He, Ralph and Hannah had met at university and when Edie started dating Ralph a couple of years later, they’d all become firm friends.
She thought back to their first ever holiday together, when they’d hired a barge to cruise up and down the Norfolk Broads. They must have been about twenty-three or -four and just starting out on their careers.
The barge was small, dark and cramped and it had rained most days but no one cared. Ralph and Edie, who’d met about six months before, were head over heels in love, while Mac and Hannah were already well-established and talking about saving up to buy a place together.
Edie could remember drinking cheap red wine below deck, while thunder crashed and lightning flashed around them and their sides hurt from laughing so much.
Back then, she’d thought Mac and Hannah the ideal couple, who balanced each other perfectly. He was funny, smart and creative, a dreamer with big ideas, while Hannah was the level-headed one who kept his feet on the ground.
She’d sometimes tease Mac for being impractical; for instance, when he’d suggested they buy a run-down lighthouse and convert it into a home. He’d seen it advertised for sale in a local newspaper he’d picked up when he’d gone to buy milk and bread.
‘You must be mad,’ Hannah had said with a laugh, when he’d returned to the barge. ‘I’m not living in the middle of nowhere. You’d definitely underestimate how much it would cost and we’d run out of money and it’d never get finished – and imagine all those stairs!’
‘It wouldn’t be great if you had children,’ Edie had agreed. ‘You’d spend all your time rushing them to A and E!’
Mac had groaned. ‘We could have it for a few years and really enjoy it.’ He’d looked to Ralph for backup. ‘It’d be fantastic for parties. We could always sell up if kids came along. Come on, you’ve got to enjoy the present; who wants to be sensible all the time? We’re only young once.’
There was something immensely appealing about his enthusiasm and Edie had no doubt if anyone could make a go of converting a lighthouse, it was him. He had great vision and was amazing with his hands. He’d make the place stunning.
But she could see Hannah’s point of view, too.
‘I wouldn’t fancy it myself,’ Edie had said. ‘I bet lighthouses are damp and a bit smelly.’
When Mac sighed, Ralph had affectionately ruffled his friend’s thick, dark hair.
‘Looks like you’re on a loser here, mate. Maybe buy a boat instead.’
‘You can have parties on that,’ Hannah had added, somewhat sarcastically, pointing to the rain slashing down outside the porthole window. ‘See how much fun we’re having! You don’t need to be in a lighthouse to experience nature in all its glory!’
Almost thirty years on from that holiday the four were still great friends, particularly Edie and Hannah, who happened to share the same birthday. They were godmothers to each other’s children, too.
Edie knew Mac and Hannah’s marriage wasn’t easy. As the years had gone by, Hannah had increasingly complained about her husband’s moodiness, which Edie put down mostly to work stress. Mac was a landscape gardener and was either on a high or a low, depending on how well his business was going. Rarely anything in between.
Another bone of contention was Hannah’s sociability. She loved nothing more than a big party or gathering, while Mac had become more introverted, preferring the company of one or two others or just his own. Hannah grumbled he was boring, while he accused her of being out all the time.
They also struggled with money, which undoubtedly put more strain on the relationship. His job was either feast or famine, more often the latter, or so it seemed to Edie.
Hannah’s online recruitment job was commission-based and she often worked incredibly long hours. She earned quite a lot, but had a tendency to live beyond her means.
When things were going well, she’d splash out on herself and the kids. But then when she went through a lean patch, she’d realise there was scarcely enough in the bank to pay their big bills and even bigger mortgage.
Despite all this, she and Mac appeared to jog along well enough and Edie was fond of them both. Recently, though, she’d noticed more bickering between them and Hannah seemed to have lost some of her bounce. She hoped Mac had nothing to do with it.
As soon as she’d rung off, she started an email to Mrs Papadakis.
She’d already discussed the villa in bed with Ralph this morning. He’d been so hung-over he’d have said yes to anything.
‘Dear Mrs Papadakis,’she wrote.‘I’m delighted to say my husband, friends and I would love to take Villa Ariadne for the week of Saturday 24 May to Saturday 31 May. I hope it’s still available? I’ll transfer the deposit as soon as I hear back from you.
‘We look forward very much to meeting you and spending time on your beautiful island.
‘Thanks and very best wishes…’
‘Hello, you!’
Edie swung round, blurry-eyed, propping herself up on an elbow on the back of the sofa. She realised she’d been miles away, staring into space.
‘I was thinking about Crete,’ she told Jessica, apologetically. ‘I may have found us a villa to rent.’
