by Julie Caplin
As they rounded the squat concrete buildings, the beach opened out, the sea quite some distance away. Todd took her bag and slung it over his shoulder as they ploughed through the sand down towards the sea.
The rolling walk, sinking and sliding across the beach, took a while and Sophie’s muscles started to ache by the time they reached the damper and much easier-to-walk-on sand. It wasn’t nine yet but there were already a couple of families that had set up camp for the day. Umbrellas up, rugs out and cool boxes no doubt laden with supplies. The white lifeguard tower was manned and a large American flag flew from the top, the stars and stripes flapping in the brisk wind.
Sea spray peppered the air as the waves rushed in and out, foaming white. Sunlight danced and glinted off the waves as far as the eye could see. A few threadbare clouds were strewn across the sky, teased apart like candyfloss, the sort that would be long gone by the time the sun reached its peak.
There was something about sea air, thought Sophie, taking in a deep breath. Immediately you felt soothed. Maybe it was the constant rhythm of the sea, the somnolent inevitability of wave after wave rolling in and sucking the last one away. Or maybe it was the crash of the breaking waves before the gentle lapping as the spent water ran up the sand. Or perhaps the plaintive cries of the gulls wheeling overhead.
They walked in silence, both carrying their shoes in their hands until they had the beach to themselves.
In complete accord they sat down on the drier sand, on Todd’s windcheater (she would have called it a waterproof), side by side, their thighs touching. Sophie took the bag from Todd, offered him the flask and two cups while she unwrapped the cinnamon rolls and opened the paper around them like a plate and put it on the sand.
Todd handed her a steaming plastic cup of coffee and chinked his against hers. ‘Cheers.’
She nodded towards the pastries. ‘Breakfast.’
He took one with a crooked smile, munching and looking out to sea while perching the edge of his coffee cup on his bent knee.
It was a perfect moment. Quiet companionship. Good coffee. Food. No demands on their time. No need to be anywhere, no pressure to talk, to be anything but herself. There was something special about Todd’s company, he seemed to have an innate ability to know when to tease, when to talk, when to be serious and when not to say anything at all. It probably came from the fact that he was comfortable in his own skin. He seemed to know who he was. Sophie had thought she’d got it all taped and now she questioned her own judgement, which had turned out to be incredibly bad.
‘You’re pulling faces, English,’ observed Todd quietly, and she turned to find his face inches from hers, the blue eyes earnest and steady. ‘You alright?’
‘Yes. Just lost in thought for a second.’
‘They looked like they weren’t the best thoughts. Anything to do with Mr Married?’
Sophie held his gaze and frowned at him, still trying to figure him out. ‘You’re actually very perceptive, aren’t you?’ she asked.
His blue eyes skated away towards the sea.
‘And nothing like the shallow socialite you pretend to be.’
She watched his profile carefully as he carried on gazing out over the waves, noticing how his Adam’s apple dipped slightly. ‘For someone who’s supposedly out with a different girl every night, at a new bar opening every other evening and partying hard every weekend,’ she gentled her voice, making it sound less accusatory, ‘you seem to be able to drop things very easily whenever Bella needs help, or to show me around Brooklyn.’ He was, she realised with a warm glow in her chest, a very kind man and, judging by the way his lips suddenly compressed together, not very comfortable acknowledging it.
‘Why is that?’
He took her hand and laced his fingers through hers and put them on his knee.
‘Don’t go thinking I’m a good guy. I’m not. Bella’s family. And by extension, you are. You’ve been good to her and I’d do anything to help Bella. When we were kids, she was my best bud. I’m good at being the party animal, I enjoy the clubs, the bars, the restaurants and I get paid for writing about them. It’s a great job but … after a while, it’s the same old, same old and it is a job. And you, well … you never give me an inch.’ He turned to face her. ‘Without sounding … you know … girls tend to … I’m not complaining – I got damn lucky with the genes, but that’s all some people see. Hell, I can’t believe I’m even saying this … eye candy. Those girls don’t know the real me. Nice as they are. You,’ he smiled at her, a proper smile that met his eyes and turned her to mush, ‘you treat me like a real person. I like you, English. When we went to Onyx that night, I realised … we’re friends.’
Friends. Sophie ignored the quick pang she felt and gave him a big smile as if that was the best news she’d heard all week. Then he went and spoiled things by leaning toward her and giving her a feather-brush of a kiss on the very corner of her mouth. As he pulled back the warmth in his eyes set off a slow burn, heat radiating from the inside out, but she kept the serene, smiling, we’re-just-friends expression on her face, while inside her heart took up some serious gymnastic rhythms. ‘I really enjoy being with you … it kind of feels like I can be me. I never have to think about what I’m saying. It’s easy being in your company.’
‘Amy always sounded nice,’ said Sophie, conscious of the tingling of her skin where his lips had left the whisper of a touch and the weight of his hand on her thigh, with his fingers wrapped around hers.
‘Yeah, nice but …’ he pulled a face, ‘how do I say this without sounding like a complete ass? She’s nice but insubstantial. Conversation stops at what do you do for a living, where do you come from? She would never tease me about my harem. Or …’ his eyes twinkled, ‘threaten me with her washing.’
Todd took another bite of his cinnamon roll and waved it at her. ‘These are amazing.’
‘And you’re changing the subject.’
He shot her his irrepressible grin, a hint of naughtiness playing around his mouth. ‘I always pay my debts. Happy to get my hands on a lady’s panties anytime.’
A flood of relief filled her as the mood lightened and she poked him in the ribs, retorting, ‘And you’re all talk. When was the last time you actually …?’ her voice trailed away as she realised that perhaps she’d strayed over the personal line.
‘Been a while, English. Been a while.’
‘Sorry, I shouldn’t have …’ Sophie flushed scarlet. What was she thinking?
‘No sweat.’ With a lift of his shoulders, he turned his head away, looking out towards the sea before saying quietly, ‘I’m not quite the horn dog that everyone in the office thinks.’
‘They don’t—’
‘Yeah they do.’ He turned his head quickly, his eyes suddenly serious, boring into her.
‘Well, you do rather cultivate it,’ she said, wincing at her bluntness, but she realised she felt irritated with him. ‘Why do you?’
He shrugged. ‘People believe what they want to, it doesn’t take much to lead them. It’s only because you actually took the time to talk to Amy and co., that you realised it isn’t what it seems. The rest of the office believe I’m playing the field. Especially Madison. I tell you, she’s put some work into those come-to-bed eyes. If I weren’t a gentleman I’d have a free pass there. I tick all the right WASP boxes for her and her daddy.’
‘White Anglo-Saxon Protestant?’
‘That’s the baby. Her daddy knows my daddy, so that makes me perfect boyfriend material.’
‘Nothing to do with your hot bod and movie-star good looks, then?’ Sophie tilted her head to one side with a quick teasing smile to make it quite clear that she was joking and had definitely not noticed said hot bod or perfectly put-together face.
‘Why, thank you, ma’am, but no. She’s on the lookout for a husband from the same socio-economic background.’
‘Potentially a marriage made in hell,’ said Sophie, thinking of her father and his first wife who’d definitely
married him for his title, his stately pile and precious little else.
‘You’ve met my parents,’ quipped Todd, and for a second they shared a rueful look before lapsing into thoughtful silence. ‘Sorry, I should have warned you. They’re … kind of hard work.’
A seagull swooped nearby, making them both start, and Todd protectively snatched up the rest of his pastry. ‘Did you really make these? They’re delicious.’
‘Yes. I went to Copenhagen and learned from an expert.’
Telling him all about her trip to Denmark the previous year sparked an easy segue into an exchange of European countries they’d each visited. Swapping stories, they fell into their usual easy banter and Sophie was laughing so hard at his tale of finding himself in a brothel in Paris that Todd had to pull her to her feet when they decided to head back onto the highway.
Sophie’s eyes widened, it was almost as if they’d passed an invisible barrier. Suddenly the houses were prettier and the countryside seemed to have been tamed into well-pruned precision.
She knew it was a wealthy area, but that knowledge didn’t prepare her for the astonishing number of Porsches and Range Rovers, which made the many BMWs and Mercedes look commonplace. When she commented, after spotting her third Ferrari, Todd laughed.
‘Welcome to the Hamptons.’
He suggested they took a detour from the highway and they drove through Southampton along Main Street where she stared through the window. It was as if the pages of a glossy magazine had come to life in super 3D, everything perfect and bright under a brilliant blue sky and a blazing sun. Even the people walking along the pavements, swinging handfuls of expensive-looking shopping bags, were beautifully tanned and impeccably dressed in a uniform of coloured shorts and smart white polo shirts and designer loafers.
As they drove out through a residential area, the houses were all immaculate, many with white wooden trim surrounding windows and doors, highlighting traditional grey-painted clapboard walls. Nearly every garden was manicured to within an inch of its life with lush, rolling, green lawns, abundant window baskets which co-ordinated perfectly with the paintwork, and sculpted shrubs lining the gravel drives behind the gated entrances.
‘It’s another world,’ said Sophie, wide eyed, trying to take it all in and decide whether she loved it or whether it was a little bit too perfect in an unreal Disney sort of way. ‘Very different from Brooklyn.’
‘Wait until you see the beach.’
Finally, they came to Amagansett, equally pretty but a little less designer than its earlier neighbours, and at last they turned into a road called Further Lane and Todd pulled into a gap in the sleeping-beauty-proportioned hedge, where two huge oak gates punctuated the entrance like solemn sentries. He punched a code into the intercom on the driver’s side and the gates rolled open with portentous slowness and silence. The wide drive wound through immaculately trimmed shrubs to arrive at a turning circle that was the size of an average garden in front of an imposing house.
Todd gave her an anxious look when she didn’t say anything.
‘Maybe I should have given you a heads up,’ he said.
‘Maybe you should. But it’s OK, I know which cutlery to use and how to address the butler.’
Todd let out a relieved laugh and patted her on the knee. ‘I knew I could count on you, English. You take it all in your stride.’
Todd parked next to a convertible Porsche which had its roof down. As he pulled up alongside it, Sophie immediately remembered the first time she’d seen his car.
‘You’re not really going to leave it here, are you?’ asked Sophie, amusement sparkling in her eyes.
‘Why not?’
‘You know why not.’ She gave his petulant scowl a reproving look. ‘You’re better than that.’
‘Am I?’
‘Yes. And you’re not six years old. Park this heap with all the other cars. I’m presuming there’s some enormous garage somewhere.’
‘Ooh, I love it when you get all English and school-marmy.’
She simply gave him ‘the look’ over the top of her sunglasses and waited until, with a dejected huff, he turned on the ignition and drove the car around to the back of the house where there was a carport filled with flashy motors.
As they walked towards the house to a side entrance, Todd suddenly grabbed her wrist and wrapped his fingers through hers, pulling her to a stop. ‘Promise you won’t judge me after you’ve met this lot.’ The low, urgent tone made her heart ache.
Although he wore sunglasses, she could tell by the set of his face that he looked unhappy and uncertain. There was a wary stillness about him as if he were afraid of her bolting.
Remembering his earlier easy kiss of friendship, she reached up and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek.
‘I promise.’
His mouth relaxed and with a quick squeeze of her fingers, he dropped her hand. ‘Right then, into the fray. Let the fun begin.’
Carrying their bags, they walked along a short corridor which opened out into a gracious, airy entrance hall taken up with a beautiful, dark, wide-planked staircase, tastefully covered in a narrow cream carpet held in place with gleaming brass stair-rods. The polished chestnut wood of the banister shone with the glossy hue of conkers, making Sophie smile. It was the sort of banister that cried out for small boys to slide down and come flying off the end.
‘What?’ asked Todd.
‘Nothing,’ said Sophie, all innocence. ‘I was wondering if you ever slid down.’ She nodded to the glowing woodwork.
‘A time or two … when no one was looking.’
They shared a conspiratorial smile as he stopped at the bottom of the stairs, putting his hand on the carved end of the banister.
Chapter 17
‘Toddy, baby!’ A tanned, lithe blonde wrapped in a stunning royal-blue sarong, exactly the right shade to accentuate her tan and the golden hue of her hair, appeared as Todd escorted Sophie into what he called the breakfast room.
The woman placed both hands on his shoulders and kissed each cheek with a loud ‘mwah, mwah’.
She looked oddly familiar next to Todd. A relative? An aunt? Another cousin? He hadn’t mentioned an older sister. There was no way this model-like creature could possibly be his mother.
‘Darling, when did you get here?’ There was genuine puzzlement on the woman’s face. ‘Did Brett pick you up from the airport?’
‘We drove. Left very early. Arrived about half an hour ago.’ Todd’s stiff stance and uncharacteristic coolness made Sophie immediately wary.
‘Drove.’ The woman rolled her eyes as if it were the oddest thing she’d ever heard. ‘At this time of year. You must have left at a godawful time.’ She gave a delicate shudder. ‘Well, don’t let your father know, otherwise I will never hear the end of it,’ she said, pursing her lips, which Sophie had been trying hard not to stare at for the last minute. There was something not quite right about them, but she couldn’t quite identify what. It was almost as if they belonged to another person.
The woman gave herself a visible sort of shake as if suddenly spotting Sophie standing behind Todd.
‘And who’s this?’ she asked, all arch and winsome.
Todd stepped aside and slid an arm along Sophie’s shoulder, letting it rest there with reassuring weight as if he were laying claim to a staunch team-mate.
‘Mom, this is my friend Sophie. Sophie, this is my mom, Celine.’
‘Mom!’ Sophie’s mouth fell open in unchecked surprise and she stared. This stunning woman with the amazing figure, in her casual knotted sarong over bikini, with her Jackie O sunglasses perched on top of her white-blonde hair, was nothing like the Nancy Reagan matron she’d pictured. ‘You look far too young. My goodness, I thought you were a cousin or something. You can’t possibly be …’
With a dazzling smile, Todd’s mother turned to her. ‘Well, you can be my new best friend. That’s so adorable of you to say. And you’re English. What a darling accent! Where are you from?’
>
‘I live in London.’
‘I adore London. We always stay at the Savoy when we’re in town. Do you know it?’
Sophie nodded, bemused, wondering if you know it meant, have you stayed there, or have you heard of it?
‘Old fashioned but so English. I love it. Todd’s father always wants to stay at the Marriott, because he’s an old friend of Bill’s, Bill Marriott.’ She paused for breath before adding, ‘And you’re a friend of Todd’s?’ With her raised eyebrow and the sultry lowering of her voice, she hinted at a thousand questions.
‘We work together, Mom. And Sophie was going to be on her own for the holidays.’ Todd shut her down, without answering the question.
‘Oh.’ Frigid disinterest echoed in her voice. ‘You work at this magazine place too? You have a job.’
Sophie nodded. His mother pinched those strange lips together and busily brushed an invisible speck from her sarong and huffed. ‘Well, it’s not as if Todd even needs to work there. I think he does it to annoy his father. Which I suppose is as good an incentive as any.’
Todd didn’t say anything but from the look on his face, it wasn’t the first time such views had been expressed.
‘I think it must be our generation,’ said Sophie with an understanding smile at Celine, ignoring the slightly shrewish tone. ‘My father says exactly the same.’
‘He does?’ Celine seemed mollified by Sophie’s quick nod, while Todd flashed her a grateful smile. ‘I guess it’s a phase then. Hopefully he’ll grow out of it.’
‘Now, I want you to make yourselves at home. Todd, you can show Sophie around. If you have any special dietary requests, do let chef know. We’re having dinner tonight in the dining room. Just the family party, the rest of the guests are flying in tomorrow. And then we’ll have a houseful. The party on Saturday night is formal dress. Todd, you did bring your tuxedo?’
‘Of course.’
A small Filipino woman approached them and waited patiently until Celine turned her attention to her. ‘Ah, this is my housekeeper, Mahalia. If you need anything, Mahalia can help you.’