It wasn’t long before the air was filled with chatter and Rebecca sat listening to the good-natured teasing of the women around them. Felipe sat back and let them get on with it, sipping his wine and shooting occasional smiles at her.
‘Ana, will you take me shopping on Saturday?’ said Katerina. ‘I really want to buy a new bikini.’
‘Can I have your red one then?’ interrupted Cristina.
‘No.’
‘But you don’t need it if you have a new one and you have three others anyway.’
‘I need them all.’
‘You can see your bum in that red one.’
‘Good, because I have a very nice bum.’
Felipe covered his ears. ‘I don’t need to know this at the dinner table.’
Both girls rounded on him. ‘But your girlfriends all wear sexy bikinis. We saw you on the beach with Angelina. With the cutest bikini I ever saw.’
‘Yes,’ said Cristina. ‘And your hand was on her bottom.’
Ana cleared her throat. ‘Do you like the bread, Rebecca?’
‘Yes, it’s really tasty. Different. And you make all the lovely pastries too, I heard. I had breakfast this morning. It was amazing.’
‘Yes. Although, Felipe, I still need to talk about?—’
‘Tomorrow,’ he said. ‘Let’s relax now.’ He picked up his wine glass.
Ana nodded. ‘You’re right.’
Rebecca looked at him, relaxing in his chair, the picture of indolence, whereas it was obvious that his mother and Ana both worked incredibly hard. She wondered what he did all day. He was good-looking and charming but obviously not someone to take seriously. Maybe a light-hearted, frivolous summer romance with someone like him would take her mind off her heartache. Although she wasn’t sure that was possible. Will would always be there, tucked away at the back of her mind, holding on to her heart.
Rebecca spooned up some more of the amazing soup. ‘I can’t believe how good this is,’ she said again to Maria.
‘It’s good quality ingredients and fresh fish. The local market is very good, and the garlic and onions all come from the family farm, which is managed by my other daughter’s husband. We grow the herbs here.’ Maria suddenly smiled and looked at her son. ‘Felipe, you should give Rebecca a tour, after dinner.’
‘Oh no, it’s fine,’ said Rebecca.
‘It’s no problem. He doesn’t mind,’ said Maria, giving her son a very direct stare. ‘He’s not been so busy today.’
Felipe gave a lazy shrug. ‘I’d love to, but I have plans this evening.’
Of course he did. Rebecca shrugged back. ‘It’s fine. I’m quite tired, and I’d like an early night.’ She tried not to let the tiny sting of rejection affect her. He was a flirt and a player, he’d said as much. She’d do well to remember that.
Chapter Six
Felipe would far rather have taken Rebecca on a tour of the gardens last night, but the nagging guilt at the work piling up on his desk had forced him to forgo what he was sure would have been a far more pleasurable experience.
At least now, after working until one this morning, he’d cleared the decks and could enjoy the evening off, taking Rebecca out to dinner in the nearby small town of Olhos De Água.
‘Here we are,’ he said as they came to a stop outside the small white building just off the main road, with whitewashed walls and tiled floors and a lovely courtyard area with stone floors. He’d been coming to Calheiros for many years– it was a family favourite– and for that reason, he was keen for Rebecca to experience it. She’d clearly been a hit with Ana, Katerina and Cristina, and coming here was something she could share with them later.
‘Inside or out?’ asked Felipe.
‘Outside,’ said Rebecca and he laughed at her immediate response.
‘I love being able to be outside all the time,’ she explained. ‘It’s something I hadn’t thought about before I came here, but I want to make the most of it.’
