Page 30 of The House Swap

Conversation was easy, their early dinner, when it was served, leisurely, and by the time they left the taverna, the sky was already dark.

Jem led the way through almost empty streets, quieter now with a November hush, and back onto the road that sloped gently towards the sea, before turning off down a dirt track lane. The scent of salt clung to the air, the sound of waves thrashing in the distance, and as the cool breeze brushed Poppy’s skin, she slipped on her cardigan.

Eventually, they reached a small cluster of secluded villas.

‘This is me,’ Jem told them, stepping into the driveway of a modest single-storey property set back slightly from the road. From what she could see in the illumination of the outdoor lights, its white walls were weathered by years of sun, and the garden was a mix of gravel and hardy shrubs.

Poppy wondered if he was going to show them inside, but he clicked a fob at the SUV parked in the driveway and went to open the driver’s door.

Before he could, a light came on in the neighbouring property and a voice carried across the darkness.

‘Jeremiah? Is that you, love?’

Poppy froze, recognising the voice.

Moments later, Sue emerged from the front door, wrapped in a long cream cardigan over her evening clothes, Ian appearing behind her with a glass of wine in his hand.

‘We thought we heard voices,’ she said brightly, spotting Poppy and Keira. ‘Oh! You’ve brought company.’

Poppy forced a polite smile. ‘Hi again,’ she greeted them.

‘You should come in for a nightcap,’ Sue suggested immediately, already stepping closer to the low wall separating the two gardens. ‘We’ve got a lovely bottle open.’

‘Actually, we really need to be getting back,’ Keira replied before Poppy could speak. ‘It’s getting late.’

‘Oh, go on,’ Sue persisted. ‘One drink won’t hurt.’

‘Don’t fuss them, love,’ Ian told her, giving the girls an apologetic smile. ‘Perhaps we can invite them over for dinner one night.’

Neither Poppy nor Keira reacted and after a moment of awkward silence, Jem opened the car door. ‘I’m going to run them back. Long walk otherwise.’

Sue looked a little disappointed but recovered quickly. ‘Well, don’t be strangers. You’re welcome over whenever. It’s nice to have some younger company.’

‘Thank you,’ Poppy told her, feeling a little guilty.

As she got in the front passenger seat, Keira climbing into the back, she was aware of Sue watching – not rudely, just intently – and the feeling didn’t subside until Jem had reversed out of the driveway and the villas disappeared behind them.

The road back seemed darker than when they had walked home previously; Jem’s headlights catching empty walls, closed shutters, and the occasional flash of sea beyond the verge.

Without conversation filling the air and the only sound coming from the low purr of the engine, the quiet of the island pressed closer.

Keira yawned in the back seat. ‘I could fall asleep right now.’

‘You won’t,’ Poppy said. ‘I know you, you’ll be wide awake the second we get back.’

Jem smiled, but didn’t join in. In the dark shadows of the car, she could see the sharp planes and angles of his jaw and cheekbone.

After a moment, he asked softly, ‘Are you okay staying on your own once Keira leaves?’

‘Of course.’ Poppy laughed. ‘I’m not completely helpless.’

‘I didn’t suggest you were.’

Something about the way he said it made her glance his way again, but his attention was on the road.

They fell silent again and she focused once more on the view from her window.

A few minutes later, Jem pulled up outside their villa and turned off the engine.