Our Secret Summer(23)

“Blimey, must you swim so fast? I’ve been trying to catch you for ages!”

I startle and turn to see Simone swimming after me and looking like she’s about to give up and sink under the waves at any moment. I reach out and take her hand, pulling her to stand beside me. I wouldn’t have gone out this far if I’d known she was coming after me.

“Are you a strong swimmer?” I ask.

“Sure, yes.” Then she laughs, bending at her waist to rest her hands on her knees. “Just…” She inhales deeply like she’s completely out of air. “Give me a moment. Think my left lung has burst.”

I laugh and she looks up at me, her amusement fading quickly.

“What’s wrong?” she asks.

I was hoping she wouldn’t notice. I swipe at my cheeks. “Nothing. Salt water got in my eyes.”

“Don’t give me that crap. I can see straight through it, you know. Are you thinking about your sister?”

Simone knows about Winnie. The first night we moved in together, as we walked home, we got to talking. She brought up the resume I’d shown Hugo and admitted she’d sneaked a peek. “Now, listen, I don’t want you to think I was prying or anything, but it had quite a lot of bulk to it. Mine’s only about a quarter of the page, and that’s only ’cause I padded it with made-up jobs. Don’t tell.”

I’d laughed. “It’s not that impressive. Just college and stuff. And my work experience doesn’t matter. My job back home is nothing like this, so it’s not like it’s all that useful.”

“But see, that’s what I’m confused about.” Her eyes narrowed on me. “If you’ve gone to university and have this posh job back home, why are you working this summer instead of just enjoying your holiday? Do you need the money?”

“Not really.” I didn’t want to lie to her if I didn’t have to.

“So why aren’t you just taking a load off and toasting yourself under the sun?”

“I plan to do that,” I said with a grin. “But I also want to work. It’s part of this summer bucket list thing I’m trying.”

Simone acted personally offended. “Oh no. Some of that Eat, Pray, Love crap? If you’re going to try to convert me to Buddhism, I’ll lose it.”

I smiled. “It’s not like that.”

“Well, now you have me curious… What’s on it?”

That night, instead of an apartment tour, Simone and I sat side by side on my new bed and I told her about the bucket list and about my sister. I tried to keep it light with the story of the turquoise bikini incident, hoping that would be enough to satisfy her, but it’s been the exact opposite. Simone refuses to let me grieve alone. She knows I’m here on Ibiza because of Winnie, knows my duffel bag is stuffed with all the clothes Winnie purchased in the hospital. And more than that, she’s determined to help me accomplish everything on the bucket list.

“Operation Make Winnie Proud has officially commenced!”

To her credit, it has. We’re swimming at Bora Bora Beach right now. When I get home, I can scratch that off the list in Winnie’s honor.

“Do you miss her?” she asks gently now.

I can do nothing but stare out at the calm sea and nod, knowing my voice will break if I try to speak.

“Do you think it might help if I gave you one of my little brothers? They’re gross and covered in poo all the time, but they are quite cute.” I chuckle as Simone pulls me into her arms. “I’m sorry, Elle. I truly am. How can I actually make you happy? Should we discuss Cristiano? Hmm?”

She steps back and holds me at arm’s length, trying to get a good look at the expression I’m hiding from her.

“Oh, I see. Going to be quiet about your encounter with him the other night? I’ve given you two whole days to keep your little secret.”

“It was nothing,” I insist.

Nothing doesn’t even begin to cover it. In the last two days, he’s popped up in my mind over and over again, like an intrusive thought I’m helpless to avoid. The more I try to stop thinking about him, the more I do. Our walk home on Thursday night was unexpectedly… interesting. He’s so intimidating, so painfully attractive, I assumed if we ever had a chance conversation, I’d turn into a bumbling idiot around him. Instead, I couldn’t shut my mouth to save my life. I couldn’t just be polite.

To be fair, my attitude was partly Cristiano’s fault. Something about him brought out my fiery side, and he obviously liked it because he kept stoking the flames. That smile he wore when we parted ways—that deliciously handsome grin bookended by dimples—has me weak just remembering it.

“Nothing happened the other night,” I tell Simone now. She and Annika have been hounding me for details ever since we left the club on Thursday.

“Cristiano was waiting for you on the sidewalk! I’ve never seen him do anything like that, mind you. The bloke never even chats with the staff outside of ordering a drink or asking after Hugo.” She points an accusing finger at me. “EXPLAIN YOURSELF.”

“There was an issue with my work visa.”

Simone eyes me suspiciously. She sees straight through my lie. “Hugo would have taken care of that.”

“Really? Hmm.”

She crosses her arm to prop up her elbow, then drums her finger against her chin in thought. “The only feasible explanation I’ve been able to come up with is that Cristiano fancies you. If he threw out the visa thing, that was just his poor excuse to get you alone.”