‘Yeah, I get that. I’ve not been here long and have no intention of leaving if I can help it, but it doesn’t feel like a place you can stay forever. It’s not somewhere I imagine you could settle down and have a family.’
‘You’re totally right. I sort of feel another two or three years would be the max for me. But we’ll see. For now, I love it.’
Drew showed her around. It was far bigger than it looked from the outside with private treatment rooms hidden within the trees, each with an open-air rainwater shower and bathtub where you could gaze up into the leaves to the sky above.
‘No more treatments today then?’ Freya asked when they returned to the main area where a gentle breeze drifted in.
‘Not today. I’m finishing off in here and Akira is tidying away on the other side. She does this amazing Japanese treatment which smells divine. We’ve got guests booked in all day tomorrow so lots to prepare for.’
‘Can I help with anything?’
‘Nope. I didn’t invite you here to work, just to show off the place I get to work at every day. Anyway, I thought I’d treat you to a massage after the crazy week you’ve had opening the bookshop.’
‘Oh, you can’t give me a massage.’
‘Why not? No one’s around apart from Akira. I only mean a shoulder massage. Trust me, you’ll love it.’
Drew twiddled her around and made her sit on a stool next to the counter that looked through the dark trees to the beach. She twisted Freya’s hair into a bun and clipped it up.
‘Smell this.’ She unscrewed a small coffee-coloured bottle and held it under Freya’s nose.
‘That’s gorgeous.’ She couldn’t quite place the scent, but it evoked an exotic warmth, perfect for the surroundings, a richness and hint of spice that permeated the place.
Drew slipped the straps of Freya’s vest top off her shoulders. She gently started to massage the oil into her skin.
‘You have a lot of tension,’ Drew said. ‘I thought you’d be as relaxed as anything living here.’
‘I sort of am.’
Drew worked her thumbs at a knot beneath Freya’s shoulder blade. ‘That makes no sense. You either are or you aren’t.’ She laughed.
Freya closed her eyes for a moment and concentrated on the sensation of Drew kneading her shoulder. She really should be happy and carefree; on Loabi Fushi there was nothing but opportunity and happiness, new friends, a new life, and a lifestyle most people could only dream of. Yet she knew what ate away at her, even on a tropical island thousands of miles away from home and reality.
‘I brought my worries with me,’ Freya eventually said, opening her eyes. The sight of shadowy palms against the silvery ocean and pink sky was at odds with her feelings.
‘You did?’ Drew’s fingers momentarily stilled and then she began massaging again. ‘What did you have to worry about back home?’
‘Maybe worry is the wrong word. On paper my life was fine.’
‘The way you said “fine” speaks volumes.’
Freya smiled. ‘It’s rubbish isn’t it how we say we’re fine and okay but we’re actually anything but.’
‘Let me guess. Man trouble?’
‘Not exactly. My life fell apart before my relationship did, but his heartlessness was the final blow.’
‘Do you want to talk about it?’ She swept her thumbs along each side of her neck and across her shoulders. ‘Actually, forget that. Don’t tell me now; you’re tense enough as it is.’
Freya allowed herself to relax as she breathed in the sweet, spiced air, watched the flickering candlelight, and listened to the trickle of water from the garden behind them. She needed rejuvenating; this was what the move and drastic change was partly about. To deal with the past and her feelings and work out a new direction in her life. To finally move on, emotionally.
‘How does that feel?’ Drew lifted her hands off Freya’s shoulders and wiped them on a towel.
Freya wiggled them about enjoying the soothed and relaxed feeling. ‘Like a weight’s been lifted.’
‘Told you, you needed that.’
‘The guests must love you.’
‘I aim to please.’ She perched on a stool on the other side of the counter and lit another candle. A swirl of smoke spiralled into the dimly lit spa.
‘I still haven’t got used to how early it gets dark here,’ Freya said.
‘I kinda like it. Back home I’d stay up way too late and be shattered in the morning, while here it doesn’t feel so bad going to bed early when it’s already been dark for three or four hours. It’s funny how quickly you get used to these things.’
‘I like the diversity here; there are so many people from all over the world, totally different backgrounds. It’s fascinating.’
‘Yeah, it’s either people working here because they earn loads more than wherever home is – the downside is they have to live away from family. Or like me, it’s an exciting place to earn a decent living. We’re all trying to escape something though, mostly the monotony of working to live. And I know what you’re going to say, that we work all the time here and actually get little time off, but when we do... I can’t tell you how many amazing places I’ve visited. I’m saving money too, far more than I would back home even if I was still living with my parents.’ She wrinkled her nose. ‘I love them to bits but I was stifled back there. I’m the eldest of four and my sisters are much younger.’
Freya nodded. ‘I know that feeling. Not so much the stifled bit but having a massive age gap. It’s the same with me and my brother, except it’s the other way round – I’m the younger one by twelve years.’
‘That is a chunk of time. My sisters are all in their teens. I’m five years older than the eldest, but there’s eight years
