An Island in the Sun

Kate Frost

Description

A wonderful, escapist read from bestseller Kate Frost!

Running away is easy, until saying goodbye becomes too hard…

When successful songwriter Tabitha Callahan swaps a summer of sadness for pet sitting around the world, she intends to use the time to heal her broken heart. Tabitha can’t believe her luck when she picks up a housesit on the rugged and beautiful Portuguese island of Madeira.

The villa is luxurious, the views breath-taking and her charges, a gorgeous but aloof cat and two cute and friendly Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, are perfect companions while she works on some new material and attempts to reconcile her past.

However, her peace is shattered when an unexpected house guest puts paid to her much-needed time alone, forcing her to confront not only her feelings but what she actually wants from life.

New friends and old dominate her time on the island, along with deep-rooted regret and unspoken sorrow.

Will a year of running away be enough to put the past to rest and allow someone new to inch into her heart?

Praise for Kate Frost:

'The perfect escape: a beautiful story of love, loss and moving on, set in sun-drenched Madeira.' - Gillian Harvey

'Highly recommended – A fabulous location, I wish I was there. A thoughtful, heartfelt story of love, relationships and reconciliation. My first Kate Frost book, but definitely not my last!' Sandy Barker

'A perfect escape to Italy, with sunshine, devastating secrets, tears, smiles and a hero you will fall in love with.' Jennifer Bohnet

'A beautiful novel about life choices and moving on, set on the sundrenched island of Capri. Should be read by a pool with a glass of Prosecco in one hand' T.A. Williams

'A lovely escapist tale full of heart, friendship and promise' Annie Robertson

'If you are looking for a perfect dose of summer sunshine, this is the book for you!' Sarah Bennett

Sujets

• Mashups
• Holidays
• World Literature
• Women
• Friendship
• Contemporary history
• Woman
• Madeira
• The Women
• Animals
• Summer
• Holiday
• Contemporary
• Family Life
• Romance
• Fiction
• Madère
• Portugal

Informations

• Publié par: Boldwood Books
• Date de parution: 06 février 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781802804638
• Langue: English

Extrait

AN ISLAND IN THE SUN


KATE FROST
In memory of Frodo, our scrumptious Cavalier King Charles spaniel and the best writing companion I could have asked for.
Miss you, buddy.
CONTENTS



Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Epilogue


Acknowledgments

More from Kate Frost

About the Author

About Boldwood Books
1

Saying goodbye was always hard, but Tabitha Callahan was used to it. Most of her life had been spent moving from one country to another, making new friends, attempting to learn a new language, trying to fit in, only to move again and start over. The one and only time she’d decided to put down roots, it had gone horribly wrong. And the pain… She was trying her hardest to forget how it had all ended.
Twenty house sits and eleven countries in nearly a year. She’d lost count of how many animals she’d looked after: lots of dogs, a fair few cats, three lizards, a dozen chickens, two sheep and a Shetland pony called Comet. Not all at once, obviously. She’d fallen in love with every pet she’d met, but she had her favourites – a poodle called Midnight and Chester the boxer. There were a handful of locations she’d felt the tug of regret leaving too, but never strong enough to consider living there permanently. Not that she’d be able to afford the equivalent of a luxurious log cabin in Canada or a houseboat in Singapore. She was making new, happier memories, even if it was mainly animals who kept her company on a daily basis. What Tabitha loved the most was the ability to reset her life every few weeks. Starting from scratch in a new place where no one knew her was appealing.
Adjusting her rucksack, Tabitha gazed up at the flight information board. It was the tail end of summer, a warm afternoon at the beginning of September and Humberto Delgado Airport in Lisbon was filled with families and couples, along with a fair few single travellers like her. With no gate number yet and time to kill, Tabitha went in search of coffee.
It’s going to be a long day , she thought as she settled herself in a corner of a coffee shop with a latte; it already had been. She’d said goodbye the day before to Lola, the tortoiseshell cat she’d been pet sitting in an apartment in Barcelona. The forty-something owner had returned after two weeks, and Tabitha had handed back the keys, spent a pleasant enough couple of hours over lunch with them before staying at a hotel near the airport ready for an early flight. She was now waiting in Lisbon for her second flight of the day to her final destination, the Portuguese island of Madeira, her home for the next three weeks, housesitting two dogs and a cat.
Tabitha snapped a selfie and posted it on her Instagram feed. A summer spent in Barcelona, and before that Provence, had left her naturally pale skin gently sun-kissed, the freckles across her cheeks more prominent. A mass of loose auburn curls framed her face where they’d escaped from a messy bun.
Clasping her latte, and listening to music through her AirPods, she watched the world go by. She didn’t mind sitting on her own. Given the choice, she was perfectly happy to go for days without seeing another person; over the last year, she’d always had at least one pet for company – they were easy to talk to and excellent listeners. Tabitha smiled wryly. She never went days without talking to someone, though. Being part of a large and happy family, and the youngest of five, she was rarely out of contact with them. They had a Callahan family WhatsApp group chat where she kept up with her older brothers and sisters, Elspeth, Jack, Iona and Lorcan, and her mum and dad.
Elspeth regularly called – she stressed that it wasn’t to check up on her, but Tabitha knew she wanted to make sure she was okay. Tabitha and Elspeth were best friends and closest in age, with only four years between them, compared to twelve with her eldest brother Lorcan. Even though Tabitha was thirty-two, Elspeth still felt the need to look out for her. Tabitha secretly liked it and loved talking to her. And it wasn’t as if she never talked to anyone else. She spoke to her parents every week, plus wherever she’d stayed, people tried to strike up a conversation: a friendly neighbour in the apartment building; the barista in the local coffee shop; or a guy would hit on her, usually if she was having a quiet drink on her own. Her hair was often an opening topic of conversation. Long gone were the days of being teased for being a curly redhead; she’d grown into her looks, which were often described as ‘striking’. The only trouble was, she didn’t want the attention, particularly from men. Getting over heartache was easier on her own; after all, she’d wanted to escape. She was perfectly happy with the company of a dog or two.
The flight information board flashed with the gate number. Tabitha drained the rest of her coffee, slung her rucksack on her back and set off for her flight to Madeira.



* * *
It was unusual to be picked up by the house owners, but Rufus and Cordelia, a British expat couple, were adamant that it was no trouble. The flight was less than two hours, landing in Funchal early in the evening, so at least it meant that Tabitha didn’t have to spend all day with them. She felt rather mean and unsociable thinking like that, but the personal questions were inevitable when having dinner with strangers – why she was travelling from place to place on her own for months on end being the obvious one…
Tabitha was a pro at this travelling lark, though. Not only was it in her blood, with her family having moved about since she was little with her dad’s job as a water engineer, but she’d had plenty of experience navigating airports, train and coach stations over the last year as a pet sitter, finding house sits around the world as a member of a pet-sitting website. She’d been to countless places, but as the plane flew over the grey-blue Atlantic, she relished the idea of being somewhere far from anywhere. A beautifully green and mountainous island in the Atlantic Ocean took a bit of effort to get to. She liked that.
The flight landed on time and, as Tabitha waited for her luggage, she glanced at the other passengers. They were mostly tourists, young and old couples enjoying the relative peace that September brought, along with the added bonus of Madeira’s subtropical climate. There were young families too with pre-schoolers, making the most of the cheaper post-summer holiday flights. Her suitcase, covered in stickers depicting her travels, was easy to spot and, with relief, her guitar had arrived safely too. She dragged them off, readjusted her rucksack, slung her guitar across her shoulder and set off.
Rufus, holding a neatly written sign with her name on it, was the spitting image of his pet-sitting profile picture. He looked relaxed in sunglasses, cream-coloured trousers and a linen shirt, his skin a leathery bronze colour. Tabitha’s immediate impression was that he spent a lot of time outdoors, probably playing golf and sunbathing shirtless in the garden. He must be somewhere in his mid-sixties – she sensed he knew how handsome he was.
Over the last year, she’d got quite good at guessing not only people’s ages but their personality and hobbies through their first brief meeting. Then, during the house sit, she’d discover if her first impression was close to the truth or not, coming to a conclusion through their pets, their house, the décor and the photos on the walls. It was fascinating to find out about people without having to make the effort of getting to know them in real life. She knew how that sounded, but she’d chosen to cut herself off as much as she could. It had been good for her, even if her family had questioned it.
Recognition crossed Rufus’s face as he clocked her. With her red hair and distinctive style, Tabitha knew she was instantly recognisable.
Rufus lowered the sign as she reached him, offering his free hand. ‘Tabitha?’
‘Hi there, Rufus.’ She shook his hand firmly.
‘It’s great to meet you at last. Here, let me take that.’ He grabbed the suitcase handle and manoeuvred them out of the way of the continuing stream of arrivals, towards the exit. ‘We’re thrilled you applied to house sit for us. It will really help to put my wife’s mind at rest while we’re away.’
‘Good, I’m glad.’ Tabitha blinked as they emerged into bright sunshine. ‘It’s a win-win for everyone having a sitter.’
‘You’re a musician if I remember correctly?’ He motioned to the guitar slung across her shoulder.
‘A songwriter mainly, yes.’
‘Have you written anything I might know?’
‘Oh, I’m not sure. Depends if you’re into upbeat pop.’
‘Hmm, does Depeche Mode or Tears for Fears count?’ His laugh boomed into the fresh, sunny day.
Tabitha couldn’t help but smile. ‘They’re a little before my time.’
She’d got good at making small talk with the people she was house sitting for – that she could cope with; it was the questions that delved deeper she feared. Even though she craved being alone, she could manage brief pockets of time with new people. What she loved the most was the insight into other peoples’ lives, which, she hoped, was slowly helping her to figure out her own.



* * *
Within a couple of minutes of driving away from the airport, Tabitha got her first glimpse of the ocean and a swathe of green-clad hills dotted with white houses with red-tiled roofs, before they plunged into the first of many tunnels as the road cut through the hillside above Funchal. The