Page 26 of An Island in the Sun

There, it was done and sent. If she was expecting a weight to be lifted, she was disappointed. Instead, a knot formed in her stomach, twisting with a mix of anticipation and nerves as she waited for a reply. If he replied at all. She’d blocked him from her life for so long, there was every chance that he would treat her the same way.

Tabitha focused her attention on something else, deciding that relistening to the lyrics she’d recorded earlier would take her mind off things. And it did for a short while. She hadn’t expected his reply to be so swift, but less than fifteen minutes later, her phone pinged with a new Instagram message. She didn’t open it straight away. Instead, she picked up her guitar and played the finished song. But it was no good. With the knot in her stomach tightening, she couldn’t put it off any longer. She set down her guitar, took a deep breath and clicked on the message.

OMG Tabitha! Totally shocked to hear from you, but bloody hell, mate, it’s so good to see your name pop up. YES to meeting up. It’s been way too long. Fancy a drink this Friday evening in Funchal?

Tabitha realised her hands were shaking as she wrote a reply.

Yes, I’d love to. Friday’s great, just let me know what time and where.

She didn’t want to say anything else; there would be plenty of opportunity to talk to him in person. Years had gone by without them seeing each other and, if he felt any remorse or discomfort, it certainly wasn’t coming across.

She messaged Elspeth.

I did it. Finally contacted Ollie. Going to meet up with him this Friday. Xx

Tabitha wasn’t surprised when seconds later her phone rang.

‘Oh Tabs, I’m so proud of you,’ Elspeth gushed as soon as Tabitha picked up.

‘I finally plucked up the courage.’

‘I know you want to fix things, but you’ve got to make him understand the hurt he caused.’

Tabitha ran her fingers lightly over the guitar strings. ‘I will, but I really want to move on. I’m fed up of all the negative feelings I have when I see him and I don’t know if it’s because of what he did or simply that I’m looking at his life from afar. We both know what social media is like and how record companies portray their artists in a way that only ever shows the glamorous side of their life—’

‘Mind you, the paparazzi do a good job of showing the darker and real side of things, don’t they?’

‘True, but with Ollie I feel like I’ve been bombarded with all the amazing things that have happened to him… Oh, I don’t know. This might be a huge mistake, but I need to do something. He’s been playing on my mind for so long.’

‘I think it’s good you’re doing this. It’s a chance to move forward.’

‘It’s a start.’ Tabitha sighed. ‘Enough about me. How are you doing?’

‘Oh, you know, just juggling too many things as usual. We’ve only got another week to finish decorating the barn ready for our first wedding a week on Saturday. Nothing like the pressure of a deadline to get things done.’

‘I wish I was there to help out.’

‘I keep on saying for you to come visit us – I’m going to bang on about it until you do. Mum and Dad miss you too. We all do.’

‘Yeah, I know. And thanks for ringing when I know you’re so busy. It’s good to talk to you.’

‘Are you sure you’re okay, Tabs?’

‘Yeah, I’m fine. It’s been a strange day, that’s all.’ Although she usually told Elspeth everything, she found it hard to put into words the last couple of days spent with Raff. He was a secret – certainly a secret she needed to keep from Cordelia and Rufus, not one she had to keep from her sister – but for some reason she didn’t want to go into it right now.

After saying goodbye, Tabitha gave up on work and poured a glass of wine instead. She messaged Cordelia and Rufus with an update, omitting any mention of their son, caught up with the Callahan family chat on WhatsApp, then curled up on the sofa with a book. She was extra pleased when Fudge jumped up and rested his head on her bare feet, keeping them toasty.

The sun was well on its way to the horizon when her phone pinged. She assumed it would be Ollie about Friday. Her heart leapt when Raff’s name popped up.

Are you at the house? Got some pastéis de maracuja you have got to try.

Tabitha frowned and read the message again. Did that mean he was coming over? And what werepastéis dewhatever anyway?

She thumbed a reply.

Yes, I’m here. Where are you?

She googled thepastéisname and discovered they were little sweet tarts similar to the Portuguese custard tartspastéis de natabut with passion fruit. They sounded utterly delicious, but when there was no further reply, it crossed her mind that perhaps he’d messaged her by mistake.

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