Chapter 67

“There you are!” She exclaimed when she found him standing by the pool, staring off into the distance. “Are you ok?”

“Yes,” he said and smiled at her. “I have never felt this much peace in my life.”

“Aww, I’m glad you feel that way,” she said, embracing him.

“Come on, let’s go inside and see what Elaine and Zoe are up to. The island manager will be sending in our private chef later today. In the meantime, I’m sure we can make do with whatever is in the kitchen for now.”

“I don’t think anyone is hungry yet. This place is too good for you to think about eating.”

“Zoe may not agree with you,” he said with a grin. “My daughter is a certified foodie.”

“She got it from her momma,” said Rachel.

“I’m not going to argue with that,” said Derek and he received an elbow jab in the ribs from his wife.

They found Zoe and her nanny in the cinema room watching Moana. Derek and Rachel were immediately captivated by the exciting animation movie, and they too sat down to watch it. When it was over, they all left the room together and went into the kitchen to hunt for snacks. Their new chef showed up just as they began to munch on cookies and sip processed fruit juice.

“My name is Javier and I will be your chef throughout your stay here,” said the gorgeous Hispanic man.

“Pleased to meet you,” said the Frasers.

“I have a brochure here that contains over 50 recipes that I would love to make for you but please, feel free to let me know if you have any specific meals that you’d want me to prepare for you at any time and I will do my best to make it for you.”

Rachel liked his singsong accent and that permanent smile on his attractive face. “Sounds good to me,” she said. “So, family, what should we have for lunch?”

“Pizza!” Screamed Zoe.

“Honey, that’s not real food,” said Derek. “Let me see the brochure, please,” he said to Javier.

“I want pizza,” said Zoe.

“I can make that for you, princess,” said Javier. “Who else wants pizza?”

“I’ll have whatever Zoe is having,” said Elaine, diplomatically.

“This looks exciting,” said Derek, with his eyes on the brochure. “Espinacas con Garbanzos.”

“Ooh, sounds exotic!” Said Rachel.

“I can make it for you,” said Javier confidently. “Trust me, you will love it. It is a very delicious meal.”

“Sweet Jesus!”

Ten pairs of eyes swung in the direction of the shocked voice and they all saw Yasmin standing there and staring at Javier with huge eyes. Her hair was damp and hung limply around her face and shoulders, her makeup was smudged and her bathing suit clung to her like a second skin.

“Nana!” Zoe screamed excitedly, breaking the awkward silence in the kitchen. She ran to meet her grandmother and wrapped her small arms around her wet legs.

“Hi, honey,” said Yasmin, bending down to greet Zoe. When she straightened up, her eyes swung back to Javier who was smiling at her appreciatively. “And who’s this deliciously looking man?”

“That’s a very apt description,” joked Derek. “This is Javier, our new chef. Javier, that’s my mom, Yasmin.”

Javier’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Your mom? I could have never guessed it. It’s a pleasure to meet you, madam.”

“Oh no, Javier. The pleasure is all mine,” she drawled suggestively.

Derek cleared his throat. “Where is Sam?”

“Right here,” said Sam, coming into the kitchen. When he saw Javier, his brows furrowed with instant dislike. “Who’s this?”

“Our chef,” answered Rachel. “He’s going to be making our meals throughout our stay here, beginning from right now. Javier, we’re going to vacate your domain now and let you work your magic.”

“I want pizza!” Zoe reminded him.

“Of course, dear. I’ll make one just for you,” said Javier and was rewarded with a cheer from Zoe.

“All right, folks. Let’s leave the kitchen and give Javier some space,” said Derek, leading everyone out of the kitchen.

“Do you need help?” Yasmin asked the chef. “I could go and change and then come back here to join you. I really know my way around a kitchen.”

“I’m sure he can handle the cooking alone, can’t you, Javier?” Asked Sam with a look in his eyes that dared the chef to say otherwise. He wrapped his arm around Yasmin’s small waist to mark his territory.

“Absolutely, I can,” replied Javier with a grin that didn’t reach his eyes.

“Great, now that that’s settled, let’s all leave the man to do his job, shall we?” Said Derek, eager to diffuse the brewing tension in the kitchen.

Everyone left the kitchen and they spread out across the house; Elaine and Zoe decided to go and explore the backyard of the house together, Yasmin and Sam went into their room to change out of their wet swimsuits, and Derek and Rachel reverted to their original plan to sit on the porch and watch the ocean.

“I think it was a bad idea to bring my mom and that guy with us on our honeymoon,” he mused.

Rachel laughed. “Are you kidding? This is exciting! I can’t wait to see Sam and Javier knock each other’s teeth out over Yasmin.”

That got him laughing. “I would have never imagined you to be the type that likes violence.”

“I’m not, but I’m not going to walk away from a chance to see two Alpha males battle each other over a strong female.”

“Ugh, you’ve read too many werewolf stories.”

“I have, and I’ll like to see them played out in real life.”

“You’re such a freak,” he said affectionately.

“It takes one to know one,” she grinned.

“I won’t argue with that,” he said and kissed her. “I’m going to show you just how freaky I am tonight.”

“I can’t wait,” she whispered and deepened the kiss.

**********

Lunch turned out to be a festival of food because Javier had gone above and beyond their expectations to not only make the pizza and Espinacas con Garbanzos, but he also included a flavorful side dish of Caponata and Morrocan lentil soup.

“Miss Yasmin was not here when we were deciding what to prepare, so I decided to add these extras for her,” he explained. “I hope you’ll like it.”

His deliberate exclusion of Sam from his little speech was not lost on everyone and his pettiness made Rachel giggle.

“If you cooked it, I’ll love it,” said Yasmin, appreciatively. “And it’s just Yasmin. Leave out the title,” she added with a playful wink.

Javier’s grin widened, while Sam’s fingers balled into fists and a muscle ticked on his hard jaw.

“Will you like a slice of pizza, Zoe?” Asked Elaine, unconsciously diffusing the invincible sparks flying around the room.

“Yes, please,” said Zoe politely.

“Let’s dig in,” said Derek, rubbing his hands together gleefully. Everyone began to eat and was impressed by Javier’s culinary skills because everything tasted yummy.
He had returned to the kitchen after serving the meals and remained there while they ate. Rachel suspected that he did that to avoid locking horns with Sam who looked like he was ready to beat the chef to a pulp, judging by the way he sat stiffly at the dining table and kept glancing at the closed kitchen door.

Once they were done with lunch, there was unanimous agreement that everyone should take a stroll to the beach to walk off that hefty meal.

“I don’t think I’m going to eat anything else today because that was a loaded lunch,” said Rachel, suppressing a belch.

“Yeah, maybe,” said Derek with a smile.

They were walking hand-in-hand past the tall palm trees that lined the property and went all the way to the beach. There were some large rocks on the other end of the beach and it looked like a nice hideout where they could get a little bit of intimacy away from the rest of the group.

“How about we go over there and check out what’s behind that rock?” She asked, pointing toward the distance. “Just you and me.”

“Sure, why not?”

“We’re going back inside,” Elaine announced. “Zoe is long overdue for her nap and she’s getting restless.”

“Aww, poor baby,” said Rachel, bending down to stroke Zoe’s blonde curls.

“No nap,” she said drowsily while yawning and rubbing her eyes. However, she didn’t resist when Elaine scooped her up and headed for the house.

“We’re taking a walk to the other side of the beach,” Derek informed his mom.

“Ok, dear. Sam and I will relax under one of these palm trees here,” she replied. “I’m tired of walking.”

“Cool,” said Derek and he continued his walk with Rachel.

“We should start making plans for Zoe’s birthday next month,” she said as they walked at a leisurely pace toward their destination.

“Oh, yeah. I heard the next phase is called the ‘Terrible Twos,’ isn’t it?”

“Well, for my Zoe, it’s going to be the ‘Terrific Two.’ I’m not going to project other people’s negative expectations on her.”

“Geez, calm down, Oprah. I was just saying what I heard.”

She laughed. “You’re so silly.”

He looked back to see just how far they’d walked and he saw Sam bent over his mother under one of the palm trees where she sat. They were two tiny figures in the distance.

“I hope that weirdo isn’t trying to strangle my mother,” he mused half-jokingly.

Rachel looked back too and saw the couple under the tree, kissing. “Don’t be ridiculous, Derek. I’m sure you can see that they’re kissing.”

“Yasmin is something else,” he chuckled. “Well, I’m just glad that she’s happy.”

“That’s the spirit!”

They reached the rock and were relieved to see that it was indeed secluded and was directly under a huge palm tree that provided them with the perfect shade from direct sunlight. They sat down beside the rock to catch their breath after the long walk.

“Come here,” Derek whispered to Rachel and lowered his lips to hers. Their kissing quickly became intense and within seconds, they were peeling off each other’s clothes.

“I can never get enough of you,” he said to her.

“We will never get enough of each other,” she giggled before straddling him.

They made love slowly and sensually on the warm, fine sand of the beach, and when they were done, they ran butt naked into the water for a swim. They spent several minutes splashing around in the water before they finally decided to go back to the house.

“The lovebirds are gone,” said Rachel, nodding toward the place where Yasmin and Sam had been earlier.

“Don’t call them that. They’re more like lust birds.”

“There’s no such thing as lust birds.”

“I know but it’s more fitting for them than lovebirds. You and I are the only lovebirds on this island.”

“I agree,” she said and rose on tiptoes to kiss him.

“I am so happy, Rachel,” Derek said softly. “Thank you.”

“And thank you too for making me just as happy,” she replied with a smile.

They walked hand-in-hand casually in companionable silence as they returned to their temporary home on the island.