Page 64 of The Heartbreak Hotel

Ella didn’t want to impose on Riley’s life, either. If she did stay—assuming Riley would even want that—what would she do? Sure, she could lounge about all day and roam the island, but it would become tiresome eventually. She was a worker at heart. She needed purpose. A challenge. She could hardly teach yoga.

Ella had taken the path up to Riley’s cabin without thinking about it. She wouldn’t be in; she was having some sort of meeting with Senhor Arenoso and had seemed pretty nervous about it. But that meant Ella had time to recuperate, away from the afternoon people traffic, and hopefully get some Ziggy cuddles too.

She hopped up the steps, breathed in the sweet floral scent of the bushes, and sat cross-legged overlooking the sea. The trees swayed their branches in the breeze, creaking and blending with the cry of the birds diving over the waves.

Marco Marcos’s session had sent her mind into a tangle, but Ella had new techniques for sorting it out. Closing her eyes, she focused on her breathing. The air filled her lungs, stretching out and touching every section of her skin before she released it, imagining the particles floating up into the blue sky.

It’s a shame that this technique will always make me think of her.

She’ll forget me.

But I won’t forget her.

The lines between Ella’s eyes deepened as she squeezed them tighter. Her heart quickened in her chest as she caught on a thought.

Is she going to forget me?

She wanted to trust her gut instinct and believe that Riley felt the same as she did. But her instinct had led her down the wrong path before. Look at her and Maeve.

What if this was part of Riley’s work cycle? Picking up a woman down on her luck and waving goodbye before the next plane landed?

Riley isn’t like that.

Are you sure?

Images of Riley flashed behind her eyelids. Taking other faceless women with beautiful bodies to the hot springs, laughing and flirting and touching skin. Would she teach them how to surf? How to paint? Skinny-dip together? Share Madeira cakes and massages and let them share her bed?

No. Even the thought was too much. Ella let out a sob, feeling a tug from deep in her chest. She opened her eyes and looked out at the sea, letting the tears slip silently down her cheeks. She followed a dozen waves as they rolled, frothed, and collapsed on the shore, then closed her eyes again, letting her breathing take centre stage.

A while passed before her mind emptied, each thought tugging Ella in another direction before she let it pass by on the breeze.

“Ella.” Riley’s voice jolted her, and she spun to see her standing in the doorway, surfboard under her arm. Her damp hair hung loose over one shoulder of her swimsuit, her cargo shorts spotted with drips.

Ella’s heart skipped until she caught the frown lines either side of Riley’s mouth. “Is everything okay?” she asked, pushing herself to her feet. She groaned as fire spread through her limbs. She’d been sitting on the stone too long.

“You tell me.” Riley put her surfboard down, leaning it against the window. “Why have I just had Pauline bring me flowers?”

She grimaced. “Is that what your meeting with Senhor Arenoso was about?”

“What?” Riley’s eyebrows drew together. “No. No… She brought them to me as I left the beach. Luckily.”

Ella imagined Pauline serenading with a bouquet of roses and let out a laugh.

“This isn’t funny.”

“I know. Sorry.” Ella squashed her mouth into a line but could still feel laughter tickling the edges.

“Would you know anything about it? Why Pauline felt she had to ‘let me down gently’?” She used air quotes to puncture her words.

Ella blew out a breath. Riley’s seriousness sobered her. “She may have mentioned something about it—”

“Ella. Why didn’t you say anything?” She threw her hands up. “Do you have any idea how bad this could look for me if Senhor Arenoso finds out?”

This again. Yes, she knew all too well. She was sick of having to hide all the time. It drained her, and even though she knew Riley wasn’t like Maeve, it still caused an ache from somewhere within her heart. But she gritted her teeth; she didn’t want to say anything she’d regret. Their time was already dwindling. “It was just a bit of fun. She was saying stuff about me and you, so I just steered her off the scent.”

“Wait. Is that why she came surfing?”

“I think so.”