Page 31 of Meet Me at Sunset

‘Elle, come on. Let’s go,’ Lucas began, reaching for her hand.

‘Oh, here we go again. Doing whatever Mummy says. Why don’t you care about me? Why do you always take her side?’

‘Elle, stop behaving like this, it’s—’

‘I don’t care,’ Elle interrupted, with a yell. Her eyes were wild, and she looked half-crazed. ‘That’s it, Lucas. I’m done. We’re through.’ Elle turned her head in Paulo’s direction, commanding, ‘Paulo!’

Stephanie couldn’t take her eyes off the unfolding drama. It was impossible not to stare – all the other guests were doing the same.

‘Yeah?’

‘I want to leave. Take me home. Now.’

‘Sure. I’ll call a boat to come and pick us up,’ he said easily, following Elle as she stormed off across the island.

Lucas watched angrily as they left. Paulo threw a glance over his shoulder at his friend. ‘Someone’s got to look after her,’ he said coolly.

Lucas went to follow the two of them, but then stopped. He was barely a metre away from Stephanie, and as he looked up and saw her, his face softened. He threw his hands in the air, and shook his head in disbelief, before an undeniable look of attraction flashed in his eyes.

Stephanie held his gaze, her heart racing, the champagne cocktails making her brave. ‘Looks like you might be free for that cooking lesson now,’ she commented, a slow smile spreading across her face.

Chapter 13

Isobel rose late the following morning and sat out on her balcony, sipping coffee and water, luxuriating in the warmth of the day. She’d had a lot of fun at the yacht party – perhaps a little too much, she thought regretfully, as she popped a couple of paracetamols and felt grateful for her dark sunglasses.

It had been a wonderful event, and she’d enjoyed mingling with the celebrities, drinking what seemed like unlimited amounts of vintage champagne, and eating the delicious food that Lucas had prepared. Everyone had started dancing on the sand, and the night had turned into a lively party, which continued on the boat as it brought them back to Cala de la Belleza, before a fleet of vehicles drove the guests back to their hotels. There’d been gossip about Elle’s behaviour and the drama she had caused, a whiff of scandal in the warm, night air, but it didn’t seem to have affected the glitz and glamour of the event.

Isobel was trying to decide on her plans for the day when she heard the phone ring in her room. She strolled back inside to answer it.

‘Darling, I’m so sorry I haven’t been able to call you until now, I’ve been so busy.’

‘Good morning, Stuart,’ Isobel said frostily. She was still annoyed with him, but also secretly rather pleased that he’d called as she wanted to tell him about the party.

‘How are you? Did you have a good time last night?’

‘It was so much fun! You should have been there, Stuart. There were so many famous faces, it was like the Oscars. And Lucas’s girlfriend caused a huge scene because Camille didn’t name her as the face of the brand …’ Isobel chattered on. ‘Are you listening?’

‘Of course I am. Every word!’ he sighed. ‘I wish I was there with you instead of working.’

‘Well, that was your choice,’ she replied tartly. ‘Why don’t you just jump on the next plane back?’

‘I’d love to, but I need to stay for an extra couple of days …’

Isobel clenched the receiver so tightly that her knuckles turned white. ‘I sincerely hope this is a joke – even if it’s not a very funny one.’

‘It’s not a joke. I’m so sorry. I wish it weren’t the case but there’s nothing I can do.’

‘There is something you can do, Stuart. You can say no.’

‘I really can’t. They’re paying me a small fortune and—’

‘It’s not all about the money,’ Isobel burst out and tears sprang to her eyes. ‘Why does your work always have to come first? Why am I never your priority?’

‘I’m doing this for us,’ Stuart insisted. ‘I need to make sure we’re in a really strong financial position and then we can … we can think about having a baby.’

A baby was the one thing that she longed for, but she didn’t like the way Stuart was using it as a bargaining chip.

‘Look,’ he continued, his voice softening as he imagined he was winning her over. ‘I’ll check my diary and move some things around. We can stay an extra night at the hotel when I get back to Majorca. Maybe even two.’