‘What worked?’ asked Felipe.
‘I got you together.’
‘Actually—’ said Rebecca. Felipe squeezed her and she changed tack. ‘I think you might have done.’
‘We don’t want you to go, and neither does Felipe, but he was too much of a big baby to say anything,’ announced Katerina. ‘So we had to step in.’
Felipe grinned at the female coterie. ‘Well, thank goodness you did. Now who’s for ice-cream?’
‘Me!’ yelled Cristina.
He pulled his wallet from his shorts and withdrew several ten-euro notes. He stepped forward and reached around the door, snagging the key in his hand and pushing the girls out of the shed.
‘Go treat yourselves and leave us in peace.’
‘Oh,’ said Cristina, clearly a little put out. ‘But Rebecca?—’
‘Rebecca is staying right here with me. You can all go and buy yourselves ice-cream. We have things to talk about.’
‘Oh, you’re just going to kiss and do things, aren’t you?’ said Cristina with obvious disgust.
‘Yes,’ said Felipe and began to close the door. The last thing they saw was Cristina hooking her arms through Katerina’s and Ana’s.
‘Come on. Leave them to be yucky.’
Felipe and Rebecca laughed, and when the door was closed, he locked it from the inside.
‘Now, where were we, before we were so rudely interrupted?’
‘You were telling me how you’re never going to lie to me again and you’re going to give up your player habits.’
‘I gave them up a long time ago,’ he said, lowering his mouth to hers.
Epilogue
‘Hurry up, Cristina!’ yelled Katerina.
‘I’m coming!’ Cristina shouted back as Rebecca walked into the farmhouse kitchen.
‘So loud,’ murmured Felipe into her ear and she grinned up at him.
‘You’ve just got used to having a bit of peace,’ she replied with a laugh, hooking her arm through his and kissing his cheek. ‘You miss it really.’
‘No, I do not,’ he grumbled. ‘I don’t miss my sweaters being pinched when I’m not looking or having to have my nails painted or someone wanting to slop gloop on my face or refereeing arguments.’ He paused, a faint smile crossing his face. ‘I especially do not miss being interrupted at crucial moments.’
Rebecca giggled, remembering the time Cristina had almost barged in on them at an inopportune moment. That was the day Felipe had insisted they moved out. In January they’d moved into an apartment in the town, and since then had spent the last three months relishing having each other to themselves. Felipe not being on tap all the time at the hotel had also madea significant difference to his workload and stress levels. The slight distance meant that people used their initiative more to make decisions without constantly referring to him.
‘Rebecca!’ Cristina called and threw her arms around her as if she’d been absent for a week instead of a mere twenty-four hours.
‘Hey,querida.Nice outfit.’
In response Cristina wafted out her skirt and dropped a little curtsy. All dressed up, with her hair plaited in an elaborate fishtail, she looked party-ready.
‘Your outfit is nice too. You look beautiful, like a princess,’ said Cristina. Rebecca beamed. Felipe had helped her choose the dress for today, although his criteria had apparently been based on how easy it was to get her out of it. She wore dresses a lot more often these days and was regularly dragged on shopping trips with the girls.
‘Like my nails?’ She waved her fingernails in Rebecca’s face.
‘Yes. They’re the same as they were yesterday.’
