“Lose what?”
“Everything,” Skye said, the word pushed out on a breath. She leaned toward her friend, willing her to understand. “Everything I’ve built here, he’ll ruin it.”
Joy continued to meet her gaze.
“Ruin it how?”
“You don’t understand,” Skye said, her voice catching. “Martyn’s a master manipulator. He won’t just turn up here all guns blazing. He’ll have a plan, a way to destroy me if I don’t do as he says.”
“He can’t force you to do anything,” Joy said, her tone gentle but firm. “We won’t let him.”
Skye shook her head and began to pace up and down.
“Things are different now,” Joy went on. “You’re not in his house anymore. This isn’t his domain, it’s not even his country. If he does come, he’ll have no power here. Can you imagine whatAndreas would do if some fella turned up making threats against you?”
Skye halted abruptly.
“I don’t want Andreas involved,” she said. “I don’t want him to know anything about this.”
Joy’s lips parted slightly. She pressed her palms flat against her thighs.
“Can I ask why?”
“Because it isn’t his fight,” Skye replied. “It’s not his problem to solve, and it’s not yours, either. If I go now, the problem goes away with me.”
Joy tilted her head, the corners of her mouth tight. She was not convinced, that much was glaringly clear. Skye felt the guilt begin to swallow her like quicksand.
“The last thing I want is to be a burden to any of you,” she mumbled. “You came here for a quiet life, remember?”
At this, Joy gave in to a small smile.
“In all the weeks you’ve known me, have you ever known me to be remotely quiet?” she said. “Truth is, I love being in the middle of everyone’s business. Bobby used to joke that he’d order a giant bug swatter if I didn’t stop buzzing around all our friends, getting involved in their lives. I didn’t come to Greece to be lonely,” she went on. “And I don’t think you did, either.”
“I came because I won the house,” Skye said.
“Yeah, but it wasn’t only the house you came for, was it? I read the paperwork, too, you know. The whole idea of the scheme was to bring new life to this small village, build a community. You can’t very well live in a place like Ano Meria and not become close to your neighbors.”
“I know that, but—”
“You’re a part of this community now, chook. It’s your home, and we—me and the girls, and Vicky and Adam, and Theo andGeorge, and Andreas—we’re your family. Nobody can hurt you here because we won’t let them.”
“I don’t want to drag anyone else into my mess,” Skye said again, the wretchedness making her weary.
“You didn’t cause this mess,” Joy insisted. “Hedid, that bloody mongrel husband of yours.”
Skye turned away. Beyond the square window, a bird soared, skimming its wings along the current of the wind, free in a way she no longer remembered how to be.
“There’d be so much I’d miss if I left,” she murmured. “The view, the mountains, the sea, the sunshine; waking up to the sound of church bells; the smell of wild herbs and the early evening chorus of the crickets—and that’s before I get to all of you.”
Joy came to stand beside her.
“If you don’t want anyone else to know about Martyn, that’s fine by me,” she said. “I’ll keep your secret for you, and if he does show up here, I’ll help you get rid of him.”
Skye gave her a sidelong look.
“Get rid of him?”
“Yeah,” Joy replied. “Not in the Mafia way, obviously. I’ll just have a quiet word, woman to brute, tell him to sling it or else.”
