Page 39 of An Island Promise

Laurie put her drink down and frowned. ‘Who told her what?’

‘Do you want to tell her or shall I?’

Gem’s jaw clenched. ‘I didn’t think either of us would ever see him again. There was no point in upsetting you for no reason.’

Belle leaned across the table and kept her voice low and steady. ‘You have no idea how long I’ve held on to an impossible dream about Diego, thinking my feelings for him were more than just lust, wondering if I’d made a mistake not being brave enough to tell him how I felt. I held on to this idea that he was the perfect man for me, that we were perfect together, when in reality he was just hellishly good in bed – but of course you know that. I was young, naive and infatuated and have compared him to every single man since, when he wasn’t worth it.’

‘Wait. What?’ Laurie looked between them before focusing on Gem. ‘Youslept with Diego as well?’ Her voice was incredulous. ‘How could you? You know how Belle felt about him. Of all the things you’ve done, that just… I don’t even know what to say.’ She shook her head and shot Gem a look of loathing. ‘How on earth did it even happen?’

Belle drained the rest of her Cava. ‘The last night when you were out-of-it drunk and I was taking care of you, Gem hooked up with him.’

‘I was left on my own.’ Gem visibly bristled. ‘And I’m well aware it was no one’s fault – I’m the last person to berate Laurie for getting so shit-faced she could barely stand or you going off to make sure she was okay – but I ended up in a scary as hell situation with a group of horny drunk guys and Diego was there. He saw what was happening, swooped in and saved me.’

‘So you thanked him by having sex with him.’ Belle shrugged.

‘It wasn’t like that.’ Gem rubbed her fingers against the side of her forehead, her bangles clinking together with the movement. ‘Yes, there were opportunities when I could have come back to the hotel and I chose not to… I honestly can’t explain how euphoric that night was, confusing too and surprising. So many things. You have no idea either how muchregret I felt, but also how much I’ve thought about him too, wondered if things had been different, if I’d been brave enough to tell him that I think…’ A shuddery breath cut her words short. Her eyes were damp, her cheeks flushed. She grabbed her phone and stood up. ‘I’m sorry Belle, for everything.’

24

‘I don’t know what to say,’ Laurie said after Gem had disappeared from sight. ‘I am beyond shocked.’ She put her hand on Belle’s arm. Her nails were neatly trimmed with just clear polish, her black hair sleek and pulled away from her face in a low ponytail. If she was wearing any make-up it was subtle. It was strange how unlike each other they were; Laurie and Gem, the two extremes. Perhaps Belle fitted in somewhere in the middle and that was what united them, all three individuals with differing personalities but a friendship that had bound them tight since they were children, weathered all the ups and downs. Could it continue to do so?

Belle felt hemmed in, sitting in a public bar surrounded mostly by couples, although there were a few groups of friends scattered about. She was acutely aware that even though she worked in a background capacity running the events, the bar and waiting staff were familiar. Even with lowered voices, she and Gem must have made a bit of a scene if anyone had paid them much attention.

‘Do you mind if we take a walk?’

The sun loungers still had a few people camped out on them, but Belle and Laurie walked down the beach away from the busier stretch, the buttery yellow sand soft beneath Belle’s feet. She carried her flip-flops in her hand and relished the salt breeze blowing away the heat and the aftermath of that conversation.

‘Why didn’t you say anything to Gem before now?’ Laurie asked as they left their footprints in the damp sand along the shoreline and cut past a couple smooching on a lilo.

‘Because it was easier not to and I didn’t know how to broach it. I guess I was hoping for her to come clean, but then why would she when she’s held on to this secret for ten years? Diego only told me the weekend before last.’

‘He just admitted it?’

‘I suspected because of something he said.’

‘But Caleb didn’t know about the two of you?’

‘Nope.’

‘And you do like Caleb,’ Laurie said tentatively. ‘I saw your face crumple when Gem asked if you’d slept with Diego again.’ They stopped and sat down on the sand. It was far enough away from Spirit for the sounds of the hotel to merge into the background while the lap of the waves folding onto the beach took over. ‘And also by his reaction, he really likes you too.’

‘He said nothing.’

‘Exactly. He seemed shocked and hurt. That speaks volumes about the way he feels, Belle. Trust me, from someone who’s found my soulmate.’

‘Although you and Ade aren’t having an easy time of it at the moment, are you?’

‘No, we’re not. Going through IVF has put a pressure on our relationship that I hope won’t prove to be too much. But what else do we have if we don’t try again for a family?’

‘Each other. You have each other, Laurie. And even if you don’t want to think about it right now, there are other waysof having a family. Through a surrogate. Or adoption.’ Belle let out a long, frustrated sigh. ‘It’s always the bloody Gem show or some drama surrounding me. We should talk about you too you know.’

‘What, and continue Gem’s great idea to revisit the predictions we made for each other?’

Belle gave a hollow laugh. ‘That was my bad idea.’

‘But it seemed like a good one at the time.’

‘Because we were all young enough to hope that we’d ace at life. We weren’t grown up enough to understand all the trials that were in store for us.’

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