Page 19 of An Island in the Sun

Tabitha stopped her thoughts in their tracks. It wasn’t that he was interested in her; of course he had an ulterior motive. He wanted to stay in the house, that was his game and he was undoubtably playing on her good nature and his good looks to get exactly what he’d set out to get. He was distracting and everything she didn’t need, and yet…

‘Of course,’ she heard herself saying, ‘you can stay another night.’

With little faith, she hoped that she wouldn’t end up regretting her decision.

9

They got back to the villa a little before dusk. Worn out after their hike, Bailey and Fudge pattered inside and wolfed down their food before settling themselves on the cool tiled floor. Tabitha eased her feet out of her walking boots, peeled off her socks and walked past the dogs to open the bifold doors and let in the gentle warmth of the evening. Pink and gold streaked the horizon as the glimmering sun melted into the ocean.

With Raff raiding the drinks’ cupboard, Tabitha gave up on the idea of work; she would make up for it the rest of the week and work on the weekend if needed. After a shaky start, the day had turned out surprisingly well. It had been a long time since she’d felt relaxed in anyone’s company besides her family, particularly with someone new. Her fallout with Ollie seven years ago had made her wary of getting too close to anyone, fearful of disappointment and being let down again. As for romantic feelings, even though she and Lewis had only split a year ago, hindsight had shown that the strain on their relationship long preceded that. The idea of being attracted to Raff had taken her by surprise; she wasn’t ready, her emotions and heart still in a muddle.

Misty appeared in the living room, meowing for food. Tabitha fed her, then freshened up in the bathroom, splashing her face with water. She gazed in the mirror at her wayward curls. The freckles scattered across her cheeks were more pronounced after a good dose of sunshine. As she dried her hands, she contemplated the day. Allowing Raff to stay wasn’t because she was a wallflower – she was quite capable of standing up to him and telling him where to go, yet she knew she wanted him to stay. Perhaps she saw something of herself in him, someone who didn’t understand their place in the world; a drifter.

Tabitha switched off the bathroom light, returned to the living room and put music on. Raff was outside with his jeans rolled up, sitting with his feet in the pool, clasping a bottle of lager.

‘I was thinking that perhaps we should start over,’ he said as she joined him. ‘You know, after me gate-crashing last night.’

She sat down next to him and swung her legs into the pool, relishing the cool water on her skin.

He handed her a lager and knocked his bottle against hers. ‘I’m Raff, short for Rafferty, but no one’s called me that for years.’

‘Well, as you know, I’m Tabitha.’

‘So, Tabitha, do you prefer being called that or is there a shortened version?’

‘My brothers and sisters call me Tabs, but I’m known as Tabitha to everyone else. It’s my songwriting name too – Tabitha Callahan.’

‘That’s a good name.’

‘Yeah, I like it.’

Raff took a swig of lager. ‘How many brothers and sisters do you have?’

‘I’m the youngest of five – two brothers and two sisters.’

‘Wow, your parents were busy.’

Tabitha raised an eyebrow.

‘It must be nice, though, having all that company.’

‘You’re an only child?’

‘Yep.’ He downed the rest of his lager and stood up. ‘Want another?’

She waggled her nearly full bottle. ‘Need to catch up first.’

Raff retreated inside, padding water across the stone paving, returning a minute later clutching another two bottles.

Tabitha shook her head. ‘You’re going to be a bad influence, I can tell.’

He sat back down and dunked his feet in the pool with a splash. ‘I’ll try my best.’ He grinned and knocked his new bottle of lager against hers.

Without hesitating, Tabitha downed her first bottle, hard to do in one, but she drained it as fast as she could, smacking her lips once she finished. ‘Thought I’d better at least try to catch up.’

‘That’s what I like to see.’ Raff handed her another lager. ‘So, tell me, with so many siblings, I bet you had a nickname?’

‘My eldest brother – who knew exactly what he was doing – turned Tabs into Tabby cat, which in turn changed to Pussy.’

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