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‘I hadn’t realised you were American.’ Caroline lowered her glass before she spoke. ‘I thought you lived in London?’
‘Caroline, right?’ He confirmed her name, as well as confirming to Holly the depth of his drawl. ‘I live in London now. But Fin and I go way back. I’d already moved over here when he quit the competitions to do his boards full-time. I was looking to move into a different market and he needed someone to help set up the business side of things, so we ended up working together for a couple of years. Kind of serendipitous, you might say.’
‘Very serendipitous.’ Caroline’s eyes glazed and Holly was worried her friend might physically swoon, but before that happened, she shifted her stance and gestured to her side. ‘Oh, and this is Holly. She runs her own business too.’
It couldn’t have been any more obvious. Holly wouldn’t have been so annoyed if they hadn’t just been extensively discussing how she didn’t want to be pushed onto any of Fin’s single friends. As such, at this moment, her nerves were overridden by her sense of irritation.
‘Jamie already introduced us, remember? About two minutes ago.’ It wasn’t the politest response, but she had been aiming her annoyance solely at Caroline. Only when a silence spread between the group did she realise just how rude she had come across. Clearing her throat, she forced herself to smile.
‘Sorry, Evan. Thank you so much for paying for the accommodation. It’s really generous. I feel like I should give you something towards the cost.’
The way Holly had been brought up meant she’d never forgive herself if she didn’t offer to pay her way, but she wasn’t exactly sure what she would do if Evan suddenly agreed to split the cost. She could only hope they were staying somewhere cheap.
‘It’s really not a big deal.’ His slight smile caused his eyes to gleam even brighter than before. ‘I’ve actually just bought the villa, so us going out together gives me a chance to see it. And figure out how much work the place needs.’
‘You just bought a villa in the south of France?’ Holly spoke slowly, just to make sure she had understood him fully. ‘But you haven’t seen it yet and you don’t know if it needs to have work done on it?’
She had not intended to be humorous. If anything, she was simply checking his sanity, but the chuckle that resonated from Evan was so deep, his vocal cords could have been made of double bass strings.
‘Don’t worry, I’m not crazy. Well, maybe a little. I had a reputable estate agent involved. And I’ve had plenty of video calls to see the place. Not to mention a buddy of mine checked it out a couple of times, too. The area is good, and I know it’s not crumbling down completely, so how bad can it be?’
Once again, that smile glinted, yet the nerves Holly felt at flying were now joined by the deepest sinking feeling.
‘How bad indeed?’ With a long sip of her drink, she hoped to cover her expression. Not only was she spending four days away from Hope for the first time ever, but now the owner of the villa they were staying in didn’t even know how bad the place was going to be. She could see it now: the algae-filled swimming pool, with frogs hopping in and out of it. Creaking fans rattling on the ceiling and holes in the plasterboard as big as her fist. Bedbugs, fleas, mouse droppings, rat-chewed furniture…
With another long gulp, she finished the drink in her hand.
‘Here, you need a top up.’ Evan reached for the bottle in the wine cooler, only this time, Holly glanced at the label. A new level of tension surged through her. Champagne. No wonder it tasted so damn good. It probably cost more than half a dozen bottles of the plonk she normally bought.
‘I shouldn’t,’ she said, covering her glass with her hand.
‘It’s on me.’
‘Really, it’s not necessary.’
The bottle remained hovering at an angle over her hand.
‘Half a glass?’
Before she could refuse his offer again, Jamie was leaning over her shoulder.
‘You can’t tell me you’re refusing free drink?’ Jamie thrust her own glass forward, at which point, Evan promptly moved the bottle to top it up. ‘This is a celebration. You need to switch off. Relax.’
‘I have switched off,’ Holly lied. ‘But I haven’t eaten yet today, that’s all. I don’t want to make myself ill on the plane.’
Jamie’s eyebrows rose.
‘She’s having a top up,’ she said, taking Holly’s glass and holding it out to Evan. However, rather than immediately topping it up, as she expected him to do, he didn’t move.
‘Are you sure? I can order you something else if you’d rather. They do food here too. We’ve got time to get something before the plane goes if you need to eat?’
Whether it was all the other pressures of the day, or the fact that she couldn’t remember the last time she had looked an attractive man dead in the eye, Holly didn’t know, but as their gazes locked on one another, her heart rate took an upward turn. A large lump forced its way up her throat. When she finally swallowed it down, she could feel herself turning crimson.
‘Another drink would be lovely,’ she said.
7
Despite the fact the group had arrived at the airport with plenty of time, when they headed to the gate, they saw a mass of people already awaiting the first boarding announcement. Caroline was deep in conversation with Sandra, while Jamie and Fin were sharing what was likely to be one of many intimate moments, giggling as they rubbed their noses together. For most people, Holly would’ve thought a mixed hen and stag do would have been a disaster waiting to happen. The type of thing a couple with major trust issues did. But for these two, it was the perfect idea. They were both active and outdoorsy and enjoyed the same things. And when you looked at the pair of them together, it was obvious there was no one’s company they enjoyed more than each other’s. Which, Holly figured, was the way it should be if you were planning to spend the rest of your life with that person. When viewed like that, it was surprising that more people didn’t do joint events like this.
