‘It’s one of my lesser-spotted signature moves,’ said Kate, sipping the last of her tea. ‘James caught me practising in the bedroom mirror once and pretended to go blind with horror.’
She had smiled as she spoke, but now her face fell. James was part of the reason she had drunk so much in the first place – him and all the associated trauma of their break-up.
‘I feel sick,’ she said, but the other two didn’t hear her. Robyn was still showing Toby something on her phone, and Kate realised he looked more intrigued now than amused.
‘Interesting,’ he said, looking from the screen back to Kate. ‘Very interesting.’
‘What is? What now? Is it a video of me doing the Agadoo and actually shaking a tree?’
Robyn lowered her phone. ‘Do you remember suggesting that we call Alex last night?’
Kate’s blood came to an abrupt halt inside her veins. ‘No.’
‘You wanted him to come and party with us – you made that point very clear.’
‘But I didn’t call him, did I?’ she said, almost dropping her own phone in her rush to check it. ‘Look, I didn’t. There are no calls or messages. I knew there wouldn’t be. Hula Hula is the last place I would invite Alex to; it’s so not his kind of vibe.’
‘Kind of vibe,’ teased Toby. ‘You can take the girl out of London—’
‘Hang on a minute.’ Kate was looking at her friend’s slightly sheepish expression. ‘You didn’t call him, did you?’
Robyn shifted on her stool as Toby started laughing. ‘What is it about Al at the moment? One of the guests was asking about him the other day, how old he was, where he was from, how long he’d been in Hvar – I think she was trying to get the lowdown on him so she could chat him up. I had no idea he was such a dark horse.’
Kate was still looking at Robyn. ‘Did you call Alex, Robyn?’ she repeated, this time with emphasis.
‘I may have.’
‘Nooo! What did he say? What did you say?’
‘Nothing.’ Robyn passed her mobile across so Kate could see the call list. Alex’s number was there, the time alongside it read 00:45.
‘It wasn’t me doing the talking – it was you.’
Kate brought up a hand and put it over her mouth.
‘You told him a plant had beaten you up and that you wanted to sleep in his deckchair. Something like that, anyway, you wouldn’t let me listen. But he must’ve said no, because then you were all stroppy and said something like, “Well, you’d better come and take me and my friend out on your boat tomorrow then” before hanging up. That’s why I’m up and in make-up so early, I assumed we’d be heading out with Mr Dothraki.’
‘Doth-who-y?’ put in Toby, but Kate never got to reply.
The door on the opposite side of the terrace had opened, and she knew – just knew – who was going to walk through it.
Chapter 34
‘Morning, baby,’ was how Alex greeted her.
‘Baby?’
‘Your new name, apparently. Last night, you told me in no uncertain terms that I must call you that from now on.’
‘I did?’
‘That’ll be the teenage Dirty Dancing obsession coming through again,’ explained Robyn, who had hopped off her stool and now offered Alex her hand to shake. ‘It always comes to the surface when Kate’s been drinking,’ she added. ‘Baby is her alter ego.’
‘Right.’
Alex peered a bit closer at Kate. ‘How’s the head?’
‘Marginally less painful than the shame,’ Kate muttered, relieved to see a smile playing around his lips. ‘I’m really sorry for calling you so late, for calling you at all. This is why I never drink – alcohol turns me into a monster.’
‘No matter.’
A silence followed in which Kate squirmed uncomfortably.
‘So . . .’ Toby said, with ill-disguised relish. He was clearly enjoying this situation far too much, thought Kate. ‘Where are you kids off to today?’
‘”You kids”,’ mimicked Robyn. ‘Tobes, you’re five years older than us – not fifty. How old are you?’ she asked, turning to Alex. ‘Kate never said.’
‘That’s probably because I never told her,’ he replied, folding his arms. ‘I’m thirty.’
‘Same as us.’ Robyn beamed. ‘When was your birthday?’
Kate glanced at Alex. Somehow, she knew instinctively that he would not like the question.
‘A while ago,’ he said. ‘I don’t go in for birthdays – lot of fuss about nothing, if you ask me.’
Robyn went to protest, but Kate got in first. ‘After the disastrous thirtieth I had, I’m inclined to agree with you. And please, don’t feel like you have to honour your promise to take us out on the boat today,’ she added. ‘I can’t remember much about last night, but apparently I bullied you into agreeing?’
‘I would say firmly instructed,’ he allowed. ‘But that’s OK. I have a free day today.’
‘Only if you’re sure? You don’t have anything you’d rather be doing?’
Alex said nothing, but when Kate’s eyes met his, she could have been sure he gave her the ghost of a wink.
As Robyn was the guest, Toby declared that she must choose where they went and eventually they settled on a cruise around the Pakleni Islands. It transpired that Robyn had read about the ritzy Palmižana beach on St Klement in a travel supplement from one of the Sunday broadsheets and was keen to go. When Noa popped up from reception to ask Toby about a booking enquiry and realised they were all heading out, he offered to call his girlfriend Klementina and ask if she would watch the bar so his boss could join them.
‘You never take a day off,’ he said. ‘Go – enjoy yourself.’
The restorative effects of the tea, toast and tablets were beginning to wane, and Kate felt increasingly as if the inside of her head was a lava lamp. It was on wobbly legs that she followed Robyn downstairs so they could collect their things, and while her friend was bursting with enthusiasm at the prospect of a full day out, all Kate wanted to do was curl up in bed – or perhaps around the toilet, she half-joked.
‘No way am I leaving you here,’ Robyn said firmly. ‘You’ll only cave in and call James – hangovers make us weak.’
‘I won’t,’ grumbled Kate, although the thought had crossed her mind more than once that morning. It had been such a long time now since they’d spoken – what if James was forgetting all about her? Robyn had laid out three bikinis on the bed and motioned for Kate to help her choose one. ‘The pink,’ she said at once. ‘You’re lucky that you can wear that shade – if I tried, I’d look like one of those chewy Fruit Salad sweets.’
‘Do you think Alex will approve?’
Kate tutted. ‘I’m sure he will, but what does it matter what a man thinks?’
Robyn looked at her strangely before heading into the bathroom, leaving Kate to mull over what she had said to warrant such a reaction. It was hard to think straight when your head was pounding, and your mouth was dry. Picking up her green-and-white swimsuit, she ducked behind the wardrobe door to change and sneaked a look at her phone at the same time, hoping to find something from James. A message, a notification, a change of WhatsApp photo that would allow her some insight into his state of mind – but there was nothing.
She waited for the usual pang of disappointment to strike, for her body to react somehow to the continued silence, but she remained unmoved. If anything, thought Kate, she was becoming numb to it. Or perhaps the hangover was keeping her true feelings at bay, acting like a thin cotton layer between the naked tip of a finger and the hot surface of a stove. Her mind knew she would soon feel the burn, that the pain would come, but her heart was unable to accept it.
Was this denial, or had she somehow managed to turn down the heat?
‘Ta-da!’ cried Robyn, bursting back into the room and performing a Baywatch slow-motion run towards the door. ‘Are you coming or what?’
‘Sure you wouldn’t be better Hoff alone?’
Robyn laughed. ‘There she is –
I knew you were still in there somewhere.’
‘Barely,’ replied Kate, but she was smiling as she said it.
They took the shortcut down the hillside to Pokonji Dol beach, Kate having to catch Robyn numerous times when her flip-flops slipped on the dry, stony path, and were boarded and ready to sail soon afterwards. The clouds that had protected them from the glare of the sun all morning had long since burned away, and Kate was relieved to feel the cool air rushing across her cheeks. It was busy out in the bay today, holiday season having reached its peak, and Alex had to steer them around a multitude of fishing boats, jet skis and catamarans to reach open water.
‘Hvar feels way more decadent than I was expecting,’ observed Robyn, craning her head to stare as they passed a super yacht. ‘More like the South of France than the Adriatic.’
‘I know what you mean,’ Kate agreed. ‘But I preferred it when I first arrived – back when it was quieter.’
She had been half-hoping Alex would choose a route that took them around Jerolim, so she could get another look at the hidden cove they’d swum to together, but he didn’t. Instead, he headed west, his red Croatia cap pulled down and his gaze fixed ahead, making no comment as Toby, ever the amateur tour guide, called out the names of the passing islands.
‘The word “Pakleni” comes from a type of pine resin called “paklina”,’ he told them. ‘It used to be harvested here and used as a kind of varnish on ships. The island to our left now is called Marinkovac, and that’s where you’ll find the famous Carpe Diem Beach, as well as Ždrilca and Mlini.’
‘Your brother should have been a teacher,’ Robyn said in an undertone, her carefully straightened hair blowing across her face. She was wearing a life vest over her pink bikini, as well as some patterned shorts with tassels sewn along the hems. Taller and slightly broader across the shoulders than Kate, she had spent three years in her university rowing team and still had the shapely thighs to prove it, although her figure was softened by a nipped-in waist and rounded hips. Being an occupational therapist, Robyn understood better than most how important it was to look after your body, and on the rare days that she didn’t work, she would head out for long runs or bike rides.
Kate had missed her friend over the past five weeks, had forgotten how good Robyn was at making her laugh and helping her find the positives when there seemingly were none. She was also fiercely loyal, yet fair with it, and always told the truth rather than attempting to mollycoddle. Kate appreciated this, even if the truth was often a dry cracker to swallow.
Toby was giving Robyn his spiel about the calcium carbonate in the water, and Kate found her eyes straying to Alex, to his messy dreadlocked bun and tatty vest, the faded denim shorts and tanned bare feet. What had compelled her to call him last night instead of James? It wasn’t fair of her to keep turning to Alex whenever something went wrong, but he did have a knack for showing up in moments of crisis, his presence comforting her even if he wasn’t meaning to. She had known him for such a short amount of time, yet he’d become such an intrinsic part of her life – so much so that now the thought of him no longer being there was abhorrent.
‘Are we mooring up at the ACI Marina?’ Toby asked, stepping towards the front of the boat.
‘I was thinking that would be best,’ Alex said with a nod. ‘Palmižana will be packed.’
‘True.’
Toby caught Robyn’s look of enquiry and smiled reassuringly. ‘Don’t fret – the marina is on the opposite side of St Klement, but it’s easy enough to walk across the island. Takes about ten minutes.’
‘Can I drive the boat for this last bit?’ said Robyn, getting up from the bench seat and sidling towards Alex. ‘I promise I won’t crash.’
‘Sure.’ he said, standing to one side so she could take the small wheel.
Kate stared gloomily down at the water.
‘Nims.’ Toby brushed a finger against her arm. ‘You OK?’
Alex had one of his arms around Robyn, helping her to steer, and Kate saw her friend lean backwards against him, her head thrown back as she laughed at something he’d said.
‘Do you think those two will—’ Toby arched a brow.
‘No,’ said Kate, with enough force to cause the other two to glance her way.
‘Shame,’ he mused. ‘They seem to have hit it off. I haven’t seen Alex smile this much since I met him.’
‘That’s what people used to say about James after we got together,’ murmured Kate. ‘Smiles can be deceiving.’
‘Oh, sis, don’t let the fact you broke up with James taint your entire relationship with him. It was good for a long time; you were happy together. Things just ran their course.’
She should tell him the truth about her fertility issues, but Kate couldn’t – wouldn’t be able to bear the pity that would surely follow. Telling Alex had felt like dropping a stone into the water, one that had been weighing her down for months, but making the same confession to her brother would be to pick it up again. She would end up carrying his sorrow as well as her own, and she wasn’t strong enough to do that. Not yet.
‘I know,’ she said, a grim smile being the best she could muster. ‘I’m trying.’
Toby put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a quick squeeze. ‘You’ll get over this, Nims – I know you will.’
They had entered the bucket-shaped marina and Alex took back the wheel, pointing the boat towards the second of three long wooden jetties.
‘I can see why you’ve been spending so much time with him,’ whispered Robyn, a high colour in each of her cheeks as she watched Alex leap over the washboard at the rear and fasten the line. ‘He is a real man of the earth, and of the salt, and of the wind.’
‘He’s not the very last of the Mohicans,’ said Kate. ‘He’s become a good friend, and there’s far more to him than simply that beard and this boat.’
‘Quite a lot more, presumably—’
‘Robyn!’
‘You can tell me – I haven’t forgotten the fact that you’ve seen him naked.’
‘I didn’t see . . . that,’ Kate hissed.
Robyn grinned, her smile widening even further when Alex offered her his hand to help her over the side.
‘Why, thank you, kind sir.’
‘I can manage,’ said Kate hurriedly, and Alex raised both his hands as if in defeat.
Any pride she might have felt at not needing his assistance for once was tainted by the gut punch she’d felt watching him and Robyn operate the boat together. A show of closeness between two much cared-for friends should have made her happy, but instead it had landed like a heavy tread on her chest.
There was no reason for her to feel jealous, but there could be no denying it either.
Chapter 35
The path across the island was well worn and bordered on either side by dry palms and towering fortresses of cacti. When she looked up, Kate could see lilac jacaranda petals jostling for space amongst the pink frilly skirts of myrtle flowers, while fronds of fragrant lavender bent their fragile heads to kiss the ground far below. The air hummed with insect song, pine needles crunched underfoot, and birds chattered to one another in the topmost branches.
Just as she had the previous evening at Hula Hula, Kate heard the bustle of Palmižana beach long before she saw it, so she was not surprised when they descended a set of steps to find the narrow strip of shingle ahead of them packed with holidaymakers. There was barely space to step, let alone lay down a towel, while every table at the three beachfront restaurants appeared to be occupied and yet more people stood in queues awaiting a slot. The harbour beyond was cluttered with boats – many of which looked to be at the ritziest end of the luxury yacht scale – and Kate’s eyes widened as she saw a child of no more than six zooming through the shallows on a miniature jet ski.
‘So this is how the other half lives,’ said Robyn, staring around. ‘I always had wondered.’
Kate glanced at Alex. With both his hands in his pockets and a curdled expression
on his face, he looked demonstrably uncomfortable – a fact he confirmed a moment later when he announced an intention to return to the boat.
‘Oh, please stay,’ begged Robyn, taking hold of his arm. ‘There’s some room over there,’ she said, pointing to where a row of wooden cabanas had been erected along the shoreline.
‘I’ve brought snorkelling gear,’ added Toby, pivoting to show them his rucksack. ‘Whoever wants to can swim out a bit from the beach, where it’s less crowded.’
Alex looked towards Kate, who smiled helplessly. She would happily have accompanied him back to the boat, but that would hardly be fair on Robyn. This she attempted to convey to him now with a meaningful look in her friend’s direction.
‘Right,’ he said after a beat or two. ‘I’ll stay.’
It was with reluctance, however, that he followed them down the steps and around the curve of the bay, his mouth set and his eyes two dark hollows beneath the peak of his cap. Kate, who felt responsible for his disquiet – after all, it had been she who rang and demanded this day out – apologised so many times that Alex eventually told her to stop.
Oblivious to her friend’s inner turmoil, Robyn skipped ahead, her agile runner’s feet helping her weave and hop around and over sunbathers. She had soon reached their destination and waved them over to a flat expanse of rocks at the water’s edge.
‘I should have brought a cushion,’ grumbled Toby, as he lowered himself into a sitting position and started unbuttoning his shirt. Robyn, who was already stretched out with both eyes closed and the straps of her bikini top unfastened to avoid tan lines, let out a satisfied sigh of contentment.
Kate hunkered down and untied the laces of her Converse, slipping them off along with her socks and leaf-print dress. She was just reaching into her bag for some sun cream when she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to find Alex staring down at her.
‘Swim?’ he said, holding up two snorkelling masks.
‘Um, I don’t know.’ Kate poked Robyn with a big toe. ‘Do you want to snorkel?’
‘Nah, not yet,’ she replied, opening one eye and shutting it again. ‘You two go ahead – me and Tobes can look after all the bags and stuff.’
The Getaway: A holiday romance for 2021 - perfect summer escapism! Page 21
