Spring at Blueberry Bay: An utterly perfect feel good romantic comedy Page 3

  ‘I think the worst thing was people’s reactions and attitudes towards me. Of course I was investigated but the police could clearly see that beyond my tiny salary I hadn’t got a penny from the company. But despite everyone knowing I was cleared of any wrongdoings, many people, like you, still think that I had something to do with it or that I must have known something was going on.’

  ‘I don’t think you had anything to do with it.’

  Bella looked at him in surprise. ‘You don’t?’

  He shook his head. ‘I think anyone who really knows you would know you couldn’t have done it. I’ve spent five minutes with you and I can see how genuine you are.’

  ‘Well, you see more than most people. A lot of them have been supportive. But some people over on St Mary’s don’t want anything to do with me. I’ve been asked to leave some restaurants and shops and consequently getting another job has been harder than I thought.’

  ‘Have you tried the other islands? They might not be so judgemental.’

  ‘I have, but to no avail. And work here on Hope Island is almost impossible to come by.’ She turned to face him excitedly. ‘But there’s a job going at the Umbrella Foundation, a fundraising events manager, so it’s perfect for me. They are the most fantastic company to work for too. I’ve checked out how much of their funds goes directly to the charity and they have one of the biggest percentages of all the charities in the country. The CEO doesn’t even get a salary from the charity, he owns some other big companies and obviously gets paid a load from them so he takes nothing from the charity and a lot of the charity staff get paid from his other companies too. So almost all the money that is raised by the charity goes directly to help the homeless. And they don’t just provide meals and clothes and somewhere to sleep for the homeless, they actively help to get them off the streets. They help them to start their own small businesses, funding them in the first few years. They help to get them jobs too. It sounds like such a wonderful company to work for and it’s right here on Hope Island, albeit on the completely opposite side from here.’

  Isaac watched her getting excited about his company. Though he had plenty of committed staff members, he had never seen someone with so much enthusiasm or passion for the charity before.

  ‘You should contact them,’ Bella said. ‘They might be able to help you. There’s a restaurant in St Mary’s that is owned by a former homeless person. All of the staff there are or were homeless. They are trained up as waiters, chefs, bar managers and many of the staff then go on to be leading chefs or managers in other restaurants. It’s a great stepping stone and the Umbrella Foundation works closely with the restaurant. I bet they would give you a job – even if it’s only a few hours a week to start with, it’s something. You should come with me on Monday to the interview and at least speak to them.’

  God, this was getting more and more complicated.

  ‘Maybe I will.’

  ‘Monday could be a good day for us both,’ Bella said excitedly.

  He smiled. It could be a good day for her if he could persuade the rest of the panel to take her on. He wanted her for this job; someone with passion and enthusiasm for the role. However, it wouldn’t be a good day for him when she found out he had been lying to her. From the way she’d handled herself in the row with her brother, something told him there would be hell to pay once she found out the truth.

  Chapter Three

  Bella plonked herself down on the sofa next to Zach and passed him a glass of water and a small chocolate brownie, courtesy of Mr Kemble. ‘So tell me your story, how did you end up on the streets?’

  She watched as the smile faded from his face. ‘It’s not something I want to talk about.’

  ‘Oh.’ She felt the rebuke like a slap in the face.

  ‘I know you trusted me with your story and it’s not that I don’t trust you with mine. It’s just that if I told you the truth, I don’t think you would be happy to be sitting here with me now. I love that you have no judgements of me, that we can sit here and talk like this, but I rather wish that… the path that led me to here had never happened because it’s something I can’t undo.’

  ‘I would never judge you. We have all made mistakes in our past and it would never be fair to judge you on them now. But I understand if you’re not comfortable talking about it. Let’s talk about something else instead. Where were you born, where did you grow up?’

  Zach smiled, obviously relieved to move on to a subject that he was comfortable talking about. He took a bite of his brownie and chewed slowly, almost as if he was considering his answer.

  ‘Born on St Mary’s but I lived here for the first eight years of my life.’

  ‘You lived here on Hope Island? We might have played together as kids. How old are you?’

  ‘Thirty-three.’

  ‘Oh I’m twenty-seven, we probably didn’t mix in the same circles. Rome is thirty-one and Eden is thirty, so you might have known them.’

  Zach shrugged. ‘The names don’t ring a bell. They would have been a few years below me at school.’

  ‘How funny that we probably used to play on the same beach, go cycling through the same woods. It’s a small world. Do you remember the funfairs we used to have here every spring?’

  He grinned. ‘Yes, they were amazing. The bumper cars, the haunted house, the ghost train—’

  ‘And the big wheel! I used to love and hate going on that in equal measure. It was always a thrill to see the whole of the island and everyone there below us like tiny ants and feeling like I was king of the world as the wheel went up in the air but then we’d get to the top and I always felt like we were going to fall. I remember feeling so scared but as soon as we got back down we’d queue back up to ride it again. The tourists would come over just to see the fair and they’d always tell us local kids that we were so lucky to live here all the time. I never really appreciated that until I was older. I loved the smells, the candyfloss and the toffee apples and Uncle Finn would always try to win us the biggest, fattest teddy to take home on all the little games.’

  ‘And the fireworks at the end of the night,’ Zach went on. ‘All that colour exploding over the sea, it looked magical. We came back to Hope Island every year just for the funfair, until they stopped doing it.’

  ‘I know, it was such a shame. It was Dougie’s parents that used to organise it.’

  ‘Dougie?’ Something in Zach’s eyes registered recognition and she wondered if he remembered him from his time on the island.

  ‘He’s a friend of ours, me, Eden and Rome. We used to hang around together as kids. Do you know him?’

  He hesitated before he shook his head.

  ‘His parents emigrated to New York when Dougie was eighteen and Dougie went with them. After that no one wanted the hassle of organising the fair again and it stopped. There was talk of starting it again but it never happened. Do you remember the ice cream shop at the end of the pier?’

  ‘Yes,’ Zach laughed. ‘Maddy used to give us free samples of any new flavours. Whenever a sign went up advertising there was a new flavour, the kids used to queue up all the way back to the start of the pier to try it out.’

  ‘I remember that too. Quite clever marketing really, because we would all use our pocket money to pay for an extra scoop or for toppings. Do you remember those little white chocolate bears she used to sell, with caramel in the middle? They were my favourite toppings. I used to go in there sometimes and just have a bag of those and Maddy never minded that I wasn’t buying ice cream.’

  ‘She was wonderful, what happened to her? The shop was still there when I left.’

  Bella shrugged. ‘I think she moved to Australia or somewhere. I remember being more gutted about the shop closing than Take That breaking up and I loved Take That. There’s a new ice cream shop in town now. It’s nice, I suppose, but nothing will ever beat Maddy’s ice cream.’

  ‘I know. When I moved to St Mary’s when I was eight, I missed her shop so much. I missed a lot abou
t Hope Island actually. I still had the beaches but it wasn’t the same as here. There’s something magical about the beaches here. There’s something about the people on Hope Island too, they look out for everyone else. I ended up moving to London when I was fifteen and lived there for many years with university and work but I wanted to come back to the Isles of Scilly. I just missed the place too much. I sold my house, made some changes at work and…’ he trailed off.

  ‘Is that when it all went wrong? Coming back here?’ Bella said but she could see Zach didn’t want to talk about that. ‘I’m not prying. I just wonder if you had all your hopes pinned on here and now you feel let down.’

  Zach didn’t say anything and she took his hand. ‘I know it feels hopeless but my nan has a saying. “What’s meant for you won’t go by you.” Something bigger and better is just around the corner for you. And I’ll do whatever I can to help you.’

  It was good to remember that although she had nothing, there were people who were in a far worse situation. She had a roof over her head and a loving family who wanted to look after her. Zach didn’t even have that.

  ‘If you wanted to stay here for a bit longer, until you sorted yourself out, I’d be happy to have you here. You could be my lodger.’

  He laughed. ‘I can’t pay you any rent.’

  ‘You don’t have to. There’s odd jobs you could help me with. There’s a bulb that needs changing at the top of the stairs and I can’t reach it even with a step ladder. I normally get Rome to do it for me whenever he comes round. I have a door that won’t close and a shelf that needs putting up. You could do those jobs for me in return for the use of my sofa and as much porridge as you want if I can get another box next week.’

  ‘Did I eat the last of your porridge?’ Zach said, horrified.

  ‘It doesn’t matter. I’ll be able to get some food from somewhere. And now that Rome knows my situation, he won’t let me live on porridge for any longer. I guarantee lunch with him tomorrow will result in me leaving his house with several bags of groceries. We could eat like kings tomorrow night. And as much as I hate relying on him like that, I need the help. And it’s a temporary measure. When I get this job for the Umbrella Foundation at least that will be a guaranteed income at the end of the month and then I can pay him back. So do you fancy some steak tomorrow night?’

  ‘Thank you, that’s really kind, but I really need to try to get back to St Mary’s tomorrow. There’s more chance of me getting a job there than there is here.’

  ‘Oh, of course.’

  She got up to throw another piece of wood into the log burner. She couldn’t help but feel disappointed about that fact. She was offering him a warm place to stay, some decent food and some company and he would much rather face a night on the streets of St Mary’s than stay with her.

  She talked too much, she knew that. Asked too many questions. ‘Sorry, I’m used to being on my own. When I have company I start talking and just don’t stop. Look, I’ll leave you to some peace and quiet; I have a good book upstairs with my name on it.’

  He caught her hand as she walked past.

  ‘Don’t go, I’m enjoying our chat. Sometimes living on the streets can be so lonely. Days go past and I don’t speak to anyone. It’s been lovely chatting to you tonight.’

  ‘Really? You don’t find me too much?’

  ‘Too much of what? Too much kindness and generosity? Too much giving your time to help those in need? Too much chatting to me like I’m a normal human being and not someone to be avoided or treated with disgust? I don’t think there can ever be too much of that. I’ve never met anyone like you before, Bella, and believe me when I say that that’s a good thing.’

  ‘OK, but if you get sick of listening to me talk, just tell me to shut up, I promise I won’t be offended.’

  ‘I don’t think I could ever get sick of listening to you talk,’

  She smiled and sat back down. ‘I know I talk too much. I don’t have many friends; I like to keep to myself. Some evenings I spend with Eden and Rome and our friend Freya, every Friday I have dinner with my family but most nights I’m here alone. And it suits me. I can read a book without being disturbed, go to bed when I want, watch what I want on TV – when I had a TV – but it means when I suddenly do have company I could talk for England.’

  ‘Why don’t you have many friends?’

  She shrugged but in reality she knew that there must be something wrong with her. She knew lots of people on the island but none of them were really her friend. Eden was her best friend but she was also her sister, which didn’t say much. Freya was her only real friend outside of the family, and Dougie of course, but he lived in America. She kept people at arm’s length, she knew that, and over the years she’d let so very few people in. Zach was still waiting for an answer so she gave him one which was at least partly true.

  ‘No one stays on Hope Island. The youngsters don’t anyway. The older people will never leave and many retire to here, but there is always a mass exodus of young folk leaving every year. The island is too small and there’s so much world out there for people to explore. Every single person in my class at school went away for university and no one came back.’

  ‘But you never wanted to leave?’

  ‘I went away to university but I couldn’t wait to get back here. This place just feels safe. I’d love to travel one day, see the world, but I think Hope Island will always be my home.’

  ‘I understand that. I’ve always missed Hope Island. I’ve wanted to come back for a long time. Do you not get lonely though, sitting here every night on your own?’

  ‘I do enjoy being alone and reading a book. Some people on the island have not been kind about the embezzlement and I was bullied as a child. Books are not mean or unkind. I can dive into a book and not fear that I’m going to get hurt. But sometimes, I do get a bit lonely. I was going to get a dog for company, someone to talk to in the evenings even if he couldn’t talk back. I went to the dog home here on Hope Island and I met the most beautiful husky-labrador cross called Alfie. Six years old and he was abandoned by his owner. I had all the house visits and I’d been to the dog shelter to take him out for walks and we just clicked. But I am struggling to find the money to feed myself, so I couldn’t realistically take him when I wouldn’t be able to feed him. Jenny at the dog home has promised to keep him as long as possible for me but I don’t want to stand in the way of him getting his forever home; someone who can love him and look after him when I can’t. That’s where I was today, visiting him. I help out there too now and again in return for them keeping Alfie for me.’

  Zach smiled. ‘Well, maybe when you get this job you can go and get him, bring him home where he belongs.’

  ‘That’s the plan. If I get the job.’

  ‘You’re perfect for it. Look at you helping the homeless tonight. If you can stop and help me, think of all the other people you could help too.’

  She laughed. ‘I never even thought of that. I should use you as a reference. Look at this homeless person I helped. Give me the job.’

  Zach laughed too.

  ‘If only it were that simple. This job is perfect for me and I think I am perfect for this role but I think the embezzlement and my past history is going to be a hard obstacle to get past, at least as far as they are concerned.’

  ‘You just need to show them the other parts to you, show them why you would be perfect for the job. OK, I’ll be the interviewer. Why do you want this job, aside from the money issue?’

  She smiled and turned to face him, crossing her legs under her. ‘Because, Mr Umbrella, I—’

  ‘Wait, Mr Umbrella?’ he laughed. ‘You don’t know the name of the person interviewing you, this CEO that you were talking about? You don’t know his name?’

  ‘Of course I do, but Isaac Scott isn’t going to be interviewing me. He has underlings for that sort of thing. I have no idea which underling will be picked for the job. I had a letter from an Amanda Jackson and I know she will be on
a panel of four people who will be grilling me but it didn’t say who else will be on the panel.’

  ‘Don’t you think that this Mr Scott bloke, who as you say puts a lot of time and effort into the charity, has a vested interest in who he employs?’

  ‘Nah. He probably does this charity for tax purposes or something. Offsets a lot of the company expenses from his other companies against the charity and then he won’t have to pay so much tax. I’m not sure how it works. I’m sure he is a very clever and very generous man but he is probably way too busy to get involved in the inner workings of the charity. And from what I gather, he lives in London. It’s a bit far for him to travel all the way down to the Scilly Isles just for an interview. I probably need to do some more research on him. I know he owns BlazeStar which makes computer programs for big companies and I know two years ago he created SparkStar which makes phone apps for companies but his photo isn’t on the websites. I probably need to find that so I recognise him if he pops his head round the door. I’m sure I can find it online somewhere, but I imagine him to be quite a portly gentleman who wears braces with his suit and probably a bowler hat. He’ll have a curly moustache and a little goatee which he styles into a point.’

  Zach burst out laughing. ‘That’s quite an image. Anyway you were telling me why you want this job.’

  ‘Well, Mr Umbrella,’ Bella said and continued despite Zach’s smile. ‘I want this job because I want to make a difference and I know this company has made great strides in reducing the homeless population and really helping to get them off the streets and into jobs and homes and I want to be a part of that.’

  ‘That’s a corporate line, they’ll hear that from everyone they interview. What’s the real reason?’

  Bella frowned, her heart sinking. ‘That is the real reason. I love working for a charity. I want to help people.’

  Zach studied her for a moment. ‘You really are one of a kind, Bella. OK, forget the interview with Mr Umbrella for a second. Why is it you want to help people?’