Stranded by Amberly Woodruff Read Free Book Online Page A

in circles. But at least she was addressing the problem   at last.
    Then, when she and Jed were finishing an evening meal of
pasta and pesto, Jed gave her a piercing look and asked her what was up. ‘Other
than cabin fever from being stuck here with me,’ he joked. And she found
herself spilling the whole dilemma to him. It didn’t feel wrong, even though,
or maybe because, she barely knew him.
    When she’d talked herself out, he got up to put the kettle
on, coming back with steaming cups of coffee.
    ‘Right,’ he said, handing one to her and settling himself on the edge of the bed. ‘Do you want feedback, or
shall I shut up?’
    ‘Feedback, please.’
    ‘Ok. So here’s how I see it. When Fi and I split, I was
pretty gutted, in fact it’s left me wary of getting involved again, but I know
that’s not right and I hope I’ll get over it in time. But at no time did I
blackmail, coerce or threaten her. I might not have liked that she wanted her
freedom, but I didn’t see the point of holding on to someone who would rather
not be with me. What would be the point? I couldn’t make her go on wanting me, after all. If you love someone, let them
go may be a trite cliché, but it does have some basis in truth. Which begs the
question: do you and Damien really love each other or are you mutually obsessed
and fulfilling some function for each other that it suits you both to maintain?
Love isn’t about threats or possession. In fact, the more I think about it, the
more I’m convinced it’s about shared interests but giving the other person the
support they need to grow - and that means also not crowding them.’  
    Tamsin had been staring at her hands throughout his speech,
but she looked up to find he was staring at her, eyes intense yet enigmatic.
She opened her mouth to speak, but Jed held up a hand. ‘Sorry, I know I’m
bulldozing you a little here, and I will listen, I promise. But I just want to
say that if someone I loved was being manipulated the way Damien is trying to
manipulate you, I’d be very worried.’
    ‘Oh…’ She felt relieved and deflated all at the same time.
‘So what do I do now?’
    Jed sighed, then smiled kindly at
her. ‘It looks as if the decision might have been taken out of your hands. After
all, you’re stuck here and have no way of contacting him, so he may have
assumed you’ve run out on him.’
    ‘Yeah, you’re right.’ She smiled at him, a weight lifting
from her. How simple it all was after all. At that moment she could feel only
relief at the possibility that there was no longer a decision to make, and that
Damien might be out of her life. ‘Gosh, this feels odd,’ she said. ‘I mean
telling you all this about my personal life when I hardly know you.’
    ‘That’s why it’s easier. I don’t have any stake in your
decision, so it’s easy for me to be objective. Anyway, being here on the island
together is a bit of a hothouse situation. We’re forced into each other’s
company, really, so we’re going to get to know each other fast.’
    ‘I suppose…yes, I hadn’t thought of that.’
    And it was true - hadn’t she been thinking herself, only
this afternoon, how familiar he seemed, out of all proportion to the short time
she’d known him?
    ‘Well, I’m going to turn in,’ Jed announced, standing up
and collecting their mugs. ‘By the way, I’ve dug out a shirt for you to wear in
bed. It’s longer than that top you’ve been wearing, so you can change in the
bathroom and not worry about hiding from me.’
    Tamsin didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed that
he obviously had no interest in her body.

Chapter 8

 
 
    It
was the middle of the night again and she was awake and alone. This time
she didn’t get up and follow Jed but lay there, drowsy and comfortable, till
she drifted into sleep again. She was vaguely aware of him coming back to bed
some time later, but was too tired to take much notice, sinking into slumber
almost