A loud snore rattled the glasses on the tray and erased any doubt.
Charlotte yawned.
‘We should all get some sleep. But we can’t leave her here like this.’
‘Agreed. I’ll grab the tray, and you pull her up.’
At a very late breakfast the following day, Thea informed them that Thanassis was doing well. He was being kept in hospital for twenty-four hours for observation, but the wound to his head was only superficial and he was expected to make a full recovery.
Thea crossed herself as she told them the good news and banged her fist on her chest. The man was obviously wildly popular on the island, as evidenced by the waiting crowd.
Something floated to the front of Maddie’s mind.
‘Who was the woman in the ambulance with him?’
‘Ah, that’s his daughter, Georgia. She’s a good girl. She will look after him. She’s leaving the kids with her husband and staying at his place until he is better.’
‘I’m glad he’s got someone there for him.’
Maddie stopped short of asking whether he was married. It would look like nosiness on her part. It didn’t sound like he was, but maybe his wife was out at work all day.
As soon as the coffees arrived, Sofia took out her phone.
‘I’ve found something fun we can do today.’
‘What is it?’
Sofia smarted at the unnecessarily wary tone in Maddie’s voice. She’d seen the look that passed between her and Charlotte, but she let it go. She’d show them she was perfectly capable of organising something that didn’t involve shopping or luxury hotels.
‘I’m driving you two to this amazing restaurant at the very tip of the island for lunch. It’s in the middle of nowhere and it has amazing reviews. Apparently, it’s totally out there and the owner is a real character.’
‘I’m driving’, ‘middle of nowhere’ and ‘out there’ were the three phrases that stuck in Maddie’s head for all the wrong reasons, and she could tell by Charlotte’s rapid breathing she felt the same. But maybe hanging around the town would only keep bringing back what had happened the night before, plus she had no desire to keep bumping into people who wanted to thank her for saving Thanassis’s life. It would all die down pretty quickly, so maybe an away day was a good idea.
‘OK.’
‘OK?’ Sofia frowned. ‘It would be nice if you were both a bit more enthusiastic. I thought Char might like a break from all the organising.’
Sofia’s pout reminded Maddie of Elsie, her granddaughter, when she was refused sweets. Not that she’d seen that cute little pout much recently. But that way madness lay.
Charlotte reached for another cherry from the bowl on the table.
‘Thank you for the thought, Sof.’
‘I’ll need you to navigate, please. It’s supposed to be pretty hairy to get to.’
Charlotte exchanged a worried look with Maddie while Sofia spooned sugar into her coffee. But they both knew it was a done deal.
‘I know what you’re doing above my head. You should both lighten up.’
For the first hour, the road up into the hills and down the other side had them all commenting on the cute houses with the pastel paintwork, the inviting cafés with tables outside under coloured parasols and the variety of animals in the fields.
‘I just spotted another horse.’ Sofia turned her head. ‘Look, over there.’
Charlotte coughed loudly.
‘Can you maybe keep your eyes on the road, Sof? Just saying.’
‘I’m perfectly capable of driving and sightseeing.’
