The Heartbreak Hotel (Sandy Springs #1)

Epilogue

Ella—Eight Months Later

“Okay, Zigs, cross your little cat toes.” Ella eyed her adopted son as he observed her from the safety of the garden wall. “This time, it’s going to work.”

His green eyes betrayed his indifference as he turned away to begin cleaning himself.

Ella blew out a focused breath, peeking back inside the window to check everything was still dark. She didn’t want to wake Riley on the first day of her new job. She’d been such a jitty ball of nerves, Ella wanted to make sure she had the best possible start to the morning.

She plucked at her wet pyjama top, the sticky citrus scent of the oranges filling her nostrils. This shouldn’t be this hard. With a silent prayer to her turkey guide, she turned the dials, and the blender started to whir. Easy…easy. She inched it higher, and it let out a whooshing noise, firing juice up into the brightening sky.

“No, no, no.” She slapped her hand on top of the fountain, and Ziggy jumped down to sniff at the juice covering the patio. “Fuck’s sake.” She should’ve paid more attention to Riley when she’d shown her how to use it, but, well, Ella was easily distracted by her strong arms.

The door to the patio swung open, and Ella’s stomach dropped.

“No!” Ella flailed her arms, and more juice shot up, hitting her in the face. “You’re not supposed to be up yet.”

Riley pulled the door open fully, her eyes following the extension lead through the window, then the stains on the patio, before landing back on Ella. “What are you doing?” Her mouth curled with amusement as she turned off the machine and pulled a strand of orange peel out of Ella’s hair.

“I wanted to make you fresh juice, but I didn’t wanna wake you, so I moved it out here.” She huffed, shaking her head. “But the juice won’t stay in the damn thing.”

“You’re adorable.” She grabbed her hands, tugging her upright so she could plant a kiss on her mouth. Ella swooned, and Riley licked her lips. “You really have got oranges…everywhere.”

“I think it’s broken.”

“You’re missing an important piece that goes in the top. Which stops it from looking like you’ve massacred a grove of innocent oranges.”

“Where? I wanted to surprise you.”

Riley grinned. “Well, mission accomplished.” She ducked inside to fetch the missing piece that must’ve been hiding from Ella and slotted it in the top.

Ella rolled her eyes, and Riley leaned in to kiss the corner, making her giggle.

“Try it now.”

Ella switched the machine on, and the blender whirred, keeping all the contents inside. “Show off,” she muttered.

After they’d shared fresh orange juice, watching the sun rise higher over the gentle sea, Ella jumped in the shower to wash the fruit remnants out of her hair. Her own belly tingled with nerves. As much as this was a monumental day for Riley, it was for her, too.

The eight months since their agreement to stay on the island had flown by. Truthfully, the decision to swap England for the beautiful shores of Portugal wasn’t a hard one for Ella, and she’d practically leapt at Riley to kiss her face off. Sure, she missed Winnie and her family, but video calls helped lessen the distance—she’d even seen her mother more since living abroad. The time apart from Riley in the beginning was difficult too, but the space just affirmed everything she already knew. She was hopelessly in love with her.

They’d worked tirelessly updating the island in the quieter winter months, working with the locals to fix some of the abandoned structures on the cliffs into usable areas and giving them a new burst of life. This was Ella’s biggest work project ever, and Riley’s support and unwavering trust gave her the confidence to push herself. Her marketing and design experience came in handy when updating the course materials, and her new advertising strategy had them already sold out for the year. To say Senhor Arenoso was pleased with Ella would be an understatement.

She was pretty damn pleased with herself too.

She towel-dried her hair, letting the natural humidity shape it into waves over her shoulders, then slipped on the dress she’d been saving—a red knee-length floaty number that hugged her curves and pushed up her breasts. Matching red lipstick coated her lips, and she gave herself a smile in the mirror before stepping out of the bathroom.

Riley pulled her brand-new uniform over her head—another part of Ella’s rebranding process—and ran her fingers through her hair. Ella had suggested they switch to blue for the uniform, Riley’s favourite colour, and the fresh look seemed to give her a shot of confidence.

“Ready to go, boss?”

The teasing lilt to Ella’s voice made Riley turn her head, and her mouth dropped.

That was exactly the reaction she’d been hoping for.

Ella twirled her hips, the dress swaying around her thighs. Riley’s eyes roamed her hungrily, and she raised an eyebrow. “You keep looking at me like that, and we’re gonna be late.”

“I’m sure they’ll wait five minutes,” Riley said, closing the distance between them and roaming her hands over Ella’s waist. “Maybe ten.”

“Cheeky.”

Riley kissed her, and they melted together, her mouth soft and inviting. Ella would never tire of that first brush of their lips. The soft curve of Riley’s mouth and how it fit so perfectly against hers. She pulled away, breaking the kiss, but Riley held her firmly by the hips.

Ella brushed a thumb over Riley’s mouth. “You’re getting my lipstick all over you.”

“I don’t mind.”

Her eyes flicked over her with amusement. “What will people think?”

“That I can’t keep my hands off you? And they’d be right. I love you. I don’t care what people think.” She kissed her again, slipping her tongue into her mouth. Just a little tease that made Ella groan.

Ella pulled away once more. “I love you too. But we can’t be late. You can do whatever you want to me afterwards.” She traced a fingertip up Riley’s sternum, watching her inhale. “How about that…boss?”

Riley grinned, dimples forming in her cheeks. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”

Hand in hand, they walked down the steps and onto the dusty pathway leading to the courtyard. They passed friendly faces, each offering their congratulations. With every one, Ella’s anticipation grew.

“You’ve got this,” she said, feeling the same energy buzzing around Riley. She pressed a kiss to her knuckles as they rounded the top of the hill.

Riley tilted her head back, letting the sun’s warm rays on her face, and Ella mirrored her. Sporadic cirrus clouds swirled in the blue sky above them, dissipating as they drifted along the breeze. Riley’s favourites.

“Look.” Ella bumped Riley’s shoulder, and she followed the tip of her finger to a cloud above their heads. “That one looks like Cher. See the long hair down her back?”

Riley chuckled, squinting to try and see Ella’s vision. “Mm. I don’t know. I’m getting more of a horse than Cher.”

“Do you think the cloud believes in life after love?” Ella bit her cheek.

Riley nudged her with her elbow. “Shut up, you eejit.”

Below them, some of the locals had gathered on the stone flags, chatting among themselves. Once they spotted Riley and Ella walking towards them, cheers erupted from the courtyard. Senhor Arenoso stood among the group, and when he laid eyes on them, the biggest grin spread across his face.

“ Bom dia .” He embraced Riley and gave Ella a kiss on the cheek. “You ready?”

The group descended the steps towards Senhor Arenoso’s hut and the cliffs, winding down the hillside. The flora bloomed, dotting the greenery with purple and blue flowers. The light breeze tousled Ella’s hair, and she threaded her fingers through Riley’s, inhaling the salty sea air.

When they arrived at the renovated cabin nestled in the rockface, freshly painted white, the view stretched for miles ahead of them. Birds ferried between the cliff faces, the sun casting white reflections across the gentle waves.

Ella turned to Riley, noticing the moisture gathering in her eyes. “You deserve this.”

“Thanks, Ells.” She returned her smile and gave her a small nod, and Ella joined the small group of locals excited about the grand opening, leaving Riley with Senhor Arenoso.

Ella greeted everyone in her broken Portuguese. She was getting progressively better, but somehow, she didn’t mind so much that it took time.

Her gaze fell on the cabin. They’d spent the last few months fixing the old storage space, fitting new windows and clearing out the debris, repairing the roof and ordering the new stock. Ella was actually pretty decent with a hammer; who knew? It’d been a busy but quiet few weeks without any guests, finalising everything for the new course, but they were more than ready for the fresh wave of people due on a plane tomorrow. Ella’s family were also due to visit soon, and she couldn’t wait to see them. But for now, it was time to put their hard work into practice.

Senhor Arenoso clapped his hands together, quieting the group. Without a word, he rested his hand on Riley’s shoulder, passed her the scissors and bowed out of the way to stand with the others .

Ella’s attention landed on Riley, and her heart squeezed.

A year ago, Riley had never dreamed of sharing her paintings with anyone. Now, as part of some of their changes to the course, she had her very own studio. Her very own studio for teaching classes.

Tears pricked Ella’s eyelids, while pride burst in her chest.

Riley’s gaze moved over the friendly faces before finding Ella’s. Ever since they’d shared that terrible first kiss—if you can even count giving someone mouth-to-mouth as a first kiss—Riley had left a mark on her. They’d tried, pointlessly, to fight their connection, but it was clear that the guides had other plans. She’d challenged her, opened her eyes, helped her to heal and move forward. Ella knew she could do anything as long as the two of them were together.

The dolphin and the turkey. What an unlikely, perfectly imperfect pair.

Riley grinned and slipped the ribbon between the scissors. Lifting her gaze, she blew out a breath before snipping the silk in two. Applause thundered around her, and Ella ran to wrap her arms around her neck, planting a soft kiss on her mouth.

Sandy Springs was officially under new management.

THE END