Page 57 of An Island in the Sun

‘That’s not here on Madeira?’

‘God, no.’ Raff shook his head and drained the remainder of his coffee. ‘And it’s definitely not in London either, although I’ll have to head back there before my parents return. Ah,’ he waved his hand, ‘one day I’ll figure it out.’

Tabitha met his eyes. ‘I’m sure I will too.’

‘Hey, I was just wondering,’ he said, holding her gaze. ‘Seeing as I’ve been your wingman – so to speak – at Ollie’s party, how do you fancy being my plus-one at Mia’s wedding on Saturday?’

‘Really?’

‘Yeah. She left it as an open invitation for me to bring someone along, which I never intended to, but I know she’ll be relieved if I don’t rock up on my own and, uh, I’d really like you to come with me.’ He looked bashful, his usual confidence having vanished. His tanned cheeks might even have flushed a little.

Tabitha adored that he’d asked her. ‘Yeah, I’d love to come, thank you.’

‘Great, it is an overnight thing with a celebratory breakfast on the Sunday too, so you might have to see if Julie can feed and check on the dogs while we’re away.’ He scraped his chair back, stood and flicked the towel over his shoulder. ‘I’m going to shower and head down to the office to work. I’m sure you’ve got stuff to get on with too. See you later.’

An overnight thing. That was all Tabitha could focus on as Raff retreated inside. Was he embarrassed? Or had he asked quickly and escaped in case she changed her mind? It was obvious that they both wanted to spend more time with each other and going to a wedding and staying over would certainly allow them to do that. The rush of excitement flooding through her suggested exactly how she felt. She’d considered taking their relationship a step further; perhaps a fling would get him out of her system.

25

The day flew by with Raff locked away in the office at the bottom of the garden and Tabitha switching between working at the dining table and on the terrace. She built on the thoughts that had been floating around her head over the last couple of days. Lyrics tumbled and melodies swirled. Snatches of ideas began to form on the page and in the guitar chords. Lyrics about love lost, about the freedom of being true to yourself, of the tentative steps towards the possibility of new love, a new future. Tabitha hadn’t wanted to write about Raff, but somehow his presence and influence had seeped into her and were now forming a song. What he had done was open her up to the idea that she could move on, that she could free herself from the worry of repeating the same mistakes that she had with Lewis.

Elspeth messaged her at lunchtime.

How did the party go? Hope you had a good time. I NEED to hear all about it but rushed off our feet with barn/wedding prep. No time to call at the mo but will do tomorrow evening and we can chat properly. If we’re not finished by then, we’re going to be screwed, so fingers crossed. Much love, E xxxx

Tabitha sent a quick reply with lots of kisses and wished her luck.

Early in the evening, after Tabitha had finished working, she walked the couple of minutes along the lane to Julie and Anton’s house. A fog of tiredness had descended over her as the day had worn on. Four hours’ sleep plus a hangover may have been doable when she was twenty-two, but a decade later she was most definitely struggling. She’d got out of the habit of late-night partying; she wanted to blame Lewis, but she’d allowed him to mould her into the partnerhewanted her to be. Even though she thought she’d be better off on her own, she realised now it wasn’t what she wanted. What she wanted was to be with someone who was onboard with how she wanted to live her life, someone who wouldn’t try to restrict her, someone who would help her to achieve her dreams instead of crush them. Perhaps that was too much to ask.

Tabitha reached the house and rang the bell. There was a car in the drive, so she assumed someone was home, but when there was no answer, she wondered if Julie was out the back. She went through the side gate and into the garden. She spied movement and spotted Julie in a sun hat pruning climbing roses.

‘Julie!’ Tabitha called. When Julie waved, she headed down the garden.

‘What a lovely surprise,’ Julie said with a welcoming smile.

‘I came to ask you something, but I thought you might want to know how Fudge is doing as well.’

‘That was going to be my first question. I’ve been wondering how you both are.’

‘He’s much better. Can even jump down off the bed now.’

‘Good, I’m glad.’ Julie shaded her eyes. ‘I don’t suppose you’ve got time for a drink?’

‘Yeah, I’d love one, thanks.’ It was the least she could do when she was going to ask a favour. Not only that, she liked Julie’s quiet and steady company. She had a calming effect, and didn’t seem to have any drama in her life. She was surprisingly easy to talk to as well, which made her feel even more guilty not telling her about Raff.

Julie took off her gardening gloves and left them and the secateurs on the grass. Tabitha walked back up the lawn with her.

‘Anton’s not home yet,’ Julie said, leading the way into the open-plan kitchen and living area. ‘Would you like tea, coffee or wine?’ She glanced at her watch and smiled. ‘It is wine o’clock after all. I’m going to pour myself a glass if you’d like one too?’

‘Why not,’ Tabitha said. ‘Hair of the dog and all that. I went to a party in Funchal last night and have been battling a hangover all day, so a glass of wine might just help.’

‘It sounds like you had fun. You went by yourself?’ Julie reached into a cupboard for two wine glasses and took a bottle of white wine out of the fridge.

Tabitha felt her cheeks go hot. ‘An old friend invited me. Ollie Pereira – you might have heard of him? Pop star, ex-The Starwinner. He’s half Portuguese and has a villa in Funchal where he stays when he’s not in his apartment in London.’

‘You know him?’ Julie’s eyes widened. ‘I don’t know much about popular culture, but I know who Ollie Pereira is. Lots of my students will be incredibly jealous that I’m friends with someone who’s friends with him!’

‘Yeah, we go way back, friends since before he was famous, but we’ve drifted apart. It was good to see him again, though. At least it was the start of us repairing our friendship.’

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