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‘I don’t care,’ she lied, pushing him away. ‘It would just be awkward if you’d left any of them behind.’
He burst out laughing and reached out for her. ‘There are no women hiding in the bushes. I promise. But there’s going to be one unhinged man on this beach if I don’t eat soon!’
* * *
The food was delicious. After the crew had cleared away the plates and glasses with swift, soundless efficiency, Flora lay back on one of the cushions, her head resting on Massimo’s shoulder. She was trying not to stare at him but it was difficult. With his shirt unbuttoned and his hair mussed up by the breeze drifting gently over the sand he looked more desirable than ever.
Feeling her gaze on his face, he leaned over and kissed her softly on the mouth. His lips were cold and tasted of honey and berries.
‘Penny for them?’ he said, tracing a finger up the bare skin of her thigh so that she squirmed against him.
‘You’d get change,’ she said lightly.
He frowned. ‘What does that mean?’
She tilted her head back. He was watching her intently and the feel of his eyes on her was making it difficult for her to breathe. ‘It was something my mum used to say...’ she said finally.
He waited for her to continue.
She shrugged. ‘I don’t know. I’ve been thinking about her a lot today. Before she died we used to go sailing together. Not your kind of sailing.’ She gave him a quick, tight smile. ‘We had a little dinghy and it was just the two of us. My dad and Freddie—my brother—they both got seasick, so it was just the two of us. Me and Mum.’
Glancing up at him, she hesitated, expecting him to look bored, but instead he nodded. ‘When did she die?’
‘When I was twelve. But she was ill for a couple of years before that.’ Her shoulders tensed and she looked down at her hands.
‘I’m sorry.’
He meant it. She could hear it in his voice.
She nodded. ‘Me too.’
‘So, do you still sail?’
His voice was so gentle that she had to curl her fingers into the palm of her hand to stop tears from filling her eyes. ‘No. At first I didn’t want to. But later my dad...’ She paused. ‘It made him worry. He couldn’t help it,’ she added almost defensively. ‘He’d just lost my mum, and sailing is dangerous.’
‘Did he remarry?’
Looking up, she was shaken by the intense blueness of his gaze. ‘No. No, he didn’t. He never really got over her death. You see, they were like soul mates.’
Trying to ignore the scratchiness in her voice, she gave him another quick, tight smile.
‘They met at school. He was the year above her but she asked him out.’ She bit her lip. ‘He was just so lost without her. Some people can’t be apart,’ she said slowly.
She fell silent. Beside her, Massimo was silent too, and for a moment there was no sound except the waves washing over the sand. Looking across the beach, she watched the foam rise and fall, feeling awkward. Not that she really blamed him for having nothing to say. In her experience death was a no-go area for most people, and certainly not the most fitting topic of conversation for a picnic on a deserted island.
‘My mother didn’t really like the water very much.’ His voice jolted her from her thoughts, and slowly she lifted her head. He smiled tautly.
‘When she took me swimming she used to pile all her hair up on top of her head and do this incredibly slow breaststroke so as not to splash herself.’
Flora nodded but her head was spinning so fast she hardly knew what she was doing. Up until today Massimo had been like a dot-to-dot puzzle: she’d just filled in the lines, creating a picture of a man who was unscrupulous and ruthless. Only now she saw a different man. A man who’d once been a boy, struggling as she had with grief and guilt and loneliness and loss.
Leaning forward, Massimo ran his finger lightly over the pattern on the carpet. ‘She had this sapphire necklace my father gave her when I was born and she always refused to take it off in the water. It drove my father mad. But he’d always back down. I think he liked it that she loved it so much.’
Flora looked at him. ‘She sounds like she knew her own mind!’
‘She did. She was very strong-willed.’ His eyes met hers and he smiled reluctantly. And then his smile faded. ‘She was strong too. Right up until the end she’d get dressed and do her hair and put on her make-up...’
