“Thanks, Caesar.”
He gets back into the helicopter. As we walk toward the hotel, the blades start up, and a few minutes later he’s lifting off and heading the heli south.
The other man with us is loading our cases into a multi-seater golf cart. “I’m guessing you’re exhausted,” Gabriel says.“We’ll take you straight to your villa, and then maybe we can catch up tomorrow.”
“Thank you,” Aurelia says with relief. “I’m so sorry to be a bother.”
“Ah, trust me, this is much more interesting than the conference on tax law we had last month,” he jokes.
“Um…” A little embarrassed, I say, “Where am I staying?”
Gabriel looks surprised. “The villa has four bedrooms. Caesar assumed you’d want to be near Aurelia. I apologize if I misunderstood—I can find you a hotel room if you prefer.”
“No, I’d like him with me,” Aurelia says.
Gabriel smiles at me. “Okay with you?”
“Yes… of course.”
“Come on then.” He climbs onto the cart next to the guy who’s sitting behind the wheel, and Aurelia and I get in the back. Soon we’re heading down the path around the hotel.
“This place is huge,” Aurelia says as the cart bears around the edge of the hotel and the complex opens up before us. “I didn’t realize. Wow.”
“It took me twelve years to build.” Gabriel looks over the estate. Then he teases, “I hope you like cicadas. We don’t charge extra for them.” Their singing is loud here, so they’re obviously in the many trees that surround the property.
“There are so many pohutukawa trees here,” Aurelia comments.
“Yeah, the Maori name for Evermore is Motupohutukawa.” The word slides effortlessly from Gabriel’s tongue. “You should see it at Christmas. The whole complex is covered in red flowers.”
“I like both names,” Aurelia says. “Evermore is lovely.”
“Do you know the origin of it?” When she shakes her head, he continues, “According to local legend, when Captain James Cook sailed into the bay, he declared that if a person were toforsake the world and settle in one place, they could stay here evermore.”
“Aw,” she murmurs, “that’s wonderful.”
“It doesn’t really matter if he actually said the words,” Gabriel states. “The name suits the island perfectly.”
The main road from Port Evermore ends in front of the hotel in a circular drive with a fountain in the middle. From there, smaller lanes thread through the rest of the complex. Here, the ground is higher, and we can see the villas nestling between the pools, lined with tall palms, ferns, and tropical flowers, all well lit with solar lamps.
“I’ll take you around the complex tomorrow and show you where everything is,” Gabriel says, speaking over his shoulder. “For now, we’ve put you in the Hibiscus villa. It’s got great ocean views.”
The guy driving heads the cart to the south. The villas here are all surrounded by six-foot metal railings, discreetly hidden behind climbing plants and hedges. After five minutes, he stops the cart by a gate, and as we get out, watching the security lighting flick on.
“There are cameras on all the roads,” Gabriel states. “None in the grounds of the villas themselves for privacy reasons, but they all have excellent security lighting.”
We get out of the cart, and Gabriel touches a key card to the panel by the gate, then leads us down the path that’s surrounded by hibiscus plants to the front door. He opens that with the card, too, and we go inside.
A single lamp is on just inside the door, which is enough for us to see by as we make our way across the room. I can see why he’s left the lights off as we stand by the large windows on the far side. We’re facing the beach, and beyond that the ocean. The sun has set now, and the moon is rising, casting a silvery path on the sea.
Aurelia doesn’t say anything, so I say, “Wow, that’s amazing.”
“It’s one of our nicer villas,” Gabriel says. He flicks a switch then, and a few lamps spring into life, revealing a large living room with two long sofas and several armchairs. A gas fire promises warmth on chilly nights, sitting not far from the huge TV on the wall.
While the guy brings in our cases, we toe off our shoes, and Gabriel walks us through the building, showing us the four bedrooms, the sparkling bathrooms, and the large kitchen. “It’s fully stocked,” he says, opening the fridge and revealing bottles of wine and a variety of fresh foods. He does the same with the cupboards, then opens a long, low cupboard to reveal bottles of whiskey, brandy, vodka, and gin.
“Our kitchens are open twenty-four-seven,” he says, “just pick up the phone and order anything you want, and it’ll be delivered within thirty minutes. But there’s a bowl of homemade seafood chowder in the fridge. Our chef thinks anyone arriving after dark needs feeding.”
I chuckle. “Thanks.”
