He nodded, swallowing quickly. “It’s all sorted. I appreciate you not broadcasting it.”
“I have some decorum.”
“You inherited it from your mother.”
I wasn’t sure if that was a compliment or an insult. “What happened with your friend Ash and that girl who came to Safir that day? Carmel?” It still played on me, the state she’d been in, the worry she’d shown.
“She was just looking for drama. He needed to be more selective with his one-night stands.”
“Lovely.” We fell back to silence, and that was how it remained until Livi and Lawrie returned, Lawrie looking irritated and Livi flat.
“Hi Jameson. Sorry I’ve not been able to spend more time here.” He gave me another nod. “We need to head off, Marcus. We need to stop off in Sant Antoni.”
Marcus grabbed another pastry. “Sure. Later, Jameson.”
“See you soon.” I managed to be cordial, but even I could hear the coldness in my tone.
“Safe journey.” My mother sat back down, picking up her juice.
We didn’t say anything, watching them both leave, walking back down the beach. Lawrie started to talk rapidly, Lawrie’s usual cool absent.
“What happened?” Lala appeared, her dress blowing in the same breeze that seemed to be pushing Lawrie and Marcus away.
Livi sighed. “Lawrie asked me to invest in something and I said no. I think he was hoping I’d negotiate.”
“What was it?” Lala pushed.
“A bad idea. He knows I don’t play with my money.” She looked around for Lucas. “Let’s order more coffee and talk about that book you were both reading. I need to know what you thought about it.”
The topic was changed. We took our cues and segued into a new conversation about fictional characters whose lives were probably more believable than our own.
Later that week,I took Tommy toPacificafor breakfast, ignoring his complaints about me driving too slow as we headed there just the same as I’d ignore Lala’s. He’d had a busy couple of days and the most we’d managed seeing each other was a quick coffee the day before and me having drinks with Lala atCòctelsthe day before that. The season had fully started with pools of tourists arriving every day. Demand for drinks and bars was high andCòctelswas continually full, which Tommy didn’t complain about.
I’d missed him though. He was the part of my day I looked forward to most, and I’d stopped questioning why or trying not to feel like that, accepting it for what it was and just enjoying it. If only it really could’ve been that simple.
It was still early when we got toPacifica,the café just opening up. I hadn’t booked a table, not expecting Pascal’s attention, but Lucas herded us over to the same seats we’d had with Livi.
“I’ve never been here before.” Tommy stretched out his legs and looked at the sea.
“I’m surprised. I thought you knew most of the island.”
“Mainly the places that are open at night. This is nice though.”
“Good.”
His hand took mine, entwining our fingers and squeezing them briefly. It was intimate, such a small touch but different to anything that demanded more.
“I loved this beach when I was little. We felt so free here.”
He laughed. “Probably because of people losing their clothes.”
We’d already seen a couple walking nude down the beach, finding a spot for the day.
“Probably. I think we lost most of ours when we were young here.”
His jaw tensed. “Yeah, maybe don’t do that now.”
I laughed now, but at him. “Why?” I teased. “Would that bother you.”
