Page 24 of An Island Promise

Belle snatched it up.

‘Oh my God Gem, are you okay?’

‘Yeah, I’m fine, don’t worry,’ she said wearily. ‘Sorry for not messaging you before this morning.’

‘Where the hell did you get to last night?’

‘I could say the same about you.’

‘I left my phone on the table, Laurie’s battery had died; I couldn’t get hold of you. I’m sorry.’

‘It’s okay, shit happens. And I have your phone.’ A heartbeat of a pause. ‘I’m on my way back.’

‘From where? Where have you been all night?’

There was another pause followed by a muffled sound as if Gem was covering the phone. ‘Long story, but I sort of hooked up with someone who worked at Pacha and I ended up back at his.’

‘Well, I’m glad you’re okay. A lot better than Laurie will be when she eventually wakes up. I’ll start packing. See you when you get back.’

Belle should have felt relieved that Gem had got laid rather than injured, abducted or worse, yet jealousy consumed her. While Gem had been having a good time, she’d missed out on her last chance with Diego.

15

JUNE 2023, PRESENT DAY

On the way back from meeting Diego at Ushuaïa, Belle stopped at Serenity to ensure everything was ready for the first outdoor movie night before she returned to Spirit. She felt as troubled by what Diego had said as by how she felt seeing him ten years on. And, knowing that Caleb would be at Spirit, she was trying her best to avoid him, confused by all the things she’d learned that morning.

The sandy terrace above the path to the beach had been cleared of tables and chairs and the beanbag loungers had been brought out, spaced out in pairs with low wooden tables dividing the rows. It would be utterly romantic later with the bulb lights strung between the trees glowing, candles flickering in the frosted glass holders on the tables andLa La Landplaying on a big screen, but right that minute Belle felt completely alone, a feeling that would often rear its head when she was feeling low or worthless. When anything became emotionally tricky, her default setting was to run away.

She found a quiet corner in Serenity’s bar to work. With the summer season starting in earnest there was lots to do. There were one or two private events a week at Spirit andthree weddings at Serenity over the summer, the first one taking place in just under two weeks’ time. Plus there were the general marketing and promotional opportunities Cara had been working on. Ushuaïa could now be added to the list, and with Diego as the contact perhaps this morning wouldn’t be the last she saw of him. She still didn’t understand how that made her feel. She’d expected fireworks to go off in her stomach at seeing him again – that would have been clearcut. Coming face to face with him had knocked her sideways and instead of feeling euphoric she was left confused and uncertain. She’d had enough of second guessing everything to do with her heart.

Even with her uncertainty, being on Ibiza had allowed her the headspace to focus on what mattered and to make time for things that she was always too busy for or didn’t have the option of back home: a leisurely breakfast, daily yoga, a stroll on the beach, a swim in the sea or even escaping somewhere further afield. Work had taken over in London, while here the work/life balance was encouraged because Caleb had made it a priority. The lifestyle was a dream. It made her wonder how she would feel about returning to normal life at the end of October.

After liaising with and co-ordinating the staff, then taking photos of the set-up to use on Serenity’s socials, Belle relocated to the stone wall that ran along the side of the restaurant and overlooked the terrace set up for the movie night. It was the perfect spot to keep an eye on things.

She was just posting a photo on Serenity’s Instagram feed when a shadow fell across her.

‘This looks wonderful.’

Belle looked up at Caleb, his tanned face catching the golden light of dusk. He climbed over the wall and sat next to her, looking effortlessly cool and relaxed in snug jeans and a short-sleeved cream shirt. The top couple of buttons were undone,revealing a smooth tanned chest and the edge of a dragon tattoo that snaked up to his neck.

Belle shifted her attention back to the terrace where the honeyed light from dozens of lanterns flickered on the tables between the empty beanbag loungers. This was Belle’s favourite time of the day, the sun a warm caress on her skin as the sea danced with pearly pink, iridescent mauve and a touch of glittering gold.

Accompanied by the sound of diners and the swoosh of the sea, the soft light was magical, the air tangy with zesty lemon and grilling seafood – and Caleb’s cologne which was zingier and fresher than Diego’s.

Belle’s unease had abated over the course of the day but it returned with Caleb’s presence.

‘I’ve been taking photos,’ she said to cover her discomfort. ‘I’ll take some more once it’s dark and the guests start arriving.’

‘See, the social media queen.’ He moved closer as if he was going to knock his shoulder against hers, but stopped short, a breath of space between them. ‘I’ll send them to Cara; she’ll be thrilled with what you’ve done here. I heard you met with Diego. Did you sort everything out?’

It took a moment for her to understand that he was talking about the Ushuaïa deal for Serenity’s guests and not the state of her and Diego’s non-existent relationship.

‘Yes, everything’s in hand,’ she said, knowing this was the conversation she’d been trying to avoid because she was unsure how much to share. ‘For such a big club it’s a great deal for our guests. I just didn’t realise the connection you had with Diego being your, um…’ She couldn’t bring herself to say brother-in-law, not after what she’d learned. She sensed him tense next to her. ‘I’m so sorry about your wife.’

Caleb clasped his hands in his lap and ran his thumb over his wedding ring. ‘I should have said something before, but I still find it hard to talk about her.’

‘There’s no reason you should have shared anything personal with me,’ Belle said softly. ‘I never expected you to and I didn’t bring up what Diego said for you to talk about it. I just wanted you to know that I know.’

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