me, or do you only do it because you feel you have to?â Physically it seemed to work for him, but he always seemed so removed â eyes closed, silent, almost robotic at times.
The mid-afternoon sun was scorching. Charlie considered telling Simon to go inside and put on more sun-cream. And then she could go in after him andâ¦No. The rule of never initiating sex was a good one, and she was determined to stick to it. Once â years ago at a party, long before they were officially together â Simon had rejected her advances in aparticularly brutal way. Charlie was determined never to allow it to happen again.
She heard a noise behind her â footsteps. Domingo. She tensed, then exhaled with relief when she saw that he was holding a rake and a hoe; he was here to work, that was all. The garden that surrounded Los Delfines on all sides was evidently somebodyâs pride and joy â perhaps Domingoâs, perhaps the ownersâ. It was bursting with more colours than Charlie had ever seen together in one place before: flame red, burgundy, purple, lilac, royal blue, orange, yellow, every shade of green. It made most English gardens look anaemic. Charlieâs favourite thing in it was what she thought of as âthe upside-down lily treeâ, from which white lilies hung like little lampshades.
She put down her book and headed for the pool. Not because she wanted to be closer to Simon, but because the heat was blistering and she needed to cool off. She walked down the marble Roman steps into the water. âExactly the right temperature,â she said. âNot cold, but not warm. Like a hot bath someone ran two hours ago.â
Simon didnât reply.
âSimon?â What was he so focused on, that he couldnât hear her when she was right next to him?
âHm? Sorry. What did you say?â
It was hardly worth repeating. It seemed a shame to waste this opportunity; she ought to say something more important while she had his attention. âEvery time I see Domingo heading in our direction, I panic.â
âScared heâs going to try and show us some more light switches?â
âNo, itâs not that, itâsâ¦His mobile numberâs on the website. That means weâre contactable via him, doesnât it?â
Simon struggled to sit up in his boat. âAre you worried about my mum? She doesnât know where we are. No one does.â
âOlivia does.â Would he be angry that sheâd told her sister what was supposed to be their secret? Apparently not. Charlie battled against the urge to ask him if she had his full attention. âWhen I told Liv how much this place cost, she insisted on seeing pictures. I had to show her the website.â
âSheâs not going to tell my mum, is she?â
âItâs not Kathleen Iâm worried about,â said Charlie. âItâs work.â
Simon made a dismissive noise. âThe Safer Communities Forum can manage without you for fourteen days.â
âI mean
your
work. No one cares if Iâm not there.â
âWhat, the Snowman? After months of looking forward to his Waterhouse sabbatical, as he calls it? Heâs hardly going to seek me out. You know the last thing he said to me before I left? âLetâs both make the most of our two weeks off, Waterhouse. I might not be going anywhere more exotic than my office and the canteen, but without your constant plaguing presence wherever I turn, I shall be on holiday in my heart.ââ
âBelieve me, Proust canât
wait
for you to get back. Heâs counting the days.â
âDonât say that,â Simon warned her. He hated the idea that his DI might feel anything but loathing for him.
âWe left Liv and Gibbs alone together,â said Charlie. âWhat if Liv got even more pissed than she was already and told Gibbs, and what ifâ¦?â She didnât want to put it into words, in