Rachel watches as Jack and Paige retreat to the kitchen, half-wishing that she’d been quicker off the mark.
“Honestly, guys, our room is insane,” squeals Ali. “It’s got windows into the pool, so you can see underwater.”
“Wow,” says Rachel lamely, willing herself out of the stupor that she’s become entrenched in. She can’t let Will see the change in her, no matter how dramatic the reason.
“So, whose villa is this, exactly?” asks Noah, proving he’s better at pretending everything is fine than she is.
Will sits down on the plump cushions opposite Rachel, and Ali immediately plops down next to him, snuggling herself under his arm.
“Funnily enough, it’s owned by the family of my business partner back in the UK,” says Will, looking up at the villa. It’s now awash with cool blue lighting, giving Rachel the vibe of a club that she and Noah went to in Ibiza, the summer after they graduated from uni.
“He and I met through the surfing school I set up down here,” Will goes on.
“God, I’d forgotten about that,” says Noah.
Rachel hates to admit it, but so had she. Will had had so many failed business ventures and half-cocked, hare-brained ideas, it was probably easier to remember the things he hadn’t done.
“So, he’s who you work with on the water-sports company back home?”
Will nods. “He had the finance to set us up with all the equipment, but it’s gone so well that we’re fifty-fifty partners now.”
“Do you think it’s something you’ll look to expand even more?” asks Noah.
“I hope so,” says Will. “It’s all very well having a water-sports company on a lake, but I miss the sea. We’re looking at premises down in Newquay, with the hope of setting up a surfing school again.”
“I’d love to give surfing a go at some point,” says Noah.
Will smiles. “Well, you never know…”
Ali bounces up and down in her seat. “Can I tell him?” she says. “Please, please let me tell him.”
Will looks at her with such warmth in his eyes that it almost makes Rachel cry. She doesn’t care if it’s still going on or not: she’ll never understand how Ali could ever cheat on him. She forces the thought to the back of her mind, because she has four days to get through and she can’t feel like this every time she looks at him.
“Go on then,” says Will encouragingly.
Ali sits up and looks between Rachel and Noah, her eyes alight with mischief.
“So…” she says, drawing it out. “We’ve got something to tell you.”
Jack and Paige return with a bottle of wine and a glass of water, which Paige almost looks pained to offer to Ali. This trip is going to be harder than any of them could imagine.
Ali waits until she has everyone’s undivided attention. “We’ve arranged a little surprise for tomorrow.”
Rachel’s sure that she hears Paige groan. If she did, Ali chooses to ignore it.
“The boys are going surfing, while us girls are having a yoga session on the beach.” Ali smiles and puts her arms in the air. “Woo-hoo, surf’s up, dudes.”
There’s a tangible delay in reaction, and if it weren’t for Noah, Rachel’s unsure anyone would have said anything.
“That’s awesome,” he exclaims, eager to fill the void.
Ali flashes a megawatt smile. “Will’s going to take you and Jack out and give you a lesson.”
“Great,” says Jack, desperately trying to show willing. “I haven’t been out on the waves for years.”
“We’ll take it slow to get you familiarized,” says Will. “And Noah, I’ve no doubt that once I show you the basics, you’ll be well on your way.”
“And while they’re doing their thing, ladies,” says Ali, “I’ve booked us a one-hour yoga session.”
Will blows his cheeks out. “Though, I warn you not to follow Ali’s lead unless you want to do yourself some serious damage, because she can get herself into some insane positions.”
“I bet she can,” says Paige, looking as if she has a bad taste in her mouth.
Rachel doesn’t need to look to know that Jack’s eyes will be boring into her best friend, sending a silent warning to watch what she says.
Ali giggles, none the wiser. “I remember one time we were in Paris and we went to see the Moulin Rouge. I’m ashamed to say that I was so drunk, that I thought I could join the cast, so got up on the stage just before the final curtain and did the splits.”
“That must have been some show,” says Paige to Will, sarcastically.
“Oh, she wasn’t with me,” he says.
“It was an ex-boyfriend,” says Ali, grimacing. “I don’t think he was particularly impressed.”
“I can’t imagine anyone would be, if their girlfriend made a fool of herself like that,” says Paige.
Noah laughs awkwardly. “So how long did you have your surf school down here?” he asks Will, in a clumsy attempt to change the subject.
“About eighteen months,” says Will. “It’s just about the longest I’ve stayed anywhere. But hey, I must have managed to put down enough roots to make this feel like the place I wanted to get married. I know a lot more people here than anywhere else in the world.”
“Well, let’s give thanks for that!” says Noah, looking up at the house and raising his glass.
“Oh, don’t be acting as if butter wouldn’t melt,” Ali says to Paige, as if Noah and Will hadn’t spoken.
Rachel’s ears burn with a searing heat as she prays that Paige hasn’t heard her, and wills Ali not to say another word.
“You must have done things you’re not particularly proud of,” Ali goes on, leaving Rachel’s prayers unanswered.
She feels Paige bristle as an expectant hush descends, as if they’re all waiting with bated breath for an answer.
“I don’t tend to make mistakes,” says Paige eventually.
“Oh, come on,” pushes Ali. “You can’t possibly have been this perfect all your life.”
Noah chokes theatrically on his wine. “Well, there was this time…”
“Ah-ha!” shouts Ali triumphantly, as Paige throws Noah a warning look. “I knew it! So, come on, Noah. Tell us what your perfect wife used to get up to.”
Paige laughs, but it sounds hollow. “I can assure you, I’m by no means perfect.” She takes hold of Noah’s hand beside her and squeezes it, but Rachel can’t tell whether it’s for support or to reprimand him for dropping her in it.
Ali tucks her legs up underneath her as if she’s settling into a good film, and Rachel winces as she waits to see how Paige is going to play this. Is she going to give Ali what she wants? A glimpse of her old self, in another life? Or is she going to stick to the carefully crafted character she’s created for herself in order to get ahead in an industry that has piranhas snapping at your heels at the first sign of weakness?
It was that version that Rachel got to see more often than not these days, as the pressure in the city forced Paige to be someone she never used to be. They still had fun whenever they were together, but it had become more and more inhibited—as if Paige had an impenetrable barrier around her that wouldn’t let her fully kick back and relax. As if by doing so, she would reveal a vulnerability she couldn’t afford to expose.
Paige drains her glass of wine and puts it back onto the table with a vigor that has both Noah and Jack reaching for the bottle to give her a refill.
“So, what have you done?” asks Ali, unable to let it go.
Paige looks around the group, as if sizing them all up; gauging whether she should say what she’s about to say.
“I took drugs once,” she says eventually.
A hush momentarily descends over the group before Ali spits out some water. “Are you serious?” Her eyes widen.
“Yep,” mutters Paige.
“That doesn’t count,” exclaims Ali. “We’ve all done that! Come on, Noah, what’s Paige done that she’d be ashamed to tell us about?”
Noah laughs nervously. “Should I tell them about the time you refused to come down from the podium in Halkidiki, or when you got yourself arrested?”
Paige’s jaw involuntarily spasms as she tries to smile, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes.
“Oh my God,” squeals Ali. “You got arrested? What for?”