Page 40 of The House Swap

Last night she hadn’t been brave enough to do it.

Now, she told herself it had been a simple accident, and yes – she couldn’t quite explain it – but there would be a logical explanation for how the bottle had fallen.

She checked the doors again, mostly to prove to herself that nothing sinister had happened. Finding them all locked reaffirmed that she was right.

Outside, the terrace looked smaller than it had in the dark. The pool sparkled in the morning sun and the edge of the throw that had fallen on the floor lifted lightly in the breeze, proving that it could have easily become dislodged from the lounger.

It had to have been the wind.

She unlocked the patio doors and went outside to pick it up. As she shook it out, she was annoyed by how jumpy she still felt.

‘Get a grip,’ she muttered to herself.

Still, she didn’t linger, locking the door again behind her and heading back into her bedroom to get dressed. Spotting her phone beside the bed, she picked it up and checked her WhatsApp trail with Keira.

Her message had now been read and Keira had hearted it, but there was no reply to Poppy’s question.

Trying to shrug it off, she focused on making coffee and having some breakfast, before she set up camp at the dining table again.

She managed a couple of hours of work, finding it a little easier to focus than yesterday, though the villa seemed so quiet. It had a different presence without Keira there. Not threatening, but the place felt too large for one person.

Tom lived here alone, she reminded herself. But then, this was his home. He was used to it.

By mid-morning, she couldn’t stay inside any longer. She needed noise. People. Proof that the world was normal.

Even though she didn’t need any groceries, she wandered in the direction of the mini-market, relieved to see the usual man behind the counter.

He greeted her with his customary nod.

‘You are settling in?’ he asked, as she selected an ice cream from the freezer and took it to the counter to pay.

‘Yes, thank you,’ she lied, before asking, ‘Is it usually very windy at night?’

He frowned, thinking, then shook his head. ‘Sometimes. Not last night. It was very calm.’

His answer unsettled her more than expected. She had hoped the weather might explain how the throw had fallen off the sun lounger.

‘Why?’ he asked.

‘Oh, no reason. I thought I heard something.’

He smiled sympathetically, which made her feel a little ridiculous. ‘It’s quiet here at this time of year. Takes some getting used to.’

‘I guess it does,’ she agreed.

Outside the shop, she peeled the wrapper from her ice cream and put it in the waste bin, before tucking into the treat.

Although the sun was out, there was more of a chill to the air today. Not cold, like it was back in England, but definitely cooler than it had been.

It felt too soon to head back to the villa and the thought of spending the rest of the day there alone just didn’t appeal. She could message Jem, she supposed, but they already had dinner plans for tomorrow night. Besides, she didn’t want to crowd him. He already had enough going on with sorting out his dad’s villa.

Perhaps Sue and Ian were home.

They had offered for Poppy to stop by any time.

Two days ago, she had wanted to avoid them, but right now she needed human noise.

Hoping she wouldn’t come to regret it, she pinged Sue a WhatsApp message.