Isaac watched Bella as she dozed, the early morning sunshine flooding through the window. He had to get back for the interview but he didn’t want to leave her. Though the doctors had reassured him that she was fine, he wanted to make sure of that for himself and more than anything he wanted to clear the air between them, explain to her why he’d done what he’d done.

They hadn’t spoken since his half-hearted confession the night before and he strongly suspected she was only pretending to be asleep. She had seemed to come round again an hour or so later but she had closed her eyes again and rolled over away from him.

His phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out to have a look. It was a text message from his PA to say that his assistant manager had called in sick. Amanda lived in Cornwall and it was a long way to come if she wasn’t feeling well. If he stayed here and didn’t go to the interview that would only leave Madge and Eric on the panel and he didn’t trust either of them to choose the best person for the job.

Crap.

He’d have to go. And the worst thing was, the person he really wanted for the job would no longer be able to come to the interview. The only way round it would be not to appoint at the interview today and then re-advertise the position a few weeks down the line and hope she applied for it again. But if she found out who he was before then, there was no way she would apply. What a complete mess and it was totally of his making too.

A nurse he’d met several times already since their arrival at the hospital came into the room and fussed around Bella for a minute or two, checking her pulse and the monitors, but Bella didn’t respond to her either.

‘Are you sure she’s OK?’ Isaac asked.

‘She’s fine, she’ll have a headache for a few days and some soreness and bruising but she just needs some rest. There’s absolutely no reason for you to worry.’

Isaac nodded and looked at his watch. Damn it, he really needed to go. He stood up and leaned over Bella, placing a kiss on her cheek. ‘I have to go,’ he whispered. ‘I’m sorry. About everything.’

She didn’t move, though he did see her eyelashes flutter ever so slightly.

He hesitated for a moment but when there was still no response, he moved to go.

‘Will you keep her in overnight tonight?’

The nurse shook her head. ‘I imagine she’ll be here for most of the day, but that the doctor will discharge her early evening.’

He looked at his watch. The interviews would probably take until lunch. ‘Can you tell her that I’m really sorry that I had to go but that I’ll be back this afternoon?’

The nurse nodded and he left.

What the hell was he going to do now?

* * *

‘He’s gone,’ the nurse said. ‘You can stop pretending you’re asleep now.’

Bella opened her eyes and surreptitiously checked the room then rolled onto her back and the nurse helped her to sit up. Her back ached and she felt stiff. Her head was sore but the wooziness was mostly gone. ‘How did you know I was awake?’

‘Honey, I’ve been doing this job for nearly thirty years. I’m pretty good at spotting the signs. Did you and your boyfriend have a row?’

‘He’s not my boyfriend.’

‘Relative? Friend?’

‘No. I have no idea who he is,’ Bella said, sadly, realising that was the truth.

‘Well he seemed to be very concerned about you for someone you don’t know.’

Bella stared at a poster on the wall without really seeing it. They had talked so much over the last two nights. They had a connection that was so real, something that she’d never felt with any other man before, and she refused to believe that all of that was a lie.

Her memory from the night before was still groggy but she was pretty sure that he’d said that the car and the boat was his, that he wasn’t homeless and that his name wasn’t even Zach. Had she imagined all of that? Perhaps she should have talked to him instead of pretending that she was asleep. But if what he’d said was true then she felt so let down that he had lied to her and, even worse, disappointed in herself for trusting someone again.

Suddenly a thought struck her. ‘What time is it?’

The nurse checked her watch. ‘Quarter past nine.’

Bella gasped. She had to be at the Umbrella Foundation at ten. She was still in her clothes from the night before which were covered in dirt and blood. If she left the hospital now she might be able to get the nine thirty ferry which would get her into Hope Island around quarter to ten. The Umbrella Foundation was about a ten-minute walk from where the ferry came in so she could make it on time but there was no time to go home and get changed. Damn it. Though turning up in blood-covered clothes was at least better than not turning up at all or turning up late. Another idea came to her. Her aunt Cassie’s charity shop was near the harbour. She might have something that was semi-respectable for an interview. Although, knowing her aunt’s sense of fashion and what she liked to display in the shop, it was more likely to be something from the seventies than anything modern, but it would have to do.

She threw the sheets back and stood up. ‘I need to go.’

‘Oh no you don’t, young lady, the doctor has to discharge you,’ the nurse said, folding her arms in disapproval.

‘I’ll discharge myself. I take full responsibility for my actions. But as you already told…’ she waved her hand at Zach’s chair ‘… my friend, there’s absolutely nothing to worry about, I think I’ll be fine.’

The nurse glared at her but what was she going to do, manhandle her back into bed and tie her to it?

The woman shook her head with annoyance. ‘I’ll get you the form.’

Bella nodded and waited for her to leave the room. She looked around the room: no coat, no bag, she couldn’t even clean her teeth. None of it mattered though, if she could just get to the Umbrella Foundation in time, then she at least would have tried her best.

Without waiting for the nurse to come back with the discharge form and her disapproving glares, she opened the door and peered out. When she could see the corridor was clear, she ran down it, down the stairs and outside, and then out onto the street.

She had fifteen minutes to get to the quay which she knew was about ten minutes away but how much time had she lost getting out of the hospital?

She ran as fast as she could and just hoped it would be enough.

Bella made it just as Bob was untying the ropes of the ferry and she waved and shouted like mad as she ran down the jetty. Bob smiled at her and held out a hand to help her aboard which she gladly took.

‘I haven’t got my pass or my purse or any money, I’m going to have to owe you,’ Bella said, panting for breath.

Bob frowned. ‘What happened to your face?’

‘I fell, I’m fine. Can I pay you back tomorrow?’

Bob waved away her concerns as he went off to drive the boat. She sat down relieved and looked up at the clock. The boat was leaving two minutes late. This wasn’t good at all.

She looked around. Although there were a few tourists on the boat heading over to enjoy the delights of Hope Island, most of the passengers were people she knew either from her time working on St Mary’s or because they lived on Hope Island.

‘Bella, dear, what happened?’ Alexandra from the fish shop sat down next to her with concern.

Before Bella could answer, Molly who had worked in the shop opposite Magic Wishes on St Mary’s, leaned forward to look at her. ‘Someone probably punched her for stealing all their money.’

Alexandra clearly took great offence at that, pulling herself up to her full height. ‘I don’t think that’s appropriate or at all accurate.’

‘Should be ashamed of herself,’ chimed in Nora, who Bella knew worked on St Mary’s but lived on Hope Island.

Alexandra looked shocked. ‘I’ll have you know—’

Bella rested a hand on hers to stop Alexandra fighting her battles for her. She was used to this and, while it didn’t happen that often on Hope Island, she knew a lot of people felt this way.

‘It’s OK, Alexandra. People will believe what they want to believe. And I’m not ashamed, not in the slightest, as I had nothing to do with the embezzlement at Magic Wishes. If people want to waste their energy being bitter and angry with me over something I didn’t do, then let them get on with it.’

Molly and Nora fell silent though Bella knew she had done nothing to change their minds.

Alexandra nodded and then gestured to her injuries. ‘Are you OK?’

‘I just fell, I’m fine,’ Bella reassured her.

Elizabeth, the lady sitting on the other side of Alexandra, leaned forward. ‘Don’t you have that interview at the Umbrella Foundation this morning?’

Bella blinked. Was there really nothing more exciting going on in Hope Island that meant that her applying for a new job wasn’t a hot topic of conversation? It wasn’t exactly a secret but she would prefer some of the islanders not to know in case it somehow prejudiced those in charge at the Umbrella Foundation before she’d even walked through the doors.

She cleared her throat. ‘Yes, sadly in about twenty minutes.’

Elizabeth regarded Bella’s clothing and then took off her scarf. ‘Why don’t you use this to cover up some of the blood?’

‘Thank you, that’s very kind, but I’m going to my aunt Cassie’s shop to see if she can lend me something. I don’t think your scarf will be enough to cover up my jeans and Converse trainers too.’

Elizabeth pulled a face. ‘Child, there is nothing in that shop that is anywhere near suitable for an interview. Take the scarf, just in case.’

Bella took it, wondering if it was large enough to wrap around her whole body because she knew in her heart that Elizabeth was right. ‘Thank you.’

They arrived at the dock and Bella jumped ashore before Bob had even tied the boat up, giving him a wave as he shook his head fondly at her.

She ran out of the harbour and burst into her aunt’s charity shop. Everyone stopped to look at her, some of them tutting at her behaviour.

Her aunt Cassie came running towards her, clearly concerned. Cassie was Finn’s sister and, never having had children of her own, she had taken to spoiling her nieces and nephew with great abundance. It was just a shame that a lot of her generosity was passing on some of the more ghastly donations that landed in the shop.

‘Bella, what happened to your head, are you OK?’

‘I’m fine Cassie, I fell. I’ve been at the hospital, they’ve stitched me back up, they said I was fine,’ Bella lied. ‘I need your help. I have an interview in ten minutes and I’ve just got back from St Mary’s. I haven’t got time to go home and change, do you have anything smart that might fit me?’

Cassie looked her up and down and then bustled off to one of the rails. ‘I don’t really stock suits.’

Bella looked around the shop, which was full of a mishmash of old paintings, chipped and stained crockery, ugly vases, and even a dead stuffed squirrel, perched on a branch that was propped up against a metallic painting of Jesus. There were some clothes, but all of them were garish, hideous and probably had never been in fashion even when they were made.

‘A dress maybe,’ Bella said desperately. ‘I just need anything that’s smart and that fits me.’

‘Well that’s the problem, dear, you’re so tiny. Oh, I have something that’s just come in.’

‘I’ll take anything…’ She looked down at her red Converse. ‘And I’ll need some shoes too.’

Cassie disappeared out into the stock room and Bella looked around the shop, hoping that a nice black suit would grab her attention. Even if it was a few sizes too big, it would have to do.

‘I have this,’ Cassie said, as she came out the store room, holding a bridesmaid dress with large puffy sleeves that was bright neon green in colour. It was so bright, it actually hurt Bella’s eyes and could almost be classed as hi-vis. If she had been working as road maintenance she would have been visible from miles away wearing this. Cassie turned it round so Bella could see the back, which had the world’s biggest bow over the bottom.

‘Do you have anything else?’ Bella said, looking down at her own clothes and wondering if the blood and mud would be better than the green monstrosity.

‘I can check,’ Cassie said, doubtfully.

Bella looked up at the clock over the till that was made entirely of knives and forks. She had five minutes to get there and she knew it would take her ten minutes to walk.

‘I’ll take it,’ Bella said. ‘I’ll get changed here, if that’s OK. And can I pay you back tomorrow?’

‘Consider it a gift,’ Cassie said smiling. Bella couldn’t think of a more horrible gift but she hugged her aunt anyway as she went into the changing room and threw it on.

‘What size shoe are you, Bella?’ Cassie asked through the curtain.

‘Four,’ Bella called, as she tugged up the zip at the back.

She looked at herself in the mirror, realising that the dress was perhaps even more hideous now it was on than it had been on the hanger. But there was no time to find anything else.

She pulled back the curtains as her aunt offered her a pair of bright pink stilettos. ‘Sorry, it was these or the walking boots.’

Bella forced on a smile and took the shoes, placing a kiss on Cassie’s cheek.

‘Thank you, I owe you.’

Leaving her Converse on for now, and with the shoes in one hand and the bottom of the dress in the other, Bella set off at a run for the Umbrella Foundation.

* * *

Isaac adjusted his tie in the mirror. He’d had enough time to throw on his spare suit that he kept in his office before he had to go out and address the people that had arrived for the interview. Quite a few of those waiting in the foyer would not be coming into the interview stage. He would always try to ‘visit’ potential candidates in his homeless disguise before they were invited in for an interview in order to whittle down the candidates, but occasionally he couldn’t get round to them all before the interview letters were sent out. He’d had to visit five of them after they had been invited to interview, including Bella. Normally he would go through the motions of interviewing them anyway as he didn’t want to be seen to be wasting anyone’s time. But today he didn’t want to waste his own time like that. He wanted to get back to the hospital, make sure that Bella was OK and explain everything to her.

He straightened his jacket and stepped outside where his PA, Claudia, was waiting. Ever efficient, she handed him the list, although he already knew the names of the people he wanted to interview in his head.

He took the lift down to the foyer and as soon as he stepped out the buzz and chatter of the candidates died down.

‘Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming today. I’m—’

Just then the front door burst open and there stood Bella, dressed in a floor-length neon green dress that might have been a bridesmaid dress at one point or a really bad eighties ball gown. Her hair was a tangle of curls, she was sweaty and panting, but he’d never seen anything so beautiful and welcome in all his life. She looked around but didn’t see him. Unfortunately, his gaze on her drew all the attention of the candidates on her as well and some of them stifled giggles at her outfit.

She bent down and removed her red Converse trainers and pulled on some Barbie pink heels, giving everyone in the room an eyeful of her ample breasts as she did so.

He cleared his throat to divert everyone’s attention back on him and as he addressed the crowd he saw Bella look over in his direction too. He didn’t dare look at her but here was his chance to explain to her.

‘Thank you all for coming. I’m Isaac Scott, CEO of the Umbrella Foundation. The charity is very important to me and whenever a paid position comes up in the company I always like to make sure we have the absolute best person for the job.’

He saw Bella stepping closer and he glanced at her very briefly. Her eyes were wide and her mouth had fallen open as if she was in a cartoon. He looked away and carried on.

‘Compassion for the homeless is integral to everything we do, so that is why I visited you all over the last few weeks, in disguise, to see how you would react to having a homeless person outside your own home.’ There were a few gasps of shock from the candidates. ‘Many of you here acted as I would hope, offering me money, food, blankets, even in one case a bed for the night.’ He locked eyes with Bella but the shocked expression had now faded and in its place was pure anger. ‘Some of you, sadly, did not pass this first test and as such I can’t progress your application to the interview stage. I’m very sorry for wasting your time. If I do not call your name out now, you are free to go and I will of course reimburse you for your time and any expenses occurred coming here today. You just need to speak to my PA, Claudia, and she will make sure you are not out of pocket. If I call your name now, you can come with me to the waiting area where we have teas, coffees and pastries for you while you wait for your turn to be interviewed.’

He ran down his list of successful candidates, making sure that Bella’s name was called out too. He looked over to her one more time, trying to convey in that single look how sorry he was before he walked over to the door that led to the waiting room. There was an angry buzz from the people that were not successful but he’d let Claudia deal with that. She was calm and polite and, once they were all reimbursed, he imagined they would all go away.

He held the door open for his candidates, greeting them politely, telling them all to make themselves comfortable, taking on the comments from them about how they had no idea they were being tested when he’d visited them, but all he could think about was what he would say to Bella when she walked into the room, or what she would say to him. However, as the last person walked into the room and helped themselves to a pastry, Bella was conspicuous by her absence. He briefly checked the room again but he knew that he wouldn’t have missed her walking in, her or that dress. He looked back out into the foyer where the unsuccessful candidates were still gathered around Claudia but there was no sign of Bella anywhere. He moved back out fully into the foyer and cast around for her desperately but she was nowhere to be seen. She had gone.