Will tore his hand away from hers.
‘It was a hell of a lot more than that, and you know it. You’re just too scared to admit it.’
She’d certainly got him rattled. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides.
‘I’m not in any position…’
Wrong word to use. It brought back a memory of them locking eyes while he was still inside her. Having him so close again had her rattled too. It was tempting to throw caution to the wind and suggest they went upstairs and bonked each other’s brains out. It might get him out of her system. But she wasn’t Sophia. For better or worse, Grace Foreman didn’t behave like that. Or not more than once. Her Oxfordshire cottage and the single life she’d carefully created there beckoned.
Will was part of her Greek adventure, a moment out of time. He wasn’t her reality. She needed to make the situation clear.
‘I’m really not able to be anything other than friends with you.’
Will stood and gathered up the cups.
‘OK, Grace, have it your own way.’
Before he went back into the house, he bent low over her head and whispered in her ear.
‘Don’t think that night on the beach was a typical night for me. I swear I’ve never experienced anything like that before in my life.’
Grace lay stock still for a moment on the sun lounger. She reached down to give Karen a stroke and tried to regulate her breathing.
When Will returned, he’d lost the promise in his eyes, which Grace convinced herself was a good thing.
‘Do you want to come and check out where Karen sleeps and talk about where everything is? I can show you where I keep the spare key to let yourself in when I’m working.’
He could have been talking to the cat sitter. So that was how it was going to be. Well, she’d insisted on the ‘let’s just be friends’ vibe. He was a proud man, and she couldn’t have it both ways, but it was a hollow victory.
‘Great.’
After some intense discussion on where and when Karen should be fed, and a look at her new cat bowls and bed, Grace couldn’t bear much more. It was like a veil had come down over Will’s eyes. The friendly banter they’d shared, let alone the private things they’d told each other, seemed way out of reach. Hopefully they could get back some of the friendship she valued so much before she left for good. She accepted a small glass of wine on the terrace, and a chance to play with Karen, but there was precious little talking.
Dusk would fall soon; way earlier than it had when Grace first arrived on the island. The seasons were nowhere near as distinct as they were in Britain, but she’d heard from Angeliki that autumn was one of the best times on the island. The tourists were mainly gone, the sea still warm and the beaches empty. It was time for the locals to relax and let their hair down. It sounded lovely. Maybe she could come back for a holiday in October.
Grace looked up at the darkening sky. If she was walking back, she needed to go now. A walk would clear her head as well. The afternoon hadn’t exactly been what she’d describe as a success. She stood up and passed the kitten to Will.
‘I’d better be off then.’
‘Right.’
Will held Karen up towards the sky, brought her down again and kissed her on the nose.
‘Hang on…’
Grace was surprised to see him carefully put the cat inside the house and lock the door behind him. In the last couple of hours, he’d given her the impression she was the last person he’d want to spend time with.
‘I’ll come with you. I fancy a walk. And I always have a little scout around the villa before I turn in for the night.’
‘But you’re on holiday.’
‘What can I say? Old habits die hard. My employers are back from holiday at the weekend, so I like to make sure they’re coming back to the same place they left behind. I trust Maria the housekeeper totally, but the gardener needs keeping an eye on. He has a tendency to do a sketchy job and bugger off early.’
‘Very…’
‘You want to say “control freaky”, don’t you?’
She’d almost got a smile out of him. The first genuine one since she’d mentioned just being friends.
