Twenty-Three
Sunday 4th October
What. An. Idiot.Whywas I such an idiot? I made my way back to the cabin with a plate of peanut butter cookies, a peace offering. Mark had been snoring on the sofa when I got up, so I’d walked down to the Orangery to ask Jonas for some extras. We had Twiggy and Dots to consider, and I didn’t want him thinking I was still in love with him. I wasn’t. The sun was out so I’d cracked the windows and doors to get rid of the hangover fug, and I could hear Mark on the phone as I tiptoed into the kitchen. I was in two minds about popping the oven on to warm the cookies through when Mark started laughing and my brain tuned in to his conversation.
‘Piece of piss, mate. The old man doesn’t even own the land. It’s fair game.’
I froze, listening at the door. Mark was speaking in his wide-boy business voice, which he only used when he had information on a property deal and was up to no good.
‘You’re gonna love it. Absolutely spot on for what you need – loads of space. And once you get rid of all the trees, I reckon you’ll fit fifty houses on here, minimum. And that’s without touching the holiday huts, so you can keep the woo-woo retreat going for cashflow if it floats your boat.’
I gave an involuntary gasp. The sneaky littlerat!
‘Yeah, yeah, sweet. We can make it happen as fast as you like – that’s the beauty of it. Two signatures and it’s ours. I’ve tracked down the owners and the fella is interested in the three million in principle.’ Mark laughed. ‘I know. Peanuts for what we’ll make long term. He said he’ll get the woman on board, no problem.’
Oh. My. God.
‘I’ve got a few loose ends to wrap up before I head back tomorrow. The ex-wife won’t be happy when she finds out, but nothing I can’t deal with.’
I slammed the door open at that and marched in. Mark jumped and nearly dropped his phone, his smarmy smirk replaced with a look of pure panic.
‘Speak-to-you-later-mate-bye,’ he said, hanging up. ‘Sara? What the hell do you think you’re doing? How dare you eavesdrop on my private phone calls!’
‘Are you for real? You’re in my bedroom, Mark. Onmy holiday. What exactly is going on here?’
‘You can’t just burst in and ambush me. Look, I’m sorry I gave you the brush-off last night, OK? I know it’s made things weird between us.’
‘Don’t change the subject,’ I said, trying to keep my voice steady. ‘This has nothing to do with last night and you damn well know it.’ Mark side-eyed his phone as it lit up again. ‘Tell me what’s going on. Right now.’
‘OK, OK. You’ll find out eventually, so it may as well be now. But no need for the histrionics, alright? It’s totally legit.’ I pursed my lips and waited for him to continue, scared of what I might say if I opened my mouth. ‘It’s no secret I’ve been scouting for land in Scandinavia on behalf of a client who is looking to invest.’
My blood was already boiling at his switch in tone.
‘Mm-hmm,’ I said, eyeballing him.
‘And when I arrived, it got me thinking about whether there might be a mutually beneficial deal to be done.’
I nodded, furious. ‘Go on…?’
‘So, I called him – literally just now – to float it as an area to look at.’ He shrugged. ‘That’s all there is to tell.’
‘Do you think I’m stupid? What a load of old bollocks. You’ve been sniffing around this place like a dog after a rabbit ever since you stepped off the boat. Holiday, my arse – I should have known better. You’ve been casing the joint this whole time. Trying to work out how to get your greedy little hands on it.’
‘Why are you acting all surprised? It was you who suggested I check it out.’
‘As a retreat, you moron, not as a get-rich-quick scheme!’
Mark laughed. ‘Don’t get all holier than thou with me,’ he said, brushing past me into the kitchen. ‘You’ve done far worse. Getting criminals off on technicalities, knowing full well they’re guilty. But who cares, as long as you get your bonus – eh, Sara?’
‘Don’t you dare turn this on me!’ I said, getting angrier by the second.
‘Don’t like it when I hold the mirror up? We’re not so different, Sara, remember that.’ He picked up a cookie and gave me a wink.
‘Why can’t you ever just tell me the truth?’
‘Fair enough. You got me.’ He held his hands up. ‘I hadn’t heard of this place, and I wanted to check it out.’
‘It’s been a work trip all along?’
