Chapter 24 : Last Resort

**Cat POV After the most awkward, uncomfortable three hours I'd ever experienced, the plane touched down on the ground. I practically threw myself out the door to kiss the pavement when the door opened. No one tried to stop me. There were several limos waiting on the private airstrip. "Come on, Fiona, get your bags. The resort is waiting for us, and we have to finalize the wedding plans," Mrs. Carter said, heading to one of the limos. "Maybe we can get them to extend the patio area. I don't know if they'll be done in time, though." "They requested some changes be made to the venue," Luke said as he walked by me, noticing my confused look. Of course, they owned the place and could request to modify it at will. "Luke, I got your group separate cars," a woman called from the passenger seat of one of the limos. "Thanks, Johanna," he said, waving back. "Aren't you coming to the resort with us?" Mr. Carter asked. "Those of us here for work are going to stay at the private villas. I booked them out so all the guests are staying at the resort, and we'll have some privacy to do our work," Luke explained. "But the wedding is at the resort," Mrs. Carter argued. "There are a lot of plans to finalize for the wedding. We could use your help," Mr. Carter added. "I'll be there for the wedding. But for now, I'm staying at the villa so we can focus on work and you can focus on wedding planning, okay?" Luke said. His statement didn't leave much room for arguing. "Come on, Mom. Luke will just get in the way," she said, tugging at her mother's arm. "Fine, fine. I guess we don't need him to help with the floral arrangements." They got in the limo with Aaron, and Mr. Carter and drove off. "I've got the bags," Jason said, winking at me as he stuffed them into the trunk of the second limo. "Private Villas?" I asked. Luke opened the limo door for me. "Maldives style. We each have a private cabin. They are right on the beach. You'll love it." "Okay." We piled into the limo with Johanna, and the drivers pulled away from the airstrip. I was a little relieved that we wouldn't be going with Luke's family. Listening to his parents gush about wedding plans and Fiona saying all kinds of suggestive, and obvious things to Aaron, had totally fried my brain. I thought my eardrums would blow out with how many times I turned the volume of my music up. Staying near Luke in a more private setting wasn't ideal, either, but at least it was better than being around Aaron. "This was a good idea, Luke. It's always better to work on a project once you know the site personally," Jason said. "I've set up a schedule for all of us," Johanna said. "The photographer will join us in a few days. He's a local, said to be quite experienced in topography." "Why do we need it all photographed from the ground?" Jason asked. "At this stage we just need aerials." "To tempt future investors," Luke said. "We want to show people what the site looks like and how the building is going. It should attract a lot more money," Luke confirmed. I sniffed and shook my head. From what he had told me, the project wasn't meant to be an extension of the resort. It was supposed to be infrastructure and homes for the locals to improve their living conditions. An entire chain of islands practically depended on the resort for their livelihood. I didn't know if he changed his mind halfway through, or what his plans were, but now I only felt disappointed with him. When I'd first met him, I never would have pegged Luke as a guy that only cared about money. "That makes sense," Jason said, interrupting my thoughts. "I thought you landed all the necessary investors already." "Oh, I did. But we don't want the faucet to stop flowing if you know what I mean," Luke said with a chuckle. Johanna turned around in her seat to look at us, a bubbly smile lighting up her face and eyes. "Don't let him fool you. We aren't in any trouble financially. However, in this business, that can change in a heartbeat." "I don't like leaving things to chance," Luke said. "Especially business." I scoffed. Business. This was no philanthropic work like he had made it sound. And our night together had been a chance encounter, wasn't it? Now, he was almost admitting he'd planned it. He never would have gone after a complete stranger based on that statement. I was beginning to doubt everything he had ever said to me: the potential he saw in me, his new plan to woo investors, and even how he cheated on his girlfriend with me. We pulled through a big gate between two, pure white, stucco walls. The limo came to a stop. "We're on foot from here, friends," Luke said, stepping out of the limo and getting to the trunk before the driver was able to get there. He took out our bags, leaving Johanna and Jason to take out theirs. "I can carry mine," I said, trying to hide my annoyance. "It's okay. I'll take them." "I insist." Without waiting for him to reply, I pulled my bag from his shoulder. We had parked right at the edge of a wooden planked boardwalk that branched out into several paths over white sand at first, then over crystal clear water. I realized for the first time that all the huts were half on the beach and half sticking out on the water with private decks and wooden pillars that held up the straw roofing. The white sand was splattered with palm trees, and there were string lights and solar-powered electric torches all over the place. It was still too light out for the lights to come on, but I couldn't wait to see them glittering off the water. All the porches and several areas on the beaches had large decorative pots with tropical plants and flowers growing out of them. In spite of my feelings, I smiled as we headed down the boardwalk, realizing that Luke had based his backyard and pool deck off of these villas. "You can each pick your own cabin and get settled. It is pretty quiet around here, so if you want to be near the action, I'll be at the central cabin on the water," Luke said. He veered off down another boardwalk to his cabin. It looked like they were all interconnected through boardwalks. No wonder the limo couldn't get down here. "Do you have your eye on any specific cabin?" Jason asked me. "I think I'll walk around a bit and see which view I like best. It has to have a view," I said, laughing. I left Jason and headed through the villa cabins. Peeking inside, I could see that they all had a queen or king-sized beds. They had state-of-the-art, fully functional kitchenettes and fancy furniture in the living space and on the decks. Out there in the water, it was hard to tell each cabin apart, so I just took the one closest to me. It had a perfect view of the sunset over the water. I threw my bag on the bed and flopped down, grabbing the silk-covered pillow and planting my face in it, screaming. Every ounce of anxiety, tension, anger, and awkwardness melted. It all faded away as I screamed. The muffled sounds in the pillow were a little unsatisfactory. I would have loved to just scream at the top of my lungs. At least, this way, no one would run over and try to "save" me or anything. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Groaning, I released the pillow and reached for my phone. Under any circumstances, I would have ignored it, but I was still here for work. I had another new text from Jason. *Johanna arranged a get-together for us tonight. We won't be meeting with the policymakers until tomorrow. We can just relax and enjoy the island for now. Hopefully, I'll see you there.* A get-together with Luke, Jason, and Johanna. I was counting the ways that could go wrong. *I'll see if I'm up for it once I get settled in.* I typed my reply quickly and set my phone down with a sigh. A soft, tropical breeze blew in through the open window, making the white curtains billow into the bedroom. It really was a beautiful island. Mid-afternoon, the water glittered with sunlight and the palms blew in the breeze. It was so quiet and peaceful. I opened the sliding door in the bedroom that led out onto the deck where the water lapped right against the deck. Pulling my shoes off, I rolled my pants up and sat on the edge of the deck, dipping my feet into the water. The sky began to turn orange as the sun sank lower, getting ready to kiss the horizon. With a heavy sigh, I started to relax. All that drama on the plane wasn't even about me. It was about Fiona and Aaron and Luke and Victoria. I was just an innocent bystander to it all, wasn't I? Aaron had cheated on me with Luke's sister, and Luke had cheated on his girlfriend with me. I hadn't asked for any of this. Swish. Another sliding door opened up on my left. I glanced over to see Luke coming out onto his deck. Gaping, I looked away quickly. I hadn't realized I'd picked the cabin right next to his! Luke arched an eyebrow at me and smirked. He was in khaki pants, his tropical shirt unbuttoned and flapping in the breeze, as he sat down like I was, dipping his feet in the water. Huffing, I turned away from him and looked back at the water. "I thought you'd choose something a little further away," Luke commented, his smirk widening. "Honestly, I thought I had," I muttered, kicking my feet in the water. I'd just started to make peace with everything and settle into a better mood. Now, Luke was there to disrupt it again. Kicking harder, I splashed water until it showered me. I gritted my teeth and watched the ripples from my kicking. They distorted my reflection in the tropical, crystal-clear water. "Is this how the entire trip is going to be? Why'd you come if you were just going to hide behind cold indifference?" he asked sharply. Crossing my arms, I kept my eyes on the sinking sun. The solar-powered torches and string lights all lit up at the same time, making the entire villa seem like a fairy garden. I gasped. "It is beautiful here," Luke said. I stood up and turned to go back inside. I didn't want to talk about how beautiful it was. I didn't want to talk to him at all! The deck was smaller than I'd thought, and I collided with one of the wooden pillars. "Ooph!" Reeling back, I grabbed at something to hold on to. Anything. My fingers closed around the air and I stumbled back. "AHHH!" A scream tore from my lips as my wet feet slipped on the floorboards. I was falling. Then… SPLASH! Water rushed over my head, and I was sucked down.