by Lilac Mills
Listening to him quietly opening and closing the front door, then the sound of the fridge being delved into and the soft gurgle of wine into a glass (she’d recognise that noise anywhere), she prayed he’d remain in the living room.
Her luck was out, she saw, as he sauntered slowly onto the terrace, his attention on the same view she’d been looking at a few moments before. Now, though, her focus was on the man himself, and she obtained some satisfaction when he jumped as he saw her.
‘I didn’t realise you were out here,’ he said.
‘It’s only nine thirty. Too early to sleep,’ she replied, even though she’d been contemplating doing exactly that only a short while ago. Now, though, any tiredness had fled, to be replaced by wary watchfulness.
‘I mean, I didn’t think you were in.’
Sophie’s mouth dropped open. ‘Where did you think I’d be?’
‘I don’t know.’ He sank into a chair and waved his glass in the air. ‘Out somewhere.’
‘With Hugo only just discharged from hospital? What do you take me for?’
He shrugged and she itched to throw the contents of her own glass over his annoying head.
‘You’ve got an awfully low opinion of me,’ she whispered furiously, trying to keep her voice low so as not to disturb Hugo. ‘I don’t know why, as I’ve done nothing to deserve it.’
He shrugged again and arched an eyebrow, which she took for disagreement.
‘Go on, then. Tell me why,’ she demanded.
Alex sipped at his wine and shuffled around in his seat to look her in the eye. ‘I think you’re more interested in a good time than my uncle.’
‘Oh? And how do you work that out?’
‘You were out most of the day yesterday with—’
‘Hold it there, fella. Yes, I went out, but before I left I cleaned the kitchen and the bathroom; I walked Paco, weeded the vegetable patch then watered it, swept the terrace and hung a load of washing out to dry. What else would you have me do when the person I’m employed to look after is being looked after perfectly well by people far more qualified than I am?’
‘You said it.’
‘That’s it, is it? My lack of qualifications? Would you prefer to do it yourself?’ Sophie leapt to her feet, hands on her hips, and glared at him.
‘No, I would not. It’s just—’
‘Well, I’m not leaving, not unless Hugo tells me to. He’s the one paying my wages, not you—’
‘How much is he paying you?’ Alex interrupted.
‘None of your business.’
‘Hugo is my uncle. It is my business.’
‘No, it isn’t. But if you really want to know, ask him.’
‘I will.’
‘Good.’
‘Fine.’
Sophie glowered at Alex and Alex glowered back. They seemed to have reached an impasse, and with nothing left that she wanted to say to him, she took herself off to bed, muttering darkly under her breath as she did so. God, the man was insufferable. She’d never met anyone so annoying in her whole life; not even when her desk had been next to a bloke who’d constantly sniffed between noisily sucking on sherbet lemons and tapping his pen against his teeth. Oh, and when he didn’t have a lemon sweet in his mouth, he’d whistled. Tunelessly.
Alex, she decided, was more annoying. A lot more. With bells on.
The fact that he still thought she was some kind of gold-digger infuriated her.
Abruptly the penny dropped. The offer! Of course. That must be what was getting up Alex’s nose. He must think that she was here because of the potential gold mine Hugo was sitting on. But she hadn’t known about Hugo owning the banana fields until yesterday, and she certainly hadn’t been aware of anyone, Russian or otherwise, desperate to get their hands on the tract of land and the villa. She thought she should set Alex straight and, thoroughly pissed off now, she yanked open her bedroom door and marched through the villa and out onto the terrace, her bare feet slapping on the cool tiles.
Sophie could just make out Alex’s surprised expression as she came to a halt in front of him, folded her arms across her chest and launched into the attack.
‘For your information, I didn’t know about the offer on the villa until yesterday, when Dominic told me. And even if I had, I resent you thinking that I’m the type of person who’d try to take advantage of anyone, because I wouldn’t. And just because Hugo has had a hip replacement doesn’t mean he’s old and decrepit, or that he’s lost his marbles. And you seem to forget that he’s old enough to be my father, and it’s simply wrong on so many levels that you think—’ She halted, unable to put her disgust into words. She honestly had trouble imagining what was going through Alex’s head when it came to her relationship with Hugo. Ew.
Alex was studying her the way a nasty small boy might study a fly that he was about to pull the wings off. Not that she had met any small boys who she thought capable of doing such a thing, but she could guess what their expression would be.
‘I demand an apology,’ she said.
‘For what?’
‘For what I just said.’ For a highly intelligent guy, he could be seriously stupid, she’d noticed.
‘You didn’t make any sense.’
‘Oh! Argh!!’
‘You’re still not making any sense,’ he informed her.
‘The offer!’ she cried, rather too loudly, and hastily lowered her voice. ‘The offer,’ she repeated. ‘You think I’m after Hugo because of the money he might get.’
‘What offer?’
‘The one a Russian conglomerate made.’
‘To you?’
‘Why would they make an offer to me?’
‘I have no idea. As I said, you’re not making any sense.’
‘To Hugo.’ She took a deep breath, hanging onto her temper by a thread.
‘Someone has made some kind of an offer to Hugo?’
‘Grrr.’ Alex was speaking to her as though she was a young child. ‘Yes! The offer.’
‘No, I have no idea what you mean. You are speaking to me as though I am supposed to understand you. Now, I know English isn’t my first language, but I am fluent and—’
‘Stop. Just stop. I’ll spell it out for you, shall I, so there’s no language barrier? God, you’re the most annoying man on the planet.’
‘Is that what you want to spell out, that I’m annoying?’
‘No!’ She ground her teeth so hard she thought she might have cracked a molar. ‘I know what you think of me, that I’m planning to take advantage of Hugo when he sells Villa Delfín and the rest of his property to the Russian conglomerate, but you are so far from the truth you might as well be on the moon.’ Sophie flung her arm out and pointed at the sliver of moon which was still visible behind a cloud. ‘For one thing, I didn’t know anything about it until yesterday, and for another, I simply wouldn’t. I don’t know what you take me for – or rather, I do, and it’s not nice – but I’m not like that. Even if I had known, which I didn’t, I wouldn’t, and…’
She stopped, realising she was repeating herself and going around in circles. It was up to Alex now. Either he’d believe her, or he wouldn’t. She suspected the latter, but at least she’d done her best.
He was still staring at her, but this time a deep frown creased his brow and his mouth was drawn into a thin line. ‘What offer?’ Alex asked slowly.
Sophie rolled her eyes, took a deep breath and prepared to launch into yet another explanation when it hit her – he didn’t know.
Oh, shit.
The air whooshed out of her lungs, and she bit her lip and grimaced. ‘You didn’t know?’
‘Clearly not.’
‘I see.’
‘You had better explain.’
Yes, she better had, hadn’t she?
So she told him what Dominic had told her, finishing with, ‘Hugo’s not paying me much. Not actual cash. He’s paying me in bed and board, with a little extra thrown in. Oh, and the day I moved in Hugo said somethin
g a bit odd. Well, what he said wasn’t all that odd, but it was the way he said it, and I remember thinking at the time that he sounded sad, regretful almost.’
‘What did he say?’
Sophie paused for a second to make sure she got the wording correct. ‘He said, “I don’t want to have to live anywhere else”.’
‘Why did you think it was odd?’
‘As I said, he sounded sad, as though he was going to have to move and he wasn’t looking forward to it.’
‘Maybe he was worried that he wouldn’t be able to cope after his hip replacement?’
‘Maybe, but have you seen the state of those fields? He hasn’t been coping for a while.’
‘I’m sure he’ll be fine when he’s fully recovered,’ Alex said. ‘But thank you for telling me about the “offer”.’ He exaggerated the word, setting her teeth on edge again. ‘And for putting me right about your motives for being here,’ he added.
‘You still don’t believe me, do you?’
‘Actually, I do.’ He drained the last of his wine and placed the empty glass on the table, then got to his feet.
Sophie huffed, unsure if he meant it, then rested her head back against her seat wearily. All this distrust was tiring and she seriously couldn’t be bothered to argue with him anymore. She watched him walk away, relief flooding her, then he hesitated. What now, she wondered.
‘It’s not only Hugo I find myself being protective over,’ he said, and when his eyes met hers, she shivered at what she saw in them.
And she simply knew she was in for another restless night.
Chapter 21
In deference to Sophie’s (very) limited Spanish, Hugo and Alex spoke mostly English when she was around, for which she was extremely grateful. So her ears pricked up when, on the tenth day after Hugo’s surgery, he asked Alex when he was returning to Iceland.
‘In a couple of days,’ Alex said, picking up a bread roll and breaking it open.
Hugo nodded. ‘All is well?’
‘Yes.’
‘Good. I am pleased.’
The three of them were having dinner on the terrace, and Sophie paused in the act of spooning some chorizo and soft-boiled egg salad onto her plate, her eyes shooting from one to the other as she tried to make sense of the hidden meaning behind the words. Something was, or had been, going on, she was sure of it, and it was to do with Alex’s job and the reason why he was on Tenerife. It was better focusing on that than on Alex’s imminent departure, because she really wasn’t sure how she felt about that.
Ever since that night out on the terrace the two of them had exercised excessive politeness around one another. If Hugo had noticed the slightly strained atmosphere, he didn’t say anything. And, as far as Sophie knew, Alex hadn’t mentioned to his uncle that he was aware of the Russian conglomerate’s offer.
She put the spoon down, pretending to study the salad as she contemplated the prospect of the villa without Alex in it. It would be strange. She’d become used to his presence and found herself listening out for him, his voice, his soft footsteps. She even liked the way he smelt, and that she could tell if he’d been in a room recently by the scent of his aftershave in the air. The place would seem emptier without him.
‘You two should go out this afternoon,’ Hugo said, breaking into her thoughts.
‘Pardon?’ Did he mean her and Alex? Surely not.
‘Take her up that volcano you love so much. Now that it is safe.’
‘Wasn’t it safe before?’ she asked.
‘Yes, it was. But there were some anomalies,’ Alex said, frowning at his uncle.
‘She is not a tourist,’ Hugo said around a mouthful of green leaves.
‘Yes, but—’
‘It is not secret,’ Hugo said.
‘No, but—’
‘Take her out. Show her the real Tenerife.’
‘The volcano?’ Sophie asked. ‘I’ve seen it.’
‘Did you go to the top?’ Alex wanted to know.
‘Yes. The view was fantastic.’
‘The real top? The edge of the crater?’
‘Er… no. Not that far. I went up in the cable car.’
Alex put his cutlery down and reached for the glass of water at his elbow. ‘What about you, Tío? It’s less than two weeks since your operation.’
‘I have physio this afternoon, then I shall have a siesta.’
‘I don’t like leaving you on your own—’ Sophie began, but Hugo interrupted her.
‘Nonsense! I will be fine for a few hours. I have my phone, and I will not be on my own for long.’
She nibbled her lip; an afternoon out sounded wonderful. Apart from taking Paco for his twice daily constitutionals and the occasional trip to the supermarket to pick up groceries and other supplies, she’d hardly left the villa recently. Not that she felt the need to, but the change would do her good. Besides, it might be the last time she’d really see Alex. If he was leaving the day after next, then apart from at dinner tomorrow evening, she might not see him at all. And despite the harsh words between them, she discovered that she wanted to spend an hour or so with him – she wanted to be with him more than she’d previously admitted to herself.
She glanced up and found him staring at her, his liquid chocolate eyes unreadable, but there was a softness to his lips, and he nodded.
‘If Sophie wants to come, then I shall take her. No one who visits Tenerife should leave without looking into her heart.’
A tremor ran through her at the thought of being alone with him and she offered him a tentative smile.
‘And I’ll even give you a couple of hours off tomorrow and take Hugo to the hospital to have his stitches out,’ Alex suggested. ‘I might also take him out to lunch. How does paella at Ramon’s sound, Tío?’
‘Good, but Sophie should come too,’ Hugo said. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and reached for his stick.
He’d come such a long way in a short space of time, she mused, gazing at him fondly. From the walker, to crutches, to using a stick. He’d been doing his exercises religiously (she’d made sure of that) and had taken several gentle strolls along the coastal path, turning back when he got tired. He’d not gone far, but it was a start.
‘No, you two spend some time together. Hugo and I can go another day,’ she said. After all, she had no idea how long it would be before Alex returned and it would be nice for uncle and nephew to spend what little time remained together.
‘Go.’ Hugo levered himself to his feet and waved a hand in her direction. ‘Enjoy.’
‘If you’re sure…’
‘He’s sure,’ Alex said. ‘I’ll wash the dishes, you go and get ready. You’ll need walking boots if you have them, old trousers or jeans, and a fleece. It can be cool at the top.’
She smiled, remembering the temperature difference between sea level and twelve thousand feet, and hurried to do as he suggested.
After she’d fussed over Hugo (much to his annoyance), Alex finally dragged her out of the villa, one hand on her elbow, and steered her towards the car.
Once she was in the passenger seat, instead of starting the engine, Alex swivelled to look at her.
‘I was wrong,’ he said. ‘Forgive me?’
Astounded, all Sophie could do was nod. Who’d have thought he’d apologise to her? And it was very welcome too.
‘I didn’t really think you were after Hugo’s money, but I couldn’t see any other reason for a young, beautiful woman like you to shut herself away in a villa in the middle of nowhere with an invalid,’ he said. ‘But you’re not really in the middle of nowhere, and Hugo isn’t really an invalid.’
‘No to both of those things,’ she replied, but what she was really focusing on was the fact that he’d said she was beautiful. He was being very kind, and she didn’t think he meant it, but it was nice of him regardless and her heart gave a little jump.
‘You are, you know,’ he continued. ‘Beautiful.’
‘Aw, you’re making me blush.�
��
He chuckled. ‘Sorry. Shall we go?’
‘Yes, please. Do you want to tell me what the anomalies were? You and Hugo were very hush-hush.’
Alex started the car and they trundled up the track towards the road. ‘Over the past few weeks, there has been increased seismic activity, greater carbon dioxide emissions and more frequent fumaroles – gas and smoke which seeps out of vents in the crust – on the southwestern flank of the volcano, and in the Las Cañadas caldera itself. Now, this isn’t unusual, and it does happen periodically, but it nevertheless has to be taken seriously.’
‘Were we, are we, in any danger?’
‘No, I don’t believe so.’
‘What’s the Las Cañad… caldera…?’ She glanced out of the window but Teide was obscured by the walls surrounding a field and the mountain slopes it covered.
‘OK, well, a hundred and seventy thousand years ago there was an even larger structure than El Teide standing where Teide is now. When it collapsed, a caldera – a large crater – was formed. El Teide and its sister peak, called Pico Viejo, rose out of this crater to form two cones. You know Teide has a relatively pointed peak, well, Pico Viejo’s summit is an explosion crater over seven hundred metres wide. As we go further into the caldera, you’ll see its steep sides forming a rough circle. We will go up in the cable car, and from there we go on foot to the rim of Teide.’
‘Gosh. I didn’t know you could do that.’
‘The top is accessible if you have a permit, but you’re only allowed on the mountain for a short period of time.’
‘Because of the fumaroles?’
‘Because it is a national park and the authorities wish to prevent too much erosion by footfall.’
‘Ah.’
‘I have a special permit, however, and we can remain at the summit for as long as you wish.’
‘Lovely.’ She couldn’t wait. Her mother would be thrilled when she told her she’d— Oh. Furiously Sophie blinked back unexpected tears. Grief wasn’t a predictable linear thing; it rose up to swamp her at the most inappropriate and unanticipated moments, and every now and again she actually forgot her mum was gone, and the loss of her was felt as keenly as though it had just happened.
