The Love Island Bookshop

by Kate Frost

  It was quiet and secluded in the bookshop clearing. There was no reason for anyone to come this way at night with the bookshop closed and all the bars and restaurants at the other end of the island. There were plenty of quiet stretches of beach for romantic moonlit strolls close to the villas, or cocktails in Reef with candlelight flickering across the table.

  Aaron pulled her into the shadow of a cluster of trees.

  ‘I wish I could go back and change what happened, I really do.’

  Freya sighed. She was done with there being this weird tension between them. ‘Just be honest with me in future, that’s all I’m asking.’

  ‘Okay, deal.’ He swept the hair from the side of her face and tucked it behind her ear. He was looking down at her, long, black eyelashes framing his deep-brown eyes. His dark skin looked even darker in the dusky light. Back home she’d been purposefully avoiding men and yet here she was beginning to fall for someone she was only beginning to know.

  ‘If we’re being honest,’ he said. ‘Then I should tell you, I don’t want you to leave after your nine months is up.’

  ‘Oh really,’ Freya said, smiling. ‘You’d like me to stick around for longer?’

  ‘I really would.’ He caressed the sides of her arms and down to her waist. ‘Is that a possibility?’

  ‘I think so. I mean the job is definitely for nine months and it was obvious from the interview process that it could be extended if Zander felt it was working out and I was the right person.’

  Freya could barely concentrate as Aaron left a trail of kisses from her lips to her neck.

  ‘And are you the right person? Does he like you?’ His voice was muffled where he was buried in the crook of her neck, but his tone made her wonder if he was worried she’d end up leaving.

  She smiled to herself.

  ‘I think he does like me. I mean he’s slowly allowing me to have more say and I’m finding him a little easier to deal with than when we first met. So, we’ll see.’

  ‘Well, I’d like you to stay.’

  His words made her heart soar. Everything was accentuated, the sound of the ocean, the constant noise of insects and bats in the trees surrounding them, the feel of his hot firm chest as she slid her hands beneath his T-shirt.

  ‘I’d like to stay longer too.’ She reached up and kissed him. ‘So, if we’re being honest, tell me something. What makes you think your son’s not your son?’

  ‘It’s a long story; I don’t want to go into it.’

  Freya bit her lip. She wanted to press him on the subject; she wanted to know why someone who was seemingly so loving and caring would abandon a child and a fiancée. Did he know for sure it wasn’t his? It didn’t add up, but then when she thought about it, she didn’t actually know Aaron that well. A few weeks, a few conversations, some flirting, a visit to his home, and a couple of hours of passion. That was it. And there was stuff she hadn’t told him. For whatever reason she was holding back from opening up old wounds, stuff that was just too difficult to talk about in a place so beautiful and far removed from her old life. Except that she’d already opened up to Drew...

  ‘What I do know, is I want you.’ His lips left hers and kissed the side of her neck and across her throat, his hands caressing through the thin material of her top to the bikini beneath it.

  He obviously didn’t want to talk... Freya closed her eyes and leant her head back against the tree trunk. She wanted him too, but not like this. It felt naughty and sexy but also dangerous and reckless, and she was still confused, about him, about his secret, about the way he had acted. She’d partly come to the island to escape the muddle of emotions and here she was feeling conflicted over a man who thrilled and confused her.

  He dipped his hands beneath her skirt and caressed his way up the inside of her thighs.

  ‘We can always go into the bookshop. No one will see us there.’

  ‘We’re not doing it in there.’

  His fingers snuck beneath the edge of her bikini bottoms.

  Freya put her hands firmly on his. She breathed deeply, fighting back reckless desire. ‘We’re not doing it here either.’

  She felt him falter and then a tug on her bikini, his fingers hot against her skin. She tightened her grip on his hands. ‘I said, not now.’

  His fingers retreated and he leaned his forehead against hers. Her heart thudded in her ears and where her hand was pressed against his chest, she could feel his heart pounding. Her skin tingled from his touch; her senses were alive with the intoxicating scent of his aftershave, of sunscreen and hot skin.

  They were hidden from the moonlight in the shadows of the trees, but they were exposed on an island where someone could stumble across them at any moment. She wished it felt romantic, but it didn’t. Unlike the guests who got to stroll hand in hand along the beach, kiss beneath the starlit sky and head back to their candlelit villa to make love, the idea of having sex up against a tree was far from romantic.

  They walked back in silence, both lost in their thoughts. Maybe they should have stayed just friends; their relationship had been fun when it simply revolved around friendship and flirting. Now it had been muddied by sex and secrets.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Freya threw herself into work. From hoping things were okay between her and Aaron, she’d been left confused by their encounter in the bookshop clearing. He was still hiding things from her, the same way she hadn’t been completely honest with him. And working and living on the island didn’t lend itself to being able to sustain a romantic relationship. There was little opportunity to be alone, and time like the other night felt secretive and not allowed.

  The days whizzed by though, a splendid blur of sunshine, books and people. When the bookshop closed at lunchtime, she would often head back to the staff village, grab a sandwich and return to eat it sitting beneath the shade of a palm tree on the beach. It was usually desolate apart from a grey heron padding about, and occasionally a loved-up couple would stroll by and wave.

  Despite seeing and speaking to guests and staff daily, a good chunk of her day was spent on her own and it gave her time to think. Turning thirty had made her consider the next ten or even twenty years. She thought she wanted a family at some point but what was most pressing was her career and how and where she wanted to be. The Maldives was her reality but for how long? It could be longer than nine months – she hoped for that, but how long could she stay on an island like this for? An island where it was proving difficult to grow her budding relationship with Aaron. Did she even want a more serious relationship with him? And what about her dream of working for herself, and building her own business? The idea of running a bookshop of her own was becoming more and more appealing. But not in London. She was certain that she didn’t want to go back to commuting and working in the city. Or any city. She loved being by the ocean; she loved the freedom and space and hope it gave her. Would she manage to recapture the feeling somewhere else, somewhere less luxurious, hot and tropical? Time would tell and she still had months and months to work out where she went next. She didn’t want this experience to come to an end any time soon.

  ~

  Without wanting him to, Aaron consumed her thoughts, although not constantly because her attention was taken up by a steady stream of guests popping into the bookshop. She enjoyed the sociable aspect, talking to couples about books and finding them a perfect holiday read. But as soon as the last guest of the day left, the sun went down and it was time to close, Aaron snuck back into her thoughts and remained there until the following morning when work took over again.

  Freya would usually catch sight of Aaron before he left for the dive school, a little earlier than she went to the bookshop, and although something had changed between them, he still left her with a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach. His good looks were a magnet and the attraction she’d felt since first setting eyes on him still smouldered, along with a good dose of uncertainty.

  The first cocktail evening she’d hosted themed a
round Casino Royale had been a hit, and Zander arranged to meet her at the bookshop one evening to work out a plan of action for the coming weeks.

  ‘I hope you’ve got plenty of ideas,’ Zander said as he entered the bookshop. ‘Because I think we should do a regular book-inspired cocktail evening.’ He joined her on one of the stools in front of the large open window and placed his laptop next to hers on the shelf. ‘Starting with the next one on the 22nd November and then fortnightly after that.’

  ‘We’ll need a lot of different cocktails,’ Freya said with a raised eyebrow.

  ‘And a fair few literary gems.’

  ‘That I’m sure we can do.’

  ‘And I already have the head bartender at the Sand Bar on the case with the cocktails.’ He gazed out through the open window. Candles flickered in coloured-glass holders on the tables. ‘And this really is the ideal sitting. It worked a treat the other night thanks to all your hard work.’

  Freya’s cheeks flushed hot at the compliment. ‘It was very enjoyable to plan.’

  ‘I should say. We don’t need to come up with hundreds of different ideas, we just need a rolling selection of six or seven books which we can theme the evening and cocktails around. It’ll be too much like hard work otherwise. And although a literary themed evening with cocktails might not be to everyone’s taste, it won’t matter because we have plenty of other romantic things they can do.’

  ‘Like the sand bank picnic – I’ve had two couples this week telling me how incredible it is.’

  ‘And for some people nothing will top that. I think honeymooning couples want slightly different things to couples celebrating a wedding anniversary. I think they’re the type of guests who will be up for something a little different. I also want to encourage guests to come on their own, if one fancies it and the other doesn’t.’

  ‘Absolutely, let’s make it inclusive and welcoming for everyone.’

  ‘Either way the Casino Royale evening was a winner.’ His face lit up as he spoke. ‘I think if we make it start slightly later so guests don’t have to rush their dinner, and we serve just light nibbles alongside the cocktails, it will be the perfect balance. Books, music, drinks, food. The ideal combination.’

  ‘Definitely. And I’ve been thinking and doing a bit of research... we could have a Breakfast at Tiffany’s champagne cocktail themed one; a Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas one with Singapore Slings...’

  ‘I love it.’ Zander nodded. ‘And I was thinking for our next one, we should have The Great Gatsby cocktail evening...’

  Freya’s fingers tingled with excitement as they flew across the keyboard putting their ideas down. When Zander said ‘go all out’ she knew he meant it. Money didn’t seem to be an issue and he was encouraging her to utilise the skills of the other staff, from the bar staff to the head chef, and if anything needed to be ordered in specially, she was to get Meena on the case. He was more animated than she’d ever seen him as they discussed the plans. The soft lamplight deepened his tan and the stubble across his jaw was more pronounced in the subtle light. Freya loved the idea of having evening events to focus on, and she was slowly beginning to build up a schedule of book events. Fuelled by Zander’s enthusiasm, ideas bubbled away.

  Zander closed his laptop, turned to her and smiled. ‘I’m excited about this. Something to put in your next blog post, I do believe. I loved the last one about island nature walks and your suggested reading list. That combination of books that tie in with the island is perfect. I’m really glad you’re here, Freya.’

  ‘And thank you again for the opportunity. I’m loving being here.’

  ‘Right,’ he said, grabbing his laptop and jumping off the stool. ‘I’ll leave you to it; I’m sure you’ll want to head back and have dinner. We’ll get planning, and if there’s anything Meena can’t answer, or if you just want to bounce some ideas off me, here’s my direct number.’ He scribbled a mobile number in the top corner of her notebook, nodded and left.

  He strolled across the decking and on to the sandy floor of the clearing. She watched him until he reached the beach and was out of sight, beyond the drooping fronds of the palm trees silhouetted against the moonlit sky.

  Freya finished making notes about the cocktail evenings and closed her laptop. It was funny how back home she’d been quite happy to be the ‘behind-the-scenes’ person, her days spent editing. Although she’d attended some of Bloom & Cole’s book launches and other events, she’d never really had hands on experience of organising them and she was never the centre of attention. She could work a room quite comfortably and was at ease making small talk with authors, other publishers, journalists and bloggers, but this was a whole new experience and she was relishing it.

  It was late, much later than she normally left the bookshop unless there was an evening event planned, and darkness had descended over the clearing. Her head was buzzing with ideas and she needed time to think them through, which she intended to do on the way back to the staff village.

  She made sure everything behind the counter was put away for the night, tucked her laptop case beneath her arm and left the bookshop. The heat outside hit her, a stark difference to the comfortable temperature inside. It would be slightly fresher on the beach so she went that way.

  ‘Freya.’

  She turned at the voice, her hand flying to her chest as she caught sight of a figure hidden in the shadows of the dusky treeline. ‘Oh my goodness, Aaron, you made me jump.’

  He seemed to have appeared from nowhere.

  ‘Sorry,’ he said, walking over to her. ‘I didn’t want to disturb you. I thought you’d be finished ages ago – it’s late. I heard voices and you looked like you were deep in conversation.’

  ‘Yeah, we were talking about plans for the next cocktail evening. Zander adored the first one and loves the idea of making it a regular event with cocktails themed around books. The next one is going to be inspired by The Great Gatsby. Zander’s requested that one – he says he loves the 1920s feel. I can’t believe the things he can make happen. I mean apart from the cocktails themselves, he’s managing to supply sparkly headbands with feathers for the ladies and fedora hats for the men. We’re going to have jazz playing, the whole works. I need to choose an extract from the book to read out to set the scene and get the conversation going.’

  The words spilled from her. The idea of planning an evening around a book was more exciting than she could have hoped for.

  She took Aaron’s hand. ‘Honestly, I can’t believe I’m managing to combine my love of books, while living and working in a place like this. And after being so unsure about Zander when I first met him, I don’t know, my opinion’s totally changed about him. He’s as passionate about books as I am and seems far more open to my ideas than he did at the beginning. I guess that’s to be expected, I was new and he probably needed time to put his trust in me... Sorry, I’m rambling.’

  ‘That’s okay. He’s obviously made you happy.’ He squeezed her hand tighter before dropping it and pointing to the path that led away from the bookshop. ‘Shall we head back and get some dinner?’

  ‘I quite fancy walking the long way, doing a loop along the beach and then back if you’d like to join me?’

  He nodded and took her hand again. They walked towards the beach in the direction Zander had gone just a little while earlier.

  ~

  Freya stood on the edge of the clearing and gazed with utter satisfaction at the bookshop. Hundreds of twinkling fairy lights decorated it and the soft toe-tapping tones of saxophone and bass guitar filled the clearing. Her heart soared with pride as guests began to arrive, sun-kissed and happy, their summer evening clothes giving a nod to the 1920s with fedora hats for the men and sparkly feathered headbands for the women. Freya secured her headband and led the last couple to arrive to an empty table flickering with candlelight.

  The bar staff made mint julep in a bar area that had been set up to one side. With everyone seated and relaxing with a cocktail, Freya set the
scene for the evening by reading an extract from The Great Gatsby. In the stillness of the bookshop clearing, surrounded by fairy lights and lanterns, with the moonlit beach and ocean as the backdrop, her voice filled the air. Tanned and happy faces hung on her every word. Her love island bookseller job was everything she’d hoped for and more. She finished reading and the clearing filled with applause. The jazz restarted, louder this time, the beat drifting up into the surrounding trees.

  Zander looked at Freya and held out his hand. His tanned cheeks were flushed and he was smiling so much two dimples had appeared. His eyes sparkled in the candlelight. The jazzy beat quickened filling the bookshop clearing with toe-tapping rhythm and Freya couldn’t help but grin back as the laughter and claps from the guests merged with the music.

  ‘Shall we officially get this party started?’ He was definitely looking at her and with only the two bartenders and couples surrounding them, she realised as the hosts it was down to them.

  She took his hand. He gripped it firmly, leaned in and whispered, ‘Just follow my lead.’

  He spun her around and pulled her in tight against his chest. Her heart thudded, or was it his she could feel? The sand was cool as her bare feet whizzed across the clearing. She tried not to think about everyone watching, but she was trying her hardest not to focus too much on being pressed up against Zander either. Her cheeks flushed. Aisha would be so jealous when Freya told her about this.

  A young Australian couple joined them; Freya had met them at the bookshop earlier in the week and she smiled as they took to the sand-covered dance floor. She felt less self-conscious as more couples joined, but her senses were alive with the heat, the jazzy beat, the sandy grains beneath her feet, and the smell of the ocean and of Zander, his aftershave mingling with her perfume. The music built to a crescendo and clasping her hand, Zander spun her away and back towards him. The music abruptly ended as she came to a stop against his chest. His smile was even bigger, and Freya, heady with heat and adrenalin smiled back. He led her up on to the deck, let go of her hand and passed her a glass of mint julep.