Island in the Sea by Anita Hughes Read Free Book Online Page A

married.”
    *   *   *
    Juliet crossed the plaza and hurried up the stone steps of the Hotel Salvia. She pictured Gabriella’s dark hair and green eyes. She heard her high, clear voice and felt her chest expand.
    She pictured Lydia ladling spinach leaves onto ceramic plates. She remembered her saying she was a teacher in San Francisco, but it didn’t work out. She pictured her eyes clouding over and her hands twisting her napkin.
    Suddenly she felt something lift inside her. She entered the drawing room and approached the concierge’s desk.
    â€œGood evening, Miss Lyman.” The concierge looked up from his notes. “It’s such a beautiful night, would you like me to make you a reservation at Ca’n BoQueta? The chef makes a delicious salmon tartar and all the young people go there.”
    â€œDo you have a library where guests can borrow books?” Juliet asked.
    â€œOf course, follow me.” The concierge led her into a room with paneled walls and a beamed ceiling. It had a stone fireplace and tall bookshelves.
    â€œCan I keep them if I promise to replace them?” Juliet asked.
    â€œTake whatever you like.” The concierge walked to the door and turned around. “Miss Lyman, there are more things to do in Majorca than sit in your room and read. A beautiful young woman should be drinking mojitos at Bar Nicolás or dancing to the DJ at Nikki Beach.”
    Juliet approached the bookshelf and saw tattered copies of Moby-Dick and The Sun Also Rises . She saw a selection of John Grisham books and a pile by Danielle Steel. She looked up and her face lit into a smile.
    â€œDon’t worry, they’re not for me.”

chapter four
    L IONEL STOOD IN THE PANTRY and selected a jar of marmite and a loaf of whole wheat bread. He carried them into the kitchen and arranged them on the tile counter. He poured a glass of orange juice and took a long gulp. He glanced at his reflection in the silver fridge and groaned.
    Juliet would be there in less than an hour and he was still in his silk pajamas. He studied his reflection more closely and knew that even a shower and a shave wouldn’t fix the circles under his eyes or give his cheeks some color.
    He had stayed awake all night, staring at the mosaic ceiling. He pictured Juliet in her blue knit dress and white leather sandals. He saw her waving her phone and telling him he owed Gideon one hundred sixty-six thousand dollars. Would Gideon really expect him to repay his advance and where on earth would he find the money?
    He slipped on his suede John Lobb slippers and padded down the wood staircase. He sat on the floral sofa, grinding cigarettes into the glass ashtray. He thought of all the things he wanted to say to Gideon: how dare he send an account executive who was as old as his favorite Canali tie. Was he really supposed to take orders from someone who was in kindergarten when he received his first Grammy?
    He stubbed out the last cigarette and searched the house for an extra packet of Marlboros. He looked in all the places he hid cigarettes on the rare days he wanted to quit: in the piano, behind the Cézanne, wrapped in a plastic bag in the birdbath. Finally he entered the kitchen and opened the fridge. He ate a container of guacamole and an apple. Then he moved to the pantry and found a tin of Harrods’s chocolate biscuits. He poured a glass of milk and slumped on the leather stool.
    *   *   *
    Lionel glanced at the ceramic clock and thought he could run upstairs and splash his face with water. But maybe if Juliet saw the misery she was causing, she’d pack her red Coach purse and go home. He pictured Juliet telling Gideon he was unsalvageable and they should leave him alone.
    He heard a knock on the door and flinched.
    â€œCome in, I’m in the kitchen,” he called, spreading marmite on bread.
    Juliet entered the room and glanced at the counter littered with toffee