Page 45 of The Island in Bramble Bay
‘I did, I do. I just didn’t think it would be like this, it’s taking such a toll on you.’ She sat there, inhaling the scent of his shower gel as she sat watching him and she physically ached for him. If it wasn’t for the fact that it was summer, the busiest time of the year on Bramble Island, she would empty her bank account and get on the next flight to see him.
‘I’m sorry, honey. I know it’s hard and it’s worse for you. I get lost in the work and lose track of everything and it seems like just a day or so since we spoke last week. Once this is over, we can be together all the time. You’ll be sick of the sight of me.’
‘Okay. I —’
The doorbell rang at Charlie’s end.
‘Hang on a sec. It’s probably the maid.’ He disappeared from the screen and she could hear him opening the door. ‘Hey, come in. I won’t be a sec.’
Maggie heard the other person greet Charlie. It was Jessica. She was sure of it.
Before Maggie could really process what had just happened, Charlie was back at his desk, ending their call.
‘Maggie, don’t worry about me. I love you, I’ll call next week.’ And he was gone.
What the hell was Jessica doing visiting Charlie? And what worried Maggie more was that he wasn’t surprised when he opened the door to her.
42
CHARLIE HAD TAKEN to running along the water’s edge since he’d been living back in San Francisco. The long hours were taking their toll and he was exhausted but somehow going for a run every morning gave him an energy boost which he badly needed. It also gave him time to think. It was easy to get drawn into working every waking minute and he was, but these moments where he could run, letting his mind wander, had become his favourite part of the day. He thought about Maggie, Bramble Island, the life they’d had which was just beginning when he’d left. He felt guilty about that but somehow this brief introspection that he allowed himself every day also allowed him to tell himself that he needed to do this so that he could go back to her with no regrets. He was wiping the slate clean for them both so that everything that had marred his life before he even met her wouldn’t hold him back anymore.
Since Maggie had left he’d worked every single day. In the beginning, he’d had endless meetings with Ed and the team to figure out how they were going to start coding the new app. Quite quickly, Charlie had a plan in his head; he knew how it would integrate with the existing High 5 and how they could use what was already there to save them a lot of work. Ed was beyond thrilled that Charlie had agreed to stay and constantly told him how amazing he thought he was. It was nice to hear but having lived in the UK for a couple of years where it was unusual for people to be so effusive, it sounded disingenuous to Charlie even though he appreciated the sentiment.
Despite all the long hours and being so tired, Charlie was relishing the work and loved being at the sharp end again. But maybe knowing that there was an end to it and that then he’d go back to Bramble Island was part of why he was enjoying it. It wasn’t forever.
The only thing in his life which was causing him a problem at the moment was Jessica. Surprisingly, she had kept her word and, so far at least, had been nothing but professional, even when they found themselves alone. But he hadn’t told Maggie. Regardless of their feelings for each other, Charlie felt that their relationship was on shaky ground until he went back to the UK for good. He wanted to be honest with her but he worried that she would think there was more to it. He couldn’t blame her after what had happened when she’d been in the States but that also made it all the more difficult to explain. No, it was better that she didn’t know.
The weekly FaceTime calls with Maggie were hard on him. He knew he would be faring better if he didn’t have to see her. He wanted to see her but the feeling of having to justify himself was overwhelming because although she’d not said anything until yesterday, he’d already known she’d expected him to be back in the UK by now. Every week, he’d expected her to ask when he would be back and she hadn’t, but the anticipation of it and of knowing that she had expectations of him, even if she didn’t voice them, was harder than not seeing her at all. For someone who loved technology, he thought there was a lot to be said for the old-fashioned letter.
The call with Maggie had made Charlie realise that he needed to take time out to visit her. He could really use a break and now he knew that she was struggling with being apart more than she’d let on before, he wanted to reassure her that for him, nothing had changed between them. It might make it harder to come back, but he could maybe stay in the States longer then than if he didn’t take a break at all.
When he got back to the apartment, he took a quick shower and then sat at his laptop and booked a plane ticket to London, leaving on Thursday for a week. Then he emailed Maggie to let her know and emailed Ed too.
He felt better already. He couldn’t wait to see Maggie and spend a few days on his island with her. He thought about her whenever his mind wasn’t consumed with work and he hoped that the time apart wouldn’t have changed anything between them.
His cell phone rang, it was Ed.
‘Hey, Ed.’
‘Charlie, just saw your email about your trip to England. I assume you’re coming back?’ Ed’s tone sounded jovial but Charlie could tell he was calling to make sure he wasn’t leaving for good. Despite the flexible arrangement Ed had offered him, it didn’t feel like that was an option anymore. It was a little disappointing but not surprising; the offer that Charlie could do it on his terms had sounded too good to be true and that’s exactly how it had turned out. But he wanted to see it through despite that.
‘Yeah, of course. I’m just taking a week to see Maggie and check on everything back home.’
‘How is the Digipixel part of the project working out for you?’ asked Ed.
‘It’s going well. We’ve integrated most of their code now and we’re just working on some additional capabilities that they’ve suggested.’ That Jessica had suggested. It had been a revelation to work so closely with her. Now that she wasn’t behaving like an entitled diva, she was pretty smart.
‘Good to hear. If I don’t see you in the office, have a good trip.’
‘Great, thanks, Ed.’ Charlie rang off and breathed a sigh of relief. He really needed some time out.
43
MAGGIE WAS ON her way to the visitor reception having had a call from them to say that she had a visitor from the Trust. She couldn’t begin to think who it might be. She always knew if someone was visiting because the travel arrangements were so elaborate, and she always met them from the ferry.
Walking into the cool shade of the building, Maggie’s eyes adjusted to the gloom and she saw a man standing to the side of the desk with a large rucksack at his feet. He had his back to her and was looking out towards the quay. Clare saw her come in and gestured silently at the waiting man. As Maggie approached him, even before he’d turned around, she recognised him and her stomach lurched.
It was Ben.
