Chapter 8
The following morning, Poppy was up early and waiting for the taxi she had booked for seven. At six forty-five, her doorbell rang.
She frowned, checking her phone. Was the taxi early?
There were no notifications or messages, so she crossed to the intercom.
‘Hello?’
‘It’s me,’ Keira’s voice crackled through the speaker. ‘Don’t be annoyed.’
Frowning, Poppy buzzed her in, opening the front door a couple of minutes later to find her best friend on the landing, slightly breathless after negotiating the stairs. Her designer cabin bag was at her feet.
‘What are you doing?’ she asked, even though the answer was obvious.
‘I can’t let you go alone.’
‘I said I’d be fine.’
‘But this is better,’ Keira pointed out. ‘Look, we can argue about this in the taxi if you want, but can you please let me in.’
‘You’re impossible.’ Poppy shook her head, staring at her, caught somewhere between exasperation and an overwhelming rush of relief.
‘I know.’ Keira grinned. ‘But you love me anyway.’
Poppy rolled her eyes, but she was smiling as she stepped back to let her in. ‘Come on, then. We don’t want to miss our flight.’
Poppy noticed the change in temperature the moment she stepped off the plane.
Back in London, autumn had already kicked in, with damp mornings and grey skies, but here the air shimmered, the sun providing enough warmth to make her forget, briefly, that tomorrow was the start of November.
Already, she felt lighter, and for now, she was choosing not to think about Simon or the fallout that had happened.
Her plan was to stay completely off social media.
Keira was a few paces ahead, wheeling her cabin bag, her cream wide-leg trousers swishing around her wedge sandals and a cropped leather jacket thrown over her shoulders, looking like she had stepped out of a fashion editorial.
She turned to Poppy after they stepped inside. ‘Well, you’re here now. No going back.’
‘No going back,’ Poppy agreed, ignoring the tiny lurch in her stomach, and the fact that Tom had no idea she wasn’t alone.
Keira hadn’t given her any notice that she was coming and knowing that he would only just have arrived at the hospital, she hadn’t wanted to disturb him. Instead, she had made a split-second decision that she would take her friend with her, then tell him once they had a chance to speak properly.
The drive from Heraklion was easier than she’d expected.
The taxi slipped out of the airport traffic and onto the coastal road, where the sea flashed in sudden bursts of blue between hotels and apartment blocks.
Palm trees lined the pavements, their fronds stirring lazily in the warm breeze.
Inside the car, a local radio station played in the background, the driver talking occasionally to his head office.
Poppy and Keira chatted between themselves during the initial part of the journey, before settling into a contented silence, both enjoying the changing scenery.
As they moved east towards Gouves, the rows of busy resorts thinned out, replaced by quieter stretches of road and pockets of open land.
Hotels gave way to low white villas, scattered olive groves and dusty plots, where the earth looked baked by years of sun.
By the time the taxi turned off the main road, and away from the tourist zone, the world felt slower, almost hushed.
‘It’s very quiet,’ Keira commented, glancing out of the window.
‘I doubt there are many tourists still about,’ Poppy told her.
When the taxi finally pulled up at their destination, her breath caught. She had seen the place on photos and video before, but it didn’t do it justice, and for a moment she wondered if she was at the wrong address.
A tall gate opened on to a paved driveway that led through the centre of beautifully maintained gardens to reach the villa. Its stonework glowed in the afternoon sun, softened by the late-season faded petals of the trailing bougainvillea; a last splash of colour against the pale walls.
Keira got out of the taxi, raising her oversized sunglasses and staring in awe. ‘He lives here?’
Poppy nodded. ‘Yes. It’s bigger than I realised.’
The taxi driver helped them with their cases and Poppy pulled her purse out, handing him cash to cover the fare, plus a generous tip.
‘Come on,’ she said to Keira as the car pulled away. She was still having to pinch herself that, for the next two weeks, all of this was hers.
She located the key safe Tom had messaged her about, punching in the code he had given her and retrieving the key, before unlocking the door.
Inside, the villa was cool and still, the air conditioning, which he had said he would leave on for her, humming softly.
The front door opened into a vast open-plan living area and it was flooded with light from floor-to-ceiling glass doors that looked out on to the terrace.
Outside, the large pool beckoned, a strip of impossible blue framed by sun loungers and trees.
The décor was as she expected, modern and tasteful – polished stone floors, soft grey walls, clean-lined furniture in muted tones of cream and charcoal, and the sleek, spacious kitchen was all glossy white surfaces and chrome fittings.
Everything looked expensive and was thoughtfully designed, with a calm, understated elegance.
Beyond the living area, an inner hallway led to four bedrooms, each with their own minimalist en-suite bathrooms. The master bedroom was enormous, its king-sized bed positioned to overlook the pool, while the other rooms looked barely used, their beds immaculately made.
‘This is insane,’ Keira murmured. ‘Tom must be a bloody successful author.’
Poppy laughed. ‘He hasn’t even finished writing his first book yet.’
‘So how come he can afford all this?’
‘Family money,’ Poppy said, deciding to leave it at that. It wasn’t fair to Tom to talk about the sad circumstances that had led to his wealth.
She spotted a framed photo of him on a shelf. He was with an older couple.
His parents, she presumed, noticing that Tom’s dad had the same smile.
It was crazy to think that they had all of this to themselves. Just the scale of this villa, the silence, the echo of her and Keira’s footsteps on the floor, it was all so… grand.
Remembering about James and the tragic reason why Tom couldn’t be here with her, she felt a stab of guilt. Here she was marvelling over his home, while he was stuck in a hospital waiting for news.
She hadn’t messaged him yet to see if there was any update, aware he was with his friends and not wanting to intrude. It didn’t feel appropriate. But she would reach out this evening if she hadn’t heard anything.
After dumping her luggage in one of the guest bedrooms, she wandered back into the kitchen, to find Keira had wasted no time exploring the huge fridge. She made her approval known when she saw it was fully stocked.
‘Nice one,’ she said, pulling out a bottle of white wine, and leaving Poppy to peer inside.
Tom had done a full shop, and the shelves were packed with bottled water, fruit, lager and more wine, as well as milk, butter, eggs and other essentials, plus fresh fish, cheeses and other luxuries.
He had done all this ahead of her arrival, she realised, when he had still thought it would be the two of them together. Her heart squeezed, conscious of the effort he had made.
As Keira hunted for glasses and a corkscrew, she opened the patio doors and walked out onto the terrace.
The pool sparkled in the rays of the late-afternoon sun as it sank lower in the sky, the surface of the water barely disturbed by the breeze.
Beyond the garden wall, she could see a handful of rooftops in the distance, and plenty of trees, but there were no people.
No noise either. All this space was hers.
Her phone buzzed in her hand. Seeing Tom’s name on the screen, she quickly opened his message.
Did you make it okay?
Yes, thank you. Your house is incredible. How is James? Is there any news?
A few seconds passed before his response.
None unfortunately. The doctors say the next couple of days will be critical.
Poppy wished there was something more she could do.
I’m thinking of you and keeping everything crossed for good news. I know I’m in Crete, but if there’s anything you need at all, please say.
You’ve done enough by loaning me your flat. Now I want you to make yourself at home and relax. Help yourself to anything you need. I did a big shop a couple of days ago knowing you were coming, so there is plenty of everything. I can’t eat it, but you can.
It’s perfect.
She still felt bad. She should have nipped out to the shop last night.
I wish there was more in my flat for you. There’s tea and coffee, and some bread in the freezer.
Don’t stress. It’ll be fine, I’m sure. I’m now leaving the hospital, so I’ll head over there in a bit.
As Keira stepped out onto the terrace it reminded Poppy she still needed to let Tom know her friend had come with her. Something that perhaps warranted a phone call rather than a WhatsApp message.
Are you free for a two-minute chat?
She went back inside and down the hallway to the privacy of her bedroom.
Blue ticks appeared, but there was no response. Then, after a few seconds, Poppy’s phone started ringing. Seeing Tom’s name, she quickly answered.
‘Is everything okay?’ he asked.
The simple familiarity of his voice had her throat tightening. He sounded sad and exhausted.
‘I’m fine. But I need to tell you something and I didn’t want to do it in a message.’
‘That sounds ominous,’ he said, laughing nervously.
‘It’s nothing bad, I promise.’ Poppy took a breath.
Suddenly, it felt like she had deceived Tom by not telling him.
She reminded herself her decision to wait had been with the best of intentions.
‘So, Keira turned up on my doorstep this morning with her suitcase. She’d booked herself on to my flight without telling me. ’
There was a beat of silence. Was Tom angry with her or just processing what she had just said?
Say something, she willed.
‘Keira’s there with you in Crete?’
‘Yes, I’m sorry. I know it’s your home and I should have asked, but she literally showed up and I didn’t have the heart to send her away.
And with James and everything, I didn’t want to bother you this morning to ask permission.
I know it’s not what we agreed and if you’re not happy…
’ She tailed off, conscious she was babbling now.
‘Poppy.’ Tom spoke her name gently. ‘It’s fine. I’m glad you’re not there on your own.’
She released a breath. ‘Are you sure?’
‘Of course. The villa’s plenty big enough. Besides, with everything going on with James, knowing you have someone with you is one less thing for me to worry about. I wish I had thought of it myself when we spoke last night.’
His words soothed her guilt of the last few hours, and she felt the tension in her shoulders begin to ease as she moved to look out of the window. ‘Thank you for being so understanding.’
‘Stop apologising,’ he said lightly. Then, after a brief pause, he added more quietly, ‘I really wish I was there.’
‘I know.’ Poppy swallowed. ‘I really wish you were here too.’
For a moment, neither of them said anything. On the terrace beyond the glass, Keira was standing by the pool edge with her wine, her face tipped up to the last of the afternoon sun, entirely unaware she was being discussed.
‘Now, are you sure you’re okay and have everything you need?’ Tom asked.
‘It’s beautiful here,’ she told him, meaning it. ‘Even better than when you showed me on video.’
‘Good. I’m glad you’re there, Pops.’
‘How are you holding up?’ she asked, her tone gentle.
He sighed. ‘It’s hard. Sitting in a waiting room not knowing anything is…’ He stopped, and she heard his breath catch. ‘Milly, his fiancée, is in bits. We’re all taking it in turns with her so she’s not alone.’
Poppy knew that Tom’s other friends were at the hospital too.
‘I’m glad you’re all there for each other.’
‘Yeah.’ His voice was tired. ‘Look. I should go. I need to find this flat of yours. You said the key is above the door, right?’
‘Yes, on the ledge,’ she confirmed. ‘And Tom, the second drawer down in the kitchen has takeaway menus in it. Don’t judge me.’
He laughed. The sound brief, but genuine.
‘I’ll try not to,’ he promised. ‘Now go and enjoy yourself. Say hi to Keira for me.’
After she hung up, Poppy stood for a moment with the phone in her hand, looking out at the terrace and the view beyond the garden wall. The sea was just visible in the distance; a thin silver line beneath the blue sky.
She felt better for having told Tom that Keira was with her. It had started to bother her on the flight out, the weight slowly growing. But now it was gone.
She went back outside, joining Keira, and accepting the glass her friend held out to her.
‘I just spoke to Tom,’ she said.
‘And how is he?’
‘Tired. Worried about his friend. He knows you’re here.’
‘And?’
Poppy smiled. ‘He was fine about it.’
Keira looked unsurprised. ‘Of course he was. Now you can stop worrying and start to enjoy yourself.’ She raised her glass to Poppy’s in a toast. ‘Here’s to your much-needed break. And to paradise,’ she added, laughing.
Poppy lifted her glass, smiling. ‘To paradise.’