Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
G race sat in silence for a moment and closed her eyes. She couldn’t look at Will. Could she really do it? It would be way worse if she said yes now and then flaked out halfway through. Not managing to complete something she’d agreed to was a pet hate of hers. She’d rather say no early on than fail. She opened her eyes again and caught sight of his worried face. His smile had melted away and he’d let go of her hand. It was wrong to keep him waiting. Grace clenched her fists at her sides.
Why was she even hesitating? This would be a very different experience from the one she’d had with Phil. This time round she’d be with a man who’d get better and stronger day by day, instead of one getting weaker and closer to the end. She still didn’t know if her relationship with Will had a long-term future, but this was the perfect opportunity to at least try and find out. They’d be basically living together for the next fortnight.
‘Grace? Are you OK? You’ve helped me so much already. I totally understand if this is one step too far. I can always hire someone.’
Grace picked up his hand and stroked it. She couldn’t let him be helped by a stranger when she was right in front of him.
‘No, it’s fine. I’ll do it.’
Will grinned from ear to ear.
‘Fantastic. That means we can get out of here tomorrow.’
‘Will we be going back home in the helicopter?’
‘You bet.’
‘Yay!’ Grace waved her arms in the air.
‘That’s what it’s really about isn’t it? A free ’copter ride.’
‘Well, it will be lot more fun than the way here, worrying about whether you were going to make it through the night, that’s for sure.’
There was no going back now. She was in it for the long haul, or at least until Will was back on his feet.
* * *
Grace rang Elena from the hotel just before she set off to walk to the hospital for the last time. She started to tell her what had happened, but she only got a few words out before her boss interrupted.
‘Oh, yes, it’s terrible. We know Will, he’s a lovely man, and his employers, Panos and Daphne, are friends of ours. We heard all about the burglary and the stabbing. Such a shock for our island. We will have to increase the security at our place too.’
Grace should have guessed they’d all be mates.
‘But I wasn’t aware of your connection with Will. How do you know him?’
Grace really didn’t have the time to be interrogated by Elena.
‘Oh, we’re friends from way back. Anyway, I’m asking to be released from the last two weeks of my contract, so I can help Will at his house. I only have a few lessons, so maybe someone else can take them on?’
‘Yes, of course. Don’t worry about that. You concentrate on Will.’
‘Thank you. I will move my stuff out of my room as soon as possible.’
‘Oh, there’s no hurry. There are no new teachers starting until September.’
‘Thank you again.’
‘It’s my pleasure.’
The helicopter journey back to the island in the late afternoon light was a delight for Grace, as she homed in on all the little landmarks that she’d missed in the dark.
But her joy was tempered by her concern that Will looked way worse again. He’d graduated from a stretcher to a wheelchair, but by the time they’d got back to the house, and she’d settled him into bed with the help of a paramedic, she didn’t want to leave him again and get a taxi to fetch her stuff from the language school. The journey had seriously taken it out of him.
She’d been expecting it. Phil had always gone downhill straight after leaving the security of a hospital, and being bounced in and out of an ambulance wouldn’t have helped. Will was an unbecoming shade of grey under his tan and his eyes were unaccustomedly dull. But this was the last time she’d compare her experiences. Will was going to get better under her loving care. She’d make damn sure of it.
One bright spot was how overjoyed Karen had been to see them both. Someone had obviously been feeding her as instructed but the poor little thing wanted company. She’d taken the kitten up to Will’s bedroom so he could say goodnight to her, but he could barely keep his eyes open. Sleep was what he needed, and sleep was what he’d get.
There’d been no discussion about the bedroom arrangements, but Grace put herself in the spare room. They were firmly back on track as friends, and for the moment she couldn’t think about anything more than that. All her clothes were filthy, so after a shower she’d borrowed one of Will’s shirts from the wardrobe in her room and put on the last pair of the skimpy lace pants. She’d get the washing done tomorrow.
She peeped into Will’s bedroom, but he was out for the count. The nurse would arrive at lunchtime tomorrow, so she’d better try and get some sleep too.
* * *
The sun streaming through the window and straight into her eyes woke her. She’d forgotten to draw the curtains, and a glance at her phone told her it was already nine o’clock. She could hear movement in the other room. Will probably needed help. She should have set an alarm. She wouldn’t get her Brownie nursing badge at this rate.
Will was half sitting up in bed, but his pillows had fallen off. He was about to put his feet down on the floor so he could pick the pillows up.
‘Stay there. I’ll do it.’
Grace bent over and retrieved the pillows. When she straightened up again, Will seemed to be having some trouble with the sheet.
She put on a bright smile.
‘Good morning. Is there anything you fancy for breakfast?’
Will’s eyes went to her bare legs.
‘Do you seriously want me to answer that?’
It dawned on Grace that she’d been giving him a bird’s eye view of the see-through lace knickers. And she was wearing one of his shirts which barely covered her bum. Men were so basic sometimes. She didn’t want him to think that she was deliberately trying to turn him on, bending over just inches from his face. All that blood rushing around his body wouldn’t do him any good in his state.
‘I haven’t got my stuff yet…’ Her face was already on fire. ‘And these were the only pants on sale at the hotel.’
There was that smile again.
‘I’m not complaining.’
‘Was there an answer on breakfast? Not that I’ve had a chance to look in the kitchen.’
‘I think the bread’s still OK, and the milk might be in date, so toast and butter with a coffee would be lovely, thank you.’
At least there was some colour in his cheeks this morning.
* * *
Three days in, and they were getting into a routine. Will was still weak, and needed plenty of help, but she could already see improvements, which cheered her heart. Angeliki and Nick had ferried Grace’s stuff from her room at the language school, so at least she had sensible clothes and decent underwear. The couple had spent quite a while chatting to her charge, but Grace had had to shoo them out after an hour, as she could see that Will was fading.
He mainly slept in the mornings, and, after the nurse had been, would sit out on his balcony all afternoon and early evening before turning in again. He liked her to sit with him, and they’d talk about everything and nothing, while watching the people on the beach. Will had a set of binoculars, which they’d pass between them.
Grace had finally shown him the video of her DJing debut, and he’d been suitably impressed. Will had confessed to a fondness for country music, so they’d spent several afternoons just playing each other their favourite tracks and comparing notes, between dozing off in the August heat. Grace wasn’t sure she’d ever be a fan of country, but it would be weird if they liked exactly the same things. As a music lover, at least she could appreciate the skill of the musicians. She just tried her hardest not to wince every time she heard the whining notes of a harmonica.
Being together twenty-four hours a day, albeit in separate bedrooms, had shown Grace it was possible to be comfortable with Will while doing nothing, which was one of the hardest things of all for any potential couple. Now that they had seen each other at their best and at their most vulnerable over the past couple of weeks, most boundaries were down, and they were at ease in each other’s company. Their bodies were another matter. The scent of expectation was in the air, but neither of them was willing to tackle the next step, and she had severe doubts that Will was up to doing anything even if he wanted to. The little flatmate bubble they’d created would do for the time being. No point rushing ahead.
Grace had just settled them both in the wicker armchairs with a coffee each when a familiar face loomed in the lens of the binoculars. It was only bloody Celine walking up the path. That was all Will needed. It was all she needed. She wouldn’t let the Frenchwoman exhaust him or spoil their peaceful time out. The next thing she heard was the woman calling out Will’s name from the kitchen. Had she never heard of knocking?
‘Will, are you there?’
Grace sighed.
‘Shall I send her away?’
Will shrugged. ‘She’ll only come back again. I know what she’s like. Better just get it over with.’
‘OK, she can have ten minutes and then I’ll be back in.’
Grace was quite enjoying her gatekeeper role. Will gave her a wry smile.
‘Agreed.’
Celine managed to keep the shock off her face when Grace greeted her at the bottom of the stairs. She’d heard about Will– Grace was sure it was all over the island by now– but the woman obviously had no idea who was staying there, looking after him.
‘He’s up on the bedroom balcony. I think you know the way.’
Grace hadn’t meant to emphasise the word bedroom. It was funny what the subconscious could do.
Celine brushed past her without a word.
Just the thought of them in the bedroom together, let alone in the bed, had Grace glancing up at the clock every few seconds. Will wouldn’t be up to much in his state, but she was sure that Celine was the mistress of invention, given half a chance.
When the woman came back down only a satisfying six minutes later, there were tears in her eyes.
This time, she looked Grace full in the face.
‘Look after him, won’t you. He is very special.’
Grace repeated ‘He is very special’ in a French accent to herself after Celine had walked out the door.
It was no good. She couldn’t let this one fester. She had to know what had happened on the night of the party. She couldn’t even think of committing herself to Will if she thought he was still planning to see Celine on the side. She could never be one of several women he had on the go, however good the sex had been. Celine’s disappointed face a moment ago had led her to believe that Will wasn’t going anywhere with the Frenchwoman, but she had to hear it from his own mouth.
She rushed up the stairs and stood behind Will’s chair.
‘I need to ask you something.’
Will’s brow creased into a frown.
‘OK.’
‘Last week Celine informed me that she’d spent the night of the party in your bed. Is she lying?’
Will turned his head to look up at her and reached for her hand.
‘Grace, we need to be honest with each other now…’
Her heart was in her mouth.
‘Celine is telling the truth.’