Page 60 of The House Swap

‘Okay, thank you.’

The wine was white, the glass cold against her palm, and she took a sip. It was cold and crisp and surprisingly refreshing.

‘This is nice.’

‘Ian is a bit of a wine connoisseur,’ Sue told her. ‘Aren’t you, my darling?’

‘Well, I wouldn’t say connoisseur,’ he said modestly, slipping his arm around his wife and tugging her closer, ‘but I’ve always had an appreciation for a full body.’

He winked at Poppy as he slid his hand under Sue’s arm, trailing his palm down to rest low on her hip, his thumb idly brushing the fabric of her dress.

Poppy cringed at the innuendo. She didn’t want to think about Sue and Ian that way. They were almost old enough to be her parents.

‘Ian told me you’ve been cooking all afternoon,’ she said to Sue, keen to change the subject. ‘You really didn’t need to go to so much trouble.’

‘I didn’t mind. I’m delighted that you’re here, my love.’

‘Well, it all smells delicious.’

‘Thank you. Let’s hope you enjoy it.’ Sue laughed. ‘Come on through.’

They led her into the back garden, where fairy lights that had been strung along the high walls twinkled, casting a golden glow over the small patio and pool. Although the air was cool, it wasn’t unpleasant.

Colourful cushions and throws were scattered over the patio furniture.

‘We always have a pre-dinner drink out here first, as long as it’s not raining,’ Sue said as the three of them sat down. ‘It’s nice and sheltered, so you don’t have to worry about that nasty breeze.’

‘When we tell people back home we can still sit outside at this time of year, they don’t believe us,’ Ian added proudly.

‘It’s definitely better than the UK,’ Poppy agreed, taking another sip of her wine, as she tried to absorb the warmth of their hospitality. She wanted to relax and enjoy herself, and she was trying, smiling and adding in comments when she was able as Sue talked, hopping from one subject to another, her Essex twang loud in the quiet night air.

Still, credit to Sue, she could be funny, and Poppy found herself laughing as she heard about the British couple down the road who’d tried to sort a summer fayre for the expats, only for half the stalls to blow away in the wind.

Then there was Ian’s attempt to fix their pool filter that ended up with him soaked to the bone and losing his temper with the pump.

While Sue talked, Ian topped up Poppy’s glass without asking.

She would nurse it, she told herself, until she’d had some food.

Although they were sheltered, she could hear that the wind had picked up. The sea was louder now, the waves thrashing somewhere unseen beyond the walls, and a chill had crept into the air, subtle but insistent.

Sue drained the rest of her drink, then rubbed her bare arms.

‘Right, indoors. It’s starting to get a bit nippy out here.’

22

They picked up their glasses and moved back inside, and Sue closed the patio doors, sliding the lock into place. The click was soft, almost inaudible, but Poppy felt it, and she didn’t know why, but the room felt smaller, almost suffocating.

‘Let me take your jacket.’ Ian’s hand was on Poppy’s arm before she could even react. ‘You won’t need that in here. Plenty warm enough.’

She would have preferred to keep the blazer with her, but she supposed he was right about the temperature.

‘Shoes off, if you don’t mind,’ Sue said as he disappeared into the hallway. ‘We prefer no shoes while we’re indoors.’

Poppy hesitated, taken by surprise. She hadn’t been asked to remove them when she’d arrived or on her previous visit.

She looked at Sue and saw her smiling expectantly. Glancing at the woman’s feet, she saw she had on slippers, which immediately made her feel bad. She should have offered to take them off when she first arrived.