‘Why? You should take the job. You’d be brilliant at running the retreats. You and Felipe would work well together.’
Rebecca swallowed. ‘That’s the problem. I’m not sure I can be around Felipe.’
‘Why?’ Ana’s eyes narrowed with quick, suspicious indignation. ‘What has he done?’
Rebecca smiled. ‘Hehasn’t done anything.Idid something stupid. I fell in love with him.’
‘You should tell him,’ said Ana, resolute and sitting up straight like a general giving orders.
‘I can’t.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because I’ll be another responsibility for him. His whole life, since your fathers died, has been about responsibility. He had to give up so much. To him, I’ll just be another person to look after.’ She paused, her voice a little heated now. ‘Which, of course, is ridiculous because I don’t need him to be responsible for me. I don’t need to be looked after. I can look after myself. I want to be an equal, and he’s too short-sighted to see that I can be that alongside him.’
Ana frowned. ‘Has he said this?’ Worry creased her face and Rebecca felt a little guilty but it needed to be said. Felipe deserved to be happy too.
‘You do know he often works long into the night? He’s carrying everyone’s burdens. He’s the one that needs help.’
A myriad of expressions crossed Ana’s face and then, to Rebecca’s complete surprise, she jumped to her feet and ran out of the room, calling over her shoulder, ‘I need to talk to Cristina and Katerina.’
She watched Ana run past the kitchen window, leaving her sitting at the table totally bemused and more than a little pissed off. She’d just spilled her guts, revealed her deepest secret and Ana had run away. She prayed that Ana wasn’t running to tell Felipe. That really would be humiliating. Under no circumstances would he be adding her to his list of responsibilities and she was going to tell him so.
Chapter Thirty-Two
The heavy tumbler slipped through his fingers and smashed on the hard floor with a loud crash, sending shards spinning across the tiles. Everyone in the restaurant looked his way.
Irritated with himself, he snatched the brush from Antonio who’d come hurrying to his aid.
‘I’ll do it,’ he snarled in Portuguese, to which Antonio responded with resignation, ‘Suit yourself.’
Felipe knew he was taking his foul mood out on the staff and that his father would have bawled him out for such poor behaviour. He really didn’t know what was wrong with him– or rather, he did, but he was in denial and refusing to accept it. Falling in love with Rebecca had been a mistake, a huge mistake. And as soon as she and that wilting Will disappeared from under his nose, he could get on with his life.
Deciding he’d get no peace, he left the restaurant, brushing by Katerina, just back from school, who asked in his wake, ‘Which snake bit his ass?’ On another occasion herinappropriately adult words might have made him laugh, but he was too out of sorts tonight.
He kept walking down through the gardens, but tonight the calming fragrance of the lavender and the gentle hum of the bees had no effect. When Cristina called after him, he ignored her and kept up his pace, not stopping until he reached the beach and the water’s edge. It took ten minutes listening to the whoosh and roll of the sea before the rhythmic in and out soothed the ragged edges of his soul like a balm.
After an hour’s walk along the damp sand with the sound of the sea in his ears, he retraced his steps back up the hill and returned to the hotel bar. He ordered a glass of red wine, deciding that wine was misery’s best company and knowing that he might regret it in the morning.
Halfway through his second glass, he was aware of the chair opposite him being pulled out. He looked up to find Ana slipping into the seat. He stared at her morosely as she ordered a glass of white wine from the waiter.
‘I thought I’d find you here.’
He took a sip of wine, using the action to avoid saying anything.
‘I’m not used to seeing you like this,’ said Ana in her quiet, calm way.
‘And what way is this?’ he asked, rather enjoying his bad mood.
‘Out of control, angry and in love.’
He rolled his eyes even though everything she said was true.
‘For all our sakes you need to tell Rebecca how you feel.’
‘Not you as well.’
‘Yes, but this is coming from my concern for you, not the novelty of acquiring another family member.’ Her eyes twinkled a little.
