Cristina pouted. ‘It was better when you stayed here.’
‘I see you every day,’ teased Rebecca, which was true. Some things hadn’t changed. Her routine began with a swim in the pool before breakfast and then work in the newly converted office in the spa.
‘It’s not the same.’ The girl wrinkled her nose. ‘When can I come over for a movie night again?’
‘How about next week?’ suggested Felipe looping an arm around her shoulder and dropping a kiss on her head.
‘Yay!’ she squealed.
‘Can I come too? It’s not the same now everyone is leaving us.’ Katerina gave the baleful sigh of a desperately hard-done-by teenager.
‘We haven’t left you,’ said Felipe, pulling her in for a hug, his face softening with sympathy, which Rebecca understood.The Rebelo family had been such a tight-knit unit for so long that changes were unsettling. But as she’d discovered herself, realising that you didn’t have to accept the status quo and being willing to embrace change could make a world of difference to your life. She was the embodiment of it. Occasionally, only very occasionally, she wondered how her life would have gone if she hadn’t made the decision to come to Portugal– a country she’d never visited before. Now she couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. She’d well and truly fallen in love with this little corner of the Algarve and the beautiful beach.
‘Now can we go?’ asked Katerina. ‘We’re going to be late. Ana and Tia Maria went ages ago.’
‘That’s all right,’ said Rebecca. ‘You know they would have wanted to make sure everything was perfect.’
‘Hmmph,’ grunted Katerina.
The two girls led the way over to the hotel and through to the restaurant. Felipe linked his fingers through Rebecca’s and she smiled up at him as they walked side by side.
‘They’ll miss her,’ said Felipe with a rueful grin.
‘We all will,’ agreed Rebecca. ‘But as you said last night, it’s right for her. She needs to spread her wings.’ She paused. ‘Are you sure you don’t want to do the same?’
He stopped and pulled her into him, looking down at her, his dark eyes shining. ‘I have everything I want right here.’
She blushed, still not quite used to his easy compliments. ‘I didn’t mean that. I’d come with you if you wanted to go somewhere else.’
‘I have everything here. You. The family. My friends. The cycling retreats have been such a success and… I’m cycling again. I never thought that would happen. Handing over some of my responsibilities has made a huge difference. I’m enjoying the amateur races. I might even win one, one day.’
‘You might, but you have to beat me in the pool first.’
He picked her up and kissed her. ‘You cheat.’
‘I do not.’
‘Hey, you two,’ called a voice. ‘Are you joining this party or not?’
Rebecca looked over to see Kimberley and Alonso strolling up the path towards them, Kimberly’s face wreathed in a big smile.
Although it wasn’t their leaving party, they were departing the next day to join a training camp as they wereboth headed to Italy for the Giro the next month.
The two of them, along with some of Felipe’s other cycling buddies, were now regular visitors and had led many of the guided cycle rides throughout the winter. Quinto do Mar’s cycling retreats were already attracting die-hard fans who were thrilled to be cycling alongside professional cyclists.
‘We were just having a discussion,’ said Rebecca with a pert smile at Felipe.
‘Oh no, what are you two arguing about now? Who got dressed the quickest today? Who finished breakfast first?’ asked Alonso with a groan.
‘We never argue,’ said Felipe, taking Rebecca’s hand again and stepping back onto the path that went down to the lawn. ‘We’re just?—’
‘Competitive,’ said Rebecca. ‘I don’t want him to have things all his own way.’
‘As if,’ said Felipe, his eyes twinkling. ‘Come on, the others will be waiting.’
The lawn had been transformed, with a big gazebo to one side, and guests were dotted about, many clutching glasses and admiring the view. There were tables sporting vases crammed as always with fragrant herbs and flowers from the gardens.
‘I’ll just go and check thatMãeis happy,’ said Felipe after snagging her a glass of wine from the tray that one of the waiters was circulating with.
