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Ash blew her a kiss. “See you soon.”

“Okay,” Nina said, her voice sticking because her throat had gone so dry.

Chapter Nine

The cab pulled up outside Cameron’s villa and Nina climbed out after Isla. Music plus the sound of people splashing was drifting along the breeze from the pool area. Isla started dancing as she made her way down the path toward the door. Nina smiled. It was good to see Isla getting back to her normal self. Nina had spoken to Noah about how Isla had been feeling, and he’d gotten the ball rolling once he’d been discharged, having a heart-to-heart with Isla then talking to the label to organise some support. They were going to have a meeting with Isla’s manager upon her return to the UK. There was a long way to go, but at least it was the start of the journey to improve Isla’s welfare.

Shaking Zac had also been good for Isla’s mental wellbeing. Nina was pretty sure that his toxicity didn’t take long to start festering in a woman’s psyche. With a spike of anxiety, she thought about Ash and hoped she’d manage to rid herself of him too.

They made their way into the villa. There were groups of people scattered through the first floor, chatting over drinks. Some of them Nina recognised. However, there was only one person she was interested in seeing, and she couldn’t spot him anywhere. She’d spoken to Cam on the phone since their tryst but hadn’t seen him in person. She scanned the room and locked eyes on him. He was speaking to Noah. She started toward them, but as she approached, someone else tapped Cam on the shoulder and led him over to another group outside. Nina hesitated, not knowing whether to follow him.

Isla caught her and gave her a nudge. “Go talk to him. He’s on the terrace, so it’s your natural making-out habitat.”

Nina laughed then tried to stifle it when Noah approached. He gave Isla a kiss on the cheek and they seemed to share an intimate look. Nina smiled. “How’re you feeling?”

“Great, thanks,” he said. “It’s fantastic to be one hundred percent again.”

“Do you need any more treatment?” Nina asked.

He shook his head. “I had some ultrasound to break up the stone and it’s been fine since. I’m just lucky that my guardian angel saved me, because I didn’t fancy a trip home on a plane when the insurance company refused to pay out for the treatment.”

Nina’s eyes widened. “I didn’t realise that. They wanted to send you home to an NHS hospital?”

Noah nodded. “But my fees were paid for me.”

“Wow,” Nina said. “The label did that? Very generous.”

Noah shook his head. “Generous, yes. Label, no. It was Cam. But don’t tell anyone, because he’s being all humble about it.”

Nina glanced out to the terrace where Cam was chatting with people. Her heart swelled. He was so kind. How on earth could she have thought any different at their first couple of encounters? She watched him run a hand through his hair and could tell that it was taking all his effort to socialise to this degree. She smiled.

Noah got them a couple of drinks and they began speaking to various people. Nina kept checking on Cam, but each time she did, he was with a new group. She wanted to speak to him on his own without getting in the way, because it was an industry event and many professionals connected with the label were there. Also, she didn’t even know what she’d do if she were alone with him. She’d already told him that nothing more could happen. That fact was solidified by hearing back from Matt that she’d interview for his post once she got home and that they viewed her as a shoo-in. Her path was set. My father’s daughter.

She turned to head to the restroom with a sigh. Why was it such a struggle? Why was the thought of leaving the island and never seeing Cameron in the flesh again so painful when it was just a crush that she’d harboured for a few measly days? I know why. Because it’s much more than just a crush.

She washed up in the bathroom, strangely unable to meet her own eyes in the mirror because the truth was dawning on her, and somehow avoiding her own gaze helped suppress the discomfort of knowing that she soon would have to tear herself away from the man she was falling for. Plus, he didn’t return her feelings, at least not with the same strength.

She wandered into the living room, looking for a distraction. Unfortunately, it came in the form of Zac, who was lounging on the sofa, sipping a beer. Nina rolled her eyes and turned to leave.

“Hey,” he said, “where’re you going?”

“None of your business,” she replied, turning to face him as he stood.

He laughed. “Still feisty. I like that.”

She shrugged. “I don’t care what you like.” His smug grin was infuriating. She remembered the tears on Isla’s face and the torment that he’d clearly given Ash over a prolonged period, and her anger intensified.

He moved toward her and she stood her ground.

“What are you even doing here?” she said. “Pretty shitty, coming to the party of a guy whose girlfriend cheated on him with you.”

Zac shrugged. “What goes around comes around. Anyway, I’m the same label as Isla. They invited me, and it’s their shindig, not his.”

Nina gritted her teeth.

He smirked. “Revenge is sweet. I’m enjoying taking stuff that’s his. His girlfriend.” He lifted his bottle. “His beer.” He suddenly raised his hand to touch her cheek. “Maybe his new girlfriend.”

In the split second before she could flinch away there was a noise at the door. Nina turned and Cameron was standing there. The colour drained from his face and he walked off, heading quickly up the stairs behind him.