Dudes Down Under (34 page)

“
How about I get one of everything. You are a growing boy, you can manage all of them.”

Rebecca will get fat. Oh, no matter, she can slim down in black. All of them would be good.

Sidney piled the change into the machine and took out the eight candy bars, trying to decide if she should unwrap them or not. “How do I do this, Cyril? I should take the wrapper’s off for you but then they are gonna melt everywhere.”

Hmmm, that’s a good point. We need something to wrap them in. But what? How about that thingy you’re wearing? It will do nicely, and it’s simply not your color anyway. You should never wear red. You are too blonde to get away with red.

“
Cyril, what are you doing? No, honey, don’t tug on my sarong. What? Oh, oh ... I get it. Smart crocodile. I’ll keep this on and pop out and see if Max has got anything we can use. Wait here.”

Please don’t be long, Sadie is hungry, and I have to find out about my Skeet. I do love my human. Red is so not your color. Are you sure you need it? I’m not good at waiting. Pacing up and down, this is boring. Pacing, pacing. Oh, here you are finally. So what have we got?

“
Max came through with this bag, Cyril. I will unwrap the candies and put them in it for you, okay?”

Oh but it’s pink. Pink! What is it with you guys and pink? Oh, very well. Rebecca will return it. Now, if I can just get back without anyone noticing that it clashes dreadfully with my apricot t-shirt.

*  *  *

“
Cyril, there you are. Where did you scurry off to, you naughty boy?”

I don’t do scurry. I was merely exercising my free will. I’ve always wanted to say that. So, Rebecca, let me just give Sadie her goodies. I’m so worried about Skeet but everyone is smiling, so I guess it’s all good.

“
Cyril, you are forever. Did you get them? Oh, oh, marvelous. Yummy. Why are you carrying a pink bag? It clashes dreadfully with the t-shirt. Who unwrapped the chocolate? I like the wrapping. Still, you weren’t to know.”

“
My God, Sadie, you can’t have all that chocolate, you’ll break out.”

“
If you try taking it away, I’ll do more than just break out. I must have munchies. Must, must, must.”

“
What on earth, all at once? You will get positively porky. You don’t usually like chocolate. This is very strange. Oh ... oh my. Unless? Are you? Already?”

“
Is she what already?’

Yeah, what Cyril said.

“
Cyril, Skeet sends his lov, and he will be back here with us all in no time at all. He'll be all better, I promise. So keep being a very good croc for me, 'cause I’ll be looking after you till he gets back.”

I knew my Skeet would get betterer. He’s too pig-headed to be sick. What are your favorite colors, Rebecca? Not pink. Never pink. I’ll be ever so good. Can I have a drinkie now?

*  *  *

The days began to form a pattern - a pleasing one for all, well almost all. The effort put in by the guests, combined with the large number of extra workers from the mainland, showed within the first week. Lucy had made certain that the privacy of her guests was maintained, putting them at the other end of the resort away from the day workers.

The superstars were looking tanned and very fit after a week of exercise and sunshine. The deal was that four hours a day was the maximum assistance Lucy would permit. These folks had agreed, and worked their collective bums off in the allocated time.

The evenings had become a festive event, with large Bar-B-Qs on the edge of the lagoon and sing-a-longs around the bonfire.

The staff and guests were all tired, but happily so, and any formality had long since disappeared.

“
Everyone, listen up. I have an announcement,” said Lucy. “Skeet will be coming home in three days; time.”

“
Whoo-hoo! That's marvelous, Lucy. Good ol’ Skeet.” Everyone was clearly delighted at the news.

Lucy returned to sit with Charlie and Jack. Lana had gone to take an important call from the States. Ginny and Sidney had become friends and were sitting regaling Ed Guest with stories of their intention to misspend their adulthood.

Ginny had accomplished what many others had failed to do. Ed Guest was a different man from the one that arrived at
Dudes
. He could still be a total bastard, and Ginny was only too delighted to point that out for him, but he had allowed people to care about him, and he found himself caring right back. “You girls do know that when I get back to NYC, I will revert to type.”

“
If that means you’re gonna be an arsehole again, I don’t wanna hear it.”

“
Ditto,” Sidney chimed in.

“
Well, there is one way to guarantee I remain Mr. Almost Nice Guy.”

“
What?”

“
You could come back with me, Ginny.”

“
Yeah, ha-ha. Very funny, Ed. What do you need me for? You got enough gophers.”

“
I do indeed but I wasn’t thinking of hiring you.’

“
What then?”

“
I was thinking we might get married.”

“
To each other?”

“
Yes, Ginny, to each other.”

“
Oh my God!”

“
Ginny. Don’t you dare. Ginny!”

“
Lucy! Lucy, grab the smelling salts. Ginny’s done it again.”

“
What the … ?” Lucy came over and Doc ran off to get the smelling salts.

“
What happened?

Sidney was laughing fit to bust a gut. “Nothing much, Luce, Ed just asked Ginny to marry him is all.”

“
Say WHAT?”

“
Don’t you dare faint, Lucy.”

“
I … no. I won’t. What was her answer?”

“
I have no idea. She keeled over before she said anything except ‘Oh my God'.”

Doc came running over. He knelt down next to Ginny and wafted the salts under her nose.

“
What … what happened? Did I? Did you? What did I say?”

“
Nothing yet.”

“
Oh, well then, okay.”

“
Okay? Okay what?”

“
Okay, Ed, I’ll marry you.”

“
You will?”

“
Uh-huh.”

“
Doc, don’t go too far with that bottle, buddy. Ginny, hon, are you sure?”

“
'Course I’m bloody sure. Besides, who else is game enough to tell you to wake up to yourself. I've got used to havin’ you around.”

Lucy was gobsmacked. The look on Ginny’s sweet face was unmistakeable; she had fallen in love with this man. She looked from one to the other and smiled in relief. Ed Guest was wearing the same goofy look. ‘Well I’ll be damned. Just wait till Skeet hears all the news.”

“
We haven’t made any announcements yet. We wanted Skeet to be here, but Charlie and I are getting married as well.”

“
Can we make it a double wedding?” asked Ed.

“
Oh, yes please. Please, Lucy. We can do it right here, at
Dudes
.” Ginny was radiant.

“
I’ll talk it over with Charlie. Don’t tell anyone about Charlie and me. We want Skeet to give me away, and he doesn’t know yet. Okay?”

*  *  *

Lucy and Charlie decided a double wedding would be wonderful, and didn’t waste time telling the other two lovebirds.

“
Lana, is everything okay, girlfriend?” Lucy asked her friend as she returned to the gathering around the fire.

“
Hell yes! Terrific, in fact. What on earth has gotten into Ed Guest? I swear I just heard him singing to Ginny over by the pool.”

“
Um, er, well, you'd better ask him.”

“
What’s goin’ on? Something is. I can scent a story a mile off.”

Sidney maintained a calm demeanor – almost - then ruined it by spluttering with laughter. “Must be something in the water supply, hey, Lucy?”

“
Yup, Sidney, that must be it all right.”

“
Might be a damned good idea to keep the smelling salts handy, I think,” Sidney said.

“
Smart idea, Sid.”

“
Uh-huh. I’ve been getting a few of those lately. Daddy will be pleased.”

“
Okay, okay, I’ll bite. What the hell is happenin’ around here? You lot are drivin’ me nuts,” Lana exploded.

“
Short trip, eh, Lana? Sidney said.

“
Cheeky minx. Give you a little attention and look what happens. You turn into one of the good guys.” Lana put her arm around Sidney’s shoulders and gave her a hug,and a smile.

Ed and Ginny wandered over again to join them. Ed was holding Ginny’s hand as if his life depended on it, which was exactly how he felt.

“
What the … ?” Lana squeaked.

“
Oh hi, Lana. You might want to clear your calendar for the last Saturday on the island,” Ed said with a delighted grin.

“
Lana, isn’t it wonderful? Ed and I are getting married, with Charlie and Lucy!”

“
Uh-oh. Doc, get over here, fast,” Ed called, seconds too late.
Lana Peters fainted for the first time in her life.

Ginny was suitably impressed.

*  *  *

Charlie and Lucy had both decided on the exchanging of personal vows, whereas Ed and Ginny wanted a more traditional service. A celebrant was found who was able and comfortable to do the first, and a Catholic priest who had known Ginny since childhood was stunned, on meeting the groom to be, but pleased to perform the traditional service.

Once Lana had recovered from her shock, she became hell on wheels in the I-can-organize=anything-and-fast stakes. Her crew in Chicago were working overtime on a few of the specifics of her requests, as they charitably called the 101 ways to have a breakdown challenges she threw at them from the other side of the planet. This woman did not know, or ever want to learn, the meaning of the word can’t. Both couples agreed that her film crew would do the exclusive coverage of the preparations for the weddings and the ceremonies themselves. Honeymoon destinations were kept secret. Lana tried every trick in the proverbial book to scope the locale but she drew a blank, deciding finally that they must be staying at
Dudes
for the honeymoon. Why not? It was perfect.

*  *  *

The day of Skeet’s homecoming arrived and Rebecca stilled the nerves she was experiencing, concentrating instead on dressing Cyril and Sadie to greet him at the helipad.

Lucy was nervous as well. She was primarily worried about Skeet. His health was uppermost in her mind. However, she acknowledged to herself too that she was a little edgy about how Skeet would take the news of her marrying Charlie. She and Skeet were such good friends, but she also realized it might have drifted into more than that if either of them had allowed it to progress. Hurting her friend in any way troubled her deeply. Charlie had asked her if she knew that Skeet was in love with her. He’d been surprised at her shocked reaction. “Honey, you mean you didn’t know?” Charlie asked.

“
Well, no, I never thought about putting a label on something that, um, comfortable,” she answered honestly. “Oh hell, what do I do? I mean, how do I say it without sounding like some sort of heartless femme fatale or something?”

“
Hon, I can tell him, man-to-man. He’s a good bloke. He’ll take it in good part, I’m sure of it.”

“
Wish I could be that certain.” Lucy sounded miserable and Charlie regretted mentioning it at all.

*  *  *

Ed Guest was a man besotted. If anyone in the States thought they knew this man, they were in for one hell of a shock. He worried about Ginny, her age, her background. Nothing she had ever experienced would possibly have prepared her for his world. Yet he knew how strong she was. He also knew that, as strange as it seemed, this woman was in love with him. Him, not his name, his damned tower of power, not his money. Him, wart’s and all.

He had never felt such joy or terror in his life. He wanted to make it stay the way it was right here, right now, yet he understood that it could not, it would have to change. He had changed, that was a given. He hoped it would be enough.

*  *  *

Skeet looked down at
Dudes
from the chopper. The devastation from the cyclone was still apparent on the far side of the island. He had the pilot bring her in low for a closer inspection. The roadway was cleared but the canopy of differing shades of green had huge chunks missing, as if a giant hand had chopped at it with blunt scissors. There were large stretches where the palm trees had been completely uprooted. Small yellow flags marked a trench line, the pilot telling him that each flag was destined to have a new tree planted in its place.