‘I bet. Now he’s been found out.’
Maddie reached out and applied pressure to Sofia’s knee.
‘Not sure that’s helpful, Sof. Do the boys know?’
‘God no. As much as I’m furious with Doug, he adores them and has always been a good father. They probably never need to know if, and I say if, I stay with him. But obviously if I don’t, they’ll have to know something. I genuinely hope his relationship with them will carry on much as normal.’
‘That’s incredibly decent of you.’
‘What’s the point of causing more pain? Even though the boys are in their thirties now, they’ll still be devastated if we do divorce. I’ll fight to keep things as amicable as possible if we go down that route, but it won’t be easy.’
Maddie thought about her own desperate situation and how quickly things had fallen apart in the aftermath of Tony’s death. It had only taken her a year to alienate half her family.
‘True. It will be tough for them if you do decide to split for good. It’s not the same as a death, I know, but it’s an ending too. A divorce brings its own fallout for everyone else involved. I’ve seen it with my friends and their kids.’
Maddie snuck a glance at Sofia, who put her hands up.
‘You know my position. No second chances.’ She couldn’t stop the crack in her voice as she carried on speaking. ‘But… it is sad in some ways that I didn’t have any sort of relationship with my dad after his affair. It did change things forever. If you can somehow keep it friendly, Char, you’ll be doing well.’
Sofia’s brave face struck at Maddie’s heart too. So much pain caused. And the legacy of her father’s betrayal meant Sofia had never fully trusted another man since, not that she’d dare say that out loud. Plus, it was Charlotte they were dealing with tonight.
Their friend drank the last of her water and hugged them both in turn.
‘Anyway, thanks for letting me talk. I think I’ve drunk myself sober, but I’ve got a long way to go before I decide anything either way. I know you’re both here for me. But I don’t want to spoil things for everyone and bring us all down. We’re off to the next island in the morning, which means another week to relax and enjoy ourselves, so please, let’s do just that.’
Chapter Twenty
Tony was nowhere to be seen, was Maddie’s first thought, as she stepped out onto the terrace. She’d saved him some bacon from yesterday’s breakfast, and she’d got used to the little bird greeting her each morning, and to watching him while he ate. They were leaving today, so it was her last chance to have a chat with him.
Was he angry with her for sleeping with Thanassis? Had he flown away in disgust? She was powerless to stop her eyes filling with tears. This was ridiculous. Maybe it was time to give the social media reincarnation posts a rest. She left the bacon on the table in case Tony had overslept too and walked back into her room. There would be no regrets about her wonderful night.
Charlotte looked none the worse for wear, Maddie was pleased to see when she went down for her own breakfast. Either it was real, or she was making a supreme effort to act normal. Hopefully the act of telling them about Doug had lightened her load just a tiny bit. Her friend still had some major decisions to make, but maybe they could be a sounding board now it was all out in the open.
It looked like the others had almost finished their meals, but she’d not even started, after coming down an hour later than usual. She’d slept like a log. It was certainly true that exercise helped you drift off, maybe not the sort of exercise they prescribed in gyms, but it had worked. It was the best night’s sleep she’d had for months.
She allowed herself a secret smile as she reran some of the memories from the previous night through her head. Thanassis’s soft mouth gently kissing hers, sharing a cigarette naked on the beach, and Thanassis poised above her, locking eyes.
Sofia appeared silently beside her, breaking her concentration.
‘Thinking about which cereal to try, are you?
‘Mmmm.’
‘Are you, my arse. You know we’ll get it out of you somehow, don’t you?’
‘Very probably. But for now, we’re focussing on Char.’
Maddie helped herself to some yoghurt and fresh fruit. It was time to turn the tables a little.
‘And what about you? Are you excited about seeing lover boy later today?’
‘Lover boy? That sounds like something out of a cheesy romance from the seventies.’
‘Well, are you?’
‘Not that he’ll ever have any time to spend with me, but yeah, I suppose so.’
Theo was heading their way to take the coffee orders.
