‘Boss sent you this.’ Sophie stood on the doorstep of the hut holding a wooden crate which she thrust towards her friend. ‘As the fiancée of the big property cheese, I thought you’d be sleeping at the villa? Fancy a brew before I clean?’ Aria took the box, raising her eyebrows at the contents while Sophie made her way to the kettle. ‘Dunno why he sent you those; I’m his cleaner not his clairvoyant before you ask,’ Sophie said, turning on the tap. ‘If they were passion fruit, I’d knock us up a porn star martini. Bad luck he has terrible taste in his five-a-day.’
‘Please don’t talk about alcohol. Me and your mother got sozzled on terrible red wine two nights ago, and I’m still hung over.’
Sophie looked unconvinced. ‘Mum’s a wine snob. That would never happen.’
‘She may now be a convert to bargain-bucket booze, thanks to a huge mistake on my part. I’ll tell you about it, but we’llhave to be quick. I’m showing a house later, before spending the rest of the day washing pebbles,’ Aria told her.
‘You’ll have to deal with the psychological aftermath if your story triggers something traumatic from my childhood,’ said Sophie.
‘Unless your mother breastfed you on red wine, then I—’
Sophie snorted. ‘My mother wouldn’t do anything as unselfish as breastfeeding.’ She sat down with a groan, lifted one of the peaches from the box and bit into it. Juice dribbled down her chin. By the time the kettle had boiled, she’d worked her way through two peaches and an apricot.
‘It’s instant coffee, I’m afraid. We’re not at Nic’s now,’ Aria apologised.
‘Not to worry, I am all in favour of bog-standard products. You know Mum’s come out in favour of the development?’ Sophie said. ‘She loved her dinner with you guys. When’s my invite coming?’
Aria slumped in her seat. ‘I’m not sure there will be any more dinners, for your mother or me. I think Nic might have wanted the planning permission more than he wanted me. And now he’s on the way to getting it…’ She didn’t even have the energy to finish the sentence.
Sophie snorted. ‘Of course he wants you. You’re engaged!’
A one-sided engagement of convenience. All Aria had gained were some promises about the lake, which he probably wouldn’t keep, while he’d walked away with the prize he’d wanted all along. She’d only ever been with two men and they’d both used and then dumped her. All engagements seemed to bring was heartbreak and rejection. Sheconsidered telling Sophie about the fake romance, but she’d promised Nic she wouldn’t, and she didn’t want word of the sham getting back to Justin and Lu-Lu. Her voice was even smaller when she spoke again. ‘I just don’t think he’sinto meinto me.’
Sophie blew on her coffee to cool it down. ‘Well, I do think he’sinto youinto you. Before your grand announcement, and on the rare occasion he acknowledged I was in the room, he grilled me about you. And I mean grilled. He was always talking about you. Your green fingers, your sense of humour. Honestly, he doesn’t even see me. I could clean naked with a feather duster jammed between my buttocks and he wouldn’t notice.’
Nic’s stunt with the apron popped into Aria’s head and it felt physically painful. How high she’d been that night.
Meanwhile Sophie knocked back the coffee and slammed the cup down. ‘Better go. I bet he checks his doorbell to see what time I show up and records it on Excel. He’s spreadsheet-obsessed, although his brother sounds worse. Or rather he was, until his accident.’
Aria’s ears pricked up. ‘Accident?’
‘Some kind of collision with a jet ski. He lost a leg. Hasn’t Nic told you?’ She reached for a peach and put it in her pocket. ‘Why are you looking at me like that? Every good girl deserves fruit. There’s a mnemonic about it.’
‘Not the fruit. His brother Theo? When was the accident?’
‘A year ago?’ Sophie said.
Aria shook her head. Surely he’d have mentioned something so massive in his life?
Sophie spotted her scepticism. ‘I swear on my mother’s grave!’
‘Except she’s not dead. She ate my salami tulips.’
‘Lucky her. No one has nibbled at mine for eons.’ Sophie cackled. ‘Here, these pits are my gift to you. You can plant them and grow a massive magic peach tree.’
‘Thanks Roald, but I’m finding it hard enough to grow red cabbages.’ She couldn’t help letting out a sigh. How could she have begun to think Nic cared about her?
Sophie was on it, narrowing her eyes. ‘What’s up?’
‘Nothing.’ Aria straightened up.
‘Not nothing. Spill.’
‘He didn’t tell me about an accident. We shared all sorts of stuff about family and our hopes and dreams for the future, but he didn’t mention anything like that.’
Sophie shrugged. ‘Not his story to tell?’
‘He told you, though?’
