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So this was it.
Mary looked at Costa, all sulky in bed, and wished she could join him. She wished she could suspend her heart for thirty-six more hours. But it was already killing her to leave.
She really had been practising her Greek, and had chosen the farewell that she hoped best fit.
‘Sto kaló!’
Costa just lay there as she said it. NotGoodbye, norSee you soon, orWe’ll speak again. Instead she was wishing him well, or rather telling himGo to a good place.
‘You too,’ he told her.
‘Mary?’ he called her back. ‘There’s something for you in the top drawer...’
‘What?’
‘I got you a phone. You’ll need one if you’re looking for work.’
‘Wow!’ Mary said, without her usual enthusiasm. She didn’t even open the drawer to look. ‘Thank you, I guess.’
He could breathe now that she’d gone. Except there was a gentler farewell too, a more affectionate one, that might have been more fitting, but he dared not use it. And there was still the sweet scent of coconut sunscreen, and when he topped up his coffee he saw that her magnet was still on the fridge.
Costa did admire her.
He might have said it a touch sarcastically last night, yet now, as he wandered to the windows and stood there watching her walk on his private stretch of beach, he realised he really did admire her.
Her hat was being used to collect shells, and she was lost in her own world rather than glancing anxiously back to his. She sought her own happiness and made it herself.
Mary had been planning on changing her life long before he’d come along. This weekend had merely expedited things—and, although he might not recommend her methods for securing it, who the hell didn’t want sex?
She had taken off the loose white dress now and was venturing into the water. He was tempted to stand like a lifeguard and ensure she was safe as she ventured out. His concern was merited, Costa told himself, given that she couldn’t swim.
But she was just splashing in the shallows, watching the surf and enjoying the day. Then she moved a little further out, testing the water.
The water was bliss.
It was cool on her sex, where it stung a tiny bit, but then all pain just faded away.
The water was so clear that Mary could see little coloured fish darting about, and she was waist-deep now. She felt a ledge of sand beneath her feet and, unsure of the depth, just stood there, lost in her thoughts. Because she was here, and she was sad, so sad, to be leaving far too soon.
But as she scooped water into her hands she knew that whether it was today, tomorrow or next year, it would always kill her to leave.
Not the water, nor the luxury or the beauty...it would kill her to leavehim.
And then there was movement, a splash, the rush of approach and the wild thrill of surprise. It was so sudden she could not turn round, so exhilarating that there was no time to scream, for she was being scooped up in his arms and he was carrying her out.
‘Costa...’
She found her voice and felt his hot skin, the energy of his strong body and the sudden, unexpected joy of the moment. He lifted her high and then threw her into the waves. The water engulfed her, but all she felt was joy returning to her veins and the pumping of a happy heart and the sound of laughter.
‘What was that?’ she asked as he caught her wrists and dragged her, breathless, towards him.
‘I couldn’t resist.’
They stood facing each other, smiling, and then he heard the helicopter buzzing overhead.
‘I want you there tonight,’ he admitted. ‘So that you get your party.’
And if that meant sharing his life with her, just for a short while, it was a price he found he was more than willing to pay.
