Island Fling to Forever

He was almost glad of his agent’s call as an excuse to get away from helping for a while. Almost.

‘What’s up, Robyn?’ he said, sauntering towards his bungalow and his guitar as he answered.

‘When are you coming back?’ Robyn asked, bluntly. ‘With all the publicity about the book, we need you here, capitalising on that.’

‘I think people are perfectly capable of talking about me without me actually being there to hear it.’ God knew, they managed it often enough normally.

‘Look, Jude, I know you’re not happy about some of the things they say in the book—’

‘I’m not happy that the book exists at all.’

‘But it does. You can’t unprint it now, or stop people from reading it.’

‘I could sue for defamation,’ Jude suggested, although he knew he wouldn’t.

‘Do you really want to have to go to court and prove which of those stories are lies?’ Robyn asked, gently.

Jude sighed. ‘No.’ Because in doing so, he’d only be confirming that all the others were true. And all the worst ones were, unfortunately. ‘I just wish they hadn’t written so much about Gareth.’ And how Jude had let him down.

His mind flashed back to that day in the hospital, almost a year to the day before Gareth died.

He could still hear Gareth’s raspy, exhausted voice saying, ‘I know. I know I have to stop. But I need help.’

And his own reply. ‘I’ll help. I’ll be there every day, reminding you of everything you have to live for. Keeping you out of trouble just like I’ve always done. I promise.’

It wasn’t the idea of the whole world knowing how he’d betrayed his best friend’s trust that upset him. It was seeing that betrayal in black-and-white and knowing that there was nothing he could do about it. No way to change the past, however much he wished he could.

Somehow, the book made it all real, all over again. Just like seeing Rosa again transported him back three years to a time when the only place he could be happy was in her arms.

‘I never met him, but from what you’ve told me about him? Gareth would have loved being the centre of attention in a bestselling book.’ Robyn had only become their agent after The Swifts hit the big time. But Gareth was part of the band’s legacy, its history, and it had been important to Jude that she know all about him.

Apparently she’d got a pretty good handle on him, after all. ‘He’d have been mad the book wasn’t all about him.’

‘Do you wish it was?’

‘If it meant he was still here with us? Definitely. As it is...no.’ Bad enough to have his memory raked over the coals in a few early chapters of this book. But a whole book trashing Gareth’s memory? Jude couldn’t have lived with that.

‘Jude...these books don’t mean anything. Not really. You know that.’

‘I know. I just... Sylvie gave them a lot of those stories, you know?’

‘I suspected.’ Jude was pretty sure Robyn was wincing on the other end of the line. ‘She knows how to play the game, that one.’

‘Yeah.’ Rosa didn’t. Rosa had no idea of the rules of any game but her own. ‘Look, Robyn, I’ve got to go. But if you get lucky, you might get some photos of me online sooner rather than later.’

‘Really?’ Robyn perked up at the idea. ‘Why? Where are you? And who are you with, more to the point? Because if it’s a woman, a nice, juicy, romantic scandal would definitely distract from the book...’

Jude laughed, and thought of Rosa. ‘I’ll see what I can do.’

But not for the publicity. For himself.

* * *

To celebrate actually managing to get ready on time, beating all the odds, Sancia had insisted on a family dinner that night—a proper, five-course banquet with matching wines, by all accounts. Jude wasn’t exactly sure what he’d done to make Sancia think he was family and issue an invite, but he wasn’t about to turn down the spectacular catering at the villa, either. Besides, Rosa would be there, and that was enough for him.

Things had been so busy since their trip to the mainland that the time simply hadn’t been right for him to propose any sort of rekindling of their relationship to her. But now, with everything almost sorted, perhaps tonight could be the night. And just because they hadn’t been physically intimate, that didn’t mean they hadn’t grown closer. Working together, seeing each other every day, talking about their lives and families—sometimes, Jude felt closer to Rosa now than when they’d been in the midst of their passionate affair three years ago.

He’d been at a bit of a loss for a hostess gift for the dinner, since Sancia technically already owned everything on the island, but he had brought his guitar, in case he could offer some background entertainment later. He’d been listening to a lot of classical Spanish guitar music since he arrived, playing around with some ideas on the theme, coming up with new threads and melodies that might one day become actual songs. It was kind of exciting, to be working on new music again—just him, messing around with tunes that appealed to him, rather than arguing with the rest of the band about what direction The Swifts should be moving in, musically, and what fitted best with their brand.

Jude didn’t want to be a brand. He wanted to be a musician. And here, on La Isla Marina, he almost felt as if he could be, again.

So, anyway, he was looking forward to dinner that evening. At least, until he sat down at the table.

Professor Gray sat at the head of the table on one end, with Sancia at the other. Jude found himself sitting opposite Rosa, either side of her father, with Anna on his left, and Leo opposite her. Straight away, he could feel the tension strung out across the table like the fairy lights hanging overhead.

Rosa didn’t look at her dad, he realised. In fact, he wasn’t sure he’d seen her talk to him at all since the day she first arrived on the island. He’d been so focussed on her relationship with her sister, he hadn’t noticed the fissure between her and her father. But from everything she’d said about him, Jude wasn’t really surprised. It was hard to imagine the buttoned-up and structured Professor Gray appreciating the wildness of his younger daughter.

Unfortunately, the situation with Anna didn’t look much brighter, given the way she and Rosa were both avoiding each other’s gaze.

Anna and Leo spoke quietly across the table, intimate and happy, as they worked their way through the first course. Jude tried to strike up a conversation with Rosa, of the sort they’d been having more often of late, but she was distracted, and he couldn’t seem to connect with her. Eventually, he gave up and chatted amiably with Professor Gray about his latest research. As ever, the professor was happy enough to carry on a monologue for most of the meal, so it wasn’t as if Jude needed to contribute a lot.

‘So, Leo,’ Rosa said suddenly, cutting across the other chatter at the table. ‘Why are you helping out so much for Valentina’s wedding?’

The hint was there, Jude realised, behind the question—the idea that Leo must have a prior relationship with the star, or something. What was Rosa trying to do? Drive a wedge between Anna and Leo? He knew she was concerned about Leo’s reputation, but watching them together Jude couldn’t help but think that Rosa had judged this one wrong. He’d never seen a man so obviously in love as Leo di Marquez.

‘Valentina is Leo’s half-sister,’ Anna said, after a quick glance across the table to confirm it was okay to do so.

Rosa’s eyebrows rose up towards her hairline. ‘I didn’t know she had a brother.’

‘Not many people do.’ Leo sounded obviously uncomfortable with the situation. ‘We didn’t grow up together.’

‘Do you think she’ll be pleased with the island?’ Jude asked, trying to get back onto safer topics.

Leo’s expression warmed. ‘I think she’ll love it,’ he said, smiling across at Anna as he spoke.

‘Oh, it’s so lovely to have all my family he

re once more,’ Sancia said, beaming around the table. ‘And to see both my girls so happy with their men.’

Jude’s gaze flew to Rosa, who stared back, wide-eyed and panicked.

‘Oh, we’re not—’ she started.

As Jude said, ‘Actually, we’re just friends.’

Sancia didn’t reply, just smiled knowingly at them both.

Rosa was silent for the rest of the meal. Jude tried to concentrate on his conversation with Professor Gray, but by the time they finished dessert he wasn’t sure he could have said for certain what they’d even been talking about. His attention kept being drawn across the table, to where Rosa sat quiet and subdued, sneaking glances at her sister from time to time.

When Sancia motioned for the coffee and liqueurs to be brought out, Rosa pushed her chair back from the table, mumbling some sort of excuse. Jude watched her go, wondering if he should follow, or if he’d only make things worse. But when he glanced up the table, he saw Sancia staring at him, eyebrows raised, and realised that Rosa’s mother, at least, had a clear idea of what was best for her.

‘Take these,’ she murmured as he passed, and Jude accepted the two wine glasses and the rest of the bottle of red gratefully. He’d take whatever help he could get in trying to understand Rosa.

* * *

He found her out on the back veranda, looking out over the far side of the island towards the sea.

‘Thinking about escaping?’ he asked, handing her a full glass of wine, and placing the bottle on the nearest table.

‘Always,’ Rosa replied, and Jude thought it might have been the most honest thing she’d ever said to him.

‘I’d like it if you’d stay, for a while at least.’ He perched on the edge of the table, looking up at her in the shadows of the night. Overhead, the moon was almost full, and he could make out every contour of her face, every uncertainty in her eyes, even in the darkness.

‘You know they all think we’re sleeping together,’ Rosa said, bluntly. ‘Mama is probably planning some sort of huge double wedding for me and Anna, even though we’re not a couple and Leo is going to walk out and break Anna’s heart any day now.’