Page 14 of The Heartbreak Hotel

Maybe her luck isn’t changing just quite yet.

Chapter Four

Ella

Ella’s morning routine of bustling city life, strong coffee, and frantically ironing a pencil skirt seemed a distant memory. She used to practically punch her phone to stop her alarm in the morning, but for the second day in a row, she’d been startled to life by Bernardo the cockerel, and she couldn’t exactly punch him.

Or could she?

Considering how her first days had gone, Bernardo would no doubt have the upper hand, leaving Ella to be rescued by a rather tall, handsome, bronzed woman with muscular arms.

Which might not be such a bad thing.

Since walking her back to her cabin yesterday, Riley had continued to pop into Ella’s mind uninvited. Not only had she saved her life, but she’d also been kind to her, without the expectation of something in return.

It is her job, though, her inner pessimist chided.

Okay, maybe the devil on her shoulder had a point, but still, Riley had chosen to spend the rest of the afternoon with Ella instead of shipping her off to the medical hut. Was that usual?

God, I sound desperate.

Ella grunted, phone in hand, as she stretched her arm higher, parading around the stone floor on her tippy-toes. There had to be signal somewhere in this place. The man at reception had already cheerily informed her there was no Wi-Fi at the resort, his enthusiasm matching that of a children’s TV presenter. Senhor Arenoso believed that the discovery of your ‘soul key’ couldn’t be found in the pixels of your phone screen.

Well, Ella believed that Senhor Arenoso was a fun sponge.

There was no harm in seeing what her friends had been up to. Winnie loved a funny meme or a cat video. It wasn’t like she was going to stalk Maeve’s girlfriend and mock her yoga posts while drinking wine straight from the bottle… Ella never did that—hardly—but it wasn’t fair that Annabelle received free makeup and clothes and tickets to local events just for bending over. What gives? If she’d known filming herself twisting her body into a pretty pretzel came with such good benefits, she’d have done it too.

A thought struck Ella like a stone. What if she became better at yoga than Annabelle? Three weeks should be more than enough time to get a head start. Combine that with a hot tan, some new clothes, and some flashy social media posts, and Maeve would soon remember what she was missing. Maybe she already had, and Ella hadn’t received the message yet.

She needed some signal on this damn island. Stat.

Getting no luck with her arm waving, she climbed onto the window ledge, resting against the wardrobe to get more height. Her phone’s signal bar flickered to one, and she let out a little squeal. When nothing came through immediately, she frowned. I need more height.

As she swivelled, the tree with the creepy fingers caught her eye, its branches pointing and mocking her. That certainly would be high enough. She dashed outside, still wearing her pink strappy pyjama vest and shorts, the early morning air already warm against her skin. Tucking her phone into her waistband, she gripped the branch and lifted herself up. Oof. Her arms trembled, and she pushed her toes into the rough bark, climbing higher, until she found a good spot to sit. With a grunt, she retrieved her phone from her shorts to check the signal. Three bars. Hallelujah. She smirked, and her phone vibrated.

Three texts from her mobile phone provider. The smile dropped from her face. The phone vibrated again. A twenty percent discount from her local pizza place.

Well, damn.

Embarrassment chased the disappointment blooming in her stomach. Of course Maeve hadn’t texted her. But she could change that. Maybe this course was the perfect opportunity to win her back and prove everyone wrong.

Her phone buzzed to life, leaping from her hand. Adrenaline spiked up her spine as she scrambled to catch it, managing to grip it between her thumb and forefinger before it tumbled from her place in the canopy. She pushed up from the branch, frowning at her mother’s white face peering back at her. The picture flashed as it continued to ring, then she sighed and answered, making sure to switch off her camera.

“Hello, darling!” Her mother’s face greeted her, more tanned and weathered by wrinkles since the picture on Ella’s phone was taken.

“Hi, Mum.” Ella squinted as the pixelated image of her mother jumped across the screen. The blue background was unfamiliar. “What’re you doing calling me so early?”

“It’s evening in Hawaii. Your father and I are on a cruise.”

Of course. Why wouldn’t they be? “Are you having fun?”

“Why can’t I see you? Give me an update. How’s things with you?”

Ella suppressed a snort, brushing moss off her hands, as the last few days flashed behind her eyelids. Better not mention the near-death experience. Or her newly hatched plan to win back her ex-girlfriend. “The signal isn’t great, and it’s only my first proper day today. Not much to report.”

“Have you met anyone nice?”

Riley’s dimpled grin jumped into her mind, and she hesitated. “A couple of people.”