Chapter 1
A Bit of
Paradise
McKenna awoke to hear frogs croaking and the sun shining
through the french doors. She jumped up and rushed over to open the doors and
let the day in.
'I cant wait to do some exploring', she thought and
with that her stomach gave a rumble.'After some breakfast of
course!'
Mac put on a white lacy top over her bikinis and put her long
sarong on, and went to find her sunglasses and floppy hat. Putting these with
sunblock, a book and a drink bottle in her bag, she then went to search for her
mum and the boys.
Breakfast was being served
under a huge canopy beside the pool, and proved to be a huge banquet of fresh
fruit and pastries. The rest of the family were sitting sown with plates piled
high and McK dropped her bag beside the empty seat and sat down. Sarah gave her
daughter s warm smile and then gestured towards the 3 huge plates.
"Well Mac, can you do
me proud as well?" and the 2 women laughed.
Not quite following the line of conversation, the 3 men
stopped eating and looked between their mother and their younger sister, and
then shrugged to each other and continued to eat.McK went over to the buffet and
chose some fruit and cereal and a juice. She ate this with relish and found
herself ready to explore.
When the boys had finished their 3rd helpings, Sarah got out
some brochures from her bag and put them in the middle of the table. Bennet (or
'Benno' to his family) waved his hands about and said,
"No need Mum,! We know what we want to do for the next
few days. We are to to learn how to jetski and paraglide. Feel up to it
Mum?"
Sarah shook her head, laughing at her younger
son.
"I've got a date with a massage table and aromatherapist
- so I'm pampering myself. But Mac might want to. "
McK looked at the 3 and although she was tempted, she really
wanted to explore the island.
"I might join you guys later, but I want to find the
waterfall walk and look at the bush," and with that everyone stood up to do
their thing.
"But I want us all to meet back here a 7 for drinks and
dinner" ,Sarah called, and was acknowledged with 4 waves, before she turned
and headed towards the gym.
McK followed her bothers for a time before she moved towards
the tracks signposted 'Waterfall Walk'.
The bush was lush and green and high in the trees above her
she could hear birds calling to each other. The sound of the waves could still
be heard and she felt content to be walking on such a lovely day. The path was
wide and ambled between trees and bush, slowly taking her deeper into the
island. She came across a clearing with flowers of every colour and shade
blooming in front of her. McK reached over to a beautiful red orchid and slipped
it behing her ear, before she moved slowly around smelling the flowers -
she noticed a narrower path leading away and so decided to follow it. Further
down the path she heard the sound of water that go louder and louder and she
went further into the bush. 5 minutes later McK stopped up short as she reached
another clearing and in front of her was a magnificent waterfall tumbling into a
lagoon.
The whole thing was so enchanting that it took McK
2 seconds to strip to her togs and dive into the crisp cool clear water. She
surfaced and dove back under time and time again, before pulling herself onto
the big flat rock by her bag. Spotting a banana tree in reach, she took a bunch
and sat admiring the view.
After taking a drink from
her bottle, she put on her sunblock and glasses and lay back with all intentions
of reading her book - when she fell asleep.......
This is how he found her as he stumbled onto the waterfall on
adiffernt path from the opposite side of the island.
His reddy brown hair was sun bleached and he was tanned and
relaxed.
He had decided to spend some time away from his friends - to
mellow - and discovered this walk quite by accident.
As he stepped into the clearing he had been overawed by the
sight and beauty of the waterfall and then something else caught his
attention.
She lay there fully relaxed and peaceful - her lovely long red
hair, even more curlier after her swim spread across the rock. Her long
eyelashes on her slightly flushed cheeks and her full red lips slightly open as
her body rose and fell with sleep.
He felt an urge to kiss her, but held back, wanting to enjoy
the fragile moment of real beauty and solitude.
McK stirred feeling the sun growing in strength and she sat up
remembering where she was, with a smile.
She turned around to find a
pair of intense blue eyes looking at her, and she got up with a start. Looking
down towards those piercing eyes she met with a big lopsided grin and she smiled
back.
The owner of those eyes moved forward until he
was at the edge of the rock and stopped.
"Hi" the deep
voice said.
McK felt a tingle down her spine and looked up to meet those
eyes with,
"Hi yourself!"
The 'eyes' offered his hand .
"My name is Brian" , and McK shyly stretched her
hand until it just made contact.
"My name is McKenna - Mac for short" and felt as if
she had 1000 volts of electricity shooting up her arm.
As if he felt it too, Brian dropped his hand and gave McK a
puzzled look which turned into another smile.
"Sorry to disturb you - but you looked so peaceful and
this waterfall is so lovely, and I'm hot, thirsty and hungry. May I share this
rock with you?" Briaqn asked gesturing to Mck's seat.
"Sure" was all that she could say, and then she sat
back down, moving over to make room. Without saying a word, she offered him a
banana and her water bottle and he smiled in acceptance.
Together they sat with their legs dangling in the water
enjoying the waterfall. After a while Brian looked at McK and
said..
"You must be on holiday, but you have an accent, where
are you from?"
"Auckland - New Zealand! , and you must be American or
Canadian or something?"
"Yes I'm from Kentucky, USA, and I'm on holiday with a
few friends. Are you here with friends?" Brian asked , looking
around.
"I'm here with my family. - 2 weeks in paradise!"
She looked up at his face to find those eyes on her again and she blushed ever
so slightly.
"What do you do ?" she asked trying to distract him,
but he just replied while still watching her.
"I'm in the travel industry, and
you?..."
"I'm studying to be a vet." and grinned with her
reply.
Again they lapsed into silence and then Brian pushed himself
form the rock into the water and disappeared from sight. After expecting Brian
to surface, McK leaned forward hoping to catch sight of him when he suddenly
broke the surface of water in front of her and gave her a fright.
McK lost her balance and fell into the water, struggling
through the cool water, back to the surface.
"Hey, are you o.k.? I'm sorry, I didnt mean to make you
fall in.Are you sure you're o.k.?" and McK looked up into Brian's concerned
face.
"I'm o.k. - a bit cooler now, but that's alright, so dont
worry" she smiled.
"If thats the case, then...." Brian disappeared back
under the water and Mck felt something tugging her leg.
She kicked it and then swam over towards the middle of the
lagoon. As soon as Brian surfaced, she dove under and they played this game of
cat and mouse for a long time, before McK called out
"Truce" amd headed back to the rock.
Brian pulled himself out of the water and then helped McK
climb out. Again the touch of hisand created an electric shock and made Mc drop
her hand this time.
Reaching for her water bottle to cover her reaction, she took
a long drink, and then offered it to Brian. He shook his head at her and she put
it in her bag.
The silence resumed.
"I should get back to my family" McKsaid, trying to
understand this strange connection happening with this man beside
her.
Watching her through his long eyelashes, he nodded, but as she
stood to gather her things he put his hand on her arm and looked straight into
the depths of her eyes.
"Promise you'll meet me here tomorrow at 10, " and
then quickly added,
"I'd like to learn more about this Auckland, New Zealand
place you live in?!!"
McK stopped and smiled shyly.
"O.K. Brian - tomorrow at 10 and then she climbed off the
rock and ran back down the path that had led her to this encounter.
She was tempted to to look back, but was frightened to think
he may have disappeared and it was a dream.
Brian sat on the rock for the longest time - his eyes staring
down the path McK had taken.
He couldnt believe that he could feel like this after meeting
someone in such a short time. Her touch to him was electrifying - and the
biggest thing was she didnt seem to know him as part of the BSB. He could be
himself totally and would know that if she liked him, it would be for himself
and not his fame.
He smiled and then reluctantly left the rock and went back
down his own trial towards the resort. - 'Tomorrow cant come soon
enough!'
McK ran all the way back to the beach and flopped down under a
tree. She could make out her 3 brothers on the jetskis in the surf and laughed
when one or the other fell off.
She then thought about Brian and his eyes and she felt
fluttery thinking about meeting him again.
'Be Brave McK - a holiday friendship
is all he is wanting - so go for it'
She got up and wandered back
to her room for a shower before dinner.
***Later on that night on opposite sides of the island, 2
people were having very restless sleeps.***