Page 88 of The Love Position

As they sat quietly in the garden together, Sophia’s mind was whirling, spinning off on fantastical tangents where she left her job in Salisbury to move to Foxbrooke, saved Isaac’s house, and he renounced his vow of chastity to be with her.

But she was never going to ask him to make that sacrifice. It was his decision what he did with his body, and she didn’t want to be the kind of person who wafted a bacon sandwich under a vegetarian’s nose.

The bell rang for breakfast, startling her from her daydreams.

Isaac stood, holding her crutches out for her.

‘Thank you.’

Sophia took them and got to her feet. ‘Jessica held my plate at dinner for me. Would you be able to do the same at breakfast?’

‘Your wish is my command…’

If only…

‘…Milady.’

‘Oi!’ She brandished a crutch at him. ‘I wish you’d never seen my passport.’

He grinned. ‘Your secret is safe with me.’

Bowing deeply at the waist, Isaac extended his arm towards the gate. ‘Shall we?’

Sophia moved slowly along the path as streams of people overtook her, all heading in the same direction. Isaac was a protective wall by her side, not budging an inch as they brushed past him. Maybe they were just as starving as she was, because none of them were smiling.

‘Isaac…’

‘Hmm?’

‘In general, people here don’t seem particularly happy.’

‘They don’t?’ He sounded genuinely surprised. ‘Maybe they’ve got super-stressful lives and haven’t decompressed yet.’

‘It’s not just the guests. The guy who usually drives the boat. He always looks so angry.’

‘Ganapati? Yes, he does have a particular aura about him. He’s originally from Australia and used to be at the ashram in India with Guruji.’

‘Why did he move here?’

‘Guruji sent him.’

‘Sent him?’

‘It’s part of the Gurukula system. You follow the teachings and direction of your guru. For whatever reason, Swami Vishnu wanted him here, so he went.’

‘Maybe he was too grumpy for India.’

Isaac chuckled, then lowered his voice. ‘Just be thankful he’s doing mauna. It’s better than him shouting at everyone…’

Reaching the dining area, Isaac took a plate and Sophia pointed at what she wanted.

‘You know, we can sit with the staff if you like? They’ve got food on the tables so you can help yourself without having to move.’

Sophia’s head whipped from side to side. ‘Thanks, but no way. I’m no good at small talk and don’t want to draw any more attention to myself.’

There were a few people from the TTC who’d elected not to leave the island on their day off, and their glances prickled the back of her neck.

‘Fair enough. Where would you like to sit?’

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