Page 55 of An Island Promise

‘Poor bloke,’ Laurie said. ‘I can’t even begin to imagine what he must have gone through.’

‘He needed a friend and someone to talk to, that was all. I’m sure the end of my night was less eventful than yours,’ Belle said somewhat truthfully, eager to move the conversation away from Caleb. ‘How was the rest of the Ushuaïa party?’

‘We missed you,’ Laurie said, ‘but we danced till our feet ached and, unlike clubbing in Ibiza ten years ago, I can actually remember everything about the night, which is rather refreshing.’

Belle looked at Gem. ‘And did you speak to Diego?’

‘He was too busy working.’ Gem wedged her sunglasses into her hair, her nostrils flaring. ‘Have you eaten?’

‘I had breakfast at Caleb’s.’

‘Well, I’m flipping starving.’ She scooped up her phone and stood up. ‘I’ll go get us a table at the restaurant; join me when you’re ready.’

As soon as she closed the sliding door to the room behind her, Belle turned to Laurie. ‘Someone doesn’t want to talk about him,’ she said under her breath.

‘She avoided him all evening.’ Laurie shrugged. ‘And it wasn’t that he was too busy, because a couple of times he attempted to come over. I don’t know if she’s feeling ashamed or just guilty, or what it is, but she was having none of it.’

‘She’s too pig-headed and stubborn for her own good.’

‘Or still feeling guilty about sleeping with him behind your back.’

‘I’ve forgiven her; I don’t want her to feel guilty for my sake. I’m over it. I’m over him.’

‘But don’t you see that’s part of the problem, the way you’ve risen above any pettiness or holding what she did against her. She’s jealous of not just how you look and the life you’ve built but because you’re a good, kind person. She’s always been envious of you.’

‘That’s not true, at least not when we were younger. I was the one who envied her, for her absolute confidence, how stunning she always looked, how effortlessly she could talk to anyone. We both did.’

‘And I still do,’ Laurie said sadly, ‘but for different reasons now, whereas you honestly have nothing to be jealous of any longer.’

Belle took Laurie’s hand. ‘All we seem to be doing is talking about me or bloody Gem. How are you coping?’

‘I’m doing okay. Being here is helping and it’s good to have something else to talk about with Ade. But I’m sad.’ Her fingers tightened in Belle’s. ‘I haven’t physically lost someone but it’s still a grieving process.’

‘You’ve lost what you hoped to have in your future; that’s a big thing to get over. It’ll take time. Just don’t give up.’

‘I won’t.’ Laurie paused and gazed towards the pool before turning back to Belle. ‘What really happened last night with Caleb?’

Belle had bottled up so many of her feelings before; was she really going to do it again? How could she expect Laurie or even Gem to share their innermost thoughts when she couldn’t reciprocate?

So, much like she had with Caleb the evening before, Belle opened up to Laurie about her last few weeks on Ibiza culminating in the morning with Caleb. She shared her confusion and uncertainty about whether she should entertain the idea of something happening with him.

Laurie listened intently, and when Belle finished she just smiled. ‘I knew straight away there was something between you. And I’m certain he has feelings for you as well.’

‘You don’t know him, Laurie.’

‘No, but I know you and he’d be mad to not fall for you.’

‘I didn’t say anything about him falling for me or vice versa.’

A soft smile graced her lips. ‘I’ve never seen you like this.’

Belle rubbed her fingers across her forehead and grimaced. ‘What, stressed?’

‘No, glowing.’ Laurie sat upright and took Belle’s hands. ‘You’ve never been afraid to be bold and do things even if they scare you – moving to London, coping on your own after the accident instead of running back home, building your career by taking risks and saying yes. Don’t let a chance at happiness pass you by because you’re scared to take a leap of faith and let someone into your heart. There’s always the potential for a relationship to go wrong, for your dreams to not work out, but that shouldn’t mean you give up on love or hope. Isn’t it better to take the chance and fail than fear the unknown and riskmissing out on happiness?’ She scrambled up and pulled Belle to her feet. ‘Come on, we’d better go and join Gem so she doesn’t complain that we stood her up.’

It was lunchtime and Spirit’s restaurant was beginning to fill up. The place was alive with conversation and the bustle of the waiting staff bringing tapas to the tables. Gem was nowhere to be seen.

‘Where on earth has she gone?’ Laurie glanced around, then at her phone and frowned. ‘Let’s get a table and message her. I’m starving.’

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