‘Hi.’ Charlotte opted for a cool smile. ‘Why are you here exactly? Is everything OK with the boys?’
‘The boys?’ Doug looked around as if they might magically appear. ‘Yes, they’re fine, why?’
‘I couldn’t understand why else you would get on a plane in such a hurry and come all this way to Greece if it wasn’t something to do with one of them.’
‘I’ve come to see you.’
The little boy lost look that had once worked wonders on her was fast losing its power.
Doug groped for her hand which she kept firmly by her side.
‘The thing is, I’ve realised I can’t live without you any longer.’
Had he only just realised? Here in the lobby? Analysing his words stopped her from feeling anything.
‘We need to talk.’
‘I agree. We really do need to talk. Let’s go to a little café I know where we won’t be overheard.’
‘OK, whatever you think best.’
Walking side by side and slotting into their usual rhythm was disconcerting. She was almost as tall as Doug, and she’d spent weeks with women with much shorter legs than hers, who kept begging her to slow down.
‘It’s really beautiful here, isn’t it, darling?’ Doug waved his arm around to encompass the little restaurants which stretched out all along the strip next to the water, and the boats beyond.
‘Maybe we’ll have to come back out here for a proper holiday sometime? Would you like that?’
Doug’s hopeful face tugged at her heartstrings just a little bit. But she ignored the question and led the way to the end of the promontory, where, she was relieved to see, nearly all the outside tables were unoccupied.
She made straight for the one right at the end. It faced out to sea and to the islands far off in the distance. Doug finally took off his hat and offered her the choice of seat. He had always been hot on manners; she couldn’t fault him on that. Not that it was good manners to shag the office manager.
Once seated, Doug gave her his best smile.
‘Lovely to have a bit of privacy, isn’t it?’
‘Mmmmm.’
The approaching waiter stopped any further conversation.
‘What would you like, darling?’
His use of the word was already grating on her.
‘A bottle of Mythos, please.’
‘You don’t normally drink beer…’ Doug’s face was a picture.
‘I don’t normally do a lot of things, but here we are.’
‘Two Mythos please.’
With their beers in hand, Doug went to speak again at the same time as her.
‘Charlotte…’
Only her friends called her Char. He’d always preferred her full name.
‘Doug.’
