Page 17 of Strictly Friends
By the time Ruby finished eating, a few more people had arrived, but with more than half of the tables still unoccupied, she couldn’t help wondering once again why so few people appeared to know about the place. Had it not been for Kenny, she mused, she would never have heard of Sorrel Island. It was easy to imagine how popular this gem of an island could be – although perhaps the fact that it wasn’t crowded with tourists also added to its magic.
Jake’s head was nodding, and he looked ready to fall asleep at the table. Quickly finishing the water in her glass, Ruby wiped her lips with the white linen napkin and pushed back her chair. ‘Come on, buddy, let’s get you to bed. You look shattered.’
With a wave to Narita, Ruby steered Jake out of the dining room and up the stairs. She stood by the bathroom door as he sleepily brushed his teeth and then watched him climb into the bed nearest the balcony that he had chosen. In the short time it took for Ruby to drape the blue coverlet over his small frame and kiss him lightly on the cheek, Jake was fast asleep.
Switching off the overhead lights and leaving on a table lamp in case he woke up in the night, Ruby crept to the bathroom. After brushing her teeth, she came back into the room and quickly undressed, pulling on the faded, oversized ‘INairobi’ t-shirt shehad borrowed from Griffin – and refused to return – before slipping beneath the bed covers.
The bed accommodated her height comfortably, and as Ruby lay back against the plump pillows, she couldn’t help smiling. This place was truly a paradise – with Kenny being the only fly in the proverbial ointment.
I’ll worry about that tomorrow, she decided, and, pushing aside all thoughts of her ex, Ruby rolled on to her side and closed her eyes.
11
Finishing the last delicious mouthful of fluffy pancake, Ruby sighed with contentment. As she relaxed in her chair watching a green dragonfly with shimmering translucent wings hover over a striking purple bougainvillea bush, the chill of a London winter felt a world away.
They had awoken that morning to a cloudless blue sky, and even at ten o’clock in the morning, the sun-drenched terrace off the dining room was more than warm enough for the silky teal vest Ruby had paired with white shorts and high-heeled wedged sandals. MissIda’s breakfast of pancakes served with sweet sorrel jam and accompanied by fresh juice and surprisingly good coffee had been both tasty and filling. Ruby took another sip of the cool blend of orange and pineapple juice and watched in amusement as Jake carefully wrapped the last bit of sausage on his plate with a jam-soaked piece of pancake before cramming the whole thing into his mouth.
The family she had spotted in the dining room the night before strolled past their table with a cheery ‘Good morning!’ which Ruby echoed with a smile. Greeting total strangers was confirmation – if she needed it – that this was not keep-your-head-down-and-mind-your-own-business London, she thought wryly, her eyes following the family’s progress down the terracotta tiled steps at the end of the terrace that led to the pathway for the beach.
Her attention was diverted by MissIda arriving at their table bearing a heaped platter of steaming hot pancakes. Her cornflower-blue dress sat loosely against her tiny frame and the matching headscarf highlighted the rich sheen of her dark skin. Without prompting, she speared two pancakes and deposited them on Jake’s plate.
‘MissIda!’ Ruby exclaimed. ‘He’s already had three of them!’
‘He’s a growing boy. If he wants to be tall like his mama, he’s gonna need more meat on his bones.’
Ruby opened her mouth to protest and then closed it again. Jake was already spooning sorrel jam on to the pancakes and there was no point arguing with the woman’s distinctly Auntie Pearl-esque tone.
MissIda beamed as she watched Jake tucking in. ‘So, sweet child, are you excited to see around the island?’
Jake’s mouth was crammed with pancake, and he settled for nodding vigorously until he’d swallowed. ‘Yeah, cos we came here to find my dad!’ he divulged happily.
Ruby groaned under her breath, but MissIda maintained a diplomatic silence, topping up Jake’s glass with juice before leaving him to enjoy his breakfast.
Ruby gazed out at the flowerbeds below the terrace, but the reference to Kenny had destroyed her mood. Paradise Inn might be a gorgeous oasis but there was no putting off what they had come here to do, she thought gloomily, trying to ignore the spasm in her stomach at the prospect of facing her ex. She glanced across the table at Jake and frowned at his suddenly forlorn expression. His head resting on one hand, he had abandoned his food and was trailing the handle of his fork across the white tablecloth.
‘Hey, what’s wrong?’ Ruby leaned in closer. ‘You okay, buddy?’
‘You left Jellybean at home, Mum,’ he said quietly.
Ruby slumped into her chair and cursed silently. In her rush to finish packing, she had forgotten Jake’s beloved toy rabbit.
‘I amsosorry! I put him on the desk when I was packing your clothes just so I’d remember, but I must have left him there when I brought your suitcase to my room.’ She hesitated, and then in a bid to cajole him out of his despondency, added, ‘You’re a big boy now. Don’t you think you can do without Jellybean just for the time we’re here?’
The accusatory look Jake turned on her and the stubborn set of his jaw were answer enough. With enough battles looming, Ruby really didn’t need another.
‘Okay, then, here’s what we’ll do. Finish your breakfast while I go and find MissIda and ask her advice about the best way to make calls from here. The wifi’s patchy and I need to phone Grandma Pearl and Uncle Griffin to let them know we’ve arrived safely. I’ll ask Uncle Griffin to pick up Jellybean from the house and courier him over to us. But, Jake, it’ll take days for a parcel to get here,’ she warned. ‘Is that alright with you?’
The cost of a courier from London was far more than Jellybean was worth, but she couldn’t take the chance of him being lost in the post. Jake would be dealing with enough turmoil on this trip, and if his childhood toy would be a comfort, she didn’t have much of a choice. Jake nodded in agreement and, leaving him to finish his breakfast, Ruby left the table and walked through the empty dining room and out into the hallway in search of their host.
MissIda was standing at the front door waving off some guests and as Ruby approached, she turned with a bright smile.
‘Were you looking for me?’
‘Yes, MissIda. I was hoping you could tell me where I can buy some phone data. I’m not sure what—’
‘That’s no problem, sweetheart,’ MissIda cut her off gently. ‘I keep a few phone cards in my office for guests. We have wifi here but the connectivity isn’t the best and cards are cheaper for calling overseas when you can’t get on the internet. Come with me.’
Ruby followed the older woman back into the hallway and through a door next to the dining room. Inside the office, a huge desk was topped with piles of receipts and an in-tray weighed down by papers threatening to spill on to an old-fashioned wired telephone. It was clear from MissIda’s clothes and the decor of Paradise Inn that the woman loved colour, Ruby thought, as she followed behind her and shut the door, and MissIda’s office was no exception.
