She took the water, downed half of it and gave it back to him.
‘Thanks.’
‘Thirsty?’
‘Mmmm.’
The next section of the walk was completed in silence. Will took her down a steep path that led to a tiny, deserted beach.
‘This all right for you as a picnic spot?’
‘Looks lovely.’
She didn’t have to pretend. It was absolutely gorgeous. Framed by black rocks, the beach was full of sand lilies, delicate white flowers that grew in clumps, and the azure sea stretched out beyond the sand as far as the eye could see.
Will even had some sort of lightweight blanket in his rucksack for them to sit on.
‘Are you always this prepared?’
‘You know what they say, fail to prepare, prepare to fail.’
Grace did a mock vomit.
‘Did they teach you that in the army?’
Will smiled.
‘Amongst other things.’
A variety of little bags appeared out of the rucksack, along with a carton of pieces of tomato, avocado, cucumber and carrot.
‘My, you have been busy.’
‘I’m not pretending I made the pies myself. There’s a very good bakery on the way to the port.’
Will tore open the bags.
‘We have traditional spinach and feta, cheese and ham, cheese on its own, chicken, and for the adventurous, nettle pie. I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I got a selection.’
‘Oh, I’ll eat anything…’
Will raised his eyebrows.
Now she was making herself sound like a dog who scavenged round the bins. This man really did have a strange effect on her.
‘Thank you for organising everything. This looks lovely.’
‘There’s water to go with it, or coffee in a flask, plus some ripe peaches to follow.’
They ate in a companionable silence for a while, staring at the sea. Will spoke again first.
‘Just to let you know, we won’t be able to do this again next weekend. Much as I’d prefer to be out and about, I’ve got to accompany the family to their holiday home in Antiparos for ten days and get them settled in. I leave tomorrow.’
‘That suits me as well, as I’m actually going to be in Athens next weekend… with a work colleague.’
Grace was pleased that Will wasn’t top trumping her. She had places to go and people to see, too. Somewhat sadly for all concerned, she wasn’t off for a fun few days in the capital; rather, she was accompanying a young woman to an abortion clinic. But he didn’t need to know that.
‘Oh, right.’ A frown appeared on Will’s face.
