Page 55 of An Island in the Sun

Shaking her head, Dolores turned to Tabitha. ‘I come next week. No more today,’ she said firmly as she shoved the cloth into her bag and marched to the front door.

‘Shit,’ Tabitha repeated out loud as she followed her.

‘I say to Cordelia, I not well, I not clean.’ Without another word, Dolores slammed the door behind her.

Tabitha retraced her steps back to Raff in the living room. ‘I completely forgot she was coming today.’

‘Yeah, she got a bit of a shock. I, um, was wearing less than this.’ He motioned downwards. Tabitha’s eyes trailed over his rather snug-fitting black pants. ‘Could have been worse, though.’

‘How could your parents’ cleaner walking in on you naked be any worse?’

He grinned and motioned between the two of them. ‘We could have been in bed together, like the other morning…’ He let the words hang.

Tabitha shook her head. ‘You’re impossible,’ she called over her shoulder as she went to the kitchen, not wanting him to see the reaction his words evoked. It was true; it could have been worse. The cleaner wasn’t going to say anything to Cordelia and it obviously hadn’t bothered Raff to be walked in on like that… Maybe it was time for her to stop worrying quite so much and be a little more carefree. ‘Fancy a coffee?’

‘Hell yes.’

Instead of going upstairs to put on some clothes, he followed her into the kitchen and leaned against the counter while she switched the coffee machine on.

‘Apart from being rudely woken, how are you feeling this morning?’ she asked to fill the brief silence.

‘Like I haven’t had much sleep.’

He was hugely distracting, his muscled arm and the side of his chest just visible out of the corner of her eye as she waited for the coffee to trickle into the pot.

‘To be honest, when I heard the door open, I, er, thought it was you. I certainly wish it had been you.’

Tabitha didn’t know how to reply to that. Her cheeks flushed uncontrollably at the idea he’d have been okay with it being her. If she was being perfectly honest, it was something that had crossed her mind… But maybe him standing half naked suggesting things like that was to tease her, to make her aware that he could sense the chemistry between them.

The coffee couldn’t drip through fast enough. Her thoughts were heading in a direction she really didn’t want them to go. Except she did. Why was she hell-bent on nothing happening between her and Raff when her insides were screaming to let it? She’d only known Raff for less than two weeks and in a little more than ten days she’d be leaving the island. So perhaps it was okay to let her thoughts wander to Raff naked in bed and be open to the possibility of something more happening. It may have been a whole drunken thing the other night, but the attraction between them had been obvious and still was.

Tabitha concentrated on the coffee, getting the milk from the fridge and a spoon for the sugar as newfound worry fuelled her thoughts. It had been easy the other night after an unexpected whirlwind of a day getting to know each other, and then again last night at a party, tipsy on a few gin and tonics. The sinking feeling was because the more she got to know him, the harder it would be to have a fling and forget about him. Raff had wheedled his way into her time on Madeira and inched his way into her heart in a way no one ever had, apart from Lewis – and look how that had turned out.

Perhaps he sensed her discomfort. ‘I’m going to go change into swim shorts and have a dip in the pool,’ Raff said. ‘Meet you on the terrace for breakfast?’

‘Sure.’ Tabitha nodded, relieved when he left the kitchen. She got two mugs from the cupboard and leaned on the counter. He really was distracting, and yet, she enjoyed having someone to share the little things with: eating breakfast together, having someone to chat to and bounce ideas off. Raff was everything she didn’t think she wanted and yet, deep down, he seemed to be everything she craved.

Raff was already in the pool when Tabitha emerged with a tray onto the sunlit terrace, the dogs on her heels. His tanned arms sliced effortlessly through the water as he lapped the pool. Tabitha placed the tray with the coffee and bowls of fruit and yogurt on the table and sat down. Fudge settled next to her, his fur soft against her bare leg. She would miss them like crazy when she left. As Raff turned at the end of the pool, his body streamlined in the water, she realised the dogs weren’t all she’d miss.

Snatches of lyrics had been forming over the last couple of days – disjointed ideas, but they were slowly shaping into something coherent. She needed to hone them to see if she had something worth continuing with. Tabitha felt inspired by Raff. He was a mystery and he’d intrigued her from the beginning – a worthy subject to focus her songwriting on, at least.

A message from Cordelia in their WhatsApp group brought Tabitha thudding back to reality.

Morning, Tabitha. As we didn’t hear from you yesterday, we just wanted to check that everything’s okay?

With the anticipation of the party the day before, she’d completely forgotten to check in with Cordelia and Rufus. Not that they’d needed to know that she was going out – they’d said they were fine with her doing that for short periods of time, but with Raff here and after the craziness of this morning with the cleaner…

With her heart in her mouth, she thumbed a reply.

So sorry I didn’t message you, it was just a busy day and it slipped my mind. All is fine. Bailey and Fudge are sitting with me on the terrace. Misty is sunning herself in the garden. Hope you’re still enjoying your time in Tanzania and can relax now.

Tabitha took a photo of the dogs sitting by her feet and attached it to the message. Not that it eased the guilt as she watched their estranged son emerge from the pool, rivulets of water streaming down his torso and dripping onto the paving stones.

Raff grabbed a towel from the sun lounger and rubbed his hair. Tabitha’s phone pinged again as he sat down opposite her.

Thank you, Tabitha, you’ve put my mind at rest. Sunshine and blue skies here and I’m about to take a dip in the pool. Bliss. Enjoy the rest of your day.

Tabitha sent a thumbs up in reply.

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