Angeliki stood up.
‘As much fun as this has been, I have to get back to some sick animals. Thanks for the coffee, Grace, and let’s the three of us go out one night. It’s been lovely to meet you, Sofia.’
‘You too, Angeliki. Very illuminating.’
The two of them exchanged a smile.
As soon as the vet had left the terrace, Sofia threw down the last of her coffee.
‘My hotel room, now.’
At least it wasn’t far to walkwas Grace’s first thought, as they stepped into the lift to go down.
Sofia pressed the button for her floor.
‘You look like you’re being taken to the tower to be executed.’
‘That’s a bit how it feels.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous. We’re just going for a girly chat.’
Grace resigned herself to her fate. The best in the business couldn’t compete with Sofia when she wanted to pull something out of you. Her friend wasn’t a highly paid lawyer for nothing.
The opulence of Sofia’s hotel room startled Grace. Five-star luxury had never been her thing, personally or financially, but she could get used to this for a night or two.
The wooden ceiling high above them was divided into panels, each painted with a different scene, and the four-poster bed had a pleated white silk canopy above it like something she’d seen in a stately home. Antique furniture was dotted about, and the highly polished wooden floor was adorned with Persian rugs. The light lavender-coloured walls had a darker band of the shade at the bottom and on the woodwork, and instead of a boring pendant light, there was an intricate glass chandelier with flower-shaped bulb holders, delicately fluted in the same lavender as the walls.
‘This is seriously beautiful, and, I should imagine, cripplingly expensive.’
Sofia led her over to the purple velvet sofa which faced the floor-to-ceiling windows and the view out across the bay.
‘It is. But remember, I get a staff discount.’
Sofia winked.
‘Oh, yes, the boy Adonis. Is that still going on?’
‘He’s not a boy, he’s a fully grown man. And yes, it is. You make it sound like I use men up like tissues and then just discard them.’
Grace raised her eyebrows.
‘So, it’s not just me you’re back for.’
‘Don’t be silly. I would have come back to the island at some point anyway, but this has just brought it forward a bit.’
‘I bet Adonis is pleased. He’s arranged the best suite, and we’re still in tourist season. He must like you.’
Sofia patted the space next to her on the sofa.
‘We’re not here to talk about me.’
Well, it had been worth a try.
As soon as Grace sat down, Sofia grabbed both her hands so that she had no choice but to face her friend.
‘This Will… Have you slept with him?’
Grace’s heart beat a tattoo in her chest.
