Spring Break Secret by Holly Rayner
Louisa
On the last day of their trip, Tom suggested that they run an errand onshore. Louisa had no reason to disagree, since every adventure Tom had taken her on so far had been nothing short of perfect, so they headed inland in a taxi, Tom explaining his plans on the way there. He knew a jeweler in the area, and thought he might be able to turn Louisa’s gold coin into a pendant without damaging any of its antique charm.
“This is an exquisite piece,” the jeweler said, holding it in a velvet-gloved hand and looking at it through a magnifying glass. “Where did you say you found it?”
“Unfortunately, the wreck’s location is a secret,” Tom said. “A friend of ours leads private expeditions. He said this was the find of the summer.”
“He wasn’t wrong,” the jeweler said. “In fact, he might have been underselling it a bit. I’d say it’s the find of the year, if not the decade. I don’t usually see Portuguese coins in this condition.”
“It wasn’t that shiny when I found it,” Louisa pointed out. “It was covered in gunk from the shipwreck and the ocean floor.”
“You must have a keen eye,” the jeweler said, then turned to Tom. “Keep a hold of this one, Mr. Palmer. A woman with a good eye for gold tends to have a strong will and a wise heart.”
“Is that so?” Tom arched an eyebrow.
“Yes,” the jeweler insisted. “Us old gem and gold guys, we have our superstitions. Trust me, you two. This coin is a sign.”
“Okay.” Tom laughed.
Louisa could tell that he wasn’t taking the jeweler all that seriously. Still, she appreciated the compliment.
To Louisa’s delight, the jeweler said that he could easily set the coin in a pendant for her, and she spent a while choosing exactly what chain and setting she wanted. He disappeared into the back with the coin and returned a few minutes later wearing a different pair of glasses and carrying pliers in his hand, as well as the coin, which was now dangling from a gold chain.
“Try it on,” he said, handing it to Louisa.
Tom helped her clip it around her neck, and she looked at herself in the jeweler’s mirror, turning from side to side to make the coin catch the light.
“It’s a bit long on you,” the jeweler said, taking it off and adjusting the chain with his pliers. “Here, try it now.”
After the adjustment, it sat perfectly on Louisa’s chest, accentuating her slim neck and casting a pale gold light up toward her face.
“Thank you so much!” Louisa said, reaching up to touch the necklace.
The jeweler gave her a velvet case for the necklace and a soft cloth to keep it polished, plus a tiny bottle of cleaner that he showed her how to use. Tom called them another taxi, but just as they were stepping inside the vehicle, he held up a finger.
“One second,” he said. “I forgot that I needed to ask him about some family heirloom of my dad’s. Please, go ahead and keep the fare running.”
The taxi driver nodded, and Louisa waited in the taxi as Tom ran back inside the jeweler’s little store, emerging a few minutes later looking satisfied.
On their way back to the boat, they stopped and picked up groceries so Tom could again grill them a dinner under the stars. They ate on deck, watching the sun go down and sipping a local wine that the jeweler had recommended.
“I have something for you,” Tom said, reaching into his pocket. Louisa had no idea what it might be, but he produced a velvet pouch that matched the one she had received to store her new necklace in.
“Open it,” Tom said, handing it to her.
Louisa pulled out a delicate silver chain, revealing a small pendant in the shape of a squid. It was intricately designed, with tiny jewels for its eyes and inlaid circles on its individual tentacles.
“You said that you can’t really wear the old squid necklace you had as a kid,” Tom said, rubbing the back of his neck, “so I thought you might like one that’s a bit more, you know. Grown-up.”
“Wow,” Louisa breathed, turning it over in her hand to admire all the perfect little details. “Where did you get this?”
“I called the jeweler a few days ago, and asked if he could design it as a custom piece for me.”
“That’s what you ran back in to get,” Louisa said, realization dawning on her. “There was no family heirloom.”
“To be fair,” Tom insisted, “we do have plenty of Palmer family heirlooms, and he has helped me appraise and restore some of them. But, no, I must confess, it was a misdirection.”
“I love it,” Louisa said, and she did. Although she also adored her big flashy gold coin, it was a piece of jewelry for special occasions. But this silver squid was something she could wear every day, just like she used to with her old pewter one. “Thank you, Tom.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, refilling his wine glass, “but really, I should be thanking you. Being with you again has felt wonderful. Together, we’re so…carefree, and we have so much fun. This is the happiest I’ve been in years.”
Louisa had been holding herself back for a long time, ever since she met with Tom in the Sailfin a few weeks prior. But now, the floodgates of feelings opened with the force of a tsunami, and she felt her passion, her affection for Tom, come rushing back.
They found themselves on the hammock, clothes tossed to the deck, just as they had that spring break so many years ago.
The next morning, however, when Louisa awoke wrapped up in Tom’s embrace, she felt more regret than thrill. Once Tom stirred and got up to begin cooking them a simple breakfast, she had to be clear with him.
“I’m sorry about last night,” Louisa said, twisting the hammock’s fringe around one finger.
“Don’t be,” Tom said, smiling as he pushed some eggs around in a pan. “It was great.”
“No, I know, it’s just…” Louisa took a deep breath. “I shouldn’t have let it happen. It’s not that I don’t like you, Tom, and I really do want you to have a relationship with Rei, but I don’t think we can work as a couple.”
Tom looked stricken. “Why do you say that?”
Louisa sighed, still looking down at the hammock’s weaving rather than meeting Tom’s eye. “We’re just too different. You keep saying that you have to do what’s best for your company, but I can’t be with someone who insists on moving forward with something I don’t believe in.”
“The Comentex thing?”
Louisa nodded. “The Comentex thing.”
Tom said he understood, but the mood between them was chilly and gloomy as they ate breakfast and finished their trip. Once back in La Vega, Louisa told Tom that she would keep their pre-arranged meeting for him to spend time with Rei on the beach, but said nothing about continuing their connection. As she stood on the pier with her back and watched Tom sail away to return the boat to its marina, she knew that as long as he continued to run his business in a way so clearly opposed to her core values, things between them would never work.