Page 94 of The Love Position

‘I’ll help. You can hold on to me on one side and have a crutch on the other.’

Excitement fizzed in her tummy, as if her piña colada had been laced with rum.

‘Are you sure?’

‘Absolutely.’

‘Right. Paddling here I come!’

Rolling up her baggy yoga trousers, Sophia grabbed one of her crutches, then took Isaac’s proffered hand. Letting herself be drawn against him, she leant her weight through his arm.

Stepping off the path to the soft sand was an adjustment, but Isaac was her rock, stopping her from falling. Moving slowly forward, Sophia bit the inside of her cheek to stop a giggle from escaping. She felt like a tipsy teenager taking part in a three-legged race with her equally inebriated friends, all destined to end up on the floor in a fit of hysterical laughter.

But as well as this bubbling of childlike joy in her veins, she was also giddy about once again being this close to Isaac.

He appeared to be taking his role of human crutch seriously, going at her pace and taking so much of her weight he was almost carrying her.

Now there’s a thought…

Sophia knew he would have done so in a heartbeat, but she didn’t know who was watching them from the buildings by the shoreline and didn’t want to fuel any more gossip. So she swallowed her smiles and focused on the warm sand until it turned damp and they reached the rippling edge of the water.

‘You’ll be fine to take your crutch in,’ he said. ‘I’ll just give it a rinse when we’re out.’

‘Okay.’

The bay was on the lee of the island, so there were no waves, but Sophia still gripped Isaac’s arm a little tighter as she hopped forward.

‘Ooh! It’s cold!’

He chuckled. ‘Only because your feet are so warm from the sun. You’ll get used to it soon.’

Going a little deeper, she wobbled as her foot sunk into the wet sand. Isaac lifted her as if she weighed nothing, and they continued forward until the water lapped at her mid-calf.

‘Having fun?’

Turning to face him, she nodded, her smile too big to hold in. ‘It’s perfect.’

Isaac was so close she could make out every facet of his emerald-green eyes, the accents of amber and gold, his thick dark lashes. He was staring at her with such intent, as if on the brink of saying or doing something utterly life-changing.

Her smile faltered, and she swallowed.

His gaze dropped to her mouth, his lips parting.

Is he going to kiss me?

A fat drop of water splashed Sophia’s arm, and she glanced at the grey clouds punctuating the blue sky. ‘Is it going to rain?’

‘I don’t think so. We might get a few spots, but then it’ll move on.’

Behind them, the tops of the palm trees moved faster as the wind picked up.

‘Are you sure?’

‘Do you want to go back in?’

She shook her head. ‘We’ve only just got here, and anyway, we’re British. We can cope with a bit of drizzle.’

‘That’s true. Have you seen any fish yet?’

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