Page 27 of The Island Villa

“If you don’t check,” Mark said, “you’ll find yourself in Greece with nothing to wear that isn’t revealing or borderline indecent.”

There was every chance that he could be right, but still his comments were starting to irritate and upset her. He seemed oblivious to the fact that there was so much more to this than simply deciding what to pack. This wasn’t a vacation. It wasn’t a trip she was looking forward to. She was dreading it. He knew she was dreading it, so why couldn’t he just say poor you, this must be hard? Or maybe give her a comforting hug and assure her everything was going to be fine.

“I’m not a child, Mark. I can make my own wardrobe decisions.” When had he become so judgmental? Perhaps he’d always been that way and she hadn’t noticed.

Or maybe something else was behind his words.

She was about to spend two weeks on a Greek island in summer, and he wasn’t coming with her.

Maybe that was bothering him but he didn’t like to say so because of the boundaries they’d set.

She closed the case and smiled at him. “Do you mind me going?”

“Why would I mind?”

“Because time off is precious, and we could be spending those two weeks together. I could ask my mother if you could join me.” She wasn’t sure why she’d said that. Did she even want him to join her? She couldn’t picture Mark in Greece.

It was difficult to know which of them was more startled by the question.

He was looking at her as if she’d just asked him to jump from an aircraft without a parachute. “Why would you do that? Why would I join you?”

“Because it’s Greece, and Corfu is a special place.” It was true that the island stirred up uncomfortable feelings and memories for her, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t acknowledge its beauty. “We could spend the time relaxing. Swimming. Reading on the beach.”

He pulled a face. “Beach holidays aren’t my thing. You know I prefer city breaks. Museums. Galleries. Something more cerebral. It’s what you enjoy too, which is another reason I don’t understand why you’re doing this. You’re not a beach person either.”

She thought back to her childhood. Once, she’d been a beach person. There had been nothing she’d loved more than swimming in the sea.

She frowned slightly. “I thought maybe it would be something fun to do together. We’ve both been so busy lately.”

“Two weeks is a long time, and we don’t need to live in each other’s pockets, Adeline. I thought we both agreed on that. It’s healthy to have separate lives.”

Was it? Wasn’t the whole point of a relationship the fact that your lives were woven together?

She tried to block out those thoughts. Normally, she wouldn’t even have been asking herself this question, so why was she doing it now? Because of her mother. Ever since the letter had arrived inviting her to the wedding, she’d been unsettled.

But still—was Mark saying that two weeks was a long time for a beach holiday, or that he wouldn’t be able to stand two weeks with her? “This is a family wedding.” She cleared her throat. “My family. And I thought maybe it was time you...”

“Time I what? Why would I go to your family wedding? I don’t even know why you’re going. Your relationship with your mother is dysfunctional to say the least, and I don’t understand why you would choose to continue it. You’re a mature, evolved young woman. You’ve studied human behavior, and yet you still allow her to manipulate you.”

His words were like a slap.

Had she really been hoping for comfort?

This conversation was making her feel worse, not better. “I’m not allowing her to manipulate me.”

“No? Then why are you flying to Corfu, and spending two weeks with people who cause you stress? Why do you even bother maintaining a relationship with your mother when it’s so difficult? The adult thing to do would be to cut ties.”

Was that the adult thing to do? Or would the adult thing be to drop hostilities and accept that all families came with complications?

“That would upset my father.”

“He’s an adult too. He shouldn’t be using guilt as a lever.”

“It’s not that simple...”

“It could be that simple, Adeline.” He made an impatient gesture. “You’re the one who makes it complicated by creating an image in your head that doesn’t match reality. I suppose that’s to be expected, given who your mother is.”

“Excuse me? What’s that supposed to mean?” She had no idea how, or why, this conversation had deteriorated so rapidly.

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