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‘I’d no idea it would be so far, or that the roads would be that scary,’ she told him. ‘It’s not as if I’m a good driver to begin with—I’m more used to taking cabs—and I really thought we’d never get here. We’d been creeping along for miles in the dark, terrified we were going to go over the edge…don’t you think somebody would have thought of putting up safety barriers at some point?…and it was such a relief to get here at last that I probably stopped concentrating.
‘We came round that corner there,’ she went on, pointing. ‘And the next thing I knew there was this big bang. I didn’t see your car until it was too late. I wasn’t going that fast,’ she added guiltily and risked a glance at him. Fortunately he was looking more amused than anything. Phew. A big change from last night!
‘It was just a little bump really, but I suppose it was the last straw. We were both so tired by then that we started to laugh. It was that or cry.’
‘So that’s what all the giggling was about,’ he said dryly. ‘I wondered what was so funny.’
‘I think it was hysteria rather than amusement, but once we’d started laughing we couldn’t stop. You know what it’s like when you start snorting, and then you set each other off…’ Thea trailed off as she realised that he was just looking at her.
No, of course he didn’t. Obviously not.
‘Well…anyway…we didn’t realise how much noise we were making, obviously,’ she hurried on. ‘And then when we found ourselves in the wrong villa, it just seemed even funnier.’
Or had, until he had come roaring down the stairs and demanded to know what the hell they thought they were doing. He had been furious. As well he might be, Thea thought contritely. If she’d been woken up in the early hours of the morning by the sound of someone crashing into her car, and if they had then started fooling around, laughing loudly and breaking into her house, she probably wouldn’t have been that amused either.
‘I’m really sorry,’ she said, wondering why it suddenly seemed so important to convince him that she wasn’t as silly as she had been last night. Or not often, anyway.
‘Forget it,’ he said. ‘It wasn’t your fault that I’d completely mislaid my sense of humour last night. I think we should pretend that we’ve never clapped eyes on each other before and start again, don’t you?’
‘That’s very nice of you.’ Thea smiled gratefully at him. ‘I’m Thea Martindale, and this is my niece, Clara.’
‘Rhys Kingsford.’
Nice hands, Thea thought involuntarily as they shook hands. Warm, firm, capable. No clamminess or knobbly knuckles or suggestive little squeezes. Yes, full marks on the hand front.
And the rest of him was bearing up well to closer scrutiny as well. A bit severe-looking maybe, with those dark brows and stern features, but he was certainly more attractive than she had realised last night. Not handsome like Harry, of course—no one was as good-looking as Harry—but still…yes, definitely attractive.
Certainly attractive enough for Thea to wish that she had taken the time to brush her hair properly and put on something more flattering before she came out.
Rhys was gesturing towards the little girl who was still sitting at the table, refusing to show the slightest interest in what was going on. ‘My daughter, Sophie.’
‘Hi, Sophie,’ said Thea, and Clara smiled in a friendly fashion.
His mouth thinned somewhat as she merely hunched a shoulder. ‘Say hello, Sophie,’ he said, a note of warning in his voice.
‘’lo,’ she muttered.
A muscle beat in his jaw, but he turned back to Thea and smiled with an obvious attempt to master his frustration. ‘Well…how about some coffee? There’s plenty in the pot and it’s still hot.’
Thea had been afraid he would never ask. The relationship between Rhys and his daughter was obviously strained but she was slavering too much over the smell of coffee to make a polite excuse and leave them to sort out their differences.
‘That would be lovely,’ she said firmly before the invitation could be withdrawn. ‘Actually, we came over to ask if you could possibly spare us some bread or something for breakfast,’ she went on in response to a nudge from Clara. ‘We haven’t got anything in the villa, and it’s a long drive to the shops.’
‘Of course,’ said Rhys. ‘Sophie, why don’t you go and see what you can find for breakfast—and bring a cup for Thea.’
Sophie’s brows drew together mutinously, and for a moment she looked uncannily like her father had earlier that morning. ‘I don’t know where the cups are.’
‘Try looking in the cupboard,’ he told her, keeping his temper with an effort. ‘There’s some bread and jam on the table. You could bring that out, and whatever Clara would like to drink.’
‘I’ll help you,’ offered Clara quickly as Sophie opened her mouth to protest.
Sophie looked deeply suspicious, but after a glance at her implacable father she deigned to drag herself off her chair and scuffed her way inside, accompanied by an unfazed Clara.
There was a slightly awkward pause. ‘Sorry about that,’ said Rhys, running an exasperated hand through his hair and gesturing for Thea to sit down. ‘She’s going through a difficult phase at the moment.’
‘How old is she?’ Thea hoped she would hurry back with that cup. That coffee smell was driving her wild.
‘Nearly eight.’
‘Clara’s nine. They should get on like a house on fire.’
He sighed. ‘I’m not sure Sophie gets on with anybody at the moment.’
‘Well, Clara gets on with everybody,’ said Thea cheerfully. ‘I bet you anything that they’re friends in no time.’
Rhys looked as if he wanted to believe her, but couldn’t quite let himself. ‘Clara seems a very nice little girl,’ he said.
‘She is,’ said Thea with an affectionate smile. ‘It’s a bit disheartening sometimes to find that your nine-year-old niece is more sensible than you are, but apart from that she’s a star! She’s great company too. It’s easy to forget that she’s only nine sometimes.’
‘Is it just the two of you on holiday?’
‘Yes. Clara was supposed to be coming with my sister but Nell slipped off some steps at the beach three weeks ago and managed to break a foot and a wrist, which means she’s been effectively immobilised ever since. There was no question of her being able to drive or walk, so she’d have been completely stuck up here, even if she’d been able to get here in the first place.’
‘Unfortunate,’ said Rhys. ‘Was she insured?’
Thea nodded. ‘Oh, yes, Nell’s always very sensible about things like that. I’m sure she would have been able to claim the cost of cancelling the holiday, but Clara would have been so disappointed. She’s been looking forward to this for ages. Her father never takes her on holiday.’
She scowled, thinking about her sister’s ex-husband. ‘He’s got a new family now, and his new wife doesn’t like Clara very much. I think she’s probably jealous of her.’
‘Clara’s parents are divorced?’ Rhys looked surprised. ‘She seems so…happy.’
‘She’s fine,’ said Thea. ‘She was very small when Simon left, so she’s always taken the fact that her parents live separately for granted. She sees Simon regularly, and Nell’s been very careful not to expose her to any bitterness.’
‘Maybe she and Clara will have something in common after all.’
Ah. Thea had been wondering about Sophie’s mother. ‘You’re divorced as well?’
He nodded, his face set. ‘Sophie hasn’t adjusted as well as Clara, though. She wasn’t even two when Lynda left, so she’s not used to us living together either.
‘I was working in North Africa at the time,’ he went on. ‘My work took me to the desert a lot and Lynda said it wasn’t a suitable place to bring up a child. I suppose it was difficult for her, but…’
His mouth twisted slightly at the memory and he made a visible effort to shrug it aside. ‘Anyway, she came home and we divorced. Nobody else was involved, and it was as free of bitterness as a divorce can be. We’re still on good terms.’
‘That must make it easier for Sophie, doesn’t it?’
‘The trouble is that I’ve seen so little of her.’ Rhys drank his coffee morosely. ‘My job kept me in Morocco for another five years. Whenever I had leave and could get back to the UK, I saw Sophie, of course, but it wasn’t that often, and I guess I am pretty much a stranger to her.’
‘That must be hard,’ said Thea carefully.
His mouth turned down as he nodded. ‘The last time I came home, I realised that I didn’t know my daughter at all, and I didn’t want it to be like that. I want to be a proper father to her, not just someone who turns up with presents every now and then. So I got myself a job in London, where I could live nearby, and I’m trying to see her more regularly now, but…’
‘But what?’ she prompted. ‘It sounds to me as if you did exactly the right thing.’
‘I’m just afraid I may have left it too late,’ said Rhys reluctantly. ‘I know I only came back a few weeks ago, but it’s as if Sophie is determined not to be won over.’
‘It might take a little time,’ said Thea, hearing the hurt in his voice. ‘It’s probably confusing for her too, to suddenly have a full-time father.’
‘I suppose so.’ He sighed and raked a hand through his hair in a weary gesture. ‘I was hoping that coming away on holiday together would be a good chance for us to get to know each other properly and get used to each other, but it hasn’t been a great success so far. I imagined us going for long walks together and talking, but Sophie doesn’t like walking and half the time she won’t talk to me either. She says she’s bored.’
‘Aren’t there any other children here?’ ‘Yes, there are two boys staying in the other villa.’ Rhys nodded across the pool. ‘Unfortunately, they’re very well behaved. Sophie says they’re boring, too.’
‘I’m sure Clara will sort them all out,’ said Thea comfortably as Sophie came back out on to the terrace, looking marginally less sullen.
She thrust a cup at Thea. ‘Here.’
‘Thanks.’ Thea took it with a smile. Clara would have known that her aunt was desperate for coffee, she thought gratefully, but Rhys was frowning at his daughter’s gracelessness.
‘What about a saucer?’ he asked, but Sophie was already on her way back to the kitchen.
‘Honestly, this is fine,’ said Thea quickly before he followed her. It was all she could do to contain herself as Rhys poured coffee into her cup.
‘That smells wonderful.’ She sighed, breathing in deeply. ‘Mmm….’ She took a sip and closed her eyes blissfully. ‘God, that tastes good!’
Lowering the cup, she smiled at Rhys, a wide, warm smile that lit up her face and left him looking oddly startled for a moment. ‘I’ve been fantasising about this all morning!’
He raised a brow. ‘Nice to meet a woman whose fantasies are so easily satisfied!’ he said dryly.
His eyes were an unusual greenish-grey colour, their paleness striking in his brown face. Thea was surprised that she hadn’t noticed them before, and, distracted, it took her a moment to register what he had said.
A faint flush stained her cheeks when she did, and she made herself look away. ‘Some of them, anyway.’
There was a pause while Thea drank her coffee and gazed studiously at the view, wishing she could think of something to say.
The sudden silence was interrupted, much to her relief, by Sophie and Clara, bearing breakfast. Bread and jam were laid carefully on the table, along with some ripe peaches, a pot of Greek yoghurt and some honey.
‘This looks wonderful, Sophie,’ said Thea, although she was fairly sure that her practical niece had taken a leading role in procuring the lavish spread. Sophie had that pale, thin look of a child with no interest in food. ‘Thank you so much.’
Sophie hunched a shoulder in acknowledgment and resumed her slumped posture on the chair, but Thea noticed that, beneath her fringe, her eyes were alert as she watched them tucking into breakfast with relish.
Rhys watched them too, with quiet amusement. ‘It’s a pleasure to see girls with such healthy appetites,’ he said as Thea poured honey over a bowlful of yoghurt, handing it to Clara before preparing one of her own.
‘We’re very hungry,’ she said a little defensively. ‘We haven’t eaten since the meal on the plane, have we, Clara?’
Clara shook her head, her mouth full. ‘This is so good,’ she said when she could. ‘Can we have yoghurt and honey for breakfast every day?’
‘Sure,’ said Thea. ‘We’ll get some when we replace everything we’ve eaten now.’
‘Don’t worry about it,’ said Rhys, resigned. ‘I bought most of it for Sophie, anyway. I thought it would be good to have a real Greek breakfast, but she won’t touch it, will you?’ he added to his daughter.
Sophie’s lower lip stuck out. ‘Mum doesn’t eat dairy products, so why should I have to?’
‘No dairy products?’ Thea stared at her, appalled. ‘No cheese? No milk? No butter?’
‘Or red meat or potatoes or bread or salt…’ Rhys said, sounding tired.
That was Thea’s entire diet out of the window then. ‘Chocolate? Biscuits?’ She didn’t even think it was worth mentioning alcohol.
His smile twisted. ‘You’re kidding, aren’t you? Lynda’s permanently on some faddy diet or another. She’s obsessive about every mouthful.’
No wonder Sophie had looked so surprised when she saw them guzzling breakfast. Imagine having that kind of self-control.
‘She must have a lovely figure,’ said Thea, wishing she hadn’t had quite such a large bowl of yoghurt.
Sophie nodded. ‘She does.’
‘I think she’s too thin,’ said Rhys.
Thea tried to imagine anyone saying that about her. The thing about Thea is she’s just too thin. No, it just didn’t sound right. Totally unconvincing, in fact. A bit like saying, The thing about George Clooney is he’s just too ugly.
On the other hand, it sounded as if Rhys might actually prefer his women to have a few more curves than a stick insect. That was good.
Whoops, where had that thought come from? Thea caught herself up guiltily. She wasn’t the slightest bit interested in how he liked his women.
‘I wish I had that kind of self-discipline,’ she said with a sigh. ‘I’m always trying to diet, but I’m lucky if I make it to lunch without devouring a packet of Hob Nobs to make up for just a grapefruit for breakfast.’
‘You don’t need to diet,’ Clara leapt in loyally. ‘Mum says you’re silly to worry about your weight. She says you’ve got a sexy figure and men much prefer that to thin girls.’
‘Clara!’ Mortified, Thea tried to kick her under the table.
‘Well, she does,’ insisted Clara, and then made things a million times worse by turning to Rhys. ‘It’s true, isn’t it?’
‘Clara…’
Unperturbed by the directness of the question, Rhys had turned and was studying Thea. ‘I think your mother’s right,’ he said, straight-faced, and Clara sat back, satisfied.
‘See?’ she said to Thea, who was blushing furiously.
‘If you’ve finished your breakfast, maybe you’d like to go and have a swim?’ she suggested through her teeth.
‘Cool!’ Clara leapt to her feet. ‘Come on, Sophie.’
Sophie looked warily at her father. ‘Can I go?’
‘Of course,’ he said, and she slid off her chair and ran after Clara.
Thea buried her burning face in her coffee cup, but when she risked a glance at him saw that the disconcerting eyes were green and light with amusement.
‘Is she always that direct?’
