Page 24 of Emergency Engagement

‘Excellent idea,’ Rafael concurred a little tetchily. ‘So, on the subject of the basics, my father is fine and living a splendid life in Valencia, which is where he comes from. After we left Yorkshire, he did a stint back in London, but then once I’d made my first million he expressed a desire to return to Spain after...after everything. It was well within my remit to give him what he wanted, so I did.’

‘He must be very proud of you,’ Sammy said thoughtfully. ‘And honestly, Rafael, there’s absolutely no need for you to come with me to get provisions. In fact, you’d be more of a hindrance than a help. I can dither a lot when it comes to buying fresh ingredients. I’ll check out the kitchen before I go,and see what I need to prep and when, and if there’s transport available...?’

‘On tap.’

‘Good.’ She smiled briskly. ‘If I’m to cook the meal I want to cook, then I’m going to have to leave very soon to go do my shopping.’

‘No time? You’re hurrying along the “getting to know me” business.’

‘You enjoy. If I see anyone downstairs, I’ll lay it on thick about the duties of a personal chef, and no time to waste. Between the roux and puff pastry, a girl could be tied up all day.’

Sammy leapt to her feet.

The market was an adventure. One of Rafael’s dedicated drivers gave her a little tour around the town, pointing out where the various beaches were, telling her that she couldn’t leave without visiting one of them. She had begun to feel two things for the first time in her life: on top of the world and in control.

They rolled down the windows and she let the breeze whip through her hair as she stared out at verdant roadside and bright-blue skies. Up ahead, telephone wires were covered in vines and ivy. The trees were bigger and lusher than any she’d ever seen before, and vegetation crowded the sides of the roads, as if in a hurry to stage a takeover. It was busy at ten in the morning with vans and scooters on the roads, and shops on the sides of the humming roads were open for business here and there with vivid fruit and vegetables spilling out from them.

They drove along the main road, zig-zagging, so that every now and then she would peer out and catch a glimpse of the ocean, which glittered a deeper blue than the sky and was as calm as a lake. Coconut trees were everywhere, springing upin unusual places, tangling with towering bamboo trees, the perfect playground for birds and butterflies.

Sammy was dropped in the square, on the fringe of the bustling market. Stepping out of the car, she took a few seconds to breathe in deeply, eyes half-closed, really loving the fragrant scent of flowers, sun and spices being sold, and enjoying the rich lilt of foreign voices that laughed and bartered.

She wasn’t the only tourist enjoying the town although, thankfully, none of them were any of the women from the villa. The last thing she needed was to see a six-foot blonde swooping down on her.

She took her time shopping and let her mind drift from the food she was going to prepare to Rafael and some of the things he had let slip that had set the cogs in her brain whirring. She had a future that now seemed secure, a very happy trade-off for a few days of inconvenience.

Then she thought of the kiss that still lingered on her lips and was uneasily aware of the truth of the saying that there was no such thing as a free lunch. Would she face consequences of this decision that she couldn’t foresee? Nope. She pushed that unease away, and was in high spirits by the time she made it back to the villa at a little after two, having grabbed something to eat at one of the local cafés.

The villa was quiet. Business was being done in one wing of the mansion and the partners were lazing on a beach somewhere, enjoying whatever five-star picnic had been prepared for them. Sammy got on with the business of preparing food with the radio on low, with the occasional sound of one of the housekeepers cleaning and a nice warm breeze rustling through the open doors.

Peace.

Sammy was most lost to the world when she was cooking. The kitchen was fragrant with the smells of herbs and spicesand, before long, her bouillabaisse was done and dusted and absolutely perfect. She had got hold of three plump kingfish and was busy preparing them when she was aware of the soft pad of footsteps pausing at the door.

Victoria.She turned around with a sinking heart to see the other woman lounging against the door frame. Did the woman havenothingelse to wear apart from items of clothing that could fit into matchboxes? The sarong draped loosely round her slim hips barely skimmed her thighs, and matched the pale-yellow shades of her bikini top. Her gold sandals were flat, but even so she towered over Sammy as she quietly shut the door behind her. She strolled to the centre of the kitchen before striking a dramatic pose as she half-perched on the ten-seater kitchen table. Her blonde hair was loose. It was very long, nearly to her waist, and hung attractively in damp strands over her shoulder.

‘How was the beach?’ Sammy eventually asked, becausesomeonehad to break the stretching silence, and Victoria seemed to have no interest in being the first to speak.

Sammy washed her hands and made an effort to smile, but was conscious of her food-splattered apron, lack of make-up and casual clothing that was great when behind a stove but less great when confronted by a woman whose job was to strut runways and dazzle.

‘The beach was like any other beach.’ Victoria shrugged one shoulder, but her bright-blue eyes were pinned to Sammy’s flushed face with the coldness of diamonds. ‘We really didn’t get to know one another last night, did we?’

‘It was a brief encounter,’ Sammy agreed. ‘Long-haul flying takes a toll.’

‘Do you do much of that?’

‘Very little. Is there something I can get for you? I ask because I’m in the middle of...’ She made a vague expansive gesturetowards the dishes still to be prepped and smiled ruefully without bothering to try to look sincere.

‘Of course you are. A chef...fascinating. Rafael’s managed to do a good job of keeping you under wraps! The last I heard, wasn’t he dating that model who stole the Paris show a few months ago?’

‘Was he? I wouldn’t know. Not my world, I’m afraid.’

‘I know! Adorable. So...remind me how you two met?’

‘Perhaps another time, Victoria. I really would love nothing more than to sit and have a girlie chat about our relationship with you, but sadly I can’t. So, if you don’t mind...and I hate to be rude...?’

‘Rafael never talked about his past when we were together. Youdidknow that we were once very muchan item,didn’t you? Yes? So you can imagine my surprise when he produced you from the closet and told me that you were serious about one another!’

She wafted towards Sammy and stared down at her from her imposing height. Having just returned from a day at the beach, she smelled of sun and sand without looking as though either had got the better of her.

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