Chapter 7
After Poppy booked her flight on Tuesday morning, the rest of the week passed quickly, and her stomach churned with a mixture of excitement and nerves.
The call from Tom that came on Friday evening brought her swiftly back to earth with a sharp bump.
She had been in the middle of packing, her suitcase open on the bed and half filled, when her phone rang.
Seeing his name on the screen, she answered with a smile, expecting him to double-check what time he was picking her up from the airport, or perhaps just to say he was looking forward to seeing her tomorrow.
Instead, she heard it immediately. Something wrong in his voice.
‘Hey. Are you okay?’
There was a moment of silence before he answered.
‘Not really.’ She heard him release a shaky breath. ‘Something’s happened to James.’
She sank down onto the edge of the bed. James was Tom’s best friend, and he spoke about him often and fondly.
‘What’s happened?’ she asked.
‘He was…’ Tom hesitated, as if the weight of the words were too heavy. He tried again. ‘He was in a car accident this afternoon.’
Poppy’s stomach dropped. ‘Oh God. Is he…?’ Now she was the one who couldn’t finish her sentence.
‘They’ve put him in a medically induced coma. His fiancée is at the hospital. She called me about an hour ago. She was in pieces. He’s in a bad way, Pops.’
Until now his tone had been careful and controlled, like he was trying hard not to fall apart, but as he spoke that last sentence, his voice cracked.
‘Oh Tom. I’m so sorry.’
‘I have to go back.’ He said it quietly, almost to himself. ‘I can’t not. He’s my best friend. He’d do the same for me.’
‘Of course you do. Don’t even think about it.’
Quietly she was devastated, but she would never say that out loud. Her holiday in Crete paled in significance to what was going on with James, and guilt racked through her at even thinking about it at this awful time.
‘I’ve already looked at flights. There’s one tonight at half ten. I’ll go straight to the hospital when I land.’ There was a pause. ‘Pops, I’m so sorry about tomorrow. I’ve been really looking forward to it and now—’
‘Stop,’ she said firmly, even as her throat tightened. ‘This is your best friend. Nothing else matters right now.’
For a moment, neither of them spoke. She could hear him breathing and desperately wished she could give him a hug.
‘The villa is still yours,’ he said eventually. ‘Please don’t cancel your trip because of this. I mean it. Get away from everything, like you planned. You need it.’
‘I don’t have to go. I can stay here. The holiday’s not important.’
‘You’ve already booked your flight. Don’t waste it. Please. It will give me another thing to feel awful about.’
Could she still go? The image of his beautiful villa wasn’t quite the same, knowing that she’d be arriving alone. But he was right. She had the flight booked.
‘Okay,’ she said quietly, an idea forming. ‘What about you? You’ll need somewhere to stay when you’re not at the hospital.’
‘I’ll sort something. Get a hotel room.’
‘Tom.’ She kept her voice light, but firm. ‘Use my flat. Please. I’ll be in Crete and it’s just sitting there empty.’
There was a small pause.
‘I don’t want to put you out.’
‘You won’t be. You’re letting me stay in your villa. It’s the least I can do in return. It’s close to the Tube station, so it will be ideal.’
‘So, we’re doing a house swap. Are you sure?’
‘Yes, I’m sure. I can leave a key on top of the door ledge for you when I leave tomorrow.’
Tom didn’t argue. She suspected it was because he was too worried about James. ‘Thank you, Poppy.’
‘How long do you think you’ll be in London?’
‘I honestly don’t know. It depends on James. I can’t think that far ahead right now.’
That was understandable.
‘Of course not. Just go be with your friend.’
‘I’m going to make this up to you,’ Tom said quietly. ‘When you’re back. Or maybe I can get home before you leave, if things improve. We’ll make it happen, Pops. I promise.’
Poppy swallowed the lump in her throat. ‘I know we will.’
After they said goodbye, she sat on the edge of the bed, her half-packed suitcase next to her, a little numb with shock.
She didn’t know James personally but felt she did through her conversations with Tom. And knowing how different her plans were now, that she was travelling to a country she’d never been to before and that Tom wouldn’t be waiting for her, was a little bit scary.
It would be okay, though. She was happy she was still going; it just wasn’t quite what she had imagined.
Needing to share the news with someone else, she called Keira.
Her friend answered on the second ring, already mid-conversation about something else, and Poppy heard Greg’s voice in the background.
She waited patiently until she had Keira’s full attention, then told her everything.
‘Oh no,’ she said when Poppy had finished. ‘That’s crappy timing.’
‘It’s not Tom’s fault.’
‘I know it’s not his fault. It is a bit shit, though.’ There was a pause. ‘Are you still going?’
‘Yes. Tom says I can still stay in his villa.’
‘Right, that’s good,’ Keira said, and Poppy could hear her friend’s brain switching through the gears. ‘I’ll call my boss. See if I can get some time off.’
‘You don’t need to do that.’
‘I know I don’t need to, but you’re my best mate, Poppy. You were supposed to have Tom there for the first week. Now you haven’t.’
‘I’ll be fine,’ Poppy assured her, more confidently than she felt.
‘I’m sure you will. But it will be better if I can go with you.’
‘Go where?’ Greg piped up in the background, sounding unimpressed.
Keira didn’t answer him.
‘I’ll be okay by myself. But thank you for offering,’ Poppy said.
The silence that followed suggested Keira was unconvinced, but she didn’t push further. ‘Well, the offer is there. If you change your mind before you go to bed, just say the word.’
After they hung up, Poppy went back to her packing, telling herself everything was going to be fine. In fact, better than fine. She had two weeks in a beautiful villa in Crete.
And Tom hadn’t completely ruled out making it back before she left.
She held on to that thought as she zipped up her case and turned off the light.