‘Thanks.’ Kate smiled as he left the room.
She looked back to the garden. ‘Come and relax by the pool,’Will had said, as if it was the simplest thing in the world. The shimmering turquoise water was certainly inviting: she was hot and sticky after the journey and could almost feel it gliding against her skin, like ribbons of silk. But she hadn’t counted on wall-to-wall models.
Confident that she would be the only girl at the villa, apart from Georgie – who, without being bitchy, wasn’t exactly a threat – she had got up the nerve to pack the acid-green bikini Rachel had insisted she buy. The bright colour was a perfect foil for her dark hair and olive skin, and Rachel had even said she looked stunning in it. She was glad now that she’d also packed the one-piece with tummy control that Rachel had tried to talk her out of. Pity she hadn’t picked up aburkawhile she was at it.
* * *
When Kate had unpacked most of her clothes and put them away, she fished out her swimsuit and changed into it. Models or no models, she couldn’t resist the lure of the pool. Tying a sarong around her waist, she slipped her feet into flip-flops and made her way downstairs.
Outside, Will was sitting at the far side of the pool reading a newspaper, his long legs stretched in front of him. Tessa and Fawn were ensconced on sun loungers beside him, evidently taking a break from their photo shoot. Thankfully, Summer was nowhere to be seen, and there was no sign of Owen and his blonde nymphs either, so the pool was empty. At least she didn’thave too much of an audience, Kate thought, self-consciously removing her sarong.
Will lowered his paper as Kate emerged from the house and watched her from behind his dark glasses. It was funny – he had suddenly felt really happy upstairs when they were in her room. There was something comforting about her presence; it was like having a little bit of home with him – probably because Kate was the closest thing he had to a sister.
Wow, she’s certainly shaped up well,he thought, as she removed her sarong and walked to the edge of the pool. There was nothing brotherly about the way she was making him feel now.
Kate seemed to become aware that she was being watched. Looking up, she blushed as her eyes met his, and suddenly threw herself into the pool in an ungainly belly flop.
‘Whoa! Surf’s up!’ Fawn laughed, as Kate hit the water with an enormous splash. ‘Shame we didn’t bring our boards.’
‘D’you think we should put out a tsunami warning?’ Tessa joined in, cattily. She caught Will glowering at her. What does he have to be so superior about? she thought. She had seen the way he was looking at the girl before she’d flung herself into the pool like a bloody great whale. She had a good mind to tell Tina.
‘Who’s that?’ Fawn asked, in her Californian drawl, peering into the water, through which Kate was now powering in a graceful crawl. ‘Don’t tell me Owen brought her? That boy has the weirdest taste in girls.’ This observation was largely based on the fact that Owen had failed to make a pass at her.
‘Oh, she’s not with anyone. She’s just the chef,’ Tessa said dismissively.
‘Oh, they’ve hired a chef?’ Fawn said, perking up. ‘Excellent! Maybe we’ll get some decent food now.’
‘I wouldn’t count on it,’ Tessa said. ‘You could end up with a body like hers.’
‘I’ll have a word with her later,’ Fawn continued, undaunted. ‘You know, I’ve hardly eaten a thing since I got here. I couldn’t even get anything on the plane.’ Her voice was a querulous whine that made everything she said sound like a complaint – which it usually was.
‘Oh, I never eat anything on planes.’
‘But the airline made this big thing about how they could cater for people on special diets, so I thought, cool, they’re finally getting with the program. But when I asked the hostess for an Atkins meal, she looked at me like I had ten heads. I tried South Beach – same thing!’
Will was spared having to listen to any more of this nonsense by Simon, the photographer, coming to marshal his troops.
‘Okay, I’m ready to finish the shots, girls,’ he said, and Tessa and Fawn drifted off in his wake.
* * *
Although she hadn’t caught what they were saying, Kate had been aware that she was under the critical eyes of Tessa and Fawn and had felt trapped in the pool, reluctant to brave their scrutiny again. She was knackered from swimming up and down and, with the coast clear, took the opportunity to get out. Tessa and Fawn were posing in a gazebo at the far end of the garden and Will had disappeared into the house, so she had the place to herself. She rubbed herself cursorily with a towel, then lay down on a lounger to dry off in the sun, closing her eyes behind her dark glasses as she felt the heat seep into her bones.
‘I brought you a drink.’
She opened her eyes to find Will proffering a glass of champagne.
‘Oh, how perfect! Thank you.’ She took it. ‘I feel such a fraud. Shouldn’t I be doing something?’
‘No,’ Will said. ‘Just relax and enjoy yourself. You might as well take the chance while you can – you’ll have your work cut out for you with this lot tomorrow.’
He went back into the house and Kate picked up a magazine Tessa had left lying around, strategically opened on a gushing interview with her that focused on her new look and her diet and fitness regime.
A combination of sun, champagne and Tessa boring on about her diet must have put Kate to sleep because the next thing she knew her swimsuit was dry and the sun seemed to have gone in. She opened her eyes to find Owen standing over her, blocking it out. She wondered how long he had been standing there.
‘Hello.’ He grinned down at her. ‘I hear you’re the chef.’
‘Yes. Hi, I’m Kate,’ she said, sitting up and holding out her hand.
