Page 32 of Until You (Forgive Me)

Isabella held Kalaya a little tighter. “I’ll have plenty of time to go home and get showered.” Especially when home was a mere two-minute walk from their main yoga studio.

When they’d first opened The Retreat, Isabella had volunteered to live on-site. It wasn’t like she had anywhere else to go. It had helped she was present to oversee the construction, and then once guests had begun arriving, they’d found it useful to have someone around to answer questions. It was then, Isabella opted to stay. Tucked away from the other buildings, her one-bedroom villa was her castle. Allowing her to enjoy the peace and quiet of the land.

“Can you keep an eye on Kalaya while I set up for the next class?”

“Need you ask?” Isabella laughed, hugging the little bundle tighter.

May shook her head with a smile.

May’s mother and baby yoga sessions were a huge success. Who knew mothers and some fathers would be interested in yoga with their baby? There were so many benefits. Babies were more relaxed, and it allowed the mothers to rebuild their pelvic floor muscles while strengthening the bond with their baby. Feedback had been positive, and they were receiving more and more inquiries.

Ten minutes later, May returned.

“Now you get home. You need to pluck, wax and do whatever else you need to do ready for your dirty weekend.” Her nose turned up at the baby drawl all over Isabella’s top. “I told you to use a muslin.”

“Never,” Isabella said, handing over Kalaya and giving the giggling baby a kiss on the cheek. Uncurling her hair from Kalaya’s grasp, she headed for the door.

“Isabella... I’m taking all the weekend classes. You’re taking a holiday,” May called after her.

Isabella nodded and kept walking. Her friend was the best.

Was she jumping the gun? Who knew? But she couldn’t wait to see Christian again. Had she built up their attraction in her mind? Was it an illusion? If it was, she needed to see him again to set her body and mind straight.

∞∞∞

Three hours later, Isabella walked into the hotel. The Reception staff all acknowledged her. The classes they ran were a tremendous success, and Isabella had become a regular visitor. She’d been unsure how her visit as a guest would be perceived, but when she informed the manager that she and Christian were long-time family friends, he welcomed her with open arms. The fact Christian Dupree was a billionaire who stayed in their presidential villa clearly had nothing to do with it.

“Hi, Aom,” Isabella said, approaching reception. “Has Mr Dupree checked in yet?”

“Let me check for you, Isabella,” Aom said, typing Christian’s name into the system. “He hasn’t arrived, but he said you can enter his room and asked if you could order dinner?”

Isabella’s phone pinged.

CHRISTIAN:Hi, just landed. Will be with you soon. Can you order us dinner?

Isabella smiled and nodded at the girl. “I’ve just received my orders,” she said, laughing.

“I’ll call a porter to show you the way.”

Aom picked up the phone and called for a porter.

“Thank you. See you later,” Isabella said, saying goodbye to Aom.

The young man led Isabella to the same villa Christian had stayed in before.

“Can I help you with anything else?” he asked, showing Isabella how to work the air conditioning.

“No, everything’s fine. I will ring our food order through. Thank you.”

The guy left, and Isabella wondered through the villa, a sense of déjà vu hitting her. What was she doing here? Was she making a mistake? She had enjoyed the past five months of friendly banter between her and Christian, but was she reading too much into it?

Isabella picked up the food menu and ordered the same food they had before, along with a bottle of red wine.

Checking her appearance in the mirror, she jumped when she heard the lock click, her heart rate picking up.

Stepping out of the bathroom, she saw Christian tipping the same porter before closing the door.

Isabella leaned against the door frame as Christian turned to face her.

---