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‘We should be thinking about going.’
‘Aw, not yet.’ Sofia tugged her phone out of her jean’s pocket to check the time. ‘I don’t need to be back for another hour at least.’
‘I’m afraid I have some business to attend to before trading closes in New York.’ Nikos was already shrugging on his jacket.
‘Well, Kate will stay with me—won’t you, Kate? She’ll make sure I get back to the hotel safely.’
‘Yes, of course.’
Kate agreed willingly. She had been secretly hoping to spend some time alone with Sofia, so she could try to explain to her why she had agreed to this fake marriage. Tell her how she intended to pay the money back—every cent—when Kandy Kate was thriving again.
Nikos hesitated, looking from one of them to the other doubtfully. But Sofia had a way of winning him round, and after issuing strict instructions about not being late and taking taxi cabs and sticking together at all times, he finally left.
Everything started well enough. Broaching the subject of her arrangement with Nikos, Kate was surprised to find that Sofia, far from criticising her for being a mercenary tramp, was actually grateful to her, thanking her profusely for marrying Nikos and so upping the chances of Nikos becoming her guardian.
It occurred to Kate that, despite what Nikos had told her, Sofia didn’t know about the money. She thought Kate was doing it out of the kindness of her heart. But there was nothing to be gained by explaining the situation fully, so Kate dropped the subject, her guilt soothed slightly by the fact that Nikos must have cared enough to want to protect her image.
Instead they talked about Philippos. Full of pride, Sofia related what a genius he’d been, how much he’d valued his friendship with Nikos, how he had been the best brother in the world. Her large eyes filled with tears as she talked about his tragic death, all but breaking Kate’s heart. Pulling her into a hug, Kate held her tight, wishing she could do more.
But Sofia quickly recovered. Giving a couple of sniffs, she tipped up her chin and offered her a watery smile. ‘But, hey, this is my birthday. So I refuse to be sad.’
The pub was starting to get much busier, and the clientele now were a different, noisier crowd. The old men playing dominoes in the corner had gone, to be replaced by smart City types, all striped shirts and red braces, flashing their platinum credit cards.
And Sofia was loving it. When a group of persistent young men found out it was her birthday they insisted on buying her and Kate a drink, and Sofia accepted before Kate could stop her, swapping her shandy for a mocktail and ordering a mojito for Kate.
Kate had no interest in these flashy City guys, with their fat wallets and their narrow, unchallenged views, vying to impress these two foreigners. But Sofia was having such a good time. And with all the sorrow she had had in her life Kate thought she deserved a bit of light-hearted fun. So, not wanting to play the meanie, she sipped her drink and stayed quiet as the banter continued.
She only left her charge for five minutes, giving Sofia strict instructions to stay exactly where she was. But, to Kate’s utter horror, when she returned from the bathroom Sofia had gone.
In a state of blind panic Kate rushed out into the street, scanning in every direction, desperately trying to catch a glimpse of that multi-coloured hair. There was no sign of her. Running back into the pub, she dashed through to the beer garden, with the image of Nikos’s livid face emblazoned on her brain.
He would never forgive her if anything had happened to Sofia. And she would never forgive herself.
And then she saw her, backed up against the garden trellis, with one of the City guys pressing himself close against her. Way too close.
Without thinking, Kate stormed towards them, wrenching the man’s arm from where his hand was hooked in the trellis just above Sofia’s head and forcibly pushing him away. There was the sound of splintered wood, an indignant yell from the man, and a sort of yelp of surprise from Sofia as the trellis came away from the wall and a tangle of plants and wood fell around them.
‘What the hell do you think you’re doing?’ The man stepped away, stumbling over the debris and glaring at Kate.
‘Are you okay, Sofia?’ Kate put a protective arm around her shoulders.
