Page 7 of An Island in the Sun

Tabitha gazed through the open doorway, down the garden to the banana trees framing the view of the ocean. She absently stroked Fudge. ‘I don’t know. I’m torn. I’m not sure if it’s a good idea or not.’

‘He’s your friend, Tabs.’

‘You mean he was my friend.’

‘It’s not too late to salvage your friendship, is it?’

Tabitha sighed. ‘It’s not as straightforward as that.’

‘I know it’s not, but I also know how much you miss him. And, regardless of your friendship, think of your career. He owes you big time.’

‘I’m just worried about reopening old wounds. I’m trying to get my head into a good place and seeing him again could undo all the positives of the past few years.’ Tabitha’s insides tightened at the mere thought of Ollie. And yet, if she really had no intention of contacting him again, wouldn’t she have steered clear of Madeira altogether? ‘It’s a big island, it’s not as if I’m in Funchal and likely to bump into him. I’ve got time to decide if I want to see him or not.’

‘Good; just think on it is all I’m saying.’ Elspeth paused. ‘My next question is, when are you going to come and stay with us? We all miss you terribly. You can’t keep travelling forever, you know.’

‘Why not? It’s what Mum and Dad did.’

‘Yes, well, sort of. But it was with all of us, not just one of them on their own. And wherever we went we did at least stay for a year or two at a time. I mean, this year alone, how many different places have you been?’

‘I don’t know; I’ve lost track.’

‘Exactly.’

Tabitha could imagine the worried expression on Elspeth’s face.

‘Come for Christmas, or before if you can manage it. You can always stay in one of the cabins rather than bunking in the crazy house with all of us. That way you can stay for as long as you like.’

Tabitha continued stroking Fudge, a feeling of homesickness washing over her despite not having anywhere she thought of as home to go back to. ‘You know I’d love to see you.’

‘I know you would, so make time and fit us in.’ A muffled voice sounded in the background. ‘Gethin’s saying dinner’s ready. I’d better go. Talk again soon, yeah? Love you, Tabs.’

‘Love you, E.’

They said goodbye and silence descended. Tabitha imagined Elspeth being swept back into her busy life, crashing on the sofa for an hour or so with Tabitha’s brother-in-law before one of the kids woke up. For Tabitha, there was simply stillness with only the occasional fluttering snore from the dogs.

Ollie played on her mind, though. She opened Instagram and went to his feed. She didn’t allow herself to look at it often, because she’d tried hard over the years to bury the envy she felt at his success, despite her own. She was a silent stalker looking at the images, but not liking or commenting on them. Being on Madeira, though, gave her the perfect opportunity to reach out. It wasn’t as if he’d never tried to make contact; she’d been the one to snub him, although she’d had good reason to. Platinum-selling, award-winning Ollie Pereira with his twenty million Instagram followers.

She scrolled past image after image of the friend she once knew so well – on stage and at parties, living the ultimate pop star lifestyle ever since he’d wonThe Star, the biggest show on TV, seven years ago.

Tabitha sighed and put down her phone, wanting to forget all about him and the feelings he stirred.

4

With the arrival of the weekend, Tabitha relaxed into her temporary home. It was as if she was able to reinvent herself with each house sit, slotting into a different way of life influenced by the pets she was looking after and the type of home she was staying in. The Madeira villa leant itself nicely to chilling out while soaking up the view and that was what she’d planned for the weekend. Proper work could wait until the following week.

Bailey and Fudge needed a walk, so, with the use of Cordelia’s sleek white BMW, Tabitha decided to explore. After securing the dogs in the boot, she navigated her way through Prazeres to the top of the village. It was reasonably early on the Saturday before the day heated up and the walk followed one of Madeira’s many levadas. The dogs trotted in front of her along the narrow path next to the levada, stopping to sniff the grasses and ferns growing beneath the shady trees. It was places like these where Tabitha was able to switch off and push her worries away. Rather than thinking back on the past or ahead to the future – which she knew she was avoiding doing, even if travelling was supposed to be helping her with that – focusing on the moment was refreshingly stress-free. Just the dogs for company and sunshine on her shoulders.

She cleared her mind and concentrated on the sounds of the forest and the sun glinting between the leaf-laden branches. Birds twittered and the water flowing along the levada was a constant murmur. The surrounding countryside switched from woodland to open farmland with ploughed fields and farm buildings, the vivid blue ocean the backdrop before they returned to the patchy shade of the trees.

Tabitha was itching to explore more of the island, and although she liked the idea of staying somewhere peaceful, she did want to experience Funchal and be in a place that pulsed with life. Funchal, however, would put her closer to Ollie. Although she’d never visited, she knew where his Madeira villa was and had seen the pictures on Instagram. She knew he had a pool that overlooked the ocean; there were plenty of bare-chested images of him in and out of the pool sprinkling his Instagram feed. There were plenty of photos of his London pad too. He’d upgraded from the poky flat he used to have, where they’d spent many an evening together putting the world to rights, to something far larger and swankier. She sounded bitter, she knew. It was pointless dwelling on the past, when there was nothing she could do to change it. Focusing on the here and now was all she needed to do. Funchal and Ollie could wait.

* * *

The rest of Saturday was filled with sunshine and the outdoors. Apart from a couple of walks, Tabitha didn’t venture far, not that there was any reason to with the garden to enjoy, the pool to swim in and the dogs for company.

As promised, Tabitha sent a couple of photos of Bailey and Fudge on a walk and Misty curled up on her favourite armchair to Cordelia and Rufus along with an update.

All good here and everyone’s happy and settled – they’re a dream to look after. Hope you’re enjoying your time away.

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