Page 55 of The House Swap

‘Have you had a chance to explore the area? I know there’s not much open. The beach is nice for a walk.’

‘Yes, a little bit. I’ve been into the centre of Gouves and I went to Analipsi on Friday night.’

‘Oh? By yourself?’ Tom’s tone lifted slightly. ‘Did you get a bus there?’

Her heart skipped, realising she didn’t want to tell him about Jem. Even though nothing had ever happened between her and Tom, it felt like she was betraying him.

‘I’ve met a few people out here,’ she said, perhaps too quickly. She tried to slow down, keeping her tone light. ‘There’s a small group of us.’

There was a pause on the line.

‘That’s nice,’ Tom said, not pushing for any details. ‘I’m glad you’re not completely alone out there. And Analipsi is lovely.’

Guilt pricked, unexpectedly sharp.

Poppy told herself that she hadn’t lied. Well, not really. She just hadn’t told him the truth about Analipsi. And she had met other people. Sue and Ian counted. But she didn’t want to complicate things by explaining Jem. Not when she didn’t know what Jem was.

Luckily, Tom was already changing the subject.

‘Have you heard any more from Keira?’ he asked.

‘Nothing. I sent her another message, just saying I hoped she was okay and I was here if she needed to talk. She hearted it again, but that was it.’

‘That’s odd,’ Tom agreed. ‘You two usually speak most days.’

‘We do.’ Poppy swallowed.

Her stomach was heavy as she thought of her friend. She had toyed with trying to reach out to Greg on social media. They weren’t connected on Facebook, but she could still send him a message request. But how would Keira react to her doing that? Poppy wasn’t sure, so for now she had left the ball in Keira’s court.

‘Are you sure you don’t want me to go back to her house when I get back to London?’

‘No, it’s okay.’ She wouldn’t put him out any more than she already had. ‘At least she’s safe. I’ll see her when I get back and find out why she is ignoring me,’ she added lightly.

Only six more days.

It should feel like bliss. But it didn’t.

‘Tom…’ she began, then faltered.

‘Yes?’

She stared at the smear on the wall again through the glass.

‘It’s probably nothing,’ she said quickly. ‘But I’ve just noticed a few little things…’

‘Like what?’

Drawing in a deep breath, she exhaled slowly and shakily, before telling him everything. She told him about the gate constantly being off the latch, the smashed wine bottle, the laptop charger, and the items that had been moved. She also mentioned that she had thought she had heard someone outside and about the mark on the garden wall.

As she spoke, she heard how it sounded. Petty. They were all details that could easily be explained away.

She waited for him to laugh at her paranoia and to tell her she was just overtired, but he didn’t. Instead, he gently said, ‘That must feel unsettling.’

The validation of his words had her throat tightening.

He hadn’t dismissed her fears.

‘I keep thinking I must be doing it myself and forgetting,’ she admitted. ‘But I don’t remember, and that scares me. I feel like I’m losing my mind.’