Maddie sighed heavily.
‘Sofia Barnes! You little rat!’
She and Charlotte dutifully downed their beers in one alongside Sofia. Maddie spluttered as the contents of the bottle went down too fast, and Sofia patted her on the back.
‘I just thought it would be a lovely end to our holiday together, with you leaving in the morning, Mads. It’s a mark of how far we’ve come. So, are you both brave enough?’
Charlotte was already pulling her dress over her head.
‘I ended my marriage yesterday. I think I can cope with a bit of water on my body.’
‘Mads?’
‘Oh, why not? I’m going home tomorrow to see my son and granddaughter for the first time in months. No one knows who I am anyway.’
‘That’s the spirit.’
Once the discarded clothes and shoes were piled up on the beach, Sofia reached over to hold hands with the others.
The white bits of their bodies showed up starkly against their impressive tans as the sun dipped towards the water. Flames of peach and tangerine danced in the sky above their heads as Sofia pulled the others forward.
‘Let’s run in together. One last time. All for one…’
‘And one for all.’
They hit the sea at the same time and each of them broke into a grin as they waded into the warm water as far as their thighs.
‘Last one in buys the cocktails at the little bar on the way back.’
Sofia dived under like a seal, while Charlotte and Maddie gently lowered themselves in and both turned to float on their backs.
‘Looks like we’re sharing it, Char.’
‘Fine by me. Sea water against bare skin does feel pretty good. Who knew?’
Sofia surfaced again and turned onto her back too.
‘It’s been a wonderful holiday, hasn’t it?’
Maddie splashed some water at her friend.
‘Yes, you did well, little one.’
‘Don’t call me little one!’
Maddie’s shriek of laughter was cut short by Sofia pulling her under.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Looking at her friends sitting across from her at breakfast, Maddie was struck by how changed they were from the women she’d met at the airport in London on a grey Thursday morning only three short weeks ago.
The pale, stressed faces that had been holding on so tightly to their secrets were gone. In their place were relaxed smiles, enhanced by golden tans. She glanced across at the mirror, where a healthy-looking redhead with freckles all over her face smiled back. She barely recognised her either.
The secrets that had weighed her down too hadn’t disappeared in a puff of smoke, but at least there was hope and love in her son’s response. Living without Tony would still be an uphill battle, but stepping out of her life for a while had done so much to move things along.
‘Penny for them?’
Charlotte’s kind face looked into hers. Her friend had confided last night that she’d been worried to tell her about her decision to end things with Doug, given Maddie’s own loss, but Maddie hoped she’d been able to reassure her that CharlotteTrent was the only one who really knew what the inside of her marriage looked like and what was right for her.
