Page 41 of An Island in the Sun

‘What do you want me to do?’ he called after her.

Tabitha turned and fixed him with what she hoped was a cool glare. ‘I don’t know yet, but you’ve not exactly given me much choice, have you?’

‘No, I’m sorry.’

His earlier smirk had vanished and for the first time he looked genuinely serious. She didn’t have the heart to kick him out, not now she knew he was in financial difficulty – if he was telling the truth. She wanted to believe him, to trust that everything he was telling her was the way things really were, but he’d already taken advantage of her generosity and she didn’t want to be played for a fool.

18

With their stomachs full, Bailey and Fudge settled on the rug in front of the glass doors. Outside, only pinprick stars, the silver-white of the moon and the gentle glow from the garden office broke up the inky blackness. Now that Tabitha knew Raff was staying there, there was no point in him hiding, so he’d turned the outside lights on. How desperate must he have been to stay somewhere without a shower or any cooking facilities? Yet she still wondered if he was really struggling or simply playing on her good nature. She was having difficulty telling the truth from fiction.

Tabitha had been itching to phone Elspeth ever since she’d got back from Julie’s, but she knew she wouldn’t have the time to talk until she’d got the kids to bed. It was nearly nine now; the day had run away with her, waiting for Raff to show up. After sending a message to Cordelia with an update about the dogs and Misty – and leaving out any mention of Raff – Tabitha plonked herself on the sofa and called her sister. Fudge, eager to have a lap to sleep on, jumped up, settled next to her and rested his head on her thigh.

The phone rang and rang and Tabitha was about to give up when Elspeth answered with a tired but happy, ‘Hello, Tabs.’

‘Hey there, it’s good to hear your voice. Are the girls in bed?’

‘Sort of. Nancy’s being a pain in the you-know-what… Gethin can deal with her.’

‘If it’s easier, I can phone back later.’

‘Nope, I need the break. You’re not going anywhere.’ Elspeth sighed and Tabitha imagined her sinking into the depths of the sofa out of earshot of her screaming youngest, which was ear-piercingly loud even on the other end of the phone. ‘I want to know all about your evening with Ollie.’

Without meaning to, Tabitha sighed.

‘That bad, was it?’

‘No, it was fine.’ Tabitha picked a dog hair off her dungarees. ‘It was just strange seeing him again. In a way, it felt as if no time had passed and there were moments when we slotted back to how things once were, but in another way, there was a massive gulf between us. So much has happened. He’s changed;I’vedefinitely changed. We’ve lost seven years of friendship that we can never get back – at least not to the way things were.’

‘You sound confused,’ Elspeth said gently. ‘But that was to be expected. He hurt you and massively damaged your friendship and your trust in him.’

With everything that had gone on today, Tabitha hadn’t had much time to dwell on it but she knew she was conflicted about things. ‘Did I overreact though?’

‘No, of course not! He stole your song, Tabs. We were all encouraging you to sue him, remember. You took the high ground and walked away for your own sanity. Didn’t want the drama or the stress. You put your mental health first and were the bigger person.’

‘But he tried reaching out – he said to say sorry and make amends. It was me who ignored him and effectively made things worse.’

‘I think it’s completely understandable that you didn’t want to see or speak to him. I know how angry and disappointed you were.’

‘Him not being open with me is what upset me the most, more than him claiming the song to be his own. Instead of being truthful, he took the coward’s route and just didn’t tell me. He led me on too, letting me believe it would be my big break as well. Ah, I don’t know.’ She stroked Fudge’s soft ears and tried to quash the pent-up emotion that was threatening to spill. ‘Everything feels a bit of a mess at the moment. Ollie’s not the only thing I’m muddled about.’

‘Oh?’ Elspeth said.

‘I’m in a bit of a situation.’

‘You are?’ Elspeth sounded worried. ‘What’s happened?’

Tabitha thought back over the past week, which was tarnished by the unexpected arrival of Raff and the subsequent confusion and frustration he’d caused. She took a deep breath and ploughed right into the events since he’d turned up in the night, skipping over the bit about them kissing and ending up in bed together. Elspeth listened intently, offering an occasional ‘huh-uh’ and ‘oh really’, while in the background Nancy’s screams intensified. Tabitha filled her sister in right up to the events of this evening.

‘And he’s about your age, right?’ Elspeth asked once Tabitha had recounted her story.

‘Yes, thirty-one.’

‘And good-looking?’

‘That’s what you’ve taken from everything I’ve just said?’

‘No, that’s notallI’ve taken from it,’ Elspeth said calmly, ‘it’s just that’s the bit I’ve taken an interest in. So, is he, good-looking?’

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