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“Koti, I insist you call me Rowan. Is Ian there? Is he still at the house?”
“Yes. He uh, showed up about six hours ago.”
“Oh, thank God, okay…” I could hear the fear in her voice. “Koti, darling, I need a huge favor,” I swore when the woman spoke to me she could make a simple sentence sound like a song lyric. Ian’s father was all-American, but his mother was where the South African roots lay.
“Sure, you know I’ll help any way I can.”
“I’m sure the rental was booked for the week, correct?”
“Yes, ma’am. Actually, it’s booked almost every week for the next several months. We had to spend a small fortune relocating the guests today.”
“I’ll cover all of it, double your commission. I really need your help.”
“Okay.” I was up for anything that had me in electricity and wines that didn’t taste like syrup. Living hand to mouth had been a refreshing change when I first moved to the island, until it became a burden. Maintaining island life took work and a lot of it. “What can I do for you?”
“Watch him.”
I pressed my phone closer to my ear. “Watch him?”
“Yes. He’s just been through the worst divorce. Almost a year of fighting. He left home without a word to anyone. His father and I were frantic. He won’t take my calls. Just please check in with him each day. Make sure he’s okay.”
I lived in the house next door, there was no way it would be hard for me to check on him and the commission alone had me speaking up. “Of course.”
“I’ll send the money right away. Whatever he needs, invoice me. If he stays longer than a few weeks, we’ll be down.”
I highly doubted Ian wanted a visit from his parents, but it wasn’t my place to say so. “Yes, ma’am. Can I ask… actually never mind.” I had to admit I was curious, the image of his tortured gray eyes flashed through my head.
“He wanted the divorce, he asked for it. I’m not sure what happened.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”
“Ian is a good man, a very good man. I’ve raised an amazing son. This… running away is not like him.” I thought back to a year ago when I showed up to my parents’ sanctuary with nothing but the clothes on my back, my purse, and my passport.
Back inside my house, I sat in my living room, opened the table side window and listened to Simone as she began to sing her lullaby. “If any place can make him feel better, it’s this place.”
“I’m so worried.” She was crying now as I gripped the phone tight, hearing my own mother’s voice from a year ago. “Koti, you can’t just run away. You need to face this head-on.”
Thinking back to the worst day of my life, I spoke from experience. “This island frees people, Rowan. I promise I’ll look after him.”
“Thank you, Koti.”
“Call me anytime.”
“WHAT THE FACK!”
In the midst of a foggy, wine-induced dream, I snapped to and looked at my bedside clock.
4 a.m.
Groaning, I grabbed my body pillow and cradled it between my legs as I heard repetitive banging in the house next door.
Everything went quiet for a few minutes before I heard another enraged growl. Pulling myself from the bed, I moved to my window where I saw every light in the Kemp house had been turned on.
“Okay, Ian, have your freak out and go to bed.” It was going to be a long night if he had insomnia.
Another loud clatter had me jumping away from the glass, while his growls grew louder.
“What in the fack! Eish!” It seemed his native tongue made more of an appearance when he was angry. “Fok hierdie plek!”
