Page 49 of The Summer Island Swap
‘If you can wait until then,’ he teased and stood up.
‘Don’t flatter yourself,’ I said sharply though I returned his smile.
Desperately I looked around the room to take us onto a different conversation. The piano. Of course. A plan popped into my head that could bring Benedikt and Jonas together.
‘You said the piano’s vibrating?’ I said in as steady a voice as possible. ‘Benedikt plays the piano. His dad is a tuner. I bet he’s picked up some knowledge over the years and could sort it out for you – when the place is empty, of course, so that it’s perfectly quiet for him to analyse the problem.’
‘That would be great. One less thing to worry about. I’ll mention it to him.’
‘Maybe Jonas could come over at the same time. He’s a musician.’
Rick was looking at his laptop again. ‘Sure. Why not? Perhaps they could come over tomorrow after our computer brainstorming session, if they haven’t got other plans. I’m going to spend my evening in the Games Room with the permanent volunteers, refining last minute arrangements for the sports day we’ve got planned on Sunday.’
‘That sounds like fun.’
No, it didn’t. I hadn’t travelled four thousand miles to take part in a sports day. I’d come for massages and cocktails by the pool. But Rick looked so downhearted, bending the truth might cheer him up. I could think of a million other ways to lift his mood. They didn’t involve talking. They didn’t involve clothes.
‘It should be,’ he said as if only half-listening to me now.
‘See you tomorrow, then,’ I said. In my haste I left via the back entrance.
23
I sat in the canteen and yawned before pouring a glass of water. As Amy got older and came to live with me it was no longer worries about her that kept me awake at night. It was others about bills, broken boilers or stalling cars – but also ideas and brainstorming about how to improve Best Travel, hoping I could persuade Prue to let me make some changes.
Last night was one of those nights. A week on Seagrass Island and – slowly – the cloying humidity seemed more bearable and I didn’t feel afraid if I heard a bird’s screech. No, what kept me awake was, firstly, I had to admit, that kiss. The sort I’d never shared with any previous boyfriend. The type where time stood still – or rather galloped at a pace. A heavenly oblivion I’d not known existed away from a film reel.
Kiss was a simple word. It seemed inadequate to describe what happened between Rick and me. The electricity between us. The way it made my heart thump. It had blocked out all other thoughts; it made me feel as if I were living for the moment.
My life had become one of routine and responsibility – of getting up and doing the same thing every day. Whereas this kiss made me feel reckless, spontaneous…
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so intensely alive.
And yet he’d laughed it off. So had I, thank goodness. Mistakes like that could be difficult and embarrassing to remedy. My heart warmed with gratitude as I recalled Rick’s easy manner.
He made me feel relaxed yet ruffled at the same time.
It was a combination difficult to ignore.
I gazed around as people sat down with their lunch, forcing my thoughts to shift to the other things that kept me awake last night, triggered by my walk around Rick’s outdoor pool after making my escape. I’d soaked up the sense of luxury and taken a peek inside the Tiki-style two-storey beach huts. Their top floors were the bedroom – downstairs, the lounge and bathroom. I’d spotted wicker furniture in greens and cream. The rooms boasted wooden features, Caribbean art and glossy green plants all around with discreet aircon units on the walls. Margot certainly wanted her visiting family and friends to feel as comfortable as possible, what with hammocks between nearby trees. With the similar decor these huts seemed almost like extensions of the big house.
As I’d left, the strong night-time scent of the pink propeller-shaped frangipani flower had wafted my way from nearby bushes. I now knew the name of several indigenous species. Near the bar stood a powder puff tree with its delicate fluffy pink blooms. I’d turned back to see a bat swoop across the pool. Moonlight lit up the bamboo bar and its palm leaf parasol.
All of this exotic, tropical, romantic ambiance… it gave me the kernel of an idea that might help Rick with trying to raise money. After hearing that heated argument with his brother, it was obvious to me that the family’s financial situation was heading towards a tipping point. Maybe I had the answer.
I thought back to my initial surprise about how a volunteering holiday could cost so much. But getting to know Rick and seeing his work in action made me understand why. It also made me realise that he had real integrity regarding how that money was used.
No, someone would have to come up with a completely new idea, to create cash to inject into Crocker & Crowley.
I’d got up with Amy early to help feed the animals. Jonas came along and tried to charm the tree boas by playing his harmonica. Benedikt joined us too – thank goodness. Alone, I thought Amy might quiz me about my evening at Rick’s house and I wouldn’t be able to keep it to myself that we’d got close. Not that I usually hid things from her but the last thing I needed was my teasing little sister Googling wedding dresses.
After feeding the animals, as it was Saturday, we enjoyed some chill time on the beach, lying in the warm tide, collecting shells to take back to England. Helga found the prettiest yellow and pink scallop and insisted I have it. We played volleyball in mixed teams. I’d suggested men versus women but only so that Jonas and Benedikt were together. Jonas cottoned on and shot me an angry glare.
It had been the same all week. Any hint that I was trying to pair them up had been met with indignation.
‘You never stood a chance,’ I said, and took a sip of water. I smiled at Benedikt whose team lost. Amy and I sat opposite him and Jonas on one of the long white tables, tucking into fried fish sandwiches.
‘The score was so close and it was pure luck than you won,’ he replied and re-tied his hair bun. ‘Your mischievous sister distracted me when she started singing “Summer Nights”. Amy knows I’m a sucker for any song fromGreasesince starring as one of the T-birds.’
