Call It Paradise

Chapter Twelve

Ever since confessing my love to Simon, I had noticed a change in his demeanor. Even though he had not responded with the same three words, there was a stronger affection in his actions and a longing for my embrace. I didn't doubt his love for one second. However, this presented a new pressure to the challenge I now faced.

I had nearly promised him, or so it felt, to convince my family he was the one I wanted. And as every day passed, I realized how clear my feelings were to me and how much my love for him continued to increase. More than ever, I needed to prove Simon and myself to my family and it wasn't going to be an easy task. I had made little progress until my father unexpectedly invited him to dinner. Suddenly, I felt we had a chance. I only had to convince Simon to accept and as I had grown to know him like the back of my hand, it wasn't hard to picture the reluctance on his face.

I left in the morning immediately after breakfast, determined to find Simon. Though his work was infrequent, it could also arise at any moment. Right before parting the night before, Simon had informed me he would need to assist his uncle with a repair job that had come into the shop, so we decided not to make any plans for the day. However, now that my parents had invited him to dinner, I needed to tell him as soon as possible.

I walked into town and wound my way through the marketplace. Though I had been to his shop a few times already, I couldn't help but remember the first time I had seen it. I pictured that hot day when Simon leaned against the doorframe, watching me in the crowd and sending me that mischievous grin that caused heat to rise to my cheeks. As I approached now, the storefront was abandoned, save for the overhead sign creaking as it swayed in the breeze.

The door was ajar so I pushed it open and stepped inside. The room was quiet and a faint light filtered in behind me, falling upon wood-paneled walls and a countertop cluttered with various pieces of boating equipment I couldn't have named. I glanced around at the oars and wheels hanging from the walls, accompanied by framed photographs of old historical boats and new yachts. Overall, everything was relatively clean and bright except for the back room I now peered into.

"Simon?" I called.

I stood hesitantly at the counter for a few moments, hoping someone might have heard me and would emerge from the back. Though Simon had previously shown me around their shop, I still felt like an intruder walking into their business. But when nothing but silence responded, I took the initiative to step further into the darker room. The window shades had been pulled to keep the hot sunlight out but the yellow streams of light guided me to a back door. Suddenly, I heard clattering followed by a couple of faint voices.

I opened the door slightly and stepped out into the small open-air garage. The sunlight was nearly blinding but when my eyes adjusted, I could see a view that gave way to the ocean just down from the little grassy slope.

"Simon?"

The clattering stopped and immediately, he stepped into view around the corner, rushing to meet the sound of my voice.

"Kathy," he said, brushing his hands off on his clothes. "What brings you here?"

"Sorry, I called for you inside but no one heard."

"No, no, that's fine. You can come back here anytime. Don't be silly."

"I'm sorry to interrupt your work." I stepped down the wooden planks and onto the ground, dusty with the sawed remains of wooden boats.

"No, it's fine. I'm glad you came, actually. We got a real winner--not that you're probably interested in seeing a boring, beat-up ol' boat. Kind of like seeing a boring ol' man."

"I heard that." Just on cue, Simon's uncle, John, appeared from around the corner with an exasperated expression on his face. He sighed as Simon snickered at his own joke. "Good morning, Kathy. Maybe you can take this naugh'ty schoolboy off my hands for a while."

Simon gaped at him. "I am not a schoolboy," he said, lowering his voice to feign his offense. "Don't be embarrassing."

"Oh, sorry. Well, you're still naugh'ty. This poor girl--Simon never stops talking about you, and I don't use that phrase lightly."

"Oh, I hope it's all been good," I said with a laugh.

Simon raised his eyebrows at his uncle. "Anything else you'd like to tell her?"

"Well, you called me a boring old man. Just be glad I don't have your mum's family photo book."

"Oh, my God," Simon said, his face turning a slight shade of red even though he couldn't help but laugh.

"Now, you two probably want to talk privately," John said, smiling and winking at me before excitedly shooing Simon and me outside.

At his uncle's bidding, Simon led us down the grass, resting an arm around my shoulders as we sauntered along. "Something wrong?" Simon said, bending his head closer to mine as a crease formed on his brow.

"Well, I did come to discuss something with you."

"Sure." We had reached the end of the slope, taking us away from his uncle's hearing distance. He straddled some old boat planks that had been placed as a bench to overlook the beach. "What is it?"

"Well, I came to ask you something and see how you feel about it. You know how my family is being, and they won't give up."

He looked down at his hands and didn't respond.

"But they're willing to be fair," I continued, causing Simon to look into my eyes. "My dad wants to invite you to dinner."

I could see the panic rise to his face for a moment before disappearing behind a façade. He cleared his throat and shifted nervously. "Why does he want to invite me to dinner?"

"Well, they want to see what you're like--to get to know you--so they can decide if you're good for me or not."

"You mean they want to humiliate me. They want to compare me to that other guy that proposed to you."

"Simon," I said, scooting closer and placing my hands on his forearms. "They're not going to humiliate you. Yes, they'll probably compare you. But you don't have anything to worry about. We can convince them that you're a wonderful person--to see it from my point of view. I want them to know how much I love you."

"How?"

"Well, by being yourself. I'm sure they will like you once they get to know you. They're being open-minded."

He leaned forward and shook his head, groaning a sound of disagreement. "It's going to take a lot more than that."

"Well, for starters, do you have a suit?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, wear that. Even if it's smart casual, that's fine. We aren't sticklers unless it comes to business back home." A small laugh escaped his lips as he shook his head but I continued. "Just be respectful and chivalrous and charming like you are. I mean, it's not like you don't have manners. They're just being unfriendly because they want me to marry Thomas and thought it was all set to go. But we can change their minds."

"I have my doubts."

"Simon, I'm trying to be optimistic," I said with a laugh. "At least try to help me out a little."

He laughed through his nose. "Sorry."

"So will you come to dinner?"

"When is it?"

"Well, my dad suggested tonight. Would that work for you?"

"Oh," he said, a nervous smile appearing on his face. "That's so soon. I wish I could have had a while to prepare myself."

"I only found out myself last night. Otherwise, I would have given you notice."

"Well, okay," he said, nodding as he placed a hand on my leg. "I'll do it if it means winning you. But you owe me, baby."

"Thank you," I said, smiling as I leaned in for a kiss. Just before his lips met mine, John stepped out nonchalantly into the yard but Simon didn't seem to care as he placed a hand on my cheek and lost himself in our moment.

----------

Thanks for reading :)