Chapter 12
By the third morning in Crete, Poppy finally opened her laptop.
She had wanted a couple of days to settle before turning her mind to work and yesterday had been spent quietly.
Keira had floated the idea of doing something touristy like Knossos or one of the museums, but Poppy hadn’t been in the mood to traipse around ruins or palace grounds pretending she felt normal.
In the end, they had stayed close to the villa, reading by the pool, then headed down for a walk on the beach.
If she was honest, she wasn’t looking forward to stepping back into the book world. Although she had no intention of looking at social media, she still had to check her emails, plus get her brain switched on so she could edit.
She carried the laptop out onto the terrace with a mug of coffee, telling herself she would do a couple of hours – just enough to feel productive. It was a slightly cooler day, the sky mostly cloudy, but it was still warm enough to be outside.
After sifting through the handful of emails she had, glad none of them were book related, she opened the manuscript she was working on, but within minutes the sun poked through the clouds, sunlight reflecting straight off the screen and turning the words into a blur.
Poppy moved the lounger, then the table, then the chair.
Nothing worked.
Keira laughed, watching her. Despite the temperature, she was in the pool. ‘What are you trying to do?’ she asked, pushing wet hair out of her face as she leaned on the edge.
‘I can’t see what I’m doing.’
‘Well, why don’t you go inside before you break something?’
Deciding her friend was right, Poppy retreated indoors, settling at the dining table instead. The villa was cool and dim after the brightness of outside, the hum of air conditioning they probably didn’t need on oddly soothing.
She tried again and for a while she managed to concentrate. The familiar pattern of correcting sentences and smoothing clunky dialogue settled her thoughts and kept her focused on the task at hand.
Her phone vibrated, buzzing on the tabletop and pulling her out of the moment. Seeing Tom’s name on the screen, she smiled and answered the call.
‘Hey, you,’ she greeted him.
‘Morning. How’s paradise?’
‘It’s all good, thanks.’ She glanced out at the pool, where Keira was floating on her back, staring up at the sky. ‘It’s quiet here. I think half the island has gone into hibernation.’
‘I told you it would be,’ Tom agreed. ‘A lot of the hotel and restaurant staff head home during the winter. It’s why a lot of places are closed. There’s not enough business for them at this time of year.’
‘How are things with you?’ Poppy asked, gently changing the subject. ‘How is James?’
Tom’s tone turned serious. ‘The same, mostly. They’re cautiously optimistic, which I suppose is better than the alternative. Milly is holding up better than I expected.’
‘And what about you? How are you holding up?’
‘I’m okay. It helps being busy. I’ve been seeing a few friends, trying not to just sit around waiting for news.’
‘How are you finding my flat? Have you got everything you need?’ She hesitated. ‘I know it’s smaller than what you’re used to.’
‘Pops.’ Tom’s tone was warm and slightly reproving. ‘It’s perfect for what I need. It’s cosy and convenient, and your neighbours are very friendly. The woman downstairs gave me a piece of cake yesterday.’
Poppy blinked. ‘Mrs Okafor gave you cake?’
‘She did. We had a nice chat.’
Well, that was a turn-up for the books. Tom managing to charm her cantankerous neighbour. She had complained to him before that the woman was a bit of an ogre. Now he was going to think she was making it up.
‘I’m glad everything’s okay,’ she told him, smiling, despite herself.
‘It is, so stop worrying about me and focus on enjoying yourself,’ Tom said firmly. ‘Are you managing to relax?’
‘I’m trying to. It’s peaceful here, even with Keira for company. Almost weirdly so. I feel like my life is on pause.’
‘Good weird or bad weird?’ he asked.
‘Good,’ she decided. ‘I needed this even more than I realised.’
‘I’m glad you’re there, Pops. I really am. You sounded exhausted before you left.’
‘I was. I just wish you were here too.’
She hadn’t meant to say the last words out loud, and her face heated. It was insensitive of her, given everything Tom was currently through.
‘Me too,’ he agreed, his tone sombre. ‘But we’ll get there, Pops.’
Her chest tightened. ‘I know.’
They spoke for a little longer. Tom mentioned he was meeting some friends for lunch and Poppy told him she had eaten at Manoli’s.
‘Do you know it?’ she asked.
‘I do. Did you walk back alone?’ He sounded concerned.
‘I had Keira with me,’ she reminded him.
‘Good. Crete is safe enough, but it’s remote out there at night.’ He paused. ‘Look after each other, okay?’
‘We will,’ Poppy promised.
The conversation stayed with her long after they said goodbye and she found it difficult to focus on work again.
‘You’re quiet,’ Keira commented as they wandered out that afternoon.
The air had cooled slightly, and a breeze lifted strands of Poppy’s hair as they followed the road towards Manoli’s, with the plan to see what lay further afield.
The area they had seen so far only seemed to encompass a small part of Kato Gouves, and after looking on Google Maps, it seemed there was more to the town.
It was quite a trek. The villa was further away than they had both realised.
‘I’m fine,’ Poppy said, unsure if she wanted to talk about her earlier conversation with Tom. She honestly had no idea what the future held for the two of them. Would they ever really be able to make things work?
‘Are you worried about me going home?’
‘No, of course not. I always knew you could only stay for a few days.’
They had already discussed this late last night.
Keira had been able to get the week off work, and had initially planned to fly home on Saturday, but Poppy knew Greg was being a pain, and that he had been messaging her friend, unable to cope without Keira there.
As a result, Keira was now going to leave on Thursday.
Poppy didn’t mind staying in Crete alone and she was grateful her friend had flown out with her in the first place. Again, though, she did wonder why her smart and capable best friend chose to be with such a baby of a man.
‘So what is it then?’ Keira pushed. ‘You’ve been weird since you spoke to Tom. Has he upset you? Do you want me to go kick his arse when I get back to England?’
Poppy laughed, partly because she knew Keira would do just that. ‘No, Tom’s fine and everything’s good. You don’t need to worry about me.’
Although Keira didn’t seem entirely convinced, she did drop the subject, and Poppy made an effort to pick up her side of the conversation.
After a while, they reached a small harbour, dotted with yachts and smaller fishing boats. The sun had broken through the clouds, the earlier breeze dying down, and the ripple of the water caused the boats to bob on the surface, gently knocking together.
There were a few people about, but most of the seafront places were shut, so they took a road leading inland where it seemed to be a little busier, with the odd taverna and shop dotted about and stray cats competing for attention at the tables that were occupied.
The fresh sea air mingled with the smell of baked goods, suggesting a bakery was close by.
‘I could live like this,’ Keira mused. ‘Ditch England, get a little shack near the beach and lead a simple life. I’d eat bread, read books and adopt stray cats.’
‘You’d barely last a day without online shopping,’ Poppy pointed out.
‘Rude. Accurate, but rude.’
‘Poppy?’
She turned, surprised to hear her name.
Jem stood across the street, hands in the pockets of his jeans, his expression shifting into a surprised smile.
‘You’re stalking me now,’ she teased as he wandered over to join them.
‘I was about to say the same to you.’
He nodded a greeting to Keira but didn’t hide the fact it was Poppy he seemed pleased to see. ‘You’ve walked a long way.’
‘Fresh air and exercise and all that.’
‘Which means we deserve a treat,’ Keira announced. ‘I’m going to find that bakery I can smell.’
She nudged Poppy, not at all subtly, before leaving her with Jem.
‘Is this the first time you’ve been to this bit?’ he asked, falling in step beside her as they started to wander a little further along the street, following after Keira, but not at a fast enough pace to catch her up.
‘Yes,’ she told him, before joking, ‘At least I know now where all of the people are.’
Not that it was busy here, but there was more sign of life.
As they paused so she could look at the front displays of a couple of shops, they made easy conversation, and Poppy found herself relaxing around him without even noticing it had happened.
By the time they reached the bakery, there was no sign of Keira.
Glancing around the street, Poppy caught sight of the back of her blue dress as she disappeared into a jewellery shop. She understood her friend was giving her space.
‘There’s a taverna just up ahead,’ Jem said, not mentioning Keira’s disappearance. Poppy was pretty certain he understood why she had made herself scarce. ‘Fancy a drink?’
Her hesitation was only brief. ‘That would be nice.’
They picked an outside table, where Keira would be able to find them, ordering two pints of Mythos, which was served with a bowl of peanuts, and as they chatted, Poppy found herself opening up to him, surprising herself, as the topics became more personal.
She explained about her burn-out and the accusation that had been levelled at her, telling him how she had ended up in Crete.
‘So your friend just offered you his villa,’ Jem commented. ‘That’s generous.’
She didn’t want to get into the specifics of what was supposed to have been her coming to stay with Tom.
Instead, she said lightly, ‘It worked out well for both of us. He needed to be in London. His best friend was in a serious accident. So he’s borrowing my flat while he’s there and I get to have a holiday. ’