My best to you and Ian and thanks again for arranging this stay for us. It's been truly magical.
Matthew finished his call a few minutes later, and came to join her on the veranda, carrying a glass of chardonnay for each of them. Sasha had admittedly been indulging herself far more than usual this week, having a glass or two of wine or a mai tai, eating sugary breakfast pastries, and enjoying dessert after dinner. Matthew had dismissed her concerns when she'd fretted about her unhealthy eating habits, insisting that both of them deserved a break from their usual daily routines.
"Mmm, this is good," she told him after taking a sip of the perfectly chilled wine. "Everything okay with the kids?"
He shrugged, taking a much more generous drink from his own glass. "Casey's doing great, as usual, while Hayley is - well, being Hayley. I think I might have managed to pry a whole ten words from her."
"I'm sorry," she sympathized, wrapping an arm around his waist and resting her head on his shoulder. "Hopefully she'll come around sooner than later."
"Hey, I'm not going to worry about it right now," he declared. "Hayley knows how to get in touch with me if she needs anything, and we'll be home in three more days. So let's forget about whatever teenaged drama is going on in her life and enjoy ourselves. Okay?"
Sasha nodded. "Okay." She took another sip of her wine, then sighed with pleasure as she glanced up at the magnificent colors of the sunset. "I'm not sure what the best time of the day is over here - sunset or sunrise. They both have their appeal."
Matthew brushed a kiss on her temple. "You really like it here, don't you?"
"Oh, yes," she agreed fervently. "I was just answering some emails a few minutes ago, including one from Tessa, and I told her that the minute we stepped off the plane it felt like I'd finally arrived home. Out of all the places I've been to in the world, Kauai is definitely my favorite. Thank you for bringing me here, Matthew."
"My pleasure." He bent and kissed her on the lips this time. "I'm happy that you like it here so much. And that it feels like home to you in some way. I don't imagine you've known that feeling too much in your life."
"No. I mean, there were several places that were familiar to me, where I visited regularly - my dad's family home in Brazil, my aunt's flat in Paris, the little apartment my mother and I had in New York for a few years. But it wasn't until I moved in with Linda that I had a permanent place, somewhere to leave all my belongings and know I wouldn't have to pack them all up again in a few weeks."
"It must have been something of an adjustment for you, though," commented Matthew. "Especially attending a regular school for the first time."
"You have no idea," lamented Sasha. "I didn't know much about American customs or fashion, or how to go about making friends or talk to boys. And while I spoke English fluently, I had a noticeable accent, sort of a mesh of Russian and Portuguese. Fortunately, the high school I went to included students from a wide range of ethnicities, so I never completely felt like an oddball. Still, it was hard fitting in for the first year or so."
He regarded her curiously. "Now that you mention it, I do detect traces of an accent every so often. I'm not sure I would have really noticed unless you mentioned it, though."
"I worked on perfecting my English a lot during high school," she acknowledged. "But my accent still appears from time to time."
"It's charming," he assured her. "Just like you are."
They were interrupted then by the ringing of the doorbell to their suite, and Matthew hurried to open the door for the wait staff. Dinner was set out on the veranda with quiet efficiency, complete with the lighting of candles and torches.
"Enjoy your evening, sir, madam," said one of the waiters as he discreetly exited the suite.
Matthew held out a chair for her, and Sasha smiled her thanks as he took the seat across from her. The wait staff had already filled their water glasses, and left the bottle of wine chilling in a metal bucket. Matthew topped off both their wine glasses, then clinked his against hers.
"Here's to night number four," he toasted. "Each one has been equally special, equally memorable."
"I agree."
Matthew picked up his salad fork, but paused a moment before taking a bite. "I hope you know," he told her quietly, "that you'll always have a home with me, Sasha. I know you get along well with your roommates, but that place isn't really your home." He squeezed her hand. "Have you given any further thought to moving in with me?"