The Love Island Bookshop

by Kate Frost

  ‘I had something earlier, thank you,’ she said. ‘There’s another pizza in the kitchen if you want more. I’ll grab a slice later, but I’ll be in my room if you need me.’ She gave them a smile and quietly left.

  Zander turned to Freya. ‘Honestly, I don’t know what I’d do without her.’

  ‘I think everyone needs a Maryam in their lives.’

  ~

  Freya had only seen a small part of the villa, the stunning guest room and the vast open-plan downstairs with the whole front that opened out on to the deck, but she imagined the rest was just as impressive. She thought about Zander eating his dinner on his own, the same as she’d often done back in the UK. It was a vastly different situation she knew; he got to sit on the deck with the beach, lagoon, and a star-filled sky, while she perched on the sofa watching TV. She imagined him waking in the morning to the smell of freshly brewed coffee, which Maryam had put on for him. He’d pad downstairs and take a dip in his private swimming pool, while she’d get a quick shower, grab a mug of instant coffee and battle the rush hour crowds into central London. Nothing about their lives was remotely similar, and yet she sensed the same quiet melancholy ebbing off him as she’d had over the past couple of years. He seemed disconnected from the Zander Cohen she’d read about; quieter, less outgoing or showy than the impression she’d formed.

  ‘Do you get lonely here?’ The question was out of her mouth before she had time to censor it. From the little she knew of him since arriving on the island, he wasn’t quite the playboy the media made out – unless of course he hid it well. Who would know if he was having wild parties or bringing a string of women to his beach villa; he had the space, the money, the connections, and the privacy to do what he wanted. But she knew something about loneliness and she sensed it in him.

  ‘I’m not really sure how to answer that.’

  ‘Sorry, it’s a bit of a rude question.’

  ‘No, I mean, I think I’ve always been lonely, even when I was famous and was never by myself. I think that was my loneliest point. I was living a life people dreamed of. If I wanted to, I could go back to the hotel with a different girl each night. We travelled the world, made a shitload of money and yet I was desperately lonely for someone I could talk to properly and share the ups and downs of life with.’

  Freya watched him across the table, the candlelight flickering between them.

  ‘I guess I never thought of that lifestyle as being a lonely one.’

  ‘Are you lonely?’ he asked, holding her gaze.

  ‘No, not here, but I was back home.’

  ‘Is that the real reason you applied for the job?’

  ‘It was part of the reason, yes. It was less about loneliness and more about escaping from the place that reminded me why I was lonely.’

  Zander nodded and looked thoughtful. Freya sipped her wine, suddenly aware that she may have overshared. However much they’d got on and had chatted easily, he was still her boss and it was the situation that had brought them together like this.

  ‘I’m less lonely than I used to be,’ Zander eventually said. ‘Mainly because I’m happy with my own company and leading a quieter life. I’m well aware of how that sounds when I have this lifestyle and this island and it’s far from normal for the majority of people. I guess what it comes down to is that I’m happier now than I was in my twenties or even my early thirties. I’ve figured out my priorities and that’s made for a more contented life.’

  ~

  They cleared away their plates and Zander stacked them in the dishwasher. Freya wandered round the sprawling downstairs taking in all the details while half watching Zander. She liked that he wasn’t leaving the dirty plates for Maryam to deal with. He was more thoughtful than she imagined from her initial impression of him. The sound of the ocean was constant in the background, soothing and rhythmic. The colours were reflected inside the villa in the driftwood coffee table, the pale worn wood of the huge mirror on the wall, the shell vase filled with dried flowers in sea blues and greens. The deep-set sofas were scattered with cushions complementing the pale earthy colours and she loved the natural lines and materials used.

  She turned to find Zander leaning on the edge of the kitchen island watching her. He smiled and walked over.

  ‘I was being nosy looking around,’ she said, flushing. ‘It really is a beautiful place.’

  ‘Thank you. It’s nice to have been able to share it with you.’

  Freya gathered together the beach cover-up she’d worn that morning and her book that she’d retrieved from the bookshop.

  ‘Thank you for dinner; it was unexpected and lovely.’

  ‘It was the least I could do. You’re welcome to stay in the guest room again if you just want to crash and sleep.’

  The thought of the huge bed and the luxuriously soft sheets was tempting but it felt like she’d overstay her welcome and he was probably just being nice. Part of her was longing to get back to normality, plus she wanted to see Aaron; she needed to speak to him. A stab of upset twisted at her insides again, the events of last night flashing back and her uncertainty about the role Aaron had played.

  ‘That’s really kind, thank you, but I should go back and say hello to my roommates. Let them know I’m okay. I pretty much disappeared last night.’

  ‘Of course. Do you want me to walk you back?’

  ‘Oh goodness, no. I’ll be fine. I know my way. I know where you’re hidden now.’ She grimaced as the words came out; she hadn’t meant to suggest he was hiding himself away.

  Her cheeks burned but Zander smiled, the warmth that she was becoming familiar with putting her at ease.

  ‘I’ll see you tomorrow then. We’ll have a meeting here about the bookshop at half ten.’ He took her hand. ‘Thank you again, for everything.’ He leant closer and kissed her cheek.

  Freya didn’t know how to respond. She gave a little nod and left, walking away across the sand, past the side of the villa and the wraparound pool to the path hidden beneath the trees. As she dived beneath the overhanging fronds of a palm, she could still feel the tingle on her cheek from his kiss. She brushed her fingers across it, not wanting to acknowledge the skip her heart did at his touch, or the image of him imprinted in her thoughts as she’d left him standing on the deck, tall and handsome, his hands in the pockets of his linen trousers, his short sleeved shirt gleaming white against his tanned skin. It had been quite a twenty-four hours and in many ways it felt longer than that, her time at Zander’s villa unexpected. Get a grip, Freya, she thought as she continued through the trees. The full moon guided her till she reached the lantern-lit main path.

  ~

  ‘Oh my God, Freya. Are you okay?’ Drew threw her arms around her and hugged her. ‘The whole island is talking about the fire. I’ve been so worried. I think it woke everyone in the village. You weren’t here, there were rumours it was the bookshop, and you know what gossip’s like; there was talk of someone being injured, that you were in the shop at the time... Seriously, Freya, it’s so good to see you in one piece. We didn’t know what to think.’

  ‘I’m fine, honestly I am.’

  Drew let go of her and held her at arm’s length.

  ‘Where have you been?’

  ‘I didn’t get injured but I inhaled smoke while I was trying to save some of the books. I was stupid really. I got checked out by the island doctor and stayed at Zander’s place.’

  Drew nodded slowly. ‘You’ve been at Zander’s villa?’

  ‘Yeah, well, last night I was. I pretty much passed out and slept all morning. Then we went back to the bookshop and sorted out what we saved...’ She trailed off, unsure if she wanted to say more about going back to Zander’s villa this evening and having dinner with him. The whole of the last twenty-four hours was in many ways so vivid, but also a blur. ‘He was there at the fire last night. Apart from me and Aaron, Zander was the first one to get there.’

  ‘I didn’t know Aaron was there.’

  ‘He wasn’t for
long.’ Worry twisted Freya’s insides again. She wasn’t sure if she should say more, not until she’d had the chance to speak to Aaron and hear his side of the story. ‘Is he around, do you know?’

  ‘Who, Aaron? Not sure. Think he might have taken the earlier flight.’

  Freya frowned.

  ‘He’s got a couple of days off, remember.’

  Freya shook her head. ‘I’ve lost track of time.’

  ‘Not surprised.’ She placed a warm hand on Freya’s arm. ‘You look pale. Have you eaten? Do you want me to make you something? A cup of tea?’

  Freya smiled. ‘No, that’s really kind, thanks.’ Her forehead was drenched with sweat. It felt confined and stuffy in their staff apartment after sitting outside on Zander’s deck chatting and watching the waves curl on to the sand. She needed space and fresh air. ‘I do fancy a walk, if you want to join me?’

  They left the accommodation block and Freya noticed the looks from staff sitting in the courtyard. There were a few ‘hellos’, someone patted her back as they passed and said, ‘glad you’re okay’. She still felt in a daze. She was probably still in shock. Once the adrenalin had abated, exhaustion had taken over. It had been less than twenty-four hours since the fire and yet so much had happened.

  The beach was empty; most staff were either still working or in the courtyard having dinner. They sat with their backs to the bushes screening the staff block. Freya scrunched her toes in the cool sand, letting the grains run over her skin like water.

  ‘Do you want to talk about what happened?’ Drew asked. Her voice was loud in the darkness, and Freya realised how quiet it was, just the murmur of chatter behind them and the gentle rush of the waves in front. Even the insects, birds and fruit bats seemed to be making less noise than usual. Or maybe it seemed particularly quiet after last night and the roar of flames, of wood splitting, of shouts and the whoosh of spraying water.

  ‘It happened on my watch,’ Freya eventually said. ‘The bookshop is my job, my responsibility and it’s destroyed.’

  ‘Freya, you’re being too hard on yourself. You’re not to blame for the fire. Has Zander blamed you?’

  ‘No.’ Freya shook her head. ‘Quite the opposite. He’s been so good about it, and I know he’s devastated.’

  ‘There you go then; I’m sure they’ll figure out what happened and how it started. That’ll put your mind at rest.’

  Freya wrapped her arms around her legs and fought back tears. She watched the surf bubble on to the beach, the white foam catching the moonlight. She’d felt in a bit of a dream at Zander’s villa, looking out over Driftwood Cove. It hadn’t felt like real life. Somehow, here did. And the worry about how the fire started had returned along with the fear that the truth would come out and she wouldn’t like it. It was only five weeks ago that she’d sat in the same spot with Aaron on the night of her birthday. It was where he’d given her the present, the beautiful bangle that she’d worn every day since. It was where they’d had their first kiss. All she could think about was seeing him last night, his shocked face lit by the moonlight. But was it shock because of the fire or surprise at seeing her? She wiped furiously at her tears and Drew put her arm around her. She hated this feeling of uncertainty. Tomorrow she should be opening the bookshop as usual. She should be chatting to guests about books, recommending something for them to read while on a holiday of a lifetime. Instead, she was invited to a meeting with Zander and his team to discuss the destroyed bookshop. Her nine-month adventure in the Maldives, her barefoot bookshop dream was, right this moment, in tatters and she had no clue what was going to happen next.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Freya almost believed it was a normal day when she woke to the usual sounds of chatter coming from the communal kitchen and the familiar hum of the fan stirring the air above. Then the events of the last couple of days came flooding back and the knot of worry returned. Yesterday morning she’d woken to the sound of waves after a long deep sleep on the most luxurious bed she’d ever slept on. This morning she felt enclosed by the walls of her small room, reality hitting her, unsure what the day would hold.

  Freya was usually at the bookshop by nine thirty, but with no bookshop to go to and the meeting at Zander’s not until half ten, she had time to kill. Everyone else had already left, so she took her laptop, grabbed breakfast from the staff restaurant and sat out in the courtyard to eat it while watching a sandpiper dart beneath the tables.

  If she was to stick to the schedule she’d created for herself, a new blog post was due tomorrow, but it would hardly be cheery news or befitting of a high-end resort on a luxury island. That was something else she needed to talk to Zander about before she started writing.

  There was hardly anyone about, mostly the staff clearing away the dirty plates at the tail end of breakfast. They’d be getting ready for lunch soon; an endless cycle of feeding the staff who looked after the guests twenty-four hours a day. A couple of the staff wandered over to check how she was, which was thoughtful of them, and yet she felt like an outsider, someone without a place any more. Her job on the island had literally gone up in smoke.

  The last couple of days had gone by in a blur and she realised that she only knew the way to Zander’s villa via the bookshop, so she went that way, skirting the clearing to avoid where it was cordoned off. After the buzz of yesterday with so many people milling around, clearing debris away and making the area safe, it was sad to see it looking destroyed and abandoned. She retreated to the beach and walked across the hot sand in the direction of Sunset Beach.

  ‘Freya!’

  She turned and shaded her eyes with her hand. Meena was pacing towards her, in a wraparound skirt and khaki-coloured blouse, looking effortlessly chic in the blazing heat.

  ‘You’re going to Zander’s?’ She caught up with Freya and gave her a hug. ‘It’s awful what happened; I’m so glad you’re okay.’

  ‘Yeah, bit shaken up and breathed in some smoke but I got off lightly. The bookshop didn’t though.’

  ‘It can be rebuilt. I’m sure that’s what we’ll be talking about today. I’m just so sad for Zander and for you after all the hard work you’ve put into creating such a wonderful and welcoming place. To think that could have been destroyed by one selfish person.’

  Freya frowned. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘I heard one of the dive school staff was hanging around the bookshop late at night. Sounds suspicious to me.’

  ‘You’re talking about Aaron?’

  ‘You know him?’

  ‘I er... yeah, I do.’

  ‘I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he started the fire.’

  Freya stopped dead, her heart thudding so hard it felt like it would burst from her chest.

  Meena had walked on. She turned and frowned at Freya. ‘What’s the matter?’

  Sweat erupted on Freya’s forehead. Meena wasn’t the only person who’d made the suggestion. Zander himself had hinted at the possibility. But it didn’t make sense. ‘What makes you think he’d do something like that?’

  Meena strolled back. ‘There’s always been bad blood between them – on Aaron’s side at least, not Zander’s.’ Her eyes narrowed. ‘You look shocked. You know Aaron well?’

  Upset, anger and uncertainty coursed through her. The image that played over and over in her mind was of Aaron climbing into her room that night in his mother’s guest house, followed by the shocked look on his face when he’d caught sight of her in the clearing, the bookshop engulfed in flames between them.

  ‘We um... we’re sort of...’

  ‘Oh. Say no more.’ Meena nodded, frowning. ‘Come on, we’d better get going before we’re late.’

  ~

  The conversation on the beach with Meena and her comment about Aaron remained with Freya as they sat around a table on the outside deck of Zander’s villa. Freya had a hard job concentrating. Zander was leading the discussion with engineer Adam, Hassan and the resort manager Ali, while Meena made notes.

  As Za
nder and Adam talked about the safety aspect of the building, Freya’s mind wandered. Things had not been right between her and Aaron since the visit to his mum’s. In the adrenalin-fuelled confusion with flames licking across the roof of the bookshop, Freya had only faltered for a second wondering why Aaron was there. But now...

  She gripped the edge of the chair.

  Why had Aaron been there?

  Could it be true what Meena said? What Zander had hinted at?

  Freya zoned out. Ali was talking about costs; Zander was looking thoughtful, a frown etched on his face, his hands folded together on the table. He had a quiet resolve and determination about him; the bookshop was his project after all. It was funny how she’d been so uncertain about him in the beginning, how he’d come across as arrogant, her opinion fuelled by the many things she’d read and his inappropriate questions. Over the past couple of days, she’d seen beyond that to someone who had changed, someone who’d let his guard down. It was perhaps that guarded side that came across as arrogance to those who didn’t know him. He was listening intently to Ali. He’d matured from his boy band days of curly hair and a cheeky grin, to a handsomeness that had got better with age; those high cheekbones, strong jaw, the hair tamed a little but just as lush, bleached in places by the sun.

  Zander’s eyes met hers. ‘What do you think, Freya?’

  ‘I, um...’

  Shit, she cursed herself for being so distracted.

  ‘The idea was to have a barefoot bookshop.’ Zander looked from her back to Adam and Ali. ‘We built one with glass and wood and air conditioning to protect the books, but now we have a load of books that whiff of smoke. I don’t want to chuck them, that’s a waste, but we can’t sell them either.’ He turned back to Freya. ‘So how about we set up a makeshift bookshop, but instead of selling them we treat it like a library for the time being. Guests can borrow books and once the bookshop has been rebuilt, we’ll restock it with new books and give all the old ones to a local charity. Sound good?’