‘God. Teenagers,’ she says through gritted teeth.
‘Was that your daughter?’ I ask as I sit down beside her, still vaguely pretending to tidy while keeping one eye on the massage in the corner. ‘Bella?’
‘Yes, she’s the one who tests me the most. We’re either the best of friends or my husband has to call emergency resolution summits and write treaties to bring about peace,’ she says plainly. ‘She’s just fierce and outspoken with a very keen sense of justice. Bella is hard to wrangle, shall we say?’
‘My mother had three daughters. I witnessed their upbringing so I can relate,’ I joke.
‘Plus, this stems from when we went away at Easter and I got so pissed off with all of my kids that I threw their phones in the pool,’ Zara explains.
I laugh loudly before realising that she’s being serious. ‘You what?’
‘Oh, we had a holiday in the south of France where my teens spent half their time on their phones and, in a rage, I threw them in the pool,’ she tells me calmly, sipping her wine. ‘My husband’s too, which was fun as all our flight details and boarding passes were on there.’
I love that she fought back, that she was so impulsive.
‘After that, it made me rethink the term “holiday” and I realised that I hadn’t had a break from my kids for years,’ Zara explains. ‘I’ve invested every ounce of time and being into themand work, and I started to think it wasn’t good for any of us. That’s why I saw this and thought,yes please…’ She takes a deep, cleansing breath as she confesses this. ‘So, no school runs, no mindless worry about having enough milk in the fridge, and a few days of unbroken sleep. I swear, even if I sleep like I did last night for the next week, this will have been worth every penny. I haven’t slept like that for years. I feel like a new woman,’ Zara says, gratitude etched on her face and shining through her brown eyes.
‘I hear that,’ Jess says, appearing at the table. ‘I don’t mind sharing a bed with my husband and the occasional baby, but to lie in a star shape and not be kicked and not have someone steal the duvet is…’ She raises two hands in the air like she’s proclaiming a hallelujah.
‘Amen,’ Zara says and they both laugh. ‘And with that, I’m going upstairs to nap because my massage has knackered me out.’
‘Take your gift bag!’ Miguel says as she stands up. ‘My friend owns a shop in town! These goodies are for you!’
I haven’t looked inside the gift bags yet and I wonder if I should check them, but Zara blows a kiss in Miguel’s direction before scampering away inside.
‘Love, you are next, yes?’ Miguel says, gesturing over the pool in Jess’s direction.
I notice that she pulls her robe tightly around her.
‘Ummm, Ben,’ she whispers, ‘do I have to have a massage? It’s just I ate a lot of thegambasfor lunch and I had one too many sangrias, I think I might give the massage a miss.’
I pour her a glass of water and give her my full attention. ‘God, Jess. It’s fine. Everything is optional. Is it Miguel? I know you saw him naked in the pool and now he’s your masseur. I can imagine that might seem strange.’
‘Is he a qualified masseur?’ she asks.
‘Yes,’ I reply unconvincingly.
She laughs in response and looks over at where Chloe is being massaged. ‘I thought the massage would be more private. I’m not comfortable getting it all out, you know?’ she says.
Jess’s small confession makes me realise that my instincts about her were right. I invite her to sit down next to me, patting the bench. ‘I can move Miguel into another room if you like?’
She shrugs and I hate how she gazes down at the table, fiddling with her gown sash.
‘Can I be very honest with you?’ I ask. ‘You can tell me to shut up if I’m crossing a line.’
Jess looks at me, crossing and uncrossing her legs to try and get comfortable.
‘I saw you have a swim late last night.’
‘I’m so sorry…is that not allowed?’ she asks hurriedly, worried I’m telling her off.
‘Oh God, no. Use the pool as you wish, but I noticed that you seemed quite reticent to strip off in the day and to swim when the others were around. I’m sad you feel like that.’
Emotion hits her face and I put an arm around her shoulder, squeezing it tightly. ‘It’s going to be the five of us for the next few days and I want you to feel comfortable here. You should be able to strip down to as little as you like and feel the sun on your skin without being worried.’
‘That’s easier said than done,’ she tells me. ‘Look at Chloe and Zara, they’re in such good shape. I look like a heifer next to them.’
‘But you don’t,’ I say, frowning.
