“Oh, and I meant to tell you,” she said animatedly. Clearly, the tea was hitting the spot. “There’s this massive party on New Year’s Eve at a beach house near here. A group of the boys who work on the boats have rented it for the weekend, and we’re invited to the party.” She grinned and raised her eyebrows a few times.

“Are you sure? We wouldn’t want to impose,” I replied.

She tutted away my concern. “Don’t be silly. We’re Joshivarah. You’re coming.”

Josh caught my eye. “What d’ya think?” I asked him.

“Well, we don’t really have definite plans—I thought we’d just have dinner here, maybe go for a walk on the beach, crack open some champagne in our room.”

“Sounds very romantic, but you’re coming with me. Not quite as romantic, but I promise ye, it’ll be mad fun.” She smiled wickedly.

We spent the rest of the day alternating between dips in the pool, dips in the ocean, hanging out by the pool, and sipping a handful of cocktails. Don’t ask how many cocktails there are in a handful, because I lost track. But for most of the afternoon, I had a nice buzz on.

I also had about fifty photos entitled, “view from a sun lounger”. I posted a few obligatory photos on Facebook, expecting the usual jokingly-jealous-but-not-really-joking comments. My favourite photos were the ones that looked up into the palm trees with the brilliant blue sky as a background. There was something about that sight, combined with the fragrance of tropical flowers, the salty breeze, and the warm sun on my skin that made me unbelievably happy. That and getting to share it all with Josh.

Siobhan joined us post-lunch after a well-deserved nap.

When she arrived, Josh had his laptop out and we were looking into accommodation in Hana on the east coast of Maui. We were driving there the next day, staying overnight, and driving back the following day. It was only about seventy miles between our resort and Hana, but the road was winding and there were lots of places to stop along the way. It could take anywhere from several hours to the whole day.

“So, you won’t be staying here tomorrow night, then?” Siobhan asked after we told her our plans.

“No, we won’t,” I said. I wondered if she was wangling an invitation to join us. As much as I loved her, I was hoping to have some time alone with Josh.

Josh must have been thinking along the same lines. “I hope you won’t miss us too much,” he said. I thought it was a sensitive way to make it clear we were going on our own, but that we were still, proudly, two-thirds of Joshivarah.

Siobhan replied with a hearty laugh. “I love you two, you know I do, but I have plans with Paddy, so was trying to find a way to break it to you gently.”

“Ahhh,” Josh and I replied in unison. “Got it,” Josh added. “I think we’ll be okay, just the two of us.”