‘Is that what’s troubling you?’
‘Partly. There have been rumours...’
‘You know none of it’s your fault.’
‘I know. It’s just... Oh I don’t know. This might be easier asking you, as it’s not my intention to offend Zander, and he will probably be offended...’
Maryam laughed. ‘Just ask me, Freya.’ She patted her hand. ‘It’s okay. I won’t say anything to Zander if you don’t want me to.’
‘So, um, Aaron, who works in the dive school...’
‘I know who he is.’
‘I don’t quite know how to say this, but he’s accused Zander of being the father of his ex-girlfriend’s child.’
‘Yes, Zahida.’
‘You know about this?’
‘Of course.’
‘I really don’t know what to think.’
‘You’re close with Aaron?’ Maryam picked up her peppermint tea and blew on it.
‘I was. I’m not really sure any longer.’
Maryam nodded. ‘I presume Aaron told you Zahida worked for Zander. She was his housekeeper for a short while?’
‘No, he said they had an affair and he’s adamant that his son isn’t his. I didn’t know she worked for Zander.’
‘Aaron sees and believes what he wants to. He’s a hot-headed young man.’
‘But Zahida did work for Zander, here in the villa?’
‘Yes, she did for a while, but it only came about because I broke my arm and Zander insisted I went home and recovered there, and he took on Zahida. For whatever reason, Aaron didn’t trust Zander, so he automatically didn’t trust her. He assumed Zander’s intentions were romantic and not simply because she was a hardworking member of staff who deserved the opportunity and the pay rise. Aaron poisoned his relationship with Zahida. And he questioned the baby from the very beginning. I’ve not seen the child but by all accounts it’s obvious to anyone with two good eyes that it’s Aaron’s. But he became so soured by the idea that Zahida had an affair with Zander that he convinced himself otherwise.’
‘How can you be certain that nothing happened between Zander and Zahida?’
‘I know Zander. I’ve known him for a long time. I’ve seen the good and the bad, there’s been lots of both. I know what he was like in the past, but I also know what he’s like now. Zahida is a beautiful woman; the same as you. Aaron is as handsome as any model. The front of house staff are too; you could say everyone on this island is young and has a certain charm. Meena is a lovely lady. It’s not that being good looking gets you a job here... you weren’t chosen to run the bookshop because you’re beautiful, even though that goes without saying. You were picked because you were fully able to do a brilliant job and you’ve proved that. People may frown on the idea, but Loabi Fushi is a brand. It’s selling dreams and luxury, from those stunning over-water villas, to the people who serve the food. Zander’s business minded, but he’s also fair and rewards people for their hard work.
‘Zahida took over from me because she was excellent at her job and because Zander trusted her, not because he wanted her in his bed. Her father used to work for him on Makumathi. He rewards loyalty. Aaron just couldn’t see that. He saw a rich man with a tarnished playboy past handpick Zahida to work solely for him, in private, at his villa. I understand how that must look to someone like Aaron. But he saw what he wanted to see and he believed his own story instead of the truth Zahida was telling him. He was so bitter and unwavering in his distrust for the woman he was supposed to be in love with that in the end he destroyed the relationship he had with her.’
~
Freya didn’t know what to do. Maryam had confirmed much of what she’d been worried about with Aaron. She was reluctant to head back to the staff village and risk bumping into him. She didn’t want to have to face him, not after what he said earlier and not after what Maryam had talked about.
‘You can stay a while, Freya. I know Zander won’t mind.’ Maryam was smiling warmly at her, almost like she understood the turmoil that was going through Freya’s mind. ‘I’m just going out the back to put some washing on. You don’t have to leave straight away.’
It was tempting to stay; it was private and out of the way, luxurious and so incredibly comfortable, the cool interior a blissful respite from the heat, the waves soothing in the background. But she felt like she’d overstepped by turning up. Just because she’d been invited back the other night, didn’t mean she could turn up whenever she wanted. Zander was her boss, he was the resort owner and whatever his housekeeper thought would be okay with him, he wasn’t here right now. Coming back after the fire had been a necessity. They had both breathed in smoke and needed to be checked out by the island doctor. He’d been caring and thoughtful, but that was very different from a friendship that allowed her to drop by whenever she wanted.
She ran her hand along the back of the sofa and wandered out to the deck. The moonlight caught the shimmer of the ocean as it gently moved. The L-shaped pool glowed a luminous blue, inviting and serene in the darkness. Only lamplight lit the villa interior and lanterns edged the decking, sending warm light into the glossy green undergrowth beyond. At least her time here had cemented her resolve to not return to London. Even though somewhere like Zander’s villa was so beyond her means, she knew she wanted to live somewhere with space, trees and lots of green, even if she wouldn’t be able to afford to live by the sea. She sat on the edge of the decking and sank her feet into the soft cool sand. Maybe she didn’t have to return home; she could go somewhere else after her time in the Maldives. She could set up
