Page 64 of An Island in the Sun

The alarm cut through the quiet. Raff groaned, reached out his hand for his mobile and swiped it off.

‘Morning,’ he said groggily. His frown at being rudely awoken morphed into a smile as he opened his eyes fully and looked at her.

‘Morning,’ she said, unable to stop grinning as she drank him in.

He yawned and stretched, folding his arms around her and pulling her close, his leg sliding between hers as they kissed.

‘So, breakfast with everyone, huh,’ Tabitha said, raising an eyebrow.

‘We’ve got a bit of time,’ Raff said cheekily, smoothing his hand along the curve of her hip and caressing the inside of her thigh, leaving her barely able to breathe. He kissed her neck as he gently pushed her back. ‘Or we could order room service and have breakfast in bed…’

* * *

They did make it to breakfast, although they were the last to arrive. Tabitha was sure from the grin Edward gave them and the look that passed between Mai and Raff that they had a pretty good idea about what had kept them. They joined everyone at the long table and Tabitha basked in being loved up as Raff’s hand rested on her thigh. Everything about him had surprised her, from his unexpected arrival to the strength of her feelings, but she relished all of it.

After tucking into a full English breakfast, and once everyone had said goodbye to Mai and Edward who were heading off on their honeymoon, Tabitha and Raff spent a couple of hours sunning themselves on the hotel beach before packing their bags, checking out and retrieving the car. On their way out of Funchal, they stopped off so Tabitha could buy a box ofpastéis de maracujafor Julie and Anton, then, with the windows wound down, they whizzed along the coast road back towards the quieter southwest side of the island.

Raff connected his phone to the car stereo and was quizzing Tabitha about the songs she’d written as he searched for them.

‘Now, this one,’ Raff said at a particularly upbeat song Tabitha had co-written with a young and up-and-coming pop star. ‘This has got soul. I like it. I like it a lot.’

April’s voice was husky, the thumping beat catchy. Tabitha had intended for there to be more grittiness to the song than just fluffy pop and she was impressed he could see that. ‘And you’re not taking the piss?’ She snatched her eyes away from the road to glance at him.

‘No, absolutely not. I can appreciate a good song when I hear it, even if it’s not my taste in music.’

Tabitha liked the way their easy-going banter had continued. On the beach they’d talked about the night before, both of them grinning like crazy at each other as they’d acknowledged their mutual enjoyment, which had put Tabitha at ease. There may have been the briefest moment at breakfast after Mai had caught her eye and smiled knowingly, when Tabitha had felt self-conscious that her friendship with Raff had moved on, but alone with him now, she’d never felt more comfortable. They slotted together as if somehow he was a missing part she hadn’t realised she’d been without. She gulped back a wave of emotion that threatened to spill over into tears.

After a social time in Funchal, the serenity of the villa wasn’t lost on Tabitha as they arrived back. It wasn’t that she craved peace – many of the places she’d been happiest were in the bustling and pulsing heart of a city, yet there was something about this place that soothed her. Or perhaps it had more to do with the company. She was dying to see her sister, brother-in-law and nieces, but she didn’t want to think about leaving Raff.

They dumped their bags in the villa and retrieved an excited Bailey and Fudge. Raff took Tabitha’s hand as they walked along the lane with the dogs to Julie and Anton’s.

Tabitha glanced at him. ‘Are you sure you’re okay seeing them again?’

‘This is a good thing.’ He squeezed her hand. ‘I feel bad about not visiting for so long. I miss them.’

Tabitha was conscious of the emotion tugging at his words as they reached the house. Raff briefly hesitated before knocking on the door. Moments later, Julie answered with a smile that lit up her face. She looked between them.

‘Raff,’ she said quietly, her gaze resting on him. ‘It’s good to see you.’ She faltered for a heartbeat, then pulled him into a hug.

A lump formed in Tabitha’s throat as Raff wrapped his arms around Julie.Bloody hell. She was going to be a mess by the end of the day, let alone by the time she left the island. All she’d wanted to do over the last year was escape, yet here, Madeira had proved to be a refuge, a place for her to heal, to begin to understand her feelings and what she needed to do next, while Raff… Raff had ignited something within her.

Julie released Raff and held him at arm’s-length. ‘What on earth have you been doing sneaking around all this time?’

Raff smiled warmly at her. ‘Don’t blame Tabitha for any of this; it’s all my doing.’

‘Oh, I believe that!’ Julie laughed, her light tone matching her look of mock indignation.

‘These are for you,’ Tabitha said, handing Julie the box of passion fruit tarts. ‘A thank you for looking after the dogs and Misty.’

‘It was my pleasure.’ Julie hugged Tabitha too and ushered them inside. ‘This is my husband, Anton,’ she said, motioning to where he was uncorking a bottle of wine at the kitchen island.

Tabitha had spotted photos of Anton when she’d visited before, but he looked different in the flesh, his hair greyer and a little dishevelled as if it needed a good cut, his cheeks rounder, giving him a jolliness she hadn’t expected.

‘I’ve heard lots about you, Tabitha,’ Anton said, putting down the bottle to shake her hand. ‘And, Raff, it’s good to see you after so long.’ Anton hugged him and said something in Portuguese as he patted him on the back. He released him and looked between them both. ‘Wine?’

‘Yes please,’ they both said, smiling at the way they’d said it in unison. Tabitha met Raff’s eyes and her heart beat faster.

Anton handed them a glass of wine each and they followed Julie outside. Cubes of skewered beef were roasting on a barbecue, the fat dripping and hissing on the white-hot coals below. Anton turned the skewers while he and Julie tried to work out when they’d last seen Raff. It had been a long time, they concluded, as Julie led Tabitha over to the patio table.

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