‘You’re kidding me. I thought this would be your opportunity for a romantic night. Arse. So you didn’t sleep with him?’
‘Oh, I did.’
Drew squealed and nudged Freya’s arm.
‘But we didn’t spend the night together. He had to climb into my room through the window so his mum wouldn’t hear. We had sex and he crept out again.’
‘That’s kinda hot though. What am I missing? You don’t sound happy. I mean you and Aaron are like totally meant to be. It’s obvious from the beginning that you fancied each other, that you get on. He’s hot as hell. You’re a total babe and one lucky lady...’
‘I was happy. It was a... I had a really good time. I didn’t want him to go. I wanted to wake up with him in the morning, but anyway that wasn’t meant to be...’ The water lapping the sand was mesmerising and had a calming effect as she talked and tried to make sense of the last couple of days.
‘So what’s bothering you?’ Drew asked.
‘Did you know he’s got a kid?’
‘He’s got a what?’
‘That was exactly my reaction. He has a two-year-old son. And an ex-fiancée. And a whole family who thinks he’s abandoned them. It was no wonder his mum wasn’t thrilled about me being there with him.’
‘Why didn’t he tell you?’
‘I don’t know, but he didn’t expect to see them, like I said, his mum was a little on the scary side. She arranged a lunch with everyone without telling him they’d be there.’
Drew’s eyes narrowed. ‘So she tricked him?’
‘Sort of. And I ended up in the middle of this strained domestic situation. And it was made worse because of being with him the night before. It had been so bloody perfect.’ Freya sighed and stared at the darkening sky and the moon reflecting on the still ocean. ‘It feels like I read him completely wrong. Having a child is such a big part of someone’s life that it worries me he held that sort of information back.’
‘I wonder if anyone else knows? He’s never talked about having a son, not to my knowledge anyway, but then again, I’ve not been here as long as him. I wonder why he’s never said anything?’
It didn’t feel like her place to say it was because he didn’t think the child was his. She didn’t want to spread any further gossip about him or his reasons for staying quiet. It was a conversation they needed to have at some point, a proper talk about everything that had happened today, and last night. What were they to each other? Just friends? Friends with benefits? Boyfriend and girlfriend? Although how that would work on an island where it would be nearly impossible to be intimate with each other, she had no idea.
~
With the return to the routine of island life, the week raced by. Freya slotted back with ease into working at the bookshop. She liked being busy and with the frequent turnover of guests, there was always someone to chat to about books, new guests wanting the barefoot bookshop experience, to sit out on the deck in one of the comfy seats with a new book, a chilled drink and the view through trees to the beach and ocean. She even got to host her first evening event since the launch – a cocktail party themed around Ian Fleming’s James Bond classic, Casino Royale. With martinis served by waiters in tuxes, Bond themes from over the years as the soundtrack and Zander making an appearance looking as suave as 007 himself, Freya captured everyone’s attention with a reading from the book to set the scene. The evening drew to a close and Zander insisted she treat herself to a martini to celebrate its success. She couldn’t quite believe this was her job and where she worked. She felt beyond lucky.
Whether it was because he’d been trying to avoid her or their paths just didn’t cross, she didn’t see Aaron until the end of the following weekend when he joined her for dinner after work.
‘Take a walk with me,’ he said after they’d cleared away their plates.
Drew had just sat down to eat and she caught Freya’s eye as they walked past. She raised an eyebrow and crossed her fingers. That smallest of gestures meant the world to Freya. It was a real comfort to know she had a friend she could talk to who was rooting for her. A new friendship that meant more to her than she’d anticipated.
Aaron didn’t say a word until they’d left the staff village behind and turned on to the main path.
‘I’m sorry again about everything.’ It was an apology but his voice was laced with anger. Tension seemed to bristle off him.
‘Have you been avoiding me on purpose?’
‘No, of course not.’
‘Okay, it kinda felt like it though.’
Aaron stopped in his tracks and turned to her. ‘Well maybe a bit. I didn’t go out of my way to avoid you, but I didn’t exactly seek you out either.’
‘You realise how it looks to me? We had sex; I found out stuff you didn’t want me to know; then you ghost me.’
He took her hand. ‘I meant it when I said I’m sorry.’ His voice softened. ‘It always messes me up when I see them. I don’t handle it well. I didn’t handle any of it well, but I didn’t mean for you to be dragged into all of that... My sister, my mum, they can be overbearing at times.’
‘I get that, but you should have been honest with me, particularly when you were the one who wanted me to come to your home and meet your mum.’
They carried on walking and
