Page 103 of That Island Feeling

‘I bet it’s not as bad as you think.’

‘He gave me a gift,’ I say, reaching for the Charlie Farleys bag on the table in front of me.

‘What is it?’

‘A T-shirt with a quote on it.’

Taylor’s brow lifts. ‘Like your mum used to wear?’

‘Sort of. It’s not exactly a movie quote, but yeah . . .’

I pull the T-shirt from the bag and hold it up to reveal the words printed on the front: ‘If you’re a seagull, I’m a French fry.’

Taylor wolf-whistles. ‘Okay, girl, so he like, likes you! You need to go and talk to him.’

‘Now?’ I glance out at the rain-streaked window.

Before Taylor can respond, Charlie Farley bursts into the dining room, dragging a suitcase behind him, another figure close on his heels.

‘Where have you been, Andie? I’ve been trying to reach you!’ Toby cries.

Chapter Forty-eight

JACK

My suit jacket and business shirt have been abandoned, spared from a watery grave in the river only by a last-minute decision to fling them into the cabin’s corner instead. Were it winter, they might have met their end as kindling for a bonfire.

I’m sitting on the cabin deck, barefoot, the comically small seagull tee stretched over my chest and my suit trousers rolled up to below my knees, gulping a beer and pondering the shitshow that led me here.

I’ve been under an Andie spell for the past week, ever since she sprinted down the dock and I laid eyes on the constellation of freckles on her nose and her adorable poodle hair. But I’m relieved that the fog has lifted, and I can finally see things for what they are. I’ve been my own worst enemy. When I thought I’d been choosing myself, I was just choosing her. I was like one of the barnacles growing on the side of my cabin, latching onto anything and trying to burrow inside to avoid confronting the loss I still feel so deeply. At thirty-one, I’m starting over again, with barely any money and certainly no plan. My decision about Clam Cove’s oyster farm would have been the same with or without Andie – I couldn’t go through with it. I also can’t cut ties with Pearl Island; I just don’t know how to help or where I belong anymore. I deserve to truly love my life. I was looking for a shortcut through Andie, but I know that I won’t find genuine happiness until Pearl Island thrives again, with hordes of tourists arriving daily and queues out the door of Charlie Farleys. And I have no idea how to make that happen.

Izzie creeps up to sniff my foot.

‘Leave me alone, girl,’ I say, kicking in her direction, and feeling instantly guilty when I accidentally clip her nose. As soon as she scampers off, someone calls out from my front door.

‘Jack!’

Farrrrk. Can’t a man with zero career prospects, zero idea of where he’ll be living in the next fortnight, and zero Andie be left to his wallowing? I groan as I stand up and walk down the side of the cabin to the front.

Charlie is standing under the security light next to a man in his early twenties I don’t recognise, with a suitcase resting at his feet.

‘Mate, it’s the middle of the night. I could have collected that from you tomorrow morning,’ I mutter, trying to rein in my frustration, though I don’t recall making any new airport purchases.

‘No, this is Lena’s,’ Charlie puffs, tapping the suitcase lightly with his foot. ‘Looks like the baby is coming early! We were in Port Hope for a check-up and she was already slightly dilated. The doc decided to admit her rather than risk us coming back here for the night.’

‘Shit! Why didn’t you say so? And what the hell are you doing here? What do you need from me? And sorry,’ – I gesture to the unfamiliar man – ‘but who is this?’

‘I came back to get Lena’s things,’ Charlie explains. ‘This dude was at the wharf on the mainland when I returned to the boat. He was in a bit of a state – said he was Andie’s brother and needed to get to her ASAP, so I gave him a ride over. But now I really have to get going.’

‘Of course, you go!’ I urge. ‘I’ve got this.’

‘Thanks, mate.’

Charlie about-turns and sprints into the soaked night.

‘Good luck!’ I call after him. ‘Keep me updated!’

Once he’s completely out of sight, I turn my attention back to the man in front of me. He has the same amber eyes as his sister.

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