Page 28 of The House Swap

‘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.’