Instead of going to lunch that afternoon with the family as planned, Braden whisked Jemma off for a day of sightseeing, just the two of them.
“Where are we going?” Jemma asked excitedly.
“The Sri Siva Subramaniya Swami temple.”
“That’s a mouthful,” Jemma teased.
“I was taken in by the colorful ceiling frescos. I couldn’t get enough of them. My father took us here when we were children. It was the only time I could ever remember him taking time off to do anything with us.” Jemma took him by the hand as they strolled through the ancient holy grounds.
“As my father talked about the Hindu deities all, I could do is stand there in wonder. In return for an offering of bananas, we received blessings from the priest, and I couldn’t help but hope that meant everything in my life would change. That somehow after receiving those blessings my father would have more time for us, and everything would be different.”
Braden grunted. “Guess we all know how that turned out.”
Unsure how to respond, Jemma squeezed his hand instead and followed him up the stairs of the temple.
“The Sri Siva Subramaniya Swami is the largest Hindu temple in the Southern hemisphere,” the tour guide said as he led the couple around. “This is a three-part temple, dedicated to the deity Murugan whose specially carved statue is housed here in the main temple.”
As they walked through the majestic sanctuary, the man continued on, educating the couple about the history
“The intricate craftsmanship of the individual statues within the temple is the work of eight craftsmen brought to Fiji from India. The height, weight, and width of each design has a specific religious meaning. The main sanctum of the building has been built to conform to the size of the statue it will house so that the correct vibrations are present for devotees during prayer.”
Jemma completely got why Braden had brought her to the temple. It was overwhelming and awe-inspiring. You couldn’t help but feel at peace in the presence of such beauty.
After their time at the temple Braden took Jemma for lunch, and then they headed off to tour the Garden of the Sleeping Giant.
“What is this place?” Jemma asked as they walked down a canopy covered boardwalk.
“A fantasy garden with more than two thousand varieties of magnificent Asian orchids and Cattleya hybrids,” Braden said as he read from the brochure.
“Have you been here before?”
“No, but my assistant told me about it. She said you would love it.”
Jemma giggled. “She was right.”
“Apparently, this place was once a private collection owned by the actor Raymond Burr.”
“The guy who played Perry Mason?”
“The one and only.”
“Interesting,” Jemma said nonchalantly as she continued to explore the well-manicured lawns of the over the top garden.
After their day of sightseeing, an exhausted Braden and Jemma went back to their room and enjoyed a quiet dinner in.
The next few days went by without incident. Braden and Jemma spent all their time with Mikayla and her kids while Rosemary stayed away, doing her best to avoid Jemma at all costs.
Over breakfast Friday morning, the kids didn’t join them.
“Where are the rugrats?” Braden asked his sister.
“They left about an hour ago.”
“What the hell, where’d they go?”
“I told you the kids were only here for a few days,” Mikayla said. They are going to spend the next month with Caleb’s parents.”
Nick and Candy joined them, and Jemma noticed Mikayla’s face fall.
“Now that the kids have gone, that means we can p-a-r-t-y,” Jemma teased.
“I don’t know. I’m really thinking of heading back home after lunch.”
“No,” Nick protested. “You finally have some time to yourself, why not relax and enjoy it?”
“If your sister leaves, that means we can head out too,” Jemma said quietly as she leaned into Braden.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Braden responded. “Nobody is going anywhere.”
“Well, if I don’t go home, there was something else I was thinking of doing,” Mikayla said casually. “Prince Dominik invited me to spend the day on his yacht with him. Obviously, I wouldn’t consider it unless you all go with me. What do you think?”
“A whole day without the rest of your crazy ass family? That sounds like a dream,” Jemma said jokingly.
“Then it’s settled,” Mikayla beamed. “We’ll spend the rest of the day on the yacht.”
“When are we going?” Candy asked.
“We’ll head out after lunch,” Braden responded.
Candy clapped her hands and squealed with joy.
After breakfast, everyone went back to their respected rooms to get ready for their day aboard the luxury yacht.
