The Secret Cove in Croatia

by Julie Caplin

  ‘What, Nick?’

  ‘Yeah, poor deluded sap. He’s barking up the wrong tree with Tara. Following her around like a lovesick puppy. She needs someone to bring under her control. Leading the poor fella by the nose.’

  Maddie thought that was a bit harsh, but then she also thought Nick got what he deserved.

  ‘And Douglas is no better. He ought to put Cory over his knee and give her a damn good spanking.’

  ‘I don’t think that’s very PC these days,’ giggled Maddie at the image he conjured up.

  ‘She’s a spoilt brat, milking him for every penny. I love Douglas like a brother, but he’s got sod all sense when it comes to women.’

  ‘He’s very kind,’ observed Maddie.

  ‘Yeah, you think?’ He raised a sceptical eyebrow, his eyes sliding right again when his phone beeped again.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘You don’t get to be that rich in the City without a ruthless streak. Come on, stands to reason.’

  ‘I don’t really know anything about the City. I don’t even know what they do there.’

  Simon laughed. ‘You really are a little innocent abroad, aren’t you? It’s a den of vipers who are bloody good at gambling with other people’s money, risking it and running to the wire. Investment, they call it. Douglas appears to be better than most at it. Just as well because he was bloody hopeless at everything at school. Think that’s probably why they made him head boy. Consolation prize.’

  ‘You were at school with him?’

  ‘Yep. Top hats, prefects, the works.’

  ‘Gosh,’ said Maddie, not liking to ask which school they’d gone to but guessing that it must have been Eton or Harrow.

  ‘Yeah, he’s a decent fella.’ Simon sighed and leaned back in his chair next to hers and lazily stroked her forearm, almost as if he were unaware of doing it.

  For a while they sat in companionable silence, which was easy when the view through the needle-clad branches was so wonderful. From here she could see the beach, the sea and the hazy outline of Hvar over the water. A couple of children were playing at the water’s edge. A laughing young man was towing a bikini-clad girl into the sea who was protesting and splashing him, all the while laughing back at him. A dad was wading through the lapping waves with a toddler squirming in his arms, her chubby hands leaning down to grab at the water, and there were several older people standing at waist height happily chatting in a neighbourly sort of way. Maddie narrowed her eyes, taking a mental photograph of the scene. The life, the fun, the warmth. Neighbours in the sea. That was what she’d call it.

  ‘This is … very relaxing,’ Simon said and she realised he’d been looking at her while she’d been daydreaming and people-watching, ‘and, I tell you, a damn sight more enjoyable than this morning. You’re so easy to talk to.’ His face became serious as he studied her. ‘You’re … you’re very restful.’

  Maddie’s pulse kicked but she scrunched up her face in denial. No one had ever called her restful; in fact her family complained that she was too full of beans and always on their case.

  ‘And so much more interesting.’

  ‘Ha! Now I know you’re fibbing. Next to Cory and Tara I’m very dull. They lead exciting lives – going to parties, meeting famous people, travelling. They’ve got glamorous, sophisticated careers.’

  ‘Oh, sweet Maddie, you have no idea what a refreshing change you are,’ drawled Simon. ‘That lifestyle is exciting for about five minutes and then you realise it’s shallow and insubstantial. You know.’ His intent look made her nod, even though she didn’t know at all. Being beautiful, wealthy and going to lots of parties sounded like quite a lot of fun to her.

  ‘I’ve reached a stage where I want more out of life. More fulfilling, deeper.’ As his voice deepened, his little finger caressed the inside of her wrist, a barely-there thrilling touch.

  She smiled nervously. Men like him never looked her way. No one had ever stroked her skin like this. How was she supposed to respond? Not like a rabbit in the headlights, that was for sure, which was pretty much how she imagined she looked right now.

  ‘Ah, Maddie, you’re so gorgeous and you don’t even realise it. You’ve no idea how attractive that is.’

  ‘Me?’ she squeaked.

  ‘Genuine, natural. You look like a proper woman. With curves.’ He dropped his gaze to her breasts which, unfortunately, thanks to her still damp bikini, were clearly visible through her wet T-shirt. ‘Very sexy.’

  She giggled and fumbled for her wine glass, almost knocking it over. ‘I’ve got big boobs and big hips; that’s not sexy.’

  ‘Au contraire, I prefer to think of it as voluptuous and allow me to decide what is sexy.’

  ‘This is very nice wine,’ she said, taking a sip, wanting to hold the cold condensation-covered glass to her cheeks, which she could feel were burning.

  ‘No, it’s not, it’s bloody shite. Stop changing the subject.’ Simon smiled a knowing feral smile. If she tried to stand up now, her legs would probably give way.

  ‘So, sexy Maddie, what are your plans for this evening while we’re all out watching the Tara and Cory show?’

  ‘I’m probably just going to stay on board the boat.’ She gave him a quick relieved smile. ‘Enjoying the peace and quiet.’ In fact, she had it all planned. A few glasses of wine in the Jacuzzi, followed by a frozen pizza she’d found in the freezer so she didn’t even have to cook, and she’d plug into her favourite comedy podcast with the boat all to herself – it sounded like heaven.

  ‘Lucky you. Wish I could join you.’

  ‘I’m sure you’ll have a great time,’ she said, shifting her legs, conscious of his approving gaze.

  ‘The restaurant Ivan has recommended certainly looks good. I’m guessing one of his friends owns the place.’

  ‘Oh!’ said Maddie, immediately blushing. ‘I’m not sure.’

  ‘Liar! Does he get a kick-back? Commission on the side. Bound to. He’s not stupid, that one. I’ve seen him, “handling” Douglas. Letting Douglas think the route is all his idea.’ His phone beeped yet again and this time he rolled his eyes and reached for it and read the screen.

  With an exaggerated sigh he put it down. ‘I’m afraid I’m being summoned. My absence has been noted and poor Douglas needs reinforcements. I’m going to have to leave you lovely girl.’

  He stood up with a regretful heavy sigh and, to her surprise, when she stood up he cupped her cheek and gave her another one of those soul-searching looks that made her tingle all the way down to her toes. ‘Perhaps I should leave dinner early and join you on deck for a starlit glass of wine tonight.’ He kissed her on the cheek and sauntered off without a backward glance, leaving her ever so slightly breathless.

  Chapter 10

  The harbour came to life after dark, the lights in the nearby restaurants glowing, couples walking hand in hand, buggies pushed with small sleeping children and the latest ferry arriving with a new influx of visitors. A crescent moon shone high in the sky, its silver light a long glinting reflection dancing on the sea, and Maddie watched the waves rolling in to shore. Tucked away on the front deck, her feet dangling over the side with a glass of chilled white wine, she told herself, listening to the music and the sporadic bursts of laughter from a party on the boat two over, that she wasn’t really feeling lonely or homesick, just a tad thoughtful.

  She’d been on board earlier, having a doze in her cabin – also known as staying out of everyone’s way – when she’d heard the others come back on board to change and get ready for dinner. As everyone but Nick were in the cabins below deck, the noise had quickly died down and all she could hear was him pottering about in the cabin next door to her. The walls were thinner than she’d realised before. Then the strains of familiar music. John Newman? She pricked up her ears. Yup, definitely John Newman. Love Me Again. Good to know, if nothing else, Nick had decent taste in music. And it was quite comforting to know there were other people about. Although she’d enjoyed the day to hersel
f, she wasn’t built for solitude.

  And here she was on her own again, listening to everyone else having a good time. She’d be lying if she said she hadn’t kept checking the time, wondering if Simon might get away from the others. She’d enjoyed her pizza, the dip in the Jacuzzi and having the boat to herself but now … it would have been quite nice to have someone to share the evening with. Deciding she was getting too maudlin, she hauled her legs in and went to sit at the table, picking up her Kindle, not entirely convinced that reading a thriller in the semi-darkness was her best idea, and had just started reading when she heard voices.

  ‘Carry me, Nicky. Over the gangplank.’ Tara’s flirtatious giggles floated over the water. Bugger, not that sort of company. Anyone but those two, she thought.

  She heard the sort of scuffles that suggested Nick had obliged, and then further muffled giggles and murmurs, from which she guessed there was a lot of kissing going on too. Yuk.

  The two of them appeared on deck, Nick carrying Tara’s tiny frame in his arms. She looked like some kind of fairy princess in a long multicoloured coat dress, the floaty sheer fabric billowing like gossamer wings over Nick’s arms. Pretty as a picture and she knew it. Maddie couldn’t help contrasting the image of herself in some poor sod’s arms. They’d be buckling with the weight and staggering about. It made her smile. Strong as he was, Nick probably wouldn’t be able to lift her.

  They hadn’t spotted her sitting in the shadows and she couldn’t decide whether to make a deliberate noise to alert them or not.

  Nick lowered Tara gently to the deck, sliding her down his body as if she was a fragile piece of china and then slid his hands down her back to cup her bottom.

  ‘Mmm, oh, Nicky … Oh … Oh, Nicky, darling …’ She’d wrapped her slender arms around his neck, her hand stroking his hair.

  Maddie winced at Tara’s breathy murmurs. She so did not want to be seeing this.

  ‘Your cabin or mine?’ asked Nick.

  Tara unwound her arms and took a few steps. ‘The others will be waiting for us. I said I was just going to get my wrap.’

  ‘Tara –’ Nick caressed her cheek ‘– I’m sure they won’t mind if we don’t go back.’

  ‘But they’ll wonder where we’ve got to. Why we haven’t come back.’

  ‘I don’t think they’ll worry,’ he teased. ‘They’ll probably have a good idea.’

  ‘Darling, we can’t. I’ll just get my wrap and we can go straight back. I won’t be long.’ With that, she darted away, down the stairs to the lower deck.

  With a heavy sigh that made Maddie want to giggle, Nick turned and walked to the rails at the side of the yacht, gripping them with both hands.

  Pinching her lips together, she reached for her glass of wine, slouching into her chair, hoping that he wouldn’t realise she was there and, because she wasn’t watching what she was doing, she chinked her glass against the wine bottle.

  Nick whirled round. ‘Who …? Oh, it’s you!’

  ‘Yup, it’s me.’

  ‘Get your kicks out of spying on people?’ he asked bitterly.

  ‘Not especially, but it was a bit difficult when the two of you were getting hot and heavy to say, Excuse me, can you stop while I vacate the premises?’

  He pushed his hands in his pockets and turned away, walking back to the guard rail and then back again.

  Maddie, refusing to leave, picked up her book and carried on reading, or at least tried to. Nick’s brooding presence was distracting, especially the pacing. The minutes ticked by and she put her book down.

  ‘Do you have to do that?’

  ‘Do what?’

  ‘That!’ She wagged her finger from side to side.

  ‘Oh.’ Nick looked embarrassed. ‘Didn’t realise …’ He glanced at his watch and then towards the stairs, as if hoping Tara would emerge.

  Maddie sighed. ‘Would you like a drink? I suspect you’ll be in for a long wait.’

  He looked at his watch again and, while his expression gave nothing away, he shrugged. ‘Might as well.’

  She poured him a glass, the one she’d had ready just in case someone dropped by, and pushed it towards him.

  ‘How was the restaurant?’

  ‘Good. Expensive. Smart.’ When he looked away, she studied his profile, silhouetted against the moonlit sea. No denying it, with that strong chiselled jawline, once broken nose and those broad shoulders, he packed a punch of masculinity.

  ‘Not your cup of tea?’

  ‘I didn’t say that,’ he muttered.

  ‘You didn’t need to.’ She grinned.

  ‘Take great delight in it, don’t you?’ he said, his mouth turning down at the corners.

  ‘In what?’ asked Maddie, her amusement dimming.

  ‘Rubbing my nose in the fact that I don’t belong.’

  The bleak words made her pause. Guilt pinched at her.

  ‘I didn’t mean that. I was trying to … What I meant was …’ She stumbled over the words, realising that he was right; she had been doing exactly that. ‘Sorry,’ she said in a quiet voice.

  He didn’t reply, instead pulling out his phone and giving all his attention to the screen.

  Going back to her book, Maddie couldn’t focus on the page, wishing instead she could take the words back. Why had she even said that? Was she trying to bring him back to her level? It felt petty and small.

  ‘Do you think Tara’s all right?’ she asked after a while.

  ‘I don’t know. Do you think I should check on her?’

  ‘Normally I’d say yes, but –’ Maddie tried not to sound catty ‘– she does take quite a long time to get ready. Maybe she’s changing into a new outfit or something.’

  A rueful smile touched Nick’s lips. ‘I wondered why she had so many cases when we flew out; now I know.’

  ‘She always looks amazing,’ said Maddie in what she hoped was a conciliatory tone. She hadn’t meant to hurt him earlier.

  Nick nodded but he didn’t meet her eyes. ‘Maybe I’ll give her another five minutes.’

  With reluctance and only because he looked a bit lost, she put down her glass. ‘Would you like me to check on her? I could always say I was bringing fresh towels or something.’

  ‘Would you mind? She’s probably fine, but just in case.’

  ‘No problem.’

  She went downstairs, nipping into the first empty cabin on the corridor and grabbing the set of clean towels from the bed to sacrifice to the task, thinking as her hands closed over the pristine softness, You’d better be grateful for this, Nick flipping Hadley.

  She knocked gently on the door, just in case Tara had gone to sleep or something. There was no answer but she could hear something and it didn’t sound good. She knocked again and gently turned the handle. ‘Tara …’ she said in a soft voice as she pushed open the door. ‘Tara, are you OK?’

  But it was clear from the heave of her shoulders and the sudden flood of liquid that Tara was far from OK. Through the bathroom door, she could see Tara bent over the toilet seat, her hair twisted up in one hand, held away from her face as she vomited into the bowl.

  Maddie hesitated, half of her wanting to give the poor girl privacy and the other half feeling a natural urge to comfort her, but then she decided Tara wouldn’t thank her for the latter so she backed out, closing the door carefully behind her.

  As it was unlikely Tara and Nick would be going out again, there was no hurry to go back up on deck, so she decided while she was down here she’d quickly turn down the beds in the nearby cabins.

  She was just finishing and about to go and tell Nick that poor Tara was ill and unlikely to be going anywhere when she heard Tara’s door slam. Making her way up to the deck, puzzled by the strong smell of mint and Black Opium, Tara’s signature scent, she was amazed to see her in a brand-new outfit – different five-inch gladiator gold sandals and a halterneck dress which scooped so low you could almost see her bum-crack, which made Maddie want to giggle – bum-crack was not a word
you’d associate with the glamorous model. There was absolutely no sign of any wrap to cover the expanse of bare back on show.

  ‘Shall we go, darling?’ she trilled, hooking her arm around Nick’s neck.

  ‘Are you sure? I thought something must be wrong, you were gone so long.’

  ‘You men, always complaining about how long we take to get ready.’ Tara rolled her eyes, put her hands on her hips and smiled prettily up at him. ‘I’m worth it, aren’t I?’

  Maddie stared at her, noting the glittering eyes and high colour in her cheekbones. Most people when they were sick were pasty and green. If it had been Maddie, she’d have mascara down both cheeks and be feeling like hell. Tara looked bright and excited. Almost as if she’d been doing drugs or something. And then it clicked.

  They’d come straight from dinner. Tara insisting they came back. The stained towels. The dirty toilet bowl. How sad.

  ‘Sure you want to go back now?’ asked Nick, making no move. ‘The others have probably moved on.’

  ‘They have. Cory texted me. There’s a darling cocktail bar they’re in now. Come on.’ She tugged at his arm. ‘It’s still early.’

  ‘Early?’ Nick laughed and looked at his watch. ‘Some of us would be thinking about going to bed at this time.’

  ‘Darling, you are such a bumpkin sometimes. Seriously, no one goes to bed at this time.’ She kissed him on the forehead. ‘It’s still early. Come on, we’ll be late.’

  Tara clearly operated on a different timescale to normal people.

  It was the first time Maddie had seen the resigned expression on Nick’s face as he heaved himself to his feet. He looked tired and she actually felt a bit sorry for him. And, although she didn’t like Tara, she felt a bit sorry for her too.

  ‘OK, then. Let’s go party.’

  As Tara’s heels tapped across the gangplank, Maddie pulled out her phone, bringing up the Google search page, and typed in the word, bulimia.

  Chapter 11

  Nick picked his way out of the water, wincing as the pebbles bit into the soles of his feet. Compared to yesterday, when the famous horn-shaped beach had been absolutely packed, the place was deserted, but then at six-thirty in the morning it was hardly surprising. Despite the late night, his body clock still insisted on waking him at five-thirty.