Then she leaves the safety of her room and goes to the bar.
Keera’s mother, Alexei, Stavros and Julia are all arranged around it, with bartender Jimi shaking the cocktail shaker to some Latin-sounding music.
‘I love this song,’ says Bobbi, hopping off her barstool and shimmying dangerously close to the infinity pool.
Julia is deep in conversation with Stacy, the evening bartender. Julia is also holding Stavros’s muscular arm as if to stop him leaving.
Stacy’s twenty-something, studying hotel management, loves Villa Artemis but has to go back to her college in Belgium when this placement is over. She looks a trifle bored at whatever monologue Julia is delivering.
India grins hello and slips in at the end of the bar. Alexei and Stavros both see her and nod, while Bobbi and Julia see her but make no gesture of welcome.
India asks for a cucumber martini and some iced water.
‘Which one is yours?’ Jimi asks quietly as he starts making the cocktail.
‘None of them,’ India says. ‘But that one,’ she gestures towards Julia, ‘is Dan’s ex, and me and Dan were involved and …’
She trails off.
Jimi appears to grapple with some vital rule of hotel management, then leans close.
‘I shouldn’t say this but I don’t like her,’ he says. ‘She hasn’t shut up about how she travels to all the best places, and I have friends all over the place and the “top” hotels she says she’s been in don’t exist! She’s told me that she’s getting married.’
‘She and Dan are not getting married,’ says India crossly. ‘She “didn’t want to be tied down”.’
Jimi shrugs.
‘We all know people like that. They don’t want somethinguntil they can’t have it and then, they’ll scream to get their hands on it. Dan is cute, he’s a decent guy. You fight for him. I have to book a taxi for her now; Rose doesn’t want them drunk in the bar any more. We’re sending Julia to Casa Siren and Keera’s mother is staying here.’
Bobbi’s stopped dancing and is gulping back the glass of iced white wine that Alexei is keeping filled up. India’s not sure about this method of keeping Bobbi and Julia calm. Seems to her that they’ll only get even more upset when they’ve had too much to drink and can’t find their significant others. She hopes the taxi comes soon for Julia and that Bobbi gets sent to her room, with an empty minibar.
‘It’s very hot,’ says Bobbi, fanning herself with a little plastic battery-powered fan.
She catches sight of India.
‘Hello, are you on this retreat?’ Bobbi asks.
India shakes her head. ‘Just a guest,’ she fibs. ‘I think the retreat people are off somewhere …’ she adds vaguely.
‘My daughter’s one of the retreaters,’ says Bobbi. ‘Can I tell you a secret?’
She leans closer to India, who is afraid Bobbi will fall off her stool.
‘I think they’re brainwashing them. It’s the only answer.’
For a moment, Bobbi looks lost.
‘My daughter’s acting crazy, that’s all I’m saying.’
‘Really?’ says India, attempting to sound as if she’s not paying that much attention. ‘What about you?’ she asks Julia.
Alexei gives her a heavy-lidded look that saysWhat are you playing at?
India ignores him. She can’t help herself.
‘My fiancé’s here too,’ says Julia, reaching into her pocket to find a shocking pink lipstick, which she proceedsto apply without once confirming her application in the bar’s mirrored surfaces.
India’s face betrays nothing.
