‘Oh, yes?’
‘She said you were back.’
Here it comes. ‘Yes,’ she says. ‘And?’
‘So we’re down at Ramla,’ he says. ‘Me and Lisbeta and Maria and Luis.’
‘Good for you,’ she replies, haughtily.
‘Yeah,’ he says.
She waits.
‘Luis dropped his fishing rod.’
‘Well, that was stupid.’
‘It’s gone really deep,’ he says. ‘None of us can get it.’
Boo hoo. ‘Okay.’
‘But I bet you could,’ he says.
Mercedes’ heart jumps. ‘Me?’
Felix makes a ‘duh’ noise. ‘Is there anybody else here?’
‘Well, no.’
‘So?’ he asks.
She’s uncertain. People turn on you, on La Kastellana. You never know what they really want.
‘I’m helping my mother,’ she says.
‘That’s fine,’ calls Larissa from over by the coffee machine. ‘I’ve got everything under control.’
‘I’ve got an anchor, look,’ says Felix. ‘So you should be able to get down there okay. We’ve been trying all afternoon.’
‘Ramla?’ she asks.
He nods.
‘That’s not that deep,’ she says, condescendingly. ‘I’ve totally been deeper than that.’
‘Well, come on, then, stupid,’ says Felix, and starts to walk away. ‘We haven’t got all day!’
She glances at her mother. Larissa is smiling. You’ve set this up, she thinks. You and Donatella. And she pushes herself out from behind her table and trots after him.
‘So it’s good you’re back,’ he says, casually, as they walk. ‘We missed you.’
Mercedes quietly glows.
‘I mean,’ he says, ‘you don’t actually like that girl, do you?’
She thinks of the contract. Am I allowed to say? She makes a non-committal noise.
‘Ana Sofia was saying the other day that she treats you like a servant.’