At that moment, Louise, who’d been indoors clearing up the dishes, came out to join them. She seemed to have recovered from her earlier annoyance, and seeing her made Stella feel instantly lighter.
She settled next to Stella again on the sun lounger and spread herself out lazily on the yellow cushion, her legs stretched and arms tucked behind her head.
The tanned skin on her thighs and abdomen glistened with sun cream and her bronze bikini sparkled in the sun.
‘Bliss,’ she said, closing her eyes with a small, contented smile playing on her lips. ‘I’m quite tired after our walk. I might have a little siesta.’
Stella glanced at Hector, who slunk away to light his fag near the villa, where there was more shelter. At least he had the decency not to continue the row in front of Louise.
Leaning against the wall, with one knee raised, foot resting on the whitewashed stone, he appeared lost in his own thoughts. But Stella sensed his every move was designed to rattle her.
He knew she disliked the way he held his fag between thumb and forefinger and blew ostentatious smoke rings. He was well aware she loathed him smoking, full stop, because it was so bad for his health.
He hadn’t been in the pool once and was persisting in wearing thick, hot jeans as if to prove he wasn’t really part of this vacation, he was merely suffering it.
His behaviour often made Stella fume, but the feeling never lasted long because deep down, she knew he was unhappy and that made her sad, too. She’d tried so hard to reach him, and failed.
In truth, it was only because of Al that he’d finally agreed to come to Crete. Stella had even promised to buy him a second-hand car if he passed his driving test, but he’d still refused.
In the cab going to the airport, she’d thanked him for showing up.
‘It’s only because Dad made me,’ he’d replied nastily. ‘Otherwise I wouldn’t be here.’
Stella had no idea how Al had done it, but she was truly appreciative; he hadn’t needed to make the effort. Now, though, she was beginning to wonder if it wouldn’t have been better if Hector had stayed home after all.
‘What do you fancy doing this afternoon?’ she asked the girls, more to distract herself than anything. Will had slipped silently into the pool, perhaps to escape the tension.
Lily shrugged and glanced at Amelia. ‘Hang out here? It’s too hot to go anywhere now.’
Amelia nodded in agreement.
The girls’ hair hung damply down their backs, Lily’s dark brown and Amelia’s fair. Amelia was a little bigger than Lily, with broader shoulders, but they looked very alike otherwise in their matching pink and white checked bikinis.
Even their body language was similar. They were sitting so close together, their sides touched, and every now and again, they’d shake with amusement at some secret joke.
It was as if they were in their own little world with a language just for them. Like Stella and Harriet, they’d been friends since babyhood and probably knew what the other was thinking without the need for words.
Stella’s heart melted with love for her daughter and she hoped the girls’ safe, cosy familiarity with each other would last.
All of a sudden, she felt Harriet’s absence again so keenly, it was as if someone had chopped off a limb, or her stomach had developed a hole in it so big, it could never be filled.
Of course, Louise was a good mate, too. But she was a very different personality from Harriet and she and Stella had never had quite the same, deep understanding.
Stella doubted Harriet would have questioned her decision to invite Jon on holiday, for instance, if he’d been a different mate’s grieving husband. And she’d totally get why Stella was still raw about everything that had happened; though Harriet could be tough at work, she was super giving, full of compassion and had the warmest heart.
Stella’s knee hurt and she shifted slightly to change position, before bending down to pick up her phone in the bag beside her.
There were no new texts, just the unopened one from Al yesterday.
They’d decided to have a period of no contact because things had been getting out of hand before she’d left for Crete. For some reason, she and Al had started messaging each other more, mostly about the kids but sometimes about nothing in particular. Stella felt it wasn’t healthy, given that they’d separated, and somewhat reluctantly, Al had agreed.
She could ignore his text; he’d phone in an emergency anyway. But curiosity got the better of her.
Hope you have a great time. Just to let you know I’m away for a week from tomorrow. There won’t be much reception but I’ll check my phone when possible. Al.
PS Hope Hector’s behaving…
Resting the phone face down on her stomach, she stared into the distance. All of a sudden, everything looked strangely blurry: the girls, the pool, Hector still leaning against the wall, the villa itself and the trees beyond.
