Page 16 of The House Swap

‘Come on,’ she said to Keira as the car pulled away. She was still having to pinch herself that, for the next two weeks, all of this was hers.

She located the key safe Tom had messaged her about, punching in the code he had given her and retrieving the key, before unlocking the door. Inside, the villa was cool and still, the air conditioning, which he had said he would leave on for her, humming softly. The front door opened into a vast open-plan living area and it was flooded with light from floor-to-ceiling glass doors that looked out on to the terrace. Outside, the large pool beckoned, a strip of impossible blue framed by sun loungers and trees.

The décor was as she expected, modern and tasteful – polished stone floors, soft grey walls, clean-lined furniture in muted tones of cream and charcoal, and the sleek, spacious kitchen was all glossy white surfaces and chrome fittings.

Everything looked expensive and was thoughtfully designed, with a calm, understated elegance.

Beyond the living area, an inner hallway led to four bedrooms, each with their own minimalist en-suite bathrooms. The master bedroom was enormous, its king-sized bed positioned to overlook the pool, while the other rooms looked barely used, their beds immaculately made.

‘This is insane,’ Keira murmured. ‘Tom must be a bloody successful author.’

Poppy laughed. ‘He hasn’t even finished writing his first book yet.’

‘So how come he can afford all this?’

‘Family money,’ Poppy said, deciding to leave it at that. It wasn’t fair to Tom to talk about the sad circumstances that had led to his wealth.

She spotted a framed photo of him on a shelf. He was with an older couple.

His parents, she presumed, noticing that Tom’s dad had the same smile.

It was crazy to think that they had all of this to themselves. Just the scale of this villa, the silence, the echo of her and Keira’s footsteps on the floor, it was all so… grand.

Remembering about James and the tragic reason why Tom couldn’t be here with her, she felt a stab of guilt. Here she was marvelling over his home, while he was stuck in a hospital waiting for news.

She hadn’t messaged him yet to see if there was any update, aware he was with his friends and not wanting to intrude. It didn’t feel appropriate. But she would reach out this evening if she hadn’t heard anything.

After dumping her luggage in one of the guest bedrooms, she wandered back into the kitchen, to find Keira had wasted no time exploring the huge fridge. She made her approval known when she saw it was fully stocked.

‘Nice one,’ she said, pulling out a bottle of white wine, and leaving Poppy to peer inside.

Tom had done a full shop, and the shelves were packed with bottled water, fruit, lager and more wine, as well as milk, butter, eggs and other essentials, plus fresh fish, cheeses and other luxuries.

He had done all this ahead of her arrival, she realised, when he had still thought it would be the two of them together. Her heart squeezed, conscious of the effort he had made.

As Keira hunted for glasses and a corkscrew, she opened the patio doors and walked out onto the terrace. The pool sparkled in the rays of the late-afternoon sun as it sank lower in the sky, the surface of the water barely disturbed by the breeze. Beyond the garden wall, she could see a handful of rooftops in the distance, and plenty of trees, but there were no people. No noise either. All this space was hers.

Her phone buzzed in her hand. Seeing Tom’s name on the screen, she quickly opened his message.

Did you make it okay?

Yes, thank you. Your house is incredible. How is James? Is there any news?

A few seconds passed before his response.

None unfortunately. The doctors say the next couple of days will be critical.

Poppy wished there was something more she could do.

I’m thinking of you and keeping everything crossed for good news. I know I’m in Crete, but if there’s anything you need at all, please say.

You’ve done enough by loaning me your flat. Now I want you to make yourself at home and relax. Help yourself to anything you need. I did a big shop a couple of days ago knowing you were coming, so there is plenty of everything. I can’t eat it, but you can.

It’s perfect.

She still felt bad. She should have nipped out to the shop last night.

I wish there was more in my flat for you. There’s tea and coffee, and some bread in the freezer.