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CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
‘So where do you want to go?’ Rob relaxed in the passenger seat of Hannah’s rental car – a black Seat Ibiza that was now loaded with their luggage. Despite the full tank of petrol, she hadn’t moved from the rental centre car park, suddenly paralysed by the reality of her situation. In the past four weeks, she had ended her fourteen-year marriage, agreed to go on a trip to Spain with a group of women she barely knew, gone skinny dipping in a hotel pool, managed to get her tennis coach fired from his job and then impulsively invited him to join her on a road trip across southern Spain. Which was why she was now facing the prospect of two weeks in the company of an incredibly hot man who was strictly off limits – on the basis that she absolutely did not want a rebound fling and he was clearly a serial womaniser. Apparently she was some kind of masochist.
‘I don’t know,’ she said, giving him a feeble smile. ‘I’d planned to do some research while I was here, but events kind of took over.’
‘I hate it when that happens.’ Rob’s eyes twinkled. ‘Well, this is your trip, so you need to decide. I’m just along for the ride.’
Hannah thought about it for a moment. Her plan had been to travel alone, but having Rob there didn’t need to change the destination. Not at first, anyway. ‘Then let’s go east along the coast for a bit, then up to Granada,’ she said decisively. ‘It’s somewhere I’ve always wanted to go, and it’s only a few hours away.’
Rob nodded. ‘Granada it is. Do you want me to find us somewhere to stay while you’re driving?’
‘That would be great. I was also thinking about doing some hiking for a few days, get up into the mountains. Apparently there are some really nice trails.’
‘Sounds perfect. As long as I can do it in trainers, I’m all good.’
She nodded, tapping Granada into the satnav and easing out of the car park – Rob could add the hotel details later. ‘Did you manage to say goodbye to the other coaches?’
Rob leaned his elbow on the window ledge so he could rest his head on the heel of his hand as he tapped around on his phone. ‘I tracked down Nick and Aaron, who obviously had plenty to say about Mark; I wasn’t fussed about the rest of them. What’s our accommodation budget?’
‘Tight,’ said Hannah. ‘Nothing fancy. My plan was to find cheap B&Bs or guesthouse-type places where I’d be safe staying on my own. But now you’re here, we’ve got a bit more choice. As long as it’s got two beds.’ She wasn’t sure why she felt the need to clarify, but she didn’t want him to think she had any expectations. Or that he could expect anything, either.
‘I can chip in my earnings from the last few weeks,’ said Rob. ‘It’s not a lot, but it should keep us out of hostels. Ooh, this Airbnb looks nice,’ he added, still tapping on his phone. ‘It’s got a tennis court and six bedrooms.’
‘Yeah, probably a bit over our budget,’ laughed Hannah. ‘But maybe we can find a local court if we fancy a game. The Spanish love tennis.’
Rob turned his head to look at her curiously. ‘Have you spent much time here?’
‘Not really.’ Hannah could feel the heat creep up her neck. ‘I’ve been here a few times.’
‘With your ex-husband?’
‘No.’ The silence hung heavily in the car.
Rob sighed. ‘Look,’ he said, putting his phone down on his lap. ‘If we’re going to make this trip work, we’re going to need to get to know each other a bit. That didn’t feel like a big question, but I totally understand if there are things you’d rather not talk about.’
He’s right, thought Hannah. She needed to be honest with him, and there was no time like the present. ‘I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be mysterious, it’s just I’m not used to talking about my family. I’ve been here a few times to visit my dad, he lives a couple of hours away from here. North of Malaga, towards Córdoba.’
Rob’s eyes widened. ‘Shit, really?’
Hannah nodded. ‘He and my mum split up when I was fifteen. I don’t know all the details of what happened, but he moved to Spain and never came back.’
‘Wow, I’m really sorry,’ said Rob. ‘Do you and he get on?’
‘I guess,’ said Hannah with a shrug, glad she was focussing on the road ahead and didn’t have to look at him. ‘We’re quite alike in lots of ways. But he’s also not exactly parent of the year, so we’re still working on it. I come over every few years.’
‘Does your mum know?’
Hannah shook her head.
‘Would she be upset?’
‘It takes very little to upset my mum, so yes.’
‘And is your dad due a visit right now? Was that your plan?’
‘No,’ said Hannah quickly. The answer was ‘probably, yes’, but Rob being here changed everything. On previous visits Hannah had massively oversold how happy her marriage to Graham was, not wanting her dad to worry that she’d repeated her parents’ mistakes. The news that her marriage had fallen apart because of an affair would hit him hard. He’d take it personally, like somehow genetics had played a role in his daughter choosing a man just like her father. Or worse, he’d blame her for being a bad wife to Graham. She’d already had that lecture in stereo from Ruth and her mum, and definitely didn’t need to hear it from her dad too.
‘OK,’ said Rob, raising his eyebrows. ‘What else shall we talk about?’
