohol right?”

I laughed. “For you or her?”

“Both.”

I patted him on the arm. “She’ll be fine once she gets off this plane.”

Once we got to baggage claim, a man held up a tablet with Greg’s name on it. The resort had sent a shuttle to pick us up and take us to the resort. Along the way, we enjoyed the scenery of tropical plants, tall mountains, and gorgeous beaches. As we drove into the gated resort, we marveled at the well-manicured landscape, rich with tropical flowers, towering palm trees, and meticulous flowerbeds. Small ponds with fish and water lilies dotted our ride to the front entrance. We were definitely in paradise. Even the air was fragrant from all the flowers. A small breeze blew as we climbed out of the van, minimizing the heat of the day.

After checking in, we were directed to our rooms. Stormi and Greg had the honeymoon suite, while Bruce and Paige, and Brandon and I stayed in normal rooms right next to each other.

As Brandon and I entered our room, we could see the balcony on the other end. I walked directly towards it, feeling like a moth lured to a porch light. As I stepped out on the balcony, the ocean breeze hit my face and salt air filled my senses. I’d been to the beach many times living only a few hours away from places like Myrtle Beach and the Tybee Islands. But this was different. The Caribbean offered scenery that we couldn’t get on the East coast line. The mountain range in the distance along with powder white sand and tranquil atmosphere made my soul sing.

“I can’t wait to get downstairs and grab a lounger,” I told Brandon.

“Then let’s change into our bathing suits and get down there.”

Now a bathing suit is not my favorite piece of clothing. I’m thin with no curves so I look like a stick with a shard of clothing around it. Luckily, Paige and I went shopping before the trip and I found a cute one-piece pink bathing suit that gathered in the middle, giving the illusion of a waist. I also bought a white sheer bathing suit cover up. I’m a little…no a lot apprehensive when wearing less clothing, so the cover up would do until I felt more comfortable in my swimwear.

Once Brandon and I arrived poolside, Bruce and Paige were already there, kicked back on lounge chairs with a tropical drink in their hands.

“Looks like you’ve already started the party without us,” I said as I sat my beach bag with my kindle, sunscreen and room key on the umbrella table next to Paige.

“The Mrs. couldn’t wait to get down here and get her party hat on,” Bruce declared.

Paige peered over the top of her sunglasses at Bruce. “I beg to differ. He was down here five minutes before I was.”

Bruce took a sip of his orange drink in a plastic cup. “I simply wanted to make sure I got you a nice chair with a perfect view of the ocean.”

“You wanted to make sure to have a perfect view alright, but probably not of the ocean,” Paige said as a couple of bathing beauties walked by.

Paige and Bruce liked to kid one another. That was their husband and wife chatter and it worked for them. Some people might call it bickering, but each knew their limits and how far they could go. Paige knew Bruce loved her more than life itself so there was no way she was jealous of girls half her age walking around with very little clothing on.

“Darlin, I can’t help it if some of these girls come into my peripheral vision as I gaze at your loveliness.”

Paige let out a guffaw. “You are so full of it! That’s okay, there’s surely a man with six pack abs that will filter into my vision at some point.”

Brandon and I smiled as the two bantered back and forth. We placed our towels on the lounge chairs and sprayed sunscreen on each other.

A cocktail server came around to ask if Brandon and I would like something to drink. I looked at Paige and pointed to her drink.

“What are you having?”

“A pina colada. It’s very good. Except for the little umbrella. I’ve poked my eye twice now.”

“Then why is it still in your cup?” I asked.

“After the second time I learned to dodge it.”

“Why not take it out?”

Paige shook her head. “Nope…I want a drink with a tiny umbrella despite it poking me in the eye every chance it gets.”

“I’ll have a pina colada without the tiny umbrella,” I told the server. “I like to keep my vision intact.”

“Wuss,” Paige said as she almost speared her eye again.

“Here darlin,” Bruce said as he handed Paige her sunglasses. “These will keep that nasty umbrella from piercing your eye.”

I looked over at Brandon who was already snoozing.

“Looks like he’s got the right idea,” Bruce said as he pulled a towel over his eyes.

Paige and I looked at one another. “Let’s go for a walk after you get your drink.”

“What about Stormi and Greg?”

Paige waved her hand. “We’ll be lucky to see them the next few days.” I nodded my head. The lovebirds were finally on their honeymoon and there was no way we would intrude upon them. However, events transpired that would put us straight into another mystery, only this time on a tropical island.

***********

The turquoise waters offered a tranquil setting on the island as it lapped softly onto the beach. The soft, smooth and warm sand squeezed between my toes, bringing with it a comfort of sorts. For the first few days, we lounged around the pool, took walks on the beach, and ate and drank to our heart’s content. The food was delicious and plentiful. At night, a certain number of the waiters, waitresses, maids and bellhops would offer theatrical events, which included singing, dancing, and even a few dramatic plays. We were astounded at how talented these young people were. We learned that many of them came from Los Angeles and New York to work during the summer and to hone their craft. However, most of their money came from their wages and tips. 

We didn’t see much of Greg and Stormi the first few days. Oh, we’d see them once in a while, taking a walk along the beach, or having a candlelit dinner at one of the restaurants at the resort. We’d smile and wave and they’d wave back, but kept our distance to allow them their private time. We knew they’d let us know when they were ready to join the group again.

One night Brandon and I elected to have a private dinner as well. I threw on a mint green summer dress with thin straps that brushed to the floor. I could feel the soft fabric as it touched my skin ever so gently. My swept up hair held in place by a fake diamond pin, while small tendrils fell on either side of my face. I didn’t look half-bad, but when Brandon stepped out my jaw almost hit the floor. Not that he didn’t always look handsome, but he looked especially gorgeous tonight.

A dark blue plaid shirt with tiny lines of cream and medium blue brought out the blue-greenish hue in his eyes. A bright red tie contrasted uniquely with his jet-black hair.

“I can wear the jacket, but in this heat I’d rather not. Wow, you look amazing!”

I walked over to my handsome fiancé and took hold of his tie. “Leave the jacket, but I really like this tie.”

He put his hands on my waist and gave me a sweet kiss. “You know we could just order room service.”

I shook my head. “No way. We look way too good not to show off.”

There were several restaurants in the resort compound, but one was designated as the romantic getaway. As we walked into the restaurant, dark paneled walls greeted us. Flickering flames from candlelit tables provided a dreamy ambiance to the setting. Delectable aromas emerged as they wafted from the kitchen. That night we feasted on a crab cakes for appetizers, filet mignon and grilled asparagus for dinner, and a molten chocolate lava cake for dessert. As we lingered over coffee, our discussion turned to when our own wedding would occur. Brandon and I hadn’t actually discussed a firm date. Too much had happened with planning Stormi’s wedding and the fiasco that followed it. But now Brandon wanted to pin down a date.

“I think we should figure out a wedding date don’t you,” he said taking sip from his coffee cup.

“How about a spring wedding? Sometime in April or May?”

He reached across the table and took my hand. “That will work for me. I’m ready right now, but I know how you girls like all the planning for the big day.”

I sat back in my chair. “After everything Stormi went through I don’t know if it’s worth it.”

“All of the ups and downs in Stormi’s wedding had a lot to do with Momma and our crazy cousin Howie.”

“Well, at least one of them is in jail.” That flew out of my mouth before I thought.

Brandon almost spewed his coffee as he laughed. “Well let’s see, maybe Greg can arrest Momma and send her to the hoosegow if she gets too crazy.”

I giggled. “Oh Lord I’d hate to see what would await Greg after Miss Dottie got out.”

We had a wonderful dinner. Good food and a handsome date on a tropical island. I was in heaven. But as usual, life has a way of bringing you back down to earth.

Chapter Four

The first few days Paige and I spent time together while Bruce and Brandon hang glided over the ocean and raced their wave runners up and down the beach. Paige and I decided to let the boys have their fun without us. Of course, we made our own kind of amusement by reading mysteries on our kindles, sipping fruity cocktails, and talking about anything and everyone. Paige and I would call home as well to check on Sammi, Winchester and how it was going with the ice cream shoppe. Sammi had it all under control, although she thought Winchester missed me and I missed him. But I knew he was in good hands. We also called Trixie to let her know how the trip was going, and she reported visiting the Frozen Scoop each day and that everything was under control.

By the third day, Stormi and Greg showed themselves as they joined us under one of the palm trees. The resort had several pools, but also an area with sand and palm trees. Blue, green and orange Adirondack chairs dotted the large landscape and we pulled several of the chairs under palm trees. I took off my flip-flops to stick my toes into the sand. I loved the feeling of the soft, warm powder as it spread between my toes.

Stormi pulled one of the orange chairs by Paige and me and plopped down. She looked awesome in her one-piece blue bathing suit that accentuated her curves. She wore a white lace cover up over the bathing suit. She sat down in the chair and wanted to know the latest around the resort. We filled her in, although there wasn’t much to tell. We hadn’t seen too many people milling about the last couple of days. The boys walked over to us and announced they were hiring a small charter fishing boat to take them sport fishing. We wished them luck and walked over to grab some loungers by the pool. We gabbed for a bit and then noticed a man walk over to the pool and dive in. He swam a few laps then strode out of the pool. His light brown hair curled around his ears and water rippled down his tanned body. He was definitely nice to leer…I mean look at. Even Paige couldn’t rip her gaze from him. He knew he was being watched, as he turned and gave us three a wink. Then he sat down on one of the loungers not far from us. We must have been spellbound as none of us breathed a word.

Then, just like clockwork, an equally stunning woman emerged from the hotel and walked down to the pool area. Her bright red hair illuminated a creamy complexion. The tips of her hair kissed her shoulders. She wore large black sunglasses, which concealed her eyes until she took them off and laid them on the umbrella table next to the man. She then leaned over to kiss him. She wore a black two-piece bathing suit under a cream laced cover up. And still we sat, in mute silence, trying not to be so obvious about staring at this elegant couple.

Suddenly the man called over to us and we all flinched. “How are you ladies today? Enjoying this fabulous weather?”

We nodded like three buffoons. Finally, I found my voice. “Yes we are. Did you all just arrive?”

The man shook his head. “No, we’ve been here a few days.” He grabbed the woman’s hand. “We’ve just been preoccupied.” Yeah I bet.

“My name is Andre Garza and this is my beautiful wife Yvette.”

We introduced ourselves and told them Stormi was on her honeymoon and that the men folk were out sport fishing. Andre and Yvette explained that they were actors in Australia and had worked together in their latest film. They were at the resort taking a break before starting work on another project. A cocktail server came around and we all ordered some fruity drinks. Andre told the server to put the charge on his room. We told him that wasn’t necessary, but he insisted.

“Tell us some movies you were in so we can rent them when we get back home,” Stormi said sipping her drink. I could tell she was mesmerized by the celebrities. They wrote down a few of their films, but weren’t sure if we could get them since they were primarily Australian films.

Although the couple was quite elegant, they didn’t put on airs. They listened as we twittered on about how exciting it was to have met a couple of movie stars. I’m sure we appeared star struck, and we were, but they took it in stride. Eventually they excused themselves and we parted ways. Andre mentioned that he’d like to meet our ‘men folk’ and we hoped to see them again too.

“Can you believe we just met two movie stars?” Stormi was excited. “I don’t have a clue who they are, but it was still exciting. And they were so nice too! I doubt Meryl Streep would be that nice.”

“Don’t go hating on Meryl.” Paige loved Meryl Streep ever since she saw her in Sophie’s Choice.

“I can’t see Meryl sunbathing at a Cancun resort either,” I said as I reapplied sunscreen to my legs.

Stormi nodded. “She’s much too pale.”

Paige turned in her lounge chair. “What have you got against Meryl?”

Stormi took a sip of her drink. “Nothing. I just think she’s snooty.”

“You don’t even know her.”

“I can just tell.”

This went back and forth for a bit. Instead of joining in the banter, I leaned back and closed my eyes, wondering how it would be to have a jet set life like Andre and Yvette. While it may be exciting, I preferred my quiet life in a small town with my quaint ice cream shoppe, my handsome fiancé, and my tiny Winchester. Yes, I felt quite rich indeed.

After the guys got back from their sport fishing adventure, in which Greg told us about the huge swordfish he caught, complete with pictures, we told them about meeting movie star royalty. Since they’d never heard of them, and it wasn’t Dwayne Johnson or Sandra Bullock, they weren’t interested.

We all ate dinner at the Mexican restaurant at the resort, hoping to spot Andre and Yvette so we could introduce them to our men, but unfortunately, they didn’t appear. We stopped for a drink at the bar, still searching for the elusive couple, but no luck.

“Maybe we will see them tomorrow and introduce you,” Stormi said as we all headed to our rooms. Unfortunately, that would never happen.