The path widened slightly, and a cove below caught her attention. It was small, with just a few sun loungers and chairs on the pale sand, plus a little beach bar. Perfect. She’d been walking for about forty minutes, so she was unlikely to meet anyone she knew.
Grace made her way down to the beach and opted for a chair and parasol. The sun was strong, since it was the middle of the day, so she added her favourite white hat and more sun cream. The guy from the bar ambled over and introduced himself as Dimitris. He explained in perfect English that they never charged for the sunbeds as long as you spent a minimum of five euros on a drink.
After looking at the laminated menu he handed her, Grace’s eyes strayed to the cocktails. She decided to treat herself to a Harvey Wallbanger. The brightly coloured drink had been a staple back in her wine bar days, along with pina coladas and the even more lethal B52s. There was obviously a retro revival going on.
Armed with a drink, she sat back and prepared to let the strain of the week seep out of her. She’d go for a swim later, but for now, she wanted to read about which couture gowns celebrities had poured themselves into and what paint colours were in fashion.
With the first magazine open on her knees, something made her glance up at the shoreline. A man was coming into view. Tall, dark-haired and dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, even from this far away he was fit. His long muscular legs covered the sand quickly as he came up the beach, head down, towards her.
When he got within a few feet, Grace almost dropped her drink in shock. It was Mr Grumpy from the villa garden. She let out an involuntary sigh, which made him look up. Their eyes met and recognition dawned on his face. He came and stood, legs planted in the sand, right in front of her. Close up, the tight T-shirt emphasised his broad chest and six-pack even more. A tiny glimpse of tattoo edged below the sleeve on his left arm. Grace lowered her sunglasses. What did he want? To give her another lecture on trespassing? She really wasn’t in the mood.
‘I was hoping to bump into you again.’
I was hoping not to bump into youwere the words on the tip of her tongue. Just what was it about him that made her revert to her fifteen-year-old self?
Grace waited.
‘Seriously, I wanted to apologise for my behaviour the other day. I was a little… rough on you. I overreacted, and I’m sorry.’
Wow, a proper apology. Not what she’d been expecting at all. But it didn’t make the way he’d treated her acceptable.
‘Thank you for apologising, and yes, you were more than a little rough with me.’
She’d meant to say ‘on me’. Grace blinked hard to get rid of a vision of him pushing her up against a wall. What was the matter with her?
Something she’d said seemed to be amusing him. But he wasn’t off the hook by a long chalk.
‘Was there any reason for your… behaviour?’
‘We’d had a couple of dodgy characters hanging around the villa the previous day. I was a bit on edge.’
‘And you thought that I might be with them? Part of a gang maybe?’
She was going to keep this going a little longer.
‘Not at all. You don’t look anything like a gang member.’
‘That’s nice to know.’
He held out his hand.
‘Anyway, I’m Will.’
‘And I’m… Grace.’
Their eyes met, and she couldn’t help breaking into a big smile, which was mirrored in his eyes. Anyone under thirty-five wouldn’t have a clue what they were smiling about.
She held out her hand too and found it enveloped and shaken by his much larger one. He spoke first.
‘What are the chances, eh?Will and Grace. One of the best sitcoms ever made.’
‘Agreed. It was right up there.’
Grace could have appeared onMastermindwith the TV sitcom as her specialist subject. The story of New York interior designer Grace, and her flatmate and best friend, a gay lawyer called Will, was a must-watch in the late nineties. The romantic ups and downs of the lead characters had hooked Grace as a busy mum of two, back in the days when you had to wait for a new episode each week, rather than binge-watch a whole series in one weekend.
Will nodded his agreement.
‘Never missed it. Fabulous characters, and so funny. Groundbreaking stuff at the time. But wasn’t as keen on the revival.’
