‘Are we going to see anything at all of you this week? It’s supposed to be the three of us together.’
She tried to stop her voice from sounding pathetic. Now she’d told her friends about Doug, she felt even more vulnerable, rather than less. It was like the façade she’d so carefully built up over the last few years was crumbling around her, and she wasn’t sure what she’d find beneath it.
Sofia put her arm round her.
‘Of course. Don’t be silly. Adonis works all the hours God sends. It’s a miracle he was able to pick us up today.’
‘Yes, that was kind of him.’
The buzz of Sofia’s phone was loud in the room. She kept it firmly turned away from them both while she read the message.
‘Just got to pop out for an hour. I’ll be back later, and we can all go for dinner. I’ve got a special place in mind.’
Before they could do more than nod, Sofia was out of the door and off.
‘Claiming his reward for the valet service if I’m not mistaken.’ Maddie reached for her sponge bag and headed into the bathroom big enough for four.
‘Don’t be mean, Mads. She looks really excited.’
‘That’s what I mean.’
Charlotte picked up the room service menu from one of the ornate side tables.
‘Let’s take him at his word. Do you fancy a cocktail on the balcony?’
‘Sure do. You choose. Let’s order two of each so we don’t have some poor guy traipsing up and down.’
‘Good plan.’
With two Cosmopolitans each in front of them, and the whole of the main town laid out below, Maddie and Charlotte spent some peaceful moments watching the divers on theswimming platform and the boats pulling in and out of the port.
Charlotte spoke again first.
‘Oh, look at all the cats being fed by that house. There are some binoculars on the side. I’ll get them.’
A gang of twenty cats had converged on the feeding bowls at the sound of a rattling tin, and Charlotte and Maddie took it in turns to watch them fill their bellies.
‘Would you ever have another cat?’ Charlotte sipped at her cocktail and surveyed her friend.
‘I’m not sure. We had Bill and Ben for so many years. They weren’t related, but they died within a week of each other at the ripe old age of eighteen. I do miss having a cat, but they are a tie, aren’t they?’
‘I remember them. A black one and a tabby, wasn’t it? They can be a tie, but they’re also great company.’
‘True. You were always more of a dog person, weren’t you?’
Charlotte gulped back a tear.
‘Yes. I was heartbroken when Sophie went. She was only eleven and a half, but dogs don’t live anywhere near as long as cats, especially big dogs.’
Maddie was still looking at the cats through the binoculars.
‘I’m really not sure what I want to do with the next phase of my life, now Tony’s gone. So, would taking on another animal be fair?’
‘Don’t be ridiculous. You’d be fine. Cats don’t need that much input. It’s not like having a dog. I don’t think I’d have another one now.’
There was no way she could commit to having an animal when she didn’t even know where she’d be living in six months’ time. Would she still be in her spacious Victorian house, surrounded by all her things, a newbuild box somewhere with a pared down life, or even a stunning modern flat?
‘Not for a long time, anyway. I’d like to do more travelling first. But maybe a little itty-bitty cat for you?’
