‘What about you, living on your own? Then there’s university next year…’
‘Financially, in terms of the mortgage, I’m guessing things probably wouldn’t change much, depending on your wage here, right? Unless you thought we should sell up and—’
‘No, it’s our home, Amy, and I’ve already discussed that with Margot. I’d not consider her offer for a second if I wasn’t earning at least as much as I was at Best Travel. And with your studies next year I could help out as, on this island, my living expenses aren’t going to be nearly as high as back in London. Not that I’m seriously mulling over moving abroad,’ I added quickly. ‘I mean me, living amongst tarantulas and scorpions?’
Amy raised an eyebrow. ‘What, exactly, is stopping you?’
You. Us. Me worrying.
‘Sarah,’ she said gently,’ I’m a big girl now. I could study in London. Find a student who’d like to move in with me for the company, and to help with costs. I’m hoping Paws & Claws will give me some casual hours, to fit in with my studies once I’ve started.’ Her mouth upturned. ‘Nelly would love having someone new around to pet her – or rather new servants. Plus I’d visit when I could. You could come back to England. We’ve got Skype. Social media. The phone. As you know, next summer I’m hoping to come over here to help Jackie again. I can forward your belongings on when I get back at the end of next week.’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Then there’s you and Rick,’ she said. ‘You can’t pretend that’s not a factor.’
‘What if it didn’t work out?’
‘No point projecting into the future. What will be will be. There’s no way of knowing but that’s no reason not to give it a chance.’
I shook my head. ‘How come you’re so wise?’
She took my hand. ‘I learnt from the best. You deserve this, sis. Yes, I’ll miss you but I’ve got my life to lead. You trust me, don’t you? To live my own life? To look after Nelly? To make this work?’
I looked down at our hands, fingers intertwined. Petite and slim, hers reminded me of Mum’s.
I lifted my head. ‘I do trust you, completely Amy. I know you’ll manage. More than that – you’ll thrive. And if you don’t… if either of us are struggling, we’re still there for each other. The miles in between us won’t matter – right?’
Beaming, she nodded.
‘I should feel insulted – you seem almost pleased to see the back of me.’ I smiled, a tiny, needy, unsure part of me left over from my childhood wondering if that was the case.
She cupped both of her hands around one of mine. Her voice sounded thick when she replied. ‘Part of me is. I’ve always felt as if I’ve held you back, even though I know you would never see it like that. It feels liberating for me to see you break free from the responsibilities you had to take on. I’m going to miss you so much – but in a good way, knowing that you are following your dreams… as I will be. And the thought of some independence… it’s nothing against you, but that does sound exciting. Does all of that make sense?’
I couldn’t speak and simply kissed her cheek.
‘You really like Margot, don’t you?’
‘She’s so easy to talk to. We just seem to click.’
Footsteps sounded. We both turned towards the house.
Long legs. Broad shoulders. Spiked hair.
‘Are you coming in?’ called Rick as he stopped by one of the cacao trees.
Rick and chocolate-making – that was one irresistible combination. Amy was happy. Nelly would be looked after. I clicked with Margot and felt that friendship would grow. The island had found a way into my heart with its unassuming, natural beauty – as had dear, sweet Chatty with that cheeky blond face.
I reached up my hand and ruffled his fur.
‘Talk to Rick, Sarah. Tell him you’re staying. I’ll see you inside.’ Amy strode into the house.
He came over. ‘Everything all right?’
‘Yes… Amy and me… we were just talking about the future. How… I need to let go.’
Rick lifted my chin. ‘She’s lucky to have you.’
‘But talking to you, about Lee – it’s made me realise I’ve been that domineering, interfering older sibling. Thanks for giving me that perspective. It’s helped me see Amy’s position.’
‘Thanks to you too,’ he said. ‘You’ve helped me understand my brother better. I think his continual concerns does stem from that accident I had as a child. Thinking about it, when he tries to take charge here there is often a comment about me working too hard and worries about my blood pressure or stress… what I see as a lack of trust is actually a big brother caring. In fact… you’ve inspired me to tackle him about it.’
He took my hand and led me around the far side of the house to a log, positioned in front of a small pond. Eye-catching Ginger Thomas plants surrounded it. Nia had pointed out a cluster near one of the beach huts. I admired the vibrant yellow flowers. Delicate water lilies bobbed up and down, in the middle of the pond.
‘I used to bring girlfriends here, as a teenager,’ said Rick and reached up for Chatty sensing that the monkey was tired. I passed him the handle to the lead and the monkey settled on his lap.
‘How on earth did you meet girls, holidaying on Seagrass Island?’
‘Gran has always had friends on Tortola who came over for dinner – with their partners and children. To be honest they were more just holiday affairs.’
‘Is that what this is?’
His face became serious. ‘I don’t know. What do you think?’
‘I’d like to stay and find out, whilst I take Margot up on her offer. I’m ready to step out of my comfort zone and let my sister step out of hers too.’
‘That’s fantastic.’ He leant forward and my heart pumped furiously as I smelt his aftershave. However, I pressed my palm against his chest. A puzzled look crossed his face.
‘First, I have to be honest – my career aspirations have driven this decision. I… I’m so happy it means getting to know you better. You’ve opened up a part of me I’ve been too scared to unleash with any other guy. However, I can’t build my life around a man. I have to carve out a life that is all mine. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to find a partner. Just that…’
‘Your needs have to come first. I get that, Sarah. I could never give up my conservation work or move back to London. Some things are just as important as finding love. I don’t think that’s a bad thing. In my opinion, you and me, we’re on the same page.’
‘Fancy writing a few more chapters together, then?’ I asked shyly.
‘You betcha,’ he said with no hesitation and leant even closer for the longest kiss ever.
Well, it would have been if it weren’t for the indignant squeak from Chatty who must have felt excluded by the sudden silence.
I pulled away. ‘Oh, dearie me. I’m not sure it’s going to work with three in this relationship.’
‘Me and Chatty – we come as a package, I’m afraid,’ he said and chuckled.
‘I wasn’t talking about him being the third wheel.’
We both laughed.
I ran a finger over Rick’s soft, inviting mouth. ‘You, me and Chatty surfing the ups and downs of our daydreams together? I wouldn’t swap that for the world…’
Epilogue
One Year Later
‘You look beautiful,’ Rick whispered.
I stood on the sand, in bare feet, by the jetty, surrounded by friends and Amy – and current guests. Cacao House, as a holiday destination, was growing from strength to strength.
The sun beat down on my arms. I wore a floor-length ivory crochet lace dress with wide shoulder straps and a flowing skirt beneath a tighter bodice. Rick stood in front of me in a cream linen suit and pink tie, accentuating his tanned skin and those dark, seductive eyes.
Was this really happening? Was I really getting married?
Yes. To a man whose love, loyalty and integrity had won my heart. He respected my view when we argued
. He supported my dreams. But most of all, he made me feel like the centre of his world and not as if I was merely some accessory.
During the last twelve months I’d sensed the scars, from my childhood, slowly begin to heal. Rick had taken our relationship gently, until an uncontrollable passion overwhelmed us both.
Margot had helped me too. We’d spoken a lot. Really spoken – about my past and hers. Before long, it was as if we’d been friends forever. I treasured her advice and the experience of her years.
She talked about Seymour, the first husband who controlled her. Years after the divorce, through a mutual university friend she discovered that he’d had a breakdown and undergone counselling. To her surprise it turned out that he’d suffered a traumatic and abusive childhood.
‘Everyone has a story, Sarah,’ she’d said to me one night. We’d been sitting by the pool, Rick taking a midnight swim, she and I keenly trying out a new star constellation recognition app on my phone. ‘School bullies often come from neglectful homes. Addicts use substances due to low self-esteem. Seymour controlled me, I suspect, because he’d finally been given love and was afraid of losing it. It’s no excuse for his terrible behaviour, but I wish he’d felt able to talk to me. Your father will have a story, too. One day, perhaps, you’ll discover it.’
It gave me a degree of peace, thinking of my father like that – that maybe Amy and I were unloved not because we were somehow lacking… that, instead, that there was another reason that had nothing to do with us.
We didn’t invite him to the wedding. But Margot had planted an idea. Maybe one day – I didn’t know when… I still didn’t know if… I might instigate a conversation with him about his childhood.
I caught Amy’s eye and she winked. Like me, she wore a garland of island flowers in her hair. She was over for the summer, helping out Rachel. Her new housemate, a colleague from work, was looking after a very spoilt Nelly. She was off to university in September. I’d visited her at Christmas. Admired the changes she’d made to the flat, repainting and adding her own personal touches. I missed her, yet my heart swelled at watching her bloom.
Jonas gave me a small wave. He stood with an arm around Benedikt. I’d Skyped him every few weeks and they both visited London for a festive weekend when I went to see Amy. The two of them had settled well together, in Hamburg, and started to get a few gigs. They’d been songwriting furiously since leaving Seagrass Island and were going to play at the wedding breakfast.
Lee gave Rick a thumbs-up. Rick gave one back. He’d had a chat with Lee the first time his brother visited after I decided to stay. I could tell straightaway, by how he’d hugged Rick that the sibling love ran deep. They discussed the childhood accident. Lee admitted he was over-protective. Rick promised to take it easy and to ask Lee before anyone else if he needed help on the island. Then both brothers went back to teasing each other and indulging their competitive streak with swimming races and chess tournaments. Slowly things improved. Angry phone calls between them became something of the past. They still had their disagreements but now were able to talk them through.
Margot walked over, Chatty in her arms. He held a small box in his paws. Rick took it and kissed him on the head, as I did after whistling for a few seconds. He opened it to reveal two simple, silver rings. We hadn’t wanted a fuss and tomorrow we’d be back at work. Although Nia had produced a mouth-watering table of food along with magnificent chocolate cake, made with our very own cacao beans…
At first the chocolate-making process had been hit and miss. We still had a lot to learn. But guests seem to enjoy the experience even if the results didn’t always taste delicious! As time passed we’d instinctively tailored the holiday we offered by making it more of an eco-destination – that suited a growing market – heavily promoting recycling and sourcing food from local suppliers. Also we were thinking about investing in solar panels. Visitors got a tour of the animal enclosures and for an additional fee could take part in the turtle trips and bird observation. Those activities were proving to be very popular. And Margot had recently come up with the idea of Malik’s wife, Zina, setting up a small beauty salon of her own here, for guests. Her new Reiki and massage skills suited our target market. The couple had responded enthusiastically.
Rick was busier than ever, running Seagrass Conservation. The number of volunteers was growing due to the revamped website and word slowly spreading, thanks to us getting conservation influencers involved on social media. His work had even been covered in a couple of magazines.
‘Sarah,’ he murmured huskily, ‘are you ready for this?’
I gazed at the congregation and then back at his gorgeous, mesmerising face. The under-eye bags that testified to his hard work. The appealing lines that proved how much he laughed.
Me? Ready for the marriage I used to swear I’d never have? Ready for the daydream I never used to believe in?
Oh yes.
Because Rick wasn’t a man who had changed my life.
Far more importantly, he was a man who’d supported me changing it myself.
Dear Reader,
The Summer Island Swap was inspired my son’s trip to the Peruvian rainforest, when he was seventeen. Oh, it was hard waving him off at the airport! The long journey involved three flights and a boat and being a mother I, of course, imagined all the worst scenarios. On top of that there was to be no phone nor internet contact for two weeks.
However, there comes a time when every parent must let go. And I was also so proud of his desire to travel the world and take part in a volunteering trip. When he returned I listened in awe to his descriptions of the conservation work, all of which are reflected in this story - the bird counting and butterfly catching; the turtle egg collecting and trail-clearing. My son gave me a real insight into what it is like to take part in one of these demanding projects. This was helped by the photographs he brought back. My favourite was of a spider monkey wrapping his arms around my son’s head, and this inspired the character of dear little Chatty.
In recent times we’ve seen the catastrophic effects of climate change – flooding around the world and the devastating Australian bush fires. The wondrous wildlife that lives alongside us has never been more at risk, with this to contend with as well as the ongoing challenges of, for example, logging and hunting. The natural world needs our help and support more than ever, for its own sake and ours. I hope my story shows that just one person, like Rick, can make a difference. A couple of years ago I stopped drinking bottled water after a twenty year habit. It’s a tiny contribution but I firmly believe that all of us fighting the little battles will help win the overall war.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this novel that was written from the heart. We live on such a beautiful planet. Let’s hope future generations can say the same.
Best wishes,
Sam X
Acknowledgements
Huge thanks to Clare Wallace, my supportive, tenacious, efficient agent at the Darley Anderson Agency. Thanks for helping me steer this author boat of mine across the choppy waters of publishing.
Thank you to my great editor Hannah Smith and digital marketing manager Vicky Joss at Aria Fiction – along with the rest of the brilliant team. I’m immensely grateful for all your enthusiasm, expertise and hard work.
As always, massive, heartfelt thanks to all the bloggers out there who support and review my writing. I’m continually in awe of your generosity and passion for books.
I’m so appreciative of my family – Martin, Immy and Jay – for their continuing love and support. Special thanks to Jay for his input into this story and putting up with my hundreds of questions!
And to my lovely readers – thank you so much for continuing to show an interest in my stories. Your feedback means the world and I’m so grateful for the support that allows me to do a job I love.
About the Author
SAMANTHA TONGE lives in Manchester UK with her husband and children. She studied German and French at university and has worked abroad
, including a stint at Disneyland Paris. She has travelled widely. When not writing she passes her days cycling, baking and drinking coffee. Samantha has sold many dozens of short stories to women’s magazines.
She is represented by the Darley Anderson Literary Agency. In 2013 she landed a publishing deal with HQDigital, at HarperCollins, for her debut novel Doubting Abbey. In 2015 her summer story, Game of Scones, hit #5 in the UK Kindle chart and won the Love Stories Awards Best Romantic Ebook category. In 2020 her dark women’s fiction novel Knowing You, published by Canelo, won the first ever RNA Jackie Collins Romantic Thriller Award.
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The Summer Island Swap Page 28