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‘It’s four o’ clock in the morning,’ he cautioned. ‘You stay here. I’ll go and see who it is.’
In the end they both went. But when he opened the front door, and she peered around his back, Ramon’s chauffeur was standing on the doorstep. And the expression on his face made it clear what he thought they had been doing. His eyes were flint-hard as they flicked over her, then he cut her out, speaking to Ramon in rapid Spanish. Annalisa could not grasp every word. But she felt sure he wanted her to pick up the name Margarita, as well as the Spanish word for airport.
After a clipped response Ramon shut the door and, turning towards her, said, ‘I’m sorry, Annalisa. I have to go.’
‘Go?’ Of course he had to go. What a fool she was! What right did she have to keep him? Ramon was a married man. His wife needed him. It was that simple.
He glanced at his wristwatch and frowned. ‘Would you mind if I took a quick shower?’
‘No…no, that’s fine. You’ll find some clean towels in the bathroom cupboard.’
He caught hold of her arms. ‘I need one more favour.’
‘Which is?’
‘Could you rustle up some breakfast?’
He took her fixed stare for agreement, and as she watched him sprint up the stairs she knew that in his own mind Ramon had already left. He couldn’t wait to get back to his real life…to Margarita.
And so she had made him breakfast, squeezing oranges in silence, cooking eggs, brewing coffee… But she had got a peck on the cheek, as well as a swift kiss on both hands for payment, Annalisa reminded herself wryly. Wrecked by a rushed, ‘Sorry. Have to go. Plane lands in fifteen minutes.’
‘You mustn’t be late,’ she had agreed, holding the door open.
The last she’d seen of him was a brief wave, almost a salute, as the sleek limousine swept out of her yard, heading at speed towards the highway.
Was this what she wanted? Stolen time? She thought about her mother’s plight and reason answered the question for her. Though how she would harden her heart sufficiently to think of Ramon only in terms of business she had no idea.
CHAPTER FIVE
I WILL drown if I stay here, Annalisa thought, trying to shake herself out of the doldrums as she stepped out of the front door of the finca later that morning. And it won’t be the sea that kills me… Ramon wasn’t her friend and couldn’t be her lover. The sooner she got those facts through her head the better.
But just because she felt bad that didn’t mean the animals’ routine could be disrupted. And at least Fudge was his usual carefree self. Even while she went through the motions of feeding chickens and setting things straight in the yard he sprang around her feet like a puppy, trying to look as cute as his lopsided face would allow. He could do everything but speak, she thought, dredging up a thin smile as she watched him dash to the path that led to the beach and then race back again to bark excitedly at her.
‘All right. I give in,’ she said finally. ‘But you will have to wait until I get changed.’
Running upstairs to her room, she quickly crossed to the chest underneath the window where she kept her swimwear. As she dragged off her top it grazed her nipples. Just thinking about Ramon had plunged her into a state of arousal, she realised with a bitter half-laugh. Some joke! Her mind on one track, her body on a detour. It seemed as if each erotic zone had Ramon’s personal brand on it whether she liked it or not. An early-morning swim in the freezing cold water would sort that out, she decided, impatiently snatching up a bikini and wrap from the drawer.
Fudge was waiting for her when she arrived in the yard, his excitement evident in the tense way he held himself and the erect set of his tail. As soon as Annalisa called out he scampered off down the path in front of her, yapping with triumph. Scooping up the bright red ball she had bought for him in the village, she broke into an easy jog behind him. Ramon’s warning about swimming alone did briefly cross her mind when she was forced to slow at the cliff-edge. But Ramon wasn’t here. And this was still her beach…her life.
Scrambling down to the shore, she threw the ball as hard as she could, her tension easing into a smile as she watched the old dog race after it. When he caught up at last he executed an exaggerated pounce and then looked back at her for approval, wagging his tail furiously before trotting back with his head held high.
The game could have gone on much longer, but Annalisa was growing restless. ‘That’s it,’ she said finally, untying her wrap. The sea beckoned. Palest sage edged with a white lace frill, it was mirror-flat except for the treacherous spine between the two properties where the rocks broke the surface. It promised a cooling swim…a soothing swim. And she had learned her lesson. She would stay away from the point. Shading her eyes with her hand, she plotted her course.
