‘I never lied. You didn’t ask.’
‘I shouldn’t have to bloody ask, Stuart! Normal people, you know, the ones with something that vaguely resembles a moralcompass, don’t pull this kind of shit. You deceived me, you’re lying to Amy, and now all you’re interested in is saving your own cowardly skin. You make me sick.’
He’s obviously realised that being angry with me isn’t pushing me into submission, as he sits down on the lounger next to mine with a heavy sigh.
‘Look,’ he begins, adopting a more conciliatory tone. ‘These things happen, Tori. It was New Year’s Eve. You’d had a bit to drink, I’d had a bit to drink, inhibitions were lowered and mistakes were made. The point is this. It was one night, which we both regret. Amy and I have been together a long time and we really care for each other?—’
‘Do you? Really? Deep down, do you actually have the capacity to care about anyone besides yourself?’
‘You don’t think very much of me. I get it. But, believe it or not, I love Amy.’
‘You’ve got a funny way of showing it,’ I tell him sarcastically.
‘I’ve said it was a mistake, all right? But you have a choice here.’ His voice is now cajoling, which isn’t doing anything to win me over to his cause. ‘You can either do what mature people do when they make mistakes, which is to put it behind you and move on, or you can tell Amy what happened as an act of petty revenge on me, but what will that achieve in the long run besides unnecessary heartbreak and misery for everyone involved?’
‘Can you hear yourself right now? You’re describing infidelity as if it were nothing more serious than spilling milk?—’
‘That’s exactly what happened,’ he interrupts triumphantly as if we’ve had some kind of breakthrough. If we have, it’s passed me by.
‘What?’
‘I spilled some of my milk somewhere I shouldn’t have. Let’s just clean it up and move on. No need to make all this fuss and drama.’
‘Oh, yuck, Stuart.’
‘All I’m saying,’ he continues quickly, taking advantage of my queasy silence, ‘is that nobody comes out of this well if you tell Amy what happened. I come out of it badly, obviously, but so do you, because people will see you as theother woman. And, on top of that, Amy’s happiness is ruined for no good reason and everyone has a shit holiday. Is that what you want?’
I sigh, the fight draining out of me. ‘Do you know what I really want?’ I ask him softly. ‘I just want to be left alone, Stuart, without you or your girlfriend in my face.’
‘And I can totally make that happen. Here’s the deal. You keep quiet, and I’ll make sure Amy doesn’t harass you.’
‘I’m not doing a deal with you. My experience is that they rarely go in my favour. All I will say is this. The less time I spend around you and Amy, and the less the two of you wind me up when I do see you, the less likely it is for me to open my mouth and say anything by accident.Capisce?’
He gets to his feet, relief clearly etched on his face. ‘Thank you, Tori.’
‘I’m not doing it for you.’
‘I know, but thank you anyway.’
My conversation with Stuart has totally punctured my mood and, despite trying with all my might, I just can’t manage to push it out of my head. He’s played me, again, which makes me angry, but he also has a point, which makes me furious. Amy’s happiness is neither here nor there to me after the way she spoke to me this morning, but he’s right when he says that it would blight the holiday for everyone if I said anything about what happened on New Year’s Eve. I hate him for putting me in thisposition, though, and I kind of hate myself too for allowing him to do it.
With a growl of frustration, I pick up my book and try to get back into the story, but it’s just not happening. I need to vent my anger, but it’s the middle of the afternoon in England so both Priya and Rosie are going to be at work. Maybe a distraction will help. The obvious choice is a swim in the sea, but the first people that catch my eye when I glance in that direction are Dan, Stuart and Robert waist deep in the water, laughing and joking as they throw a tennis ball to each other. Stuart looks as if he hasn’t got a care in the world, and I’m afraid I might try to drown him if I go anywhere near him.
After pondering my options, I eventually reach a decision. I make my way back to the room and put on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt over my bikini, before grabbing my purse and setting off across the beach. Technically, it’s too early for one of Raphael’s delicious rum punches, as it’s not quite eleven o’clock and even holiday Tori doesn’t start drinking that early, but maybe a fruit juice and a view of the sea that doesn’t include bloody Stuart will help me to regain some equilibrium.
My first thought, when I reach Raphael’s bar, is that it’s shut as all the tables outside are deserted. But then I notice a lone figure behind the counter, drying glasses, so I decide to ask Raphael if he’d mind if I just sat in one of the chairs and stared at the sea for a while. It’s only when I get closer that I realise it’s not Raphael. It’s Gabriel.
‘I didn’t expect to see you here,’ I tell him as I approach.
He looks up at me and smiles. ‘Hello, Tori. I was just thinking about you and your complex group dynamics. How are things?’
‘Pretty terrible,’ I admit. ‘That’s why I’m here, actually. I needed a change of scenery.’
He laughs, and the sound of it starts to lift my spirits a little. ‘I don’t think the view here is much different from the view five minutes’ walk down the beach.’
‘You know what I mean. It’s a different vibe here. Anyway, I didn’t know you were a barkeeper as well as a pianist.’
‘Oh, I’m not,’ he says. ‘Raphael had to pop out to run a couple of errands, so I said I’d cover for him. As you can see, it’s hardly busy so I think I can just about manage as long as nobody orders any fancy cocktails.’
