Page 63 of The House Swap

‘Tell me some. I might have heard of them.’

She reeled off half a dozen names, unsurprised when Sue shook her head, looking blank.

‘It must pay well,’ she said instead.

‘Just enough to pay the bills.’

‘And afford expensive villas,’ Ian chimed in. ‘You must have paid a pretty penny for the place you’re staying.’

‘Oh, I didn’t rent it,’ Poppy told him.

As his words sank in, she bristled a little. She didn’t appreciate his tone. It was none of his business how she spent her money.

‘You didn’t?’ Sue asked, surprised.

‘It belongs to a friend of mine. He’s letting me use it while he’s away.’

‘Really?’

Sue and Ian exchanged a look, as if to say Poppy had done well for herself.

‘Well, we did wonder,’ Sue said. ‘When Jeremiah told us you were up at the big villa on the hill, we said, how can she afford that?’

‘And the owner doesn’t usually rent it out,’ Ian added. ‘We see him around occasionally. Good-looking young chap, isn’t that right, Sue?’

‘Oh, very,’ Sue agreed, without hesitation. ‘He’s younger than us. Done very well for himself, though. And he’s into his boats, isn’t he? Didn’t he win that yacht race they did a couple of years ago, love?’

Ian nodded. ‘I’d forgotten about that.’

‘Yes, that’s Tom,’ Poppy confirmed, feeling a sense of pride as they gushed about him.

‘Well.’ Sue raised her eyebrows approvingly. ‘He must think a lot of you to lend you his place like that.’

‘I think Martin looks after it for him when he’s not around,’ Ian said. ‘You know Martin Roe, don’t you, Poppy? He looks after a lot of the villas. That man is a godsend.’

‘Yes, helped us out of a pickle or two,’ Sue agreed.

‘I’ve met Martin,’ she told them. ‘He’s dropped by a few times.’

‘He’s such a nice man, isn’t he?’

Interesting words for Martin. They didn’t quite match Poppy’s impression of him.

‘He’s the one you need to ask if you ever need anything,’ Sue continued. ‘He’s English, like us, but he knows all the locals. I think Crete suits him better than back home. It gave him a fresh start after everything that happened.’

‘Everything that happened?’ Poppy repeated.

‘You know, with his accident and all.’ Sue waved her hand, as if it was something that should be common knowledge to everyone.

Poppy’s blank expression must have given her away to Ian, because he filled her in.

‘Martin was in a nasty car accident a few years back. You must have noticed the scarring on his face.’

‘I did, but I had no idea how he’d got it.’

‘Poor man,’ Sue murmured sympathetically. ‘I think he keeps to himself mostly. Lives up in the hills somewhere, doesn’t he, Ian? Don’t think he has a lady friend.’

‘I’ve never seen him with a woman,’ Ian agreed. ‘And he’s never mentioned anyone. Not that our Martin is much of a talker.’ He laughed.