Page 34 of The Summer Island Swap
Amy would have practically died from excitement at the thought of Rick and me being near a mattress, alone.
He let go of my fingers, extended his arm and swooped it through the air. ‘Stay here tonight. This room is finished. Catch up a bit. Think about whether or not you should really go home.’
Oh, I felt tempted. But that would mean I’d failed. ‘Is there much more left to do to the house as a whole?’
‘The kitchen and utility room are nearly ready, and the indoor dining room on the other side of them. However, work hasn’t started on the downstairs office we had before, nor the downstairs toilet. But the cinema room is finished and the gym. Also the room looking out to the sea where my grandmother liked to paint and design shoes.’
‘Margot is still very active.’
‘At seventy-nine she’s an inspiration.’
‘Aren’t you worried about another hurricane striking?’
‘No. The occasional hurricanes in the past have only caused slight to moderate damage across the islands. The problem with Hurricane Irma was that we got stuck in the eye of it. I know climate change might alter the frequency and intensity of these events but…’ He shrugged. ‘These days extreme weather might happen anywhere around the world.’
‘True. Even in England.’
He pointed to a shelf. ‘There’s a load of novels there left by the previous person who left early, only last week. I think I mentioned them to you. He couldn’t take the early starts or heat. Before him was a woman called Judy. She’d thought the shacks were only for show and that really we’d have set up some kind of glamping facilities. There was Jean-Paul. He came with his girlfriend. It was tougher than they both thought. It ended badly. They split up. The trip had been her idea. He went back to France after a week.’ Rick looked sheepish. ‘This room has kind of become a haven for those who want to leave.’
I raised my eyebrows. ‘I thought you said only a couple of people had ever changed their minds?’
I wasn’t the only one knocked sideways by this experience? That made me feel so much better.
Rick sighed and sat on the bed by the pillows. He stretched out his legs. My eyes scanned his long frame. I hesitated before sitting next to him.
‘I didn’t want to give a negative impression. However, the last couple of days – seeing how you’ve struggled – it’s made me realise that perhaps I need to be clearer on the website. I’m sorry if, at times, I’ve come across as a bit… touchy. Seagrass Conservation means the world to me and it’s hard to acknowledge that it’s still not stable with a guaranteed future.’
An apology? His shoulders slumped and out of nowhere I felt like giving him a hug.
‘Rick. I’ve tried to explain… the reason I’ve struggled in particular is that I never signed up for this kind of trip.’
His brow furrowed. ‘What do you mean?’
‘My sister – she booked it as a treat after a lottery win. It was meant to be a luxury getaway. A top-notch hotel with spa treatments, five-star food, room service… but at the last minute she swapped it. I work in hotel management and she was worried that sort of holiday wouldn’t be a true break from the nine ’til five. So instead…’
‘You’re telling me you had no idea? She lied?’
‘I wouldn’t call it that exactly… there are different kind of untruths.’
‘Not in my book.’ His brows knotted together. He caught me looking. ‘Sorry. Ignore me. Amy’s a great person, I can tell that already. I’m sure she had good reason.’
‘Hence the long nails, the impractical clothes, the big hat… I was expecting… well… accommodation more like this home of yours. And lie-ins, not early starts. Bucks Fizz for breakfast instead of fish soup. Hot Jacuzzis, not cold showers…’
Rick looked intensely at me. ‘I made a lot of assumptions. So your job is in the hospitality business?’
For a second I wanted to be honest but I couldn’t mention my sacking in case it got back to Amy. It would have been good to talk about it. But like I’d said to him – there were different kinds of lies. ‘I’m currently employed as an assistant manager,’ I said. ‘So I understand some of the challenges you’re facing. I know what it’s like to not have the whole of the team on board. It makes it difficult to achieve goals.’
‘Then why stay?’ he asked. ‘No doubt you’ll fit in fine after a few days of acclimatising,’ he added quickly, ‘but you have the perfect excuse to leave so why not just fly back home? I’m sure your sister would understand.’
‘Amy really wanted me to enjoy this holiday; she said I needed a complete break. She was excited to treat me. It’s been… a challenging few years. I haven’t had a holiday since I left home.’
‘When was that?’
‘Nine years ago.’
‘Wow.’ Those dark eyebrows practically disappeared into his hairline.
I felt an urge to laugh out loud but was still bruised by the way he’d assumed the worst about me, ever since I got off the boat.
