Chapter 30
Helena heard the music from the car before she saw it, followed by the crunch of tyres on the gravel drive and a blast of the horn that was unmistakably Mariana’s own little joke for Helena… better get out of bed ladies, because we’re here.
“They’re here,” Helena said, standing up from the terrace chair.
Luckily, they were both dressed and had been for the last hour.
Before that, less so. Helena reckoned she could get used to a life where she saw Caitlin wearing nothing in private and a string bikini in public.
Retire to a tropical island, just the two of us, and spend our days doing precisely nothing.
A fantasy of course, not reality, but a good one.
Caitlin stood too, straightening her dress.
Her hand went unconsciously to touch the necklace in the gesture that was Caitlin’s one tell, her way of centring herself.
She looked composed but Helena could see the effort she was putting into it and had to remind herself that while she knew Mariana’s friends as well as she knew her own, for Caitlin this was a big deal.
The car engine switched off, leaving just the music and the sound of chatter that was the usual noise from Mariana and her friends coming from round the side of the main house.
“You look great,” Helena told Caitlin. “Be yourself. That’s all you need to do.”
“Be myself. The woman who nearly broke public decency law on your family’s local beach yesterday.”
“Who did break those decency laws, just nobody was there to see it. Maybe not that version of yourself.”
They walked through the garden to the drive. Mariana was already out of the car, directing the extraction of bags from the trunk. She was wearing a sundress and enormous sunglasses, and her energy, even at a distance, was immediately, overwhelmingly present.
“HELENA!” Mariana spotted her and was across the drive in seconds, wrapping her in a hug that was more like a tackle.
She was shorter than Helena by several inches but what she lacked in height she compensated for with force of personality.
“I can’t believe you came down here two days early,” she said in Portuguese.
“Have you had fun? How’s the pool house?
Have you broken anything? Mam?e will kill you if you’ve broken the… ”
“I haven’t broken anything. And hello to you too.” Helena extracted herself from the hug and turned, switching to English. “Mariana, this is Caitlin.”
Mariana pushed her sunglasses up onto her head and looked at Caitlin.
“Caitlin,” she said.
Helena watched as Mariana sized Caitlin up.
She was quick about it, but she had always been fast. Her eyes moved over Caitlin with a frank curiosity that would have been unsettling in anyone else, but in Mariana it was somehow just her…
a direct stare, a slight tilt of the head, a slight narrowing of the eyes.
It wasn’t aggressive, but Caitlin wouldn’t be left in any doubt that Mariana was assessing her suitability to be spending all this time with her sister.
Weirdly protective in her own way, Helena thought, not that I’ll let her opinion sway anything.
But it’ll be easier if she does approve.
“So, you’re the mystery woman,” Mariana said.
“That’s me,” Caitlin replied, and held out her hand. “It’s lovely to meet you.”
Mariana looked at the hand, then at Caitlin’s face, then at Helena, then back at Caitlin. She shook it, not with warmth, more the way you’d shake the hand of a business acquaintance. Reserved was probably the best description, reserved but not unfriendly.
“Welcome to our house,” Mariana said. “Helena tells me you’re visiting from Houston.”
“I am. It’s a beautiful place. Thank you for having me.”
“It’s Helena’s place as much as mine. She can have whoever she likes.
” The words themselves were pleasant enough but the tone had an edge: she can have whoever she likes but I’ll be the judge of whether whoever she likes is worthy of her.
Mariana turned back to the car. “Juliana! Stop checking your phone and come help with the bags.”
Juliana climbed out of the passenger side with her trademark wild curls in denim shorts and a tank top, absolutely effortless in both appearance and behaviour.
Helena could vouch for that after how well they’d gotten to know each other in the last few months.
She was laughing at something the others in the car were saying, then she looked up and broke into a beaming smile.
“Helena!” Juliana hugged her warmly, managing to strike the right balance between the hug of someone who’d been in bed with Helena a little more than a week before and the hug of someone who knew that was in the past now and was entirely comfortable with the transition from deep intimacy to just good friends again.
“You look amazing… that tan from just two days?” Helena noticed that she’d gone straight into English, and appreciated Juliana’s gesture, making it easy for Caitlin without making anything of it. A very good sign.
“We’ve been outside a lot,” Helena replied, smiling back. “You’re looking good too, how was the drive?”
“Well, Mariana drove, so…” She turned and winked at Caitlin. “Terrible and life-affirming in equal measure.” Juliana paused for a brief moment. “I’m assuming you’re Caitlin. I’ve heard a bit about you.”
“Helena’s told me about you too.” The warmth in Caitlin’s smile matched Juliana’s.
She shook Juliana’s hand and Helena watched them hold each other’s gaze for a fraction longer than was normal, each of them reading the other with an acute awareness that Helena had significant history with both of them.
“It’s really good to meet you,” Juliana said with absolute sincerity. “Helena wouldn’t admit it, but there’s a certain expression she has when you’re on her mind. I’ve been wanting to meet the person behind that expression.”
“What expression?”
“There’s not… there’s no expression,” Helena interjected.
“There is,” Juliana replied. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to describe it in front of you. I don’t want to embarrass you.” Juliana turned her grin back to Caitlin and leaned in with a theatrical whisper. “But it’s very cute.”
“I am not cute,” Helena said.
“Is she cute?” Juliana asked Caitlin.
“She is. She just doesn’t think it.”
“Exactly! How are you finding S?o Paulo? First time in Brazil?”
“First time. It’s incredible. Helena’s been an excellent tour guide.”
“She knows the city inside out. She’s one of those annoying people who knows all the best places…
as I’m sure you know she’s not the type to have a quiet night at home.
It’s very useful. Mariana and I always know that if we haven’t got plans we’ll just track down wherever Helena and Isabella are. You met Isabella, right?”
“I did. She’s great. She told me Helena’s married couple story within two minutes of meeting her…”
“That’s enough!” Helena interrupted, blushing.
Juliana was laughing. “I was there that night. It’s a good story. We should compare notes.”
Helena watched as the two women shared a conspiratorial grin and felt a gnawing anxiety that she’d been keeping hidden deep down dissipate.
She’d been confident that Juliana and Caitlin would get on well, they were both her type after all albeit in different ways, but there was always a risk.
What if Juliana actually had romantic feelings for Helena after what they’d done?
What if Caitlin couldn’t deal with meeting what was, in effect, Helena’s ex, and recent ex at that?
They’re going to be fine with each other, she thought. It’s all going to be fine.
Mariana’s other two friends, Camila and Thiago, climbed out of the back seat both carrying bags.
They were a couple and had been for a while, and their light bickering about who’d forgotten to pack what was simply their language with each other.
Introductions were made, and Helena and Caitlin took care of arranging drinks and snacks in the main house’s kitchen while the other four got settled in upstairs.
“How was that?” Helena asked.
“Mariana is terrifying.”
“I warned you.”
“You said she was protective. You didn’t say she’d look at me like she was deciding whether to have me deported.” Caitlin leaned back against the kitchen counter. “Juliana is absolutely lovely, though.”
“Juliana is always lovely. That’s her superpower.”
“She’s also very, very attractive, which you neglected to mention.”
Helena smiled. “Would you have preferred advance warning?”
“I would have preferred not to be ambushed by a gorgeous twenty-three-year-old with incredible curls who clearly adores you.” Caitlin’s tone was light but Helena caught the undercurrent…
not jealousy exactly, but the natural human reaction of meeting the physical reality of someone your partner was sleeping with before them.
“She doesn’t adore me. She likes me, I like her and look… we had a very serious conversation about how anything romantic between us was impossible. She’s thrilled for me that I’ve met someone.” Helena came to stand in front of Caitlin and took her hand. “You have nothing to worry about.”
“I’m not worried. I’m just recalibrating.” Caitlin thought for a moment. “She’s just very… present. Very warm. I can see why you enjoy spending time with her.”
“I enjoy her the way I enjoy a good sparring partner. I enjoy you the way I enjoy breathing.”
Caitlin looked at her. “That might be the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me.”
“It’s true, that’s all.”
Caitlin leaned across and kissed her playfully on the cheek. “Now let’s get these drinks to the weary travellers before you sister decides I’m hiding.”
***
They all soon gravitated towards the pool and spent the rest of the afternoon not moving far from it.
Mariana was the natural host, organising and directing, making sure that everyone had drinks and towels, not to mention breaking out the inflatable unicorn that she’d stored away last time she was there.
Thiago was easy-going and funny, while Camila was sharper and dryer, a lawyer-in-training who clearly enjoyed being the cynical counterpoint to Thiago’s enthusiasm.
Caitlin was being careful to integrate herself gradually.
She talked to Thiago about consulting, discovering that they had overlapping professional interests, and then to Camila about a case she’d been working on, asking insightful questions.
With Mariana, she complimented her on the house, asking about its history with genuine interest.
Helena watched from a lounger, ostensibly reading but actually anxiously monitoring every interaction. Caitlin was doing well by making people feel interesting and valued simply by paying attention to them.
Mariana, though, was holding back. Helena could see it… politeness that wasn’t quite warmth, and a slight distance in her manner with Caitlin that she didn’t have with anyone else. Mariana was testing, watching, forming her opinion in her own time, and she wasn’t going to be rushed.
Late in the afternoon, when Caitlin was in the pool with Juliana and Camila, Mariana walked over to Helena’s lounger and sat on the edge.
“Walk with me,” Mariana said.
They walked through the garden to the far side of the property, out of earshot. When they were alone Mariana stopped and turned to her sister.
“She’s not what I expected.”
“What did you expect?”
“I don’t know. Someone more… intimidating? Someone who matched the months of misery you put yourself through.” Mariana pushed her sunglasses up. “She’s lovely, Helena. She’s smart, she’s friendly, she’s clearly besotted with you. I can see why you’ve been longing for her.”
“I haven’t been longing for her.”
Mariana gave her a look that said, I’ve known you since the day I was born and you cannot lie to me.
“You’ve been longing for her. Isabella told me.
I saw how you were checking your phone when you got back from Houston, and we all knew there was her in the background.
” Mariana’s expression softened. “She’s good, Helena.
I can see it. I just needed to be sure.”
“And are you?”
“She cancelled her holiday to come here to be with you. That tells me everything I need to know about how she feels about you. I needed to see it for myself.”
Helena felt a rush of emotion… gratitude, relief, reassurance that her sister could see in Caitlin at least a little of what she saw. “Thank you Mariana.”
“The ankle bracelet,” Mariana said, nodding towards Helena’s ankle. “That’s new.”
“It is.”
“It matches Caitlin’s necklace.”
“Very observant of you.”
“That’s so sickeningly cute.” Mariana was grinning. “I suppose it’s time for me to lose the ice maiden attitude.”
Helena tilted her head. “That would be good.”
Mariana laughed and hugged Helena. “I’m happy for you. Now come on… Juliana is threatening to make caipirinhas and I don’t trust her ratios. She always puts in too much sugar.”
“I disagree. She puts in exactly the right amount of sugar.”
Mariana pursed her lips. “I forget you’ve got your own special insight into my best friend.”
They walked back to the pool, arm in arm. When they reached the group Mariana walked straight over to Caitlin and joined her, sitting on the pool edge with her feet in the water.
“Caitlin,” Mariana said. “Helena tells me you made partner younger than anyone in your firm’s history. Tell me everything about that. I need ammunition for when I’m trying to get promoted.”
Caitlin looked surprised, then pleased, and the two of them fell into conversation. Mariana’s cool attitude was completely gone, replaced by her usual animated, curious personality. Caitlin warmed to it visibly, and Helena watched them with a growing sense of delight.
Juliana appeared next to her with two caipirinhas.
“She passed the Mariana test then,” Juliana said quietly, handing Helena a glass.
“Mariana just voluntarily sat next to her and asked a personal question. She’s essentially just made her one of your family.
” Juliana clinked her glass against Helena’s. “Congratulations.”
“On what?”
“On finding someone worth bringing home.” Juliana smiled. “She’s great, Helena. I’m happy for you.”
Helena took a sip of her caipirinha, which had just the right amount of sugar for her taste, and watched the woman she’d fallen head over heels for charm the sister who was notoriously hard to impress.
It is, she thought, going to be a very good weekend.