The Love Island Bookshop by Kate Frost (ebook reader with internet browser .TXT) 📕

‘Welcome to Loabi Fushi!’ Meena, Zander’s PA and the woman who’d first interviewed her, greeted her with a beaming smile. ‘It’s wonderful to finally meet you, Freya.’

Freya got the sense she was being greeted with as much enthusiasm as if she was a guest. The nervousness she’d felt in Zander’s presence the evening before slowly began to ebb away.

‘You must have had quite a journey with your stop-off on Makumathi,’ Meena said as they followed the guests along the slatted wooden dock.

‘Yes, but it’s been a good start. I met Zander too. He said you’d be showing me around.’

‘He’ll be back in a couple of days but till then you’ll have to make do with me. I’ll show you to the staff village.’

Up ahead, the couples disappeared beneath the trees, and apart from her and Meena, there wasn’t another person about. She was struck by the absolute peace. The water on either side of the walkway was achingly clear and Freya could see down to the sandy seabed. Fish darted about on either side, swimming alongside the walkway right up to the shallows.

‘Is that a shark?’ Freya stopped and peered down at a small shark zigzagging through the water.

‘Our friendly black-tip reef sharks. You’ll spot lots of them. Our house reef is renowned. It’s one of the absolute highlights of staying here.’

They left the midday sun for the shade of the trees, and the path split, with wooden signs pointing in different directions to ‘beach + dive school’, ‘pool’ and ‘spa’.

‘Most of the restaurants and bars can be reached down there.’ Meena pointed in the opposite direction to the way they were going.

Everything was familiar despite it being the first time she’d set foot on the island. It was better in real life, though, with mottled sunlight warming her shoulders through the leaves and the constant sound of the ocean and the call of birds in the trees.

Another path split three ways with wooden signs indicating ‘staff only’ ‘beach + restaurants’ and ‘island walk’. ‘The managers’ accommodation and our offices are set back from the main guest area – we call it our forest hideaway. If you need me, you can usually find me there most of the time.’

‘Do you live on the island then?’

‘For a few weeks at a time, then I go home to Kochi. I grew up in England but moved to India with my family when I was sixteen. Then it was back to England for uni before working here.’

They followed the sandy path signposted ‘island walk’. The gentle rush of waves breaking was overtaken by the chatter of insects as they headed deeper into the island’s forested interior.

‘And is this where Zander lives when he’s not travelling?’ Freya asked.

‘It’s his home.’

‘He’s got a place here?’

Meena nodded. ‘It’s a big enough island and to be fair, he spends most of his time here. The beach villas cover about half of the island, and there are the over-water villas too. There’s plenty of space and long stretches of empty beach with no overlooking villas. Zander could have developed it more but he chose not to. He’s kept it tranquil and exclusive. Plus, no expense has been spared on the staff accommodation either which, in general, is rather unusual. Not all islands offer a place to stay quite like Loabi Fushi does... Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a patch on the guest accommodation but we’re very lucky. And Zander has his own private area of beach and forest too.’

‘I can’t get over how peaceful it is,’ Freya said, glancing up at the luminous green canopy protecting them from the sun. ‘I know it’s a big island but with the amount of guests you can accommodate I expected to see someone.’

‘To be honest, there’s very little reason for guests to stray far from their villa unless they’re going for a dive, to the spa or eating out. Everyone has space and privacy. Guests do enjoy walking around the island, but that tends to be earlier in the day or a stroll at dusk. You’re more likely to see a member of staff in the middle of the day. This is the most direct route to the staff accommodation; it’s a good ten-minute walk so do bear that in mind if you need to get anywhere for a certain time. It’s not as far to the bookshop, just a few minutes across the other side of the island. Zander liked the idea of the bookshop being away from everywhere else – it certainly gives it the kind of tranquillity he craves.’

‘So there’s nothing nearby?’

‘Well, everything can be reached in about fifteen minutes, but the bookshop has purposefully been kept separate. It’s idyllic; you’ll see for yourself soon enough.’

Freya felt excitement bubbling at the thought that her commute to work would be along a sandy path beneath tropical trees. It couldn’t be more different to her commute back in London: an early start with a walk along grey streets, often in the rain, to the Tube, and then a twenty-minute journey on the Underground before she reached the office. Yes, London was an exciting city to live in, there was lots going on and lots of good things about it, but the traffic, smog and noise was beaten hands down here by the ocean, sand and peace.

Lost in her own thoughts, she realised that Meena was talking again.

‘There are more staff than there are guests. We have two bars and three restaurants, a spa, dive centre, plus we have cleaners, private butlers, an ecologist, a marine conservation site and now of course the bookshop. It’s Zander’s pet project. It means a lot to him, so it’s a big deal that he’s entrusting it to you.’

Freya had already been feeling nervous, but the combination of Zander, Meena and finally being on the island, which was hands-down more impressive than photos and video had suggested, had only intensified that feeling. It was a unique job – the sole