Page 49 of Not in a Million Years

‘Always knew you were a woman who could turn her hand to anything. Well, almost anything.’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘You never were able to keep a house plant alive, I seem to remember.’

‘How do you know I haven’t changed? How do you know my flat’s not a total urban jungle bursting with lush-leaved yuccas and cheese plants and… er… other green things?’

‘I just do.’

I laughed. ‘As it happens, you’re right.’

‘But only sometimes. Not like you.’

‘Anyway, you didn’t spoil my nap to remind me of my lack of green fingers. What’s up?’

‘I’m going for a swim.’ He swung his long legs off the sunbed, and I watched his tanned feet sink into the sand. ‘Coming?’

‘Isn’t that a bit, you know, active?’

‘God, it really is amateur hour round here. You go in the water so you can lie in the sun a bit more without getting too hot.’

‘Fair enough, beach coach. Let’s do it.’

I followed Daniel the short distance to the water’s edge and stepped in. The sea felt shockingly cold at first, but he didn’t seem to notice. He strode in until the water was at his chest level, then extended his arms and dived, swimming away like a porpoise, the graceful arching of his body and powerful strokes of his arms the same as when I’d watched him in the pool, only now it seemed even more like he was in his natural element.

Well, good for him. If he wanted to get wet through, cold and covered in sand, that was his look-out. I proceeded with more caution, feeling the cool water inch up to my knees and then my thighs, reluctant to get my bikini bottoms wet. Daniel paused, quite far out now, and trod water, extending a hand to me in a wave. I waved back and stepped forward, the water washing up as far as my hips.

Then, suddenly, the ground dropped away beneath my feet and water rushed up as far as my armpits. I gasped with the shock of the cold, then felt the sea lift me gently off my feet, and I was swimming.

Well, paddling through the water in a pathetic breaststroke, determined to keep my face dry and my sunglasses mostly unsplashed. Still, I stayed in until the water felt the same temperature as my body, turning over to float on my back for a bit, gazing up at the sun and the sky, content and at peace.

When I’d had enough, I waded back to dry land, towelled the sand off my feet and lay back down on my sunlounger, watching as Daniel finished his swim and returned to flop down next to me, shaking water out of his hair.

‘So this is how it’s done,’ I said. ‘Rinse and repeat. Literally.’

‘Rinse and repeat,’ he agreed. ‘I don’t know about you, but I’m not even a bit hungover any more.’

‘Same, which is just as well. I’m not sure Andy would cope with seeing us like we were this morning.’

‘How do you reckon he’d feel? Smug or envious?’

‘Oh, envious. One hundred per cent.’

‘Stay here for another hour, then head in and change?’

I nodded, groping in my bag for my phone. Guiltily, I realised I’d barely given Andy a thought while I basked in the sun and swam in the sea. The purpose of our trip had been entirely forgotten; it had just felt like a holiday. A romantic one, even. With Daniel. Perhaps I was actually still a little bit drunk.

Then I said, ‘Hey, Daniel?’

‘What?’

‘I’ve got a message from Ash. She wants to talk to us. She’s asked if we can go round to her apartment tonight.’

Eighteen

That afternoon, Andy was petulant and miserable. The mah-jong set Daniel presented him with was greeted with, ‘But there’s no one to play with me, except when you guys are here.’ And the bottle of piña colada Fanta I’d brought for him to try earned me, ‘What are you trying to do, give me rotten teeth as well as a mashed pelvis?’

Still, we stayed until Hakan chucked us out so Andy could have his medication and his physio. But, by silent agreement, neither of us mentioned that we were going to see Ash that evening.

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