Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“ A nd so, I told the shop assistant, if she did not know the origin of avocado, she did not deserve to have employment in a delicatessen.” Beverley finished her sixth glass of wine. “I mean, honestly. I told her manager she would be better suited to a budget store.”
“I’m sorry about my mum.” Chloe leaned closer to me, whispering, “Complete snob. She acts like a work coach for the elite, but has never worked a bloody day in her life.”
I had to laugh. We were halfway through the first week of our holiday and Miranda had asked us to join them all for a group meal with the neighbours. I had been feeling awkward around Zack, wondering whether I should bring up my concerns about Chloe, and their behaviour. It didn’t feel right. They had known each other for a long time. Longer than I had known him. I had always been on the side of men and women being friends, without it meaning anything. I had always managed it myself, and been fine with other partners’ female friendships, but this one was really bothering me.
If I were to bring it up, would it cause our first major argument? I didn’t want a fall-out with him as well as with my best friend. That was too much emotion to handle at once. I know Sarah was bitter at the time, going through that awful break-up herself, but maybe some part of her theory about twenty-somethings stuck with me, and that was why I was being so cautious. Did I have a reason to be threatened by Chloe?
She was a completely different person tonight. There was very little flesh on show, although Zack had told me that her parents were quite conservative, so it was probably for their benefit that she was covered up. She was quite reserved, only sipping her wine, and spent most of the dinner making an effort to try to get to know me. I had to admire her for it.
“Zack was telling me all about your cat,” she said. “I’d love a cat, but Daddy is allergic. Did Bing really leave a dead mouse in your toilet?”
“Oh my God, yes he did. I couldn’t even bring myself to scoop it out until I was elbow-deep in several pairs of Marigolds so there was no chance of it touching me.”
“And the spiders?” She laughed. “Does he really leave them in your shoes?”
“He hasn’t done that for a while.” I recoiled at the memory. “But when he was younger, it was his favourite game.”
“That’s hilarious.” She sipped her wine. “You should write a blog or something. Like on Marley and Me . Maybe ‘The World of Bing’, or ‘Bing Things’.”
We laughed together, like we were besties on a night out. Her parents were snobs, but she was clearly the complete opposite, and we sniggered like schoolgirls every time her mother shared another First World problem. She was actually being really friendly. I decided to stop being such a tit. She was young and probably didn’t understand the concept of boundaries with guys with their girlfriends. I know I didn’t care at that age, so why should she? Plus, she clearly enjoyed the attention. Was that really a crime? I knew that Zack and I had a secure relationship, and were deeply in love. I decided not to let it bother me anymore.
“And they ran out of hummus!” Beverley’s voice overpowered the table once again. “This is the twenty-first century. How can there be a hummus shortage?”
“It was probably my sister-in-law,” I whispered to Zack and Chloe. “Stocking up for winter.”
He hid his laugh behind his bottle of Becks, longing, like the rest of us, for this painful yet hilarious night to come to an end.
“Well, Beverley, maybe you should start ordering online,” Alistair piped up. He had been quiet all night, but not out of choice. Once Beverley had started complaining about trivial matters, she couldn’t seem to stop. I looked at Miranda then, who caught my eye. She mouthed “I’m sorry!” to me, whilst looking very embarrassed.
“Pfft, online, have you heard him?” Beverley nudged Miranda. “Mr Techno. Once you put in your bank account details, what’s to stop them taking all of your money? Those, those, what are they called?”
“Hackers?” Alistair suggested, with a sigh.
“Yes, hackers. They take it all and leave you with cookies!”
I could see Zack resisting the urge to correct her, deciding it might be more peaceful to just let her go on until she ran out of words.
“What do you kids have planned for the rest of this week then?” Miranda asked us, desperate to change the topic of conversation. “I hope you’ll find time to come shopping with me, Jenny. Zack mentioned you loved all the little shops in town. Men don’t appreciate shopping, so if you fancied a girly trip, I hoped you might come with me.”
“I’d love to, that would be great.”
“Wonderful, have you got anything booked over the next few days?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“Great, we can go tomorrow or the day after. Whenever you fancy it.” Miranda smiled.
“I was thinking about taking Jenny to Spinalonga tomorrow. I’ve been looking online and there are some tickets available,” Zack said. “She can’t come to Crete without seeing a bit of local history. Although, Beverley has me worried I’ll be attacked by the Cookie Monster now, if I attempt to book online.”
The table erupted with laughter and Chloe inadvertently spat a mouthful of wine across the table, which reached Beverley’s arm.
“Chloe!” Beverley snapped. “Clean this up immediately, you’re embarrassing yourself.” She used her napkin to wipe her arms, while the smile disappeared from Chloe’s face.
“I didn’t mean to. I had a mouthful of wine and Zack made me laugh.”
“You two are always messing about, one way or another. At least he has settled down with a nice girl. What are you doing with yourself these days?”
“Beverley…” Stan tried to calm his wife, but it didn’t work. She was too drunk to listen to anyone. Miranda and Alistair shuffled uncomfortably in their seats as though they knew what was coming.
“Gallivanting here and there, ringing your dad for money because you’ve lost your bank card down some ravine in the remote islands of wherever. It’s about time you sorted yourself out. Get your law degree and grow up!”
I looked over at Chloe, whose face was now beetroot. I felt such sympathy for this girl who, up until now, I had started to hate. Really, she and I had a lot in common. I thought of my own mother, who often spoke down to me when I was that age, although it was never in a drunken rage. As I got older, I learned to take my mother’s harsh words with a pinch of salt, with the occasional sarcastic reply, or by not replying to her messages. My mother had wanted me to study business at university, but I chose English instead. Had I not chosen that subject, I never would have met Sarah.
I was relieved when Stan finally managed to convince Beverley to return to their villa. Miranda and Alistair decided it would be best if they called it a night too, but not before they apologised to me for their friend’s drunken outburst, mindful that Chloe was still there, and not wanting to upset her even more. Miranda gave her a hug before going inside.
“Sorry about my mum,” Chloe said, when it was finally just the three of us. “She gets a serious case of Bitchitus when she’s had too much to drink… which is quite often.”
“Are you all right?” Zack asked her.
“Yeah. Excuse me for a moment, will you? I’ll be right back.” She walked over to her villa and quietly slipped inside through the back door.
I turned to Zack. “That dinner took a mighty turn very quickly.”
“Beverley can get like that. I think my mum hoped having you here would mean she would watch her mouth and her behaviour. She’ll be absolutely mortified that all happened in front of you. Beverley is pretty great when she’s sober, but once she’s had a drink, you can bet money she will pick on Chloe one way or another. The thing is, she doesn’t even know what’s going on.”
“What do you mean?”
“Chloe did go back to uni, but not to study law.” He was whispering now. He leaned closer so I could hear. “She’s been doing a journalism degree remotely. She does travel around a lot with friends, spends a lot of time here too, but she’s been able to study at the same time and do her assignments in private. A lot of the tutorials are online now, so she can log in anywhere. You can book Zoom meetings with tutors if you need to speak to them. I know she comes across as quite immature, but she has a good head on her shoulders. Her dad knows that she’s doing journalism and sends her money every now and then when she needs it. She graduates next month, but she’s only invited her dad. She’s adamant that her mum will not be there.”
“So, her mum has no idea that she’s about to graduate? That’s awful. I thought my mum was bad, but she’s a fairy godmother in comparison. Saying that, I don’t think I’d choose to spend my summer holidays with her in such close quarters.” Even if the villas were the size of a small cruise ship. “Why would she want to come with them?”
“Because–”
“Anyone up for some of this?” Chloe reappeared at the table, with a bottle of raspberry-flavoured gin and three clean glasses, so Zack stopped mid-sentence.
I really wasn’t up for any more drinking. I had wanted an early night with Zack, but I didn’t want to be the boring old one.
“Maybe a couple,” Zack said. “But then bed, I’m shattered. And I can book us those tickets for Spinalonga tomorrow, if you like?” he said, turning to me.
“Yeah, definitely, what is it?” I asked.
“You’ll find out tomorrow, but everyone needs to visit when they come here.”
I yawned. We’d had quite a long day. Zack took me on a walk down to the beach after breakfast. We’d paddled, cooling our feet in the sea, before enjoying a light lunch in a small, family-run café. The beach was filled with loved-up couples, not a child in sight. One of the major benefits of going on holiday during term time.
“I’ll be back in a minute,” I said. “I just want to top up on after-sun. My shoulders are tingling a bit.”
“Do you want a hand?” Zack tugged on my arm playfully, pulling me down for a kiss.
“I’ll be fine, you two get started.”
I had left the after-sun in our bathroom after my shower earlier. Zack had smothered me in the stuff, hoping for some afternoon attention, I think, but my skin had felt too hot for bodily contact at that moment.
Up in the bathroom, I found the after-sun bottle and carefully rubbed some into my shoulders, which were feeling tender. Borrowing Chloe’s factor ten had been a mistake. I would be back on the fifty tomorrow like a sensible millennial.
I could hear music playing outside, so I had a little peek out of the bathroom window. Zack and Chloe had relocated from the dining table to the sun loungers and were sitting very close together. He was whispering something in her ear. A big smile appeared on her face before she shrieked, flinging out her arms and hugging him, pushing him so hard they ended up lying back on the seat, with her on top of him.
I felt sick. I was actually going to throw up.
What had he said to her to make her so giddy? Why did she feel the need to throw herself at him and lie on top of him? Were they both insane? Or were my feelings just completely irrelevant?
I had to do it. It was either now or never.
“Hello?” It took a while for her to speak when she answered the phone, and Sarah’s voice sounded uncertain.
“Hi.” Unable to hide my emotion, I cried down the phone. “Are you busy? I know things have been weird with us at the moment, but I needed to talk to you.”
“What’s happened? Are you all right? We’ll talk about that another time, it’s paused for now. Talk to me. What’s going on?”
“It’s Zack. I don’t know what’s going on. One minute we’re all loved up and it’s great…” I stopped to take a breath. “I’m seriously having the best time with him. It’s so beautiful here, you won’t believe it. But there’s this girl here. This family friend, a twenty-something, super hot girl he’s known forever and she’s all over him. I thought it was just one-sided, but he doesn’t do anything to stop it. And just now, from the upstairs window, I watched them all over each other in a private conversation, then she ended up jumping on top of him.”
“She what?! How could he do that to you? Did he push her away?” I could hear by her voice that she was furious.
“I don’t know. I figured she was just an attention-seeker seeing as she’s younger, but he’s clearly loving it. And she is always there. We went for a nice lunch in town, she was there. We had some naughty pool antics, she was watching. We had the villa all to ourselves for the day, so relaxed by the pool, she was there. And now, after she’s practically been my best friend all night, she’s all over my boyfriend once my back is turned. I don’t know what to do.”
“Have you spoke to him? Found out what’s going on? You need to tell Zack that you’re upset.” I had missed her voice. “It could be absolutely nothing to worry about. You could just ask him to be better with boundaries, without hurting her feelings. He needs to know this is bothering you.”
“I will, tomorrow. Ah, although he’s taking me out for the day tomorrow, somewhere called Spinny Blonga or something. He’s really looking forward to showing me around. I can’t do it then.”
“If he’s making plans for you to have the best time together, I can’t see that the issue is with him. Talk to him, please.”
“I will. I think I’m just going to go to bed for now. I can talk to him tomorrow evening or something. I don’t want to ruin a day trip.”
There was silence between us.
“How’s Bing doing?” I finally asked.
“He attacked and successfully killed my laundry basket today. And now I’m missing a bra.”
“Glad to hear he’s settled in quickly.”
“You were up early. How are you feeling this morning?” Zack joined me at the breakfast counter, where I was picking at a croissant. “Have you still got a migraine?” He put his arm around me and kissed me on the head. When he’d finally came up to bed last night, he’d snuggled up to me and asked if I was okay. I’d told him I’d felt a headache coming on and fell asleep without meaning to.
“No, it’s not too bad this morning, I’m glad I avoided the gin though. Did you guys have a fun night after I left?”
“Yeah, Chloe is mental. I’m too old for shots now. I feel like such an old man next to her.” He helped himself to some coffee. “Is it too much sun, do you think? With your headache? Your shoulders looked pretty burned yesterday, maybe the walk on the beach was a bad idea. And there was me trying to be romantic, ha.”
I tried to laugh with him, but it wasn’t convincing.
“The walk on the beach was very romantic. It’s so beautiful here.”
“I’m glad I could bring you.” He sat on the stool beside me. “This place means a lot to me. I wanted to share it with you.”
He was being completely normal with me. Perhaps I was taking this Chloe business the wrong way. Sarah was right, I just needed to speak to him. Maybe he could have a word with Chloe and tell her to stop being so touchy-feely with him.
“I’m glad you brought me.” I smiled. “I love it here.”
“Are you sure you’re up for today though? We could go another time. It’s quite a drive up to the port, and then a quick boat ride across to the island.”
I sat up. “It’s an island?”
“Yeah, a very small one, but I think you’ll enjoy it. There are tour guides there who take you around. They leave every hour, so if we time it right, we can join one of them. It’s quite exposed to the sun though. Do you still want to go? I don’t want your shoulders burning any more than they have done already.”
“Absolutely, I want to go.” I grinned. “I have a white blouse I can wear so I’ll be covered up. Is it just going to be us two?”
“Of course it is,” he assured me. “Who else would I invite?”
“I can’t believe that was still a leper colony not that long ago,” I said as we sat at the port of Spinalonga, waiting for our boat back across to the main island.
“I know. I’ve been over here a few times and it still amazes me.”
We had managed to find some shade as we waited for our boat back, and had a clear view of the medieval fortress. It seemed small, but I felt as though we’d been walking around it for hours. My trainers had finally seen some use. I was glad I’d worn my white blouse. Whenever there was a breeze, it flapped around a bit, allowing some cool air to circulate and provide some relief for my shoulders. Miranda had insisted I took her sun hat too, which I’m glad I did, as we were very exposed to the sun on the tour. The guide showed us around everything from the old houses to the church.
“Thank you for bringing me.” I linked his arm in mine and leaned my head on his shoulder.
“You’re welcome.” He kissed the top of my head. “Are you hungry? We can get some food in Elounda if you like, when the boat drops us off. There are some nice little bistros dotted about.”
“That sounds good, but please let me pay,” I insisted. “I haven’t paid for anything yet and I feel bad. I owe you.”
“This holiday was my idea.” He laughed. “You don’t need to pay for anything.”
“I want to, though, please. Or else my mother’s voice in my internal monologue will accuse me of freeloading.”
“Ha! Okay, fine, the food is on you. But we’re heading into Agios Nikolaos at some point so that I can buy you something. A trinket, a keepsake. You need something to remember this trip by, and I know how you love a gift shop.”
A man at the port called out.
“Oh, that’s our boat, come on.” Zack stood and pulled me up. “If we get on first, we can get to the side with the shade… Steffan! How’s it going?”
A man in his mid-to-late twenties was jogging towards Zack, seemingly pleased to see him.
“Zack, my old friend!” They embraced, lightly slapping each other’s backs. “It’s good to see you, man.”
“You too, it’s been a while.” He pulled back. “This is Jenny, my girlfriend. Jenny, Steffan’s dad used to manage the estate for both villas. I haven’t seen him for a couple of years.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” I held out my hand to him, but he pulled me in for a hug instead.
“It’s great meeting you,” he said. “I hope you are enjoying our island.”
“Steffan and his family were originally from mainland Greece,” Zack said to me. “But they moved across to Crete when he was younger. So, if you want to know anything at all about Crete, this is your guy.” Zack looked so pleased to be reunited with him. “I can’t believe you’re here, this is so random.”
“Ah, not so random, my friend, I am working on the boats today to help out. Not yours, unfortunately, I just brought a group across. I can’t stay, but when I saw you I had to come across and say hello.”
“I’m glad you did. Will we see you at the villa? You could come by for a drink, or–”
“Steffan!” an older Greek man by the boats shouted across to him.
“Sorry, I’m going to have to…”
“Don’t apologise,” Zack reassured him. “It was great seeing you. We’re here for another week, if you get a chance to come over at all.”
“I’ll try.” Steffan put his hands on his hips. “I want to, but you know how it–”
“Steffan!” the man shouted again.
“Go on,” Zack said. “We’ll catch up another time.”
Steffan nodded and slowly walked away to the angry man who had been bellowing his name loudly enough for the whole island to hear.
“What was that about?” I asked as soon as he was out of earshot.
“That was his dad shouting to him.”
“The one who managed the estate? Why didn’t he come over, if he knows you too?”
Zack put his arm around me and led us to our boat, which had started to fill up. We would be able to get a seat, but unfortunately there would be no shade. Once again, I was grateful for the hat.
“It’s a long story and I don’t want to speculate too much, as I wasn’t there when it all kicked off. All I know is there was a huge falling out between him and Chloe’s parents. My parents tried to calm the situation, but Steffan’s dad really wasn’t happy. They quit immediately and I haven’t seen Steffan properly in a long time. It’s quite complicated. I’ll try to explain it better sometime. Come on, hop aboard, m’lady.”