‘It’s a small island,’ she said. ‘I’m not surprised you know each other. I don’t expect you’d want us saying anything bad about you to her?’
‘Are you attempting to blackmail me?’ he asked, smiling faintly with incredulity.
‘Whatever it takes,’ she said bluntly.
More gripped by her character than ever, he pressed on with his low-key interrogation. ‘The Oia Mare is very nice, but quite expensive...?’
‘I wanted to treat my friends—’
‘You wanted to treat your friends?’
‘What’s wrong with that?’ she fired back.
‘It must have cost you a lot of money.’
She didn’t answer.
‘Why couldn’t your friends contribute towards the cost themselves?’ he prompted.
‘Because I didn’t want them to. I’d had a lucky break and wanted to share my good fortune. I ring-fenced some of the money I’d made for a project I’m interested in, but there was plenty left over and I wanted us all to do something special, something different for a change.’
‘And your fiancé went along with this proposal?’
She clammed up, and then admitted, ‘I don’t even know why I’m telling you all this.’
‘Because you need to get it off your chest?’
Pressing her lips down, she shrugged.
‘Were you engaged for long?’
He could see her wondering whether to say another word, but then her armour cracked and she revealed, ‘If I tell you, you’ll laugh.’
‘Try me,’ he challenged.
‘All right, I will. I’m an artist, recently graduated from studying at college in London. My first art exhibition was held straight out of college. No one, least of all me, could have predicted what a success it would be. My ex-fiancé is an older man whom I’ve known pretty much all my life. He’s my best friend’s older brother. Anyway,’ she added, brushing off unpleasant memories, he guessed, ‘he came to the gallery on the last night when there was nothing left to buy. I think we were both amazed...buoyed up...excited by what had happened. And he proposed to me there and then.’
‘And you agreed to marry him there and then?’
‘Yes. It does sound stupid now,’ she agreed wearily, ‘but sometimes life pushes you down a path you don’t expect, because the past is steering you.’
‘Is that what happened in your case?’
She looked at him for a few long moments and then said, ‘I’m done. I’m not going to tell you anything else.’
‘Quite right,’ he agreed reluctantly.
Life choices. And where had they got her? Kimmie huffed inwardly as she realised that in the personal sense her choices had been disastrous. She’d jumped at the chance to marry Mike, thinking she would be laughing in the face of the past. She could see now he’d caught her at the very best...no, the very worst possible moment.
‘So your fiancé cheated on you?’ Kris guessed shrewdly.
‘What brilliant powers of deduction.’
‘A bride without a groom,’ he added, unfazed by her sarcasm. ‘How unfortunate.’
‘Some would call it lucky.’
‘Do you?’ he asked with a keen stare.