A Map for Bella Books 1-4

by Paula Kay

  All rights reserved.

  PaulaKayBooks.com

  Chapter 1

  Isabella gave a start in her chair at the feel of Thomas’s hand on her back.

  “Hey. How was your walk?” she asked. “You were out early this morning.”

  Thomas leaned down to give her a quick kiss on the lips before he sat in the chair next to her. “Great. Would you believe that I jogged a little?”

  “Did you?” Isabella got up from her own chair to sit on Thomas’s lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and teasing him with her smile. “Does that mean you’re ready to go for a run with me? I was just about to take a break.”

  “Were you now?” Thomas leaned in to give her a deep kiss, momentarily causing her to forget any ideas about running or finishing the current chapter she was writing.

  Isabella moved back into her own chair and reached for Thomas’s hand across the small table as she looked out toward the sea. “I’m still in awe of our view here.” She felt the familiar ache that she’d been having lately at the thought of their travels ending. “Thomas, are we really going to leave our little island paradise next week?”

  Thomas looked at her intently before replying to the question that Isabella already knew the answer to.

  Traveling with Thomas the past seven months had been a dream. From the moment he’d surprised her at the villa over Christmas—from the moment he’d finally kissed her again—the two had been inseparable. It had been just like old times with her best friend, only everything was different.

  Thomas loved her, and it was in a way that made everything magical and intense for Isabella.

  Spending time in Paris again had been incredible and romantic. Isabella had put her writing on hold to do all the tourist things she hadn’t done the first time around. And then they’d gone on to Spain and Portugal, the weeks turning into months, their travels taking them to Eastern Europe and then Turkey.

  They’d decided to end their time traveling together with a month long stay in Greece, and Isabella was loving everything about her time in Santorini. She’d finally gotten back into a morning writing groove and her afternoons with Thomas had been spent lounging at the beach, eating delicious Mediterranean salads and talking about everything they’d seen and done.

  Isabella turned her attention back to Thomas, who was nudging her gently in the side.

  “Huh? Sorry, what was that?”

  He laughed as he brought her hair back and kissed her neck just below her ear in a way that always made her forget her thoughts momentarily.

  He reached for her hand and turned her just slightly in his lap so that it was easier for Isabella to look him in the eye.

  “I was just saying that you don’t have to leave, Iz. It’s me that needs to return to New York next week—to the grind of hitting the books again—but I hate for you to give up your tra—”

  “Stop.” Isabella’s voice interrupted Thomas right before she planted a kiss squarely on his mouth. “I am going back with you. We’ve already decided.” She studied him intently for a few seconds.

  It was shocking how attracted she was to this man who had been such a big part of her life for so many years. She still had to pinch herself at times that the two of them had actually taken such a huge leap in their relationship. He was the same goofy Thomas who’d always made her laugh, who’d always practically known her thoughts before she’d even uttered a word. Yet, so much had changed.

  In the months that they’d been together as more than just friends, sometimes Isabella had to force the doubts away. Way in the back of her mind was the tiniest idea that she could wake up one day to realize that it wasn’t the same for Thomas as it was for her. That she wasn’t, in fact, the love of his life—not in the same way that she was sure he was for her.

  But she had no reason to think that. Thomas had done nothing but reassure her of the intensity of his feelings, and she loved him all the more for knowing that she needed that from him.

  “But?” Thomas kissed the tip of her nose.

  “But what?”

  “I know there’s a but there, Iz, so just tell me what it is.” He laughed, but Isabella’s heart was racing slightly and she felt very serious all of a sudden.

  She looked him in the eye. “Thomas, do you want me to come to New York? I mean, you’d tell me if you didn’t, right?” She held her breath in as she waited for him to answer her.

  It wasn’t that they hadn’t had lengthy discussions about it—they had. Somewhere between graduating high school and during the months of his travels with Isabella, Thomas had suddenly become more serious than he’d ever been about school. It was a side of him that Isabella hadn’t really seen before—not while they’d been in high school together, anyway. It was she who was the more studious one, while Thomas hadn’t really put any pressure on himself when it came to homework and his grades.

  But Thomas was naturally smart, and getting into NYU had seemed to mature him in ways that were attractive to Isabella. It was quite the role reversal actually—somewhat amusing when she really stopped to think about it. When she’d brought up the subject of Thomas postponing school to travel longer, she’d found out just how serious he was, and she couldn’t fault him for it.

  Thomas pulled her toward him and Isabella nestled her face close under his chin, as he squeezed her tighter. “Iz, of course I want you there with me. That’s not a question at all. The idea of not being able to see you every day disturbs me greatly.” He laughed.

  “Really?” She turned in his lap again so she could see his face.

  “Really. But…”

  “Oh, I see. Now, who’s the one with a but, mister?” Her voice was light, but inside she felt concern. Was there a but about her going back to New York with him?

  “Come on, Iz. I just want to be sure it’s what you want. I’d hate to think that you’d be giving up your dreams of travel for me. I mean, that’s a lot of pressure for a guy.” He laughed. “I’m not at all sure what it’s going to be like, but you’ve already said that you want to get your own place—that you don’t want us to live together—so I’m not really sure how much actual time we’ll be able to spend together.”

  They had discussed living together. It was Thomas who’d suggested it. After all, they were living together now during their travels, he’d said. But, for whatever reason, Isabella was old-fashioned when it came to that part of their relationship—the physical part. They’d been affectionate with one another and she loved how affectionate he was with her, but Isabella wasn’t ready for that next step yet.

  When she’d told Thomas that a big part of her wanted to wait—maybe even until she was married one day—he’d kissed her so sweetly and told her that he loved her—that he loved everything about her. She knew that Thomas wouldn’t pressure her whether they lived together or not, but she couldn’t see the point of making it more difficult on either of them; and living together in a real long-term New York apartment felt a little too much like playing house to her.

  So they’d decided that Isabella would stay with him—just at first—while she figured out her own living situation. She hadn’t exactly expressed her own doubts to Thomas—everything had changed so quickly that her head was still swimming with all that had happened. She didn’t doubt their relationship, but when it came to her actually living in New York, she’d be lying to herself if she said that she was completely comfortable with the idea. She could write from anywhere, and the large inheritance that she’d received from her birth mother—from Arianna—allowed her the freedom to give it a try anyway. So there didn’t seem to be a reason not to—not when she couldn’t bear the thought of being on her own, without Thomas, after so many wonderful memories they had from their travels together.

  She turned her attention back to Thomas, who seemed to be waiting for some kind of reply from her. She’d been so scattered lately. Had there been a question?

  “Sorry, what did you say?”

  Thomas laughed. “Babe, you reall
y are a million miles away this morning.” He moved her gently off his lap. “I was just saying that we don’t really know what my schedule is going to be like with school and everything. I just don’t want you to be disappointed if I don’t have much time to spend with you during the week, ya know?”

  Isabella nodded. “I know. I do get that. We won’t know until we try it, I guess. Right?”

  “That’s right.” Thomas leaned over to give her a quick kiss on the lips. “And now, my darling, I am going to go grab a quick shower. Are you gonna go for that run?”

  Isabella grinned. “Yep. I think a run will clear this cloudy distracted brain of mine. Then do you want to hit the beach with me afterward—lunch and a swim?”

  “It’s a date.”

  Chapter 2

  Isabella took long even breaths in as she listened to the sound of her feet hitting the dirt trail. She’d been delighted to discover a path from their villa that led down and along the sea for a good three miles in one direction. She was finally getting to the point where she could almost complete the six miles there and back without slowing to a walk—something that would have been a piece of cake for her a year ago.

  Both she and Thomas had been loving their time in Santorini. It really was as magical and picturesque as what she’d imagined when they’d booked their stay in the villa. The buildings were a crisp white against the backdrop of so many beautiful shades of blue—the dark blue domes that topped the structures, the turquoise blue of the clear sea, and the unclouded light blue of the sky. Yes, their Greek island stay had been everything she’d hoped for and more.

  Isabella felt her heart lurch as it always did lately when she thought of leaving. She loved the way things had been between her and Thomas throughout their travels together. Going back to New York signified going back to real life—or at least a new reality for them both—and she didn’t want their little romance bubble to burst.

  She wished that she could express her fears to Thomas but something stopped her. She didn’t want to be needy or untrusting, but inside she still couldn’t completely accept the fact that what had happened between them wasn’t going to go away. And deep down she felt herself holding back a bit for the fear of it.

  She shook her head as if doing so would push any negative thoughts away as she began to make her way up the one challenging part of the trail. As she reached the top of incline, she saw the bright pink of a woman’s baseball cap in the distance just before the woman stumbled and fell to the ground, her speed seeming to catapult her off the trail a good distance as she fell forward.

  Isabella took off at full speed as soon as she realized what she’d seen, crossing the distance between them in seconds.

  “Are you okay?” She peered down at the woman now in a sitting position with her hands around her ankle.

  “Oh, hey. I’ll bet that looked graceful.” She laughed and then seemed to wince slightly as she looked up at Isabella.

  Isabella carefully took the few steps needed to bend down next to her, eyeing the ankle that was already very swollen and a light shade of purple. “Do you think it’s broken?” She reached into the small bag she wore to pull out the little first aid kit she carried with her—pretty much at all times. Thomas had teased her about it, right before he’d kissed her and said that it was kinda nice to see some of the “always prepared Izzy” that he’d known from back home.

  “How annoying. That will teach me not to run and play with my music at that same time.”

  Isabella reached down to offer the woman her hand. “Do you want to try to stand? See if you can put any weight on it at all?” She smiled as the woman reached up to take her hand. “I’m Is—I’m Bella, by the way.”

  Isabella leaned down to put her other hand around the woman’s shoulder, giving her more support as she stood up.

  “Thanks. And I’m Nina.” She winced again as she allowed Isabella to help her into a standing position.

  “Good to meet you, Nina. I wish it were under better circumstances.” She squeezed Nina’s hand. “Okay, now lean into me if you need to and let’s just see if you can put any weight at all on your foot. Take your time.”

  Nina gingerly put her foot down in front of her, then let it take most of her weight as she stepped forward with the other. “Okay, it’s painful, but it doesn’t seem to be broken, thank God.”

  Isabella nodded her head, noticing the blood dripping down Nina’s leg. “Okay. That’s great. Do you think you can make it to that big rock over there? I have something to clean your scrape and I just happen to have a bandage that we can use to wrap your ankle.”

  Nina laughed. “You’re really prepared, aren’t you?”

  “I guess I am.” Isabella laughed too. “Well, I’ve been traveling a bit and I wasn’t too sure about the things that I’d be needing while away from home.”

  The two made their way over to the big boulder and Nina sat down with her leg stretched out in front of her. Isabella knelt down, pouring some water from her water bottle unto the scrape just below Nina’s knee. She reached into her bag, pulling out a small container of alcohol and the biggest band-aid she had, and carefully cleaned the scrape before applying the band-aid.

  Nina seemed to be studying her carefully. “I feel pretty lucky that you happened to be behind me on the trail today. I just arrived here yesterday but someone from my hotel told me that it can be pretty quiet out on this trail.”

  “It’s true. I run here nearly every day—well, for the past three weeks or so. Hmm, there’s a little cafe just around the next corner down toward the beach. Do you think you can make it that far? Is there someone we can call to pick you up?”

  “Yes, I think I’ll be fine to walk and no, there’s no one to come pick me up. I’m flying solo these days—footloose and fancy free, I guess you could say.” She laughed lightly.

  “Great. Well, let me wrap this bandage around your ankle. That should help give you some support, and then we really do need to get some ice on it right away.”

  “You look pretty young to be a doctor.” Nina winked.

  Isabella laughed. “Four years of track—with my own share of injuries.” She tucked the clasp into the fabric of the bandage. “There, how does that feel?”

  Nina stood up and carefully hobbled a few steps. “Okay. So, I’m not gonna win any races, but maybe I’ll be okay to actually enjoy some time at the beach—one can hope, anyway.”

  Isabella moved back to where Nina had been on the ground to collect her MP3 player and her one sneaker, before the two made their way slowly along the path. “Well, I hope this won’t ruin your vacation. How long are you here for?”

  “Oh, well, it’s not really a vacation. I mean, it is, but sort of a working one, I guess you’d say.”

  “Oh? Can I ask what you do? That sounds interesting, and I suppose it’s been something I’ve been trying out for myself.”

  “I’m a photographer—and a bit of a travel blogger, but mostly it’s about the images for me. And it’s fairly new for me too.”

  Isabella tried to study Nina discreetly. She felt drawn to her—fascinated about this woman, who in just a few words, seemed to stir up all kinds of emotions and questions within her. If she had to guess, she’d say that Nina seemed to be in her early thirties. She was tanned and looked to be in very good shape. There was something about her—about the way that she had laughed despite the obvious pain and frustration she’d been in earlier—that made Isabella want to know more about her.

  “I’d love to hear more about what you do—if you don’t mind. It sounds very interesting to me.”

  “Sure. Let me buy you a coffee and we’ll swap stories while we get some ice on this bad boy. You seem so young. I’d love to hear what you’re doing at this little piece of paradise—and for weeks at that? I get the feeling that you’re not on the average gap year backpacking trip with your buddies.”

  Isabella smiled as the last months flashed through her mind—getting that first phone call from Douglas,
meeting her grandparents and her wonderful new extended family in Italy, and all of the many hours she’d sat reading and rereading her birth mother’s journals.

  No, she certainly hadn’t been on just any ordinary budget backpacking trip. Isabella’s whole world as she knew it had shifted, thanks to a mother she’d never had the chance to know—thanks to Arianna and her dreams for a daughter she’d only held for a moment as an infant.

  Her thoughts turned toward Thomas and their upcoming move to New York as she sent him a quick text.

  And her whole world was about to shift again, and for some reason, Isabella didn’t know how she was feeling about that.

  Chapter 3

  Isabella helped Nina to get her foot settled on the chair with the bag of ice that the cafe owner had rushed to get for them. As the waitress delivered their coffees to the table, Isabella felt Nina’s gaze on her.

  “Bella, thanks so much—for everything. I guess I was pretty lucky that you happened to be out on the path near me this morning. I’m not quite sure how I would have managed without you.”

  “Oh, you’re welcome. I’m glad I was able to help. How’s it feeling now, by the way? Any better?”

  Nina leaned forward and lifted the bag of ice slightly. “I think it’s not actually going to be as bad as I first thought. The swelling seems to already be going down a bit.” She took a sip of her coffee and sat back again in her chair. “So tell me about you. Are you here alone or with friends?”

  “Yeah, I’m here with my best—with my boyfriend.” Isabella could feel the instant warmth in her cheeks and knew that she must be beet red.

  Nina laughed. “Well, is your boyfriend also your best friend? Because that sounds pretty good to me.”

  “Yeah, he was—he is, actually. Sorry, I don’t know why it’s so weird to talk about. It’s a new thing and—well—somewhat unexpected, I guess.”

  “Well, that sure does sound pretty exciting. I’m game if you wanna share? Or I don’t want to keep you either. He’s probably waiting for you.”