Chapter 31 Kate

31 KATE

NOW

“No answer?” Camilla asks as Kate holds the phone to her ear.

Kate hangs up and stares at the phone. “He called me back but we got cut off. And now I can’t get through.” She sighs. “I’ll try again later.”

They head to the jetty, where they’ve arranged to meet Darcy for a double excursion—a trip to see manta rays, followed by a kayaking excursion to Emerald Island. Kate wasn’t looking forward to either, but right now she can’t wait to get out of the villa. Camilla is right—whoever sent those roses is probably on the other side of the world. Although, someone sick enough to send roses every year for over two decades is also sick enough to want to witness her reaction.

She forces herself to put it to the back of her mind for now. She must. It’s Darcy’s holiday, and she won’t let anything ruin it.

“What did you get up to last night anyway?” Camilla asks her, snapping her back into the present.

“Nothing much,” she says. “Writing, mostly. What about you?”

Camilla breaks into a filthy laugh.

“What didn’t I get up to?” she says. “I met up with Antoni.”

“Antoni?” Kate says. “The man Rob wanted to beat up? That Antoni?”

“Mmmmhmmm.”

“Well, that’s a turn-up for the books,” Kate says, noticing how unsettled Camilla appears. “I thought you loathed him.”

“I did ,” Camilla says. “But then we got talking and one thing led to another, and… we were up all night.”

“Playing chess?”

“Ha! I don’t think I’ve heard of that position.” She gives Kate a wink. “Do you know, I think there was a connection there. We talked for hours. I don’t think I’ve ever met a man as interesting .”

“Interesting? Meaning he’s well endowed?” Kate asks, and Camilla laughs again.

The boat arrives, and they step on board, glad to be the only ones booked on the trip. The instructor is busy sorting out a box of gear, and they have the top of the boat to themselves.

“You seem a bit worried, though,” Kate tells Camilla as the engines roar into life. “You sure everything went OK?”

Camilla pulls a puzzled face, too exaggerated to be convincing. “Absolutely. I just haven’t seen him this morning, but I’m sure he’s fine.”

“I see,” Kate says. She looks back at the jetty behind them, thinking about how to word it. She knows Camilla reacted to the roses, but there’s something else, something beneath the fluster. But before she can speak, Darcy climbs onto the boat.

“What’s all this about?” she asks, catching the conversation. “Who’s fine?”

“Antoni,” Kate tells her.

“I shagged him,” Camilla says with a grin. “He was amazing .”

“Antoni?” Darcy says with a laugh. “The guy Rob almost destroyed in the restaurant?”

“That one,” Camilla says, taking a deep, satisfied breath. “Take note, ladies. You want the best sex of your life? Find ye a man who dances flamenco.”

“That’s clearly where I was going wrong,” Darcy says, lying down on her stomach. “Flamenco. Noted.”

“It’s the hip flexibility,” Camilla says. “And the stamina. It’s been about twenty years since I’ve had someone who could shag all night.”

“All night?” Darcy says. “I’m surprised you can walk this morning.”

Camilla slaps her on the arm. “I’m not that old, you know.”

“Aren’t you tired?” Kate asks.

Camilla stifles a yawn with a fist. “Not at all.”

“Are you planning to see him again?” Kate asks. She’s immensely glad that Camilla is full of business this morning. Rapture beats off her in waves, a tonic for an otherwise gut-wrenching day.

“We were meant to have breakfast this morning, but—”

“But what?” Darcy says.

Camilla looks away, and Kate sees the worry return to her face. Her mouth is thin and tight. “He probably went off kayaking, actually,” Camilla says, somewhat absentmindedly. “He said he likes kayaking back and forth from the Emerald Island, like we’re doing later. And it definitely didn’t feel like a onetime thing.”

“Maybe you’ll bump into him, then,” Kate says.

“Maybe,” Camilla agrees.

The instructor appears at the top of the ladder, gesturing at them to come down. They put on their fins and snorkels. Kate’s stomach curdles with an acidic fear; last time she did this, she got smashed on the head with an oar.

She looks out at the endless horizon. The resort is far behind them, and the expanse of blue sea spreads out like a clean cloth, no sign of any boats or people anywhere. Whoever sent those roses must think they can destroy her wherever she goes. And yet, for the first time since it happened, she is outside, her face in the sun. She hears Camilla laughing behind her, loudly announcing that the snorkel mask has caught in one of her hair extensions. Darcy’s laughing, too. The sound is rousing, and Kate feels an old mettle rise up inside her, a boldness.

She won’t be cowed by it, she thinks. She won’t be cowed by the roses, or by the anniversary. She refuses.

“Jump!” the instructor shouts then, encouraging her to plunge into the water. She’s on the last rung of the ladder, warm water teasing at her finned feet. And then she sees them: a squadron of manta rays like black diamonds in the water, flapping their featherless wings.

“They won’t bite,” the instructor tells her with a smile, and he reaches down to touch one that nudges at the surface. It’s enormous, the size of a dinner table, and Kate expects it to dart away. But it lets the instructor stroke it, its tail sticking out behind.

With a determined clench of her fist, she leans forward and jumps into the blue.