‘Why don’t you play for the main evening slot?’
‘Because they have a pianist for the main evening slot, and I’m only here for a short time.’
I wait to see if he’s going to offer any more but he’s evidently going to be as cryptic tonight as he was last night.
‘I’m heading to Raphael’s,’ he says instead. ‘Would you like to come?’
‘Thank you. I’d like that very much.’
‘Did you mention this place to your roommate?’ Gabriel asks once Raphael has greeted us so enthusiastically you’d think he hadn’t seen us for months rather than one day.
‘I’ll confess I didn’t. I thought about it, but then I decided that I’d prefer to keep it as my escape for now.’
‘Is he still being difficult?’
‘I think we might have had a bit of a breakthrough, actually.’
‘Really?’
‘We had a bit of a heart-to-heart, and I think we understand each other better, let’s put it like that.’
‘So why do you still feel the need to escape from him?’
I smile. ‘I’ve discovered that being on holiday in a group is intense. If I told Robert, then Stuart might come too, and then bloody Amy would probably come as well to make sure I wasn’t trying to steal her boyfriend, and then it would be the whole group and sometimes I just need space to breathe.’
‘And I count as space to breathe?’ His eyes are twinkling with amusement. ‘I’m flattered.’
I study him for a moment. Although he’s a bit of a closed book, I genuinely enjoy being around him. I mean, I like looking at him, obviously, but there’s a peacefulness about him that I find very attractive. It’s as if some of it rubs off on me when I’m talking to him. In fact, I realise that the thought that kept me going when Amy was being particularly trying was imagining myself sitting on this beach with him. The delicious rum punch is just an extra benefit, although I do feel I’ve earned it.
‘Can I ask you a question?’ His voice breaks me out of my reverie. ‘Why would bloody Amy, as I believe you referred to her, think you were trying to steal her boyfriend?’
‘She found out yesterday that Stuart – that’s the boyfriend – and I were an item years ago, and I think she’s a bit insecure about it.’ I decide not to mention the New Year’s Eve incident. Although I could defend myself by repeating that I would neverhave slept with Stuart if I’d known he was in a relationship, I feel it doesn’t portray me in a good light, and I’ve also realised that I really want Gabriel to like me.
‘So, let me get this straight,’ Gabriel says after I’ve explained the relationships between everyone in the group. ‘You’re sharing a room with someone you’re not in a relationship with and, despite burying the hatchet, never want to be, and the person you were in a relationship with is sharing a room with someone else, who’s convinced you want to steal him back. No wonder you want time away from them.’
‘I know. I think God hates me.’
‘No, this was pure bad luck. Anyway, do you?’
‘Do I what?’
‘Want the ex back.’
‘Absolutely not. He’s a lowlife creep and I wouldn’t have come if I’d known he was going to be here.’
He smiles again. ‘What are the chances that your work colleague’s brother-in-law would turn out to be your ex-boyfriend?’
‘Are you sure God doesn’t hate me?’ I say with a laugh.
‘Quite sure. Anyway, I understand why you don’t want to invite your roommate to Raphael’s just yet. I mentioned your point about alcohol to Grace, by the way.’
‘Who?’
‘My older sister. The one that owns the Elixir. Anyway, she was interested and she’s going to think about it. Apparently, she already has a licence, because she was thinking about doing weddings initially, before the whole wellness idea took over, so it’s not a big change to make. She’s worried about the impact on her profit margins though. Alcohol is more expensive to serve, and she won’t generate any more revenue from it, because it’s all-inclusive.’
‘How full is the hotel at the moment?’ I ask after thinking for a minute or two.
‘It’s full, but she’s not earning that much yet because it’s still a very new business and she feels she has to offer a selection of discounts and deals to drum up interest. But, as you’d expect, she’s been poring obsessively over the traveller review websites, and a few do mention that they were disappointed with the lack of alcohol.’
