Page 122

I frowned. I wasn’t sure about enjoying things. Dylan dived into the pool, then swam up to me where I was treading water.

“It’s okay to enjoy yourself,” he murmured, his expression uncertain, and I knew he was trying to ascertain my mood.

I stared at him, keeping my face serious, and then splashed him in the face, and I giggled.

“Oh! That’s how it is!” he exclaimed, a wicked gleam in his eye.

He dived beneath the water and grabbed my legs and then surfaced, pushing me out of the water and throwing me into the deep end of the pool. I screamed and fell with a loud splash, coughing and spluttering, and giggling as I broke through the crystal-clear water.

He hauled himself out of the pool near Lulu’s sun bed and watched me. Unbeknownst to him, Lulu stood up, crept up behind him, and pushed him in. It took him completely by surprise. Both Lulu and I laughed. He surfaced and turned to look at her, an evil grin on his face.

She laughed. “Oh no! Dylan! I don’t want to get my hair wet,” she warned.

He swam over and pulled himself out of the pool again. She stood and backed away from him. He stalked her. She turned and ran. He caught her with no difficulty and hauled her over his shoulder. She screamed and beat at this back.

“Put me down, you brute,” she squealed.

“Oh, I will, baby, I will,” he chuckled and dropped her into the deep end of the pool.

“You bastard,” she sputtered when she came up for air, but she was smiling.

I slipped on the black sundress from the collection Lulu had purchased and with it the sandals she’d insisted I have. For a change, I wore my hair loose, and now I stood fiddling with my fingers while Lulu inspected me.

“You look great, Emily. All you need is a little mascara and you’ll look a million dollars.”

“I don’t have any makeup.”

“Here,” she said and took out a tube of mascara from her bag. “Sit, I’ll do it for you.”

I let her fuss over me. It was a change to have someone take such an interest in my appearance. She also put a little gloss on my lips, then she dragged me in front of the large mirror on the landing. Staring back at me was a slim young woman with large blue eyes who looked older than her seventeen years. Dylan came out onto the landing and stood behind me. He wore his black jeans and a white linen shirt. Our eyes met in the mirror.

“You look lovely,” he murmured.

I flushed. Lulu smiled triumphant.

“My work here is done,” she gloated. She wore a tight red dress and red sandals. Naturally she looked amazing, and I knew I’d have to see if there was a shot of her in this outfit on her Instagram.

We ate in the only restaurant in the village, a large, crowded bistro that had alarming, rusted farming implements on the walls and served only three courses. I impressed both Dylan and Lulu by eating all my steak and fries with salad. As a reward, Dylan let me have two glasses of rosé.

Afterward, we went for a walk in the crowded village square. The sky was dark as dusk faded to night, and the air was warm and scented with lavender, diesel, and nougat. The whole village seemed to be out enjoying the balmy evening and the festival. There were stalls selling sweets and candy floss of every conceivable flavor and color. Loud Europop blasted from some of the stalls and competed with a more traditional band, complete with accordion player, in the middle of the square.

At the shooting gallery, Lulu turned out to be an ace shot and won a small cuddly panda, much to Dylan’s and my amusement.

Lulu spied the bumper cars. “Dylan, let’s go!” she squealed with enthusiasm.

I watched the glittering cars zip around the arena to thumping pop music, flashing lights and sparks from the electric conductors. The white noise surfaced, loud and furious, deafening me for a moment, but I took a deep breath and declined politely.

Dylan froze as he realized why.

“You go with Lulu. It’s fine,” I said, ignoring his anxiety. “I’m okay.”

Lulu flushed when she understood my reluctance. I’d lost my family the last time a car had hit us. Dylan nodded and led Lulu to a sparkling blue bumper car with Speedy written on the side. I watched them with as much detachment as I could manage as they sped around the arena avoiding the other cars.

At the first smash, I had to look away. It was too much. From deep in the recesses of my memory, I heard a loud bang, the crumpling and grinding of metal, and the sound of splintering glass and the screams.

No. No. Not now.

I didn’t want to remember.