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Not wanting to risk a sunburn, she decided against reading outside and instead headed for the large sofa.
Whether it was heat, or that the cushions were comfier than her bed at home, it wasn’t long before Holly’s eyes sagged. The last time she had indulged in a midday nap was when Hope was a newborn, and then it had been more a case of passing out from sheer exhaustion than consciously deciding to go to sleep. She closed her book, adjusted a cushion to a pillow position and lay down.
She was mid-dream about waterskiing on the river in Bourton when a loud bang jerked her back awake.
She jumped to her feet and turned in a circle, trying to find the source. Had one of the inflatables burst? The noise had sounded loud enough; however, a quick glance at the pool told her everything was all right there. Her heart hammered. Was it the front door? Had Hugo returned? If so, she wanted to make herself scarce again.
‘Hugo?’ Her pulse was abnormally high. This villa was far from the stereotypical location used in horror films, but it turned out that being alone in a big house could be scary, however modern and luxurious it was. She scanned the room, searching for an item she could use to defend herself, before deciding that hiding might be the better option.
She was still debating whether she could squeeze in the gap under the sofa when Evan’s voice called out.
‘Not Hugo. Just me.’
Relief flooded through her and she rested her hand on the arm of the chair, although that relief was quickly replaced with annoyance. Annoyance at herself for overreacting and even more annoyance at Evan. From the lack of chattering, she could only assume he had returned on his own, meaning she would have to speak to him one on one, which was the last thing she wanted to do.
‘You’re back early.’ She kept her voice as neutral as possible. ‘Everything okay?’
‘Not that early. It’s three.’
‘It is?’ Holly checked her watch in surprise. So much for a quick nap. Shaking off the feeling, she turned back to Evan.
‘Where’s everyone else? How come they’re not back yet?’
‘The others just had the viewpoint to get to. I’ve already seen it enough times, so I thought I’d head back. How are things here? Has your bag arrived yet?’
‘Yes. And Hugo came too. He did some gardening.’ She left out the part about him catching her skinny dipping; Evan imaging her naked was the last thing she wanted.
‘I should have told you I expected him. Everything was okay, then?’
‘Yes. Fine.’ No matter how much she wanted to stay neutral, she could hear her clipped tone, and from the way Evan frowned, he could hear it too.
‘Is everything all right? You seem… tense.’
Tense. That was a good word to describe it, but Holly wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of letting him know she knew about his womanising ways.
‘Everything’s fine.’ The words had barely left her lips when she realised it wasn’t the entire truth. ‘Actually, no it’s not. There was a little confusion when I paid the taxi driver. I may have overpaid him. But I’ll give you the money back, obviously.’
‘It doesn’t matter. It’s fine.’
‘No, it is not. It was my mistake.’
‘How much did you pay him?’ Evan tilted his head to the side.
‘About two hundred euros,’ she said hoarsely.
Evan covered his mouth with his hand as he coughed. ‘You paid him two hundred euros? I bet he was laughing.’
‘Well, I didn’t exactly pay him. Rather, I got the money out of your wallet and he took it and I was confused because I didn’t realise the value of the note immediately. But like I’ve said, I’ll pay you back.’
‘You’ve got your suitcase, that’s what matters the most. Now I was going to make a cup of coffee if you want one? Or I’ve got some wine if you prefer. The previous owner left a well-stocked seller; you can take a look yourself. See if there’s anything in there you like the look of.’
Never in Holly’s life had she been asked to take a pick from a private wine cellar, and had he asked her previously, she would have probably accepted, but a lot could change in a few hours.
‘I’m fine, thank you.’ She spoke with just enough terseness for it to be noticeable, and once again, Evan’s head tilted to the side. But this time, a deep crevice formed between his brows.
‘Are you sure everything’s okay? Apart from the taxi driver completely ripping you off?’
Holly pursed her lips. It would be so easy not to say something. The last thing she wanted was to make things awkward on the second day of the break. They weren’t even halfway through yet. But this wasn’t just about her. This was about all the girls he was stringing along. Maybe her calling him out would be enough to make him think twice. And it was better to do it now while it was just the two of them in the house than when everyone else was back.
