Page 89 of The Heartbreak Hotel

Ella—Eight Months Later

“Okay, Zigs, cross your little cat toes.” Ella eyed her adopted son as he observed her from the safety of the garden wall. “This time, it’s going to work.”

His green eyes betrayed his indifference as he turned away to begin cleaning himself.

Ella blew out a focused breath, peeking back inside the window to check everything was still dark. She didn’t want to wake Riley on the first day of her new job. She’d been such a jitty ball of nerves, Ella wanted to make sure she had the best possible start to the morning.

She plucked at her wet pyjama top, the sticky citrus scent of the oranges filling her nostrils. This shouldn’t be this hard. With a silent prayer to her turkey guide, she turned the dials, and the blender started to whir. Easy…easy. She inched it higher, and it let out a whooshing noise, firing juice up into the brightening sky.

“No, no, no.” She slapped her hand on top of the fountain, and Ziggy jumped down to sniff at the juice covering the patio. “Fuck’s sake.” She should’ve paid more attention to Riley when she’d shown her how to use it, but, well, Ella was easily distracted by her strong arms.

The door to the patio swung open, and Ella’s stomach dropped.

“No!” Ella flailed her arms, and more juice shot up, hitting her in the face. “You’re not supposed to be up yet.”

Riley pulled the door open fully, her eyes following the extension lead through the window, then the stains on the patio, before landing back on Ella. “What are you doing?” Her mouth curled with amusement as she turned off the machine and pulled a strand of orange peel out of Ella’s hair.

“I wanted to make you fresh juice, but I didn’t wanna wake you, so I moved it out here.” She huffed, shaking her head. “But the juice won’t stay in the damn thing.”

“You’re adorable.” She grabbed her hands, tugging her upright so she could plant a kiss on her mouth. Ella swooned, and Riley licked her lips. “You really have got oranges…everywhere.”

“I think it’s broken.”

“You’re missing an important piece that goes in the top. Which stops it from looking like you’ve massacred a grove of innocent oranges.”

“Where? I wanted to surprise you.”

Riley grinned. “Well, mission accomplished.” She ducked inside to fetch the missing piece that must’ve been hiding from Ella and slotted it in the top.

Ella rolled her eyes, and Riley leaned in to kiss the corner, making her giggle.

“Try it now.”

Ella switched the machine on, and the blender whirred, keeping all the contents inside. “Show off,” she muttered.

After they’d shared fresh orange juice, watching the sun rise higher over the gentle sea, Ella jumped in the shower to wash the fruit remnants out of her hair. Her own belly tingled with nerves. As much as this was a monumental day for Riley, it was for her, too.

The eight months since their agreement to stay on the island had flown by. Truthfully, the decision to swap England for the beautiful shores of Portugal wasn’t a hard one for Ella, and she’d practically leapt at Riley to kiss her face off. Sure, she missed Winnie and her family, but video calls helped lessen the distance—she’d even seen her mother more since living abroad. The time apart from Riley in the beginning was difficult too, but the space just affirmed everything she already knew. She was hopelessly in love with her.

They’d worked tirelessly updating the island in the quieter winter months, working with the locals to fix some of the abandoned structures on the cliffs into usable areas and giving them a new burst of life. This was Ella’s biggest work project ever, and Riley’s support and unwavering trust gave her the confidence to push herself. Her marketing and design experience came in handy when updating the course materials, and her new advertising strategy had them already sold out for the year. To say Senhor Arenoso was pleased with Ella would be an understatement.

She was pretty damn pleased with herself too.

She towel-dried her hair, letting the natural humidity shape it into waves over her shoulders, then slipped on the dress she’d been saving—a red knee-length floaty number that hugged her curves and pushed up her breasts. Matching red lipstick coated her lips, and she gave herself a smile in the mirror before stepping out of the bathroom.

Riley pulled her brand-new uniform over her head—another part of Ella’s rebranding process—and ran her fingers through her hair. Ella had suggested they switch to blue for the uniform, Riley’s favourite colour, and the fresh look seemed to give her a shot of confidence.

“Ready to go, boss?”

The teasing lilt to Ella’s voice made Riley turn her head, and her mouth dropped.

That was exactly the reaction she’d been hoping for.

Ella twirled her hips, the dress swaying around her thighs. Riley’s eyes roamed her hungrily, and she raised an eyebrow. “You keep looking at me like that, and we’re gonna be late.”

“I’m sure they’ll wait five minutes,” Riley said, closing the distance between them and roaming her hands over Ella’s waist. “Maybe ten.”

“Cheeky.”