In the Name of Love (23 page)

Felipe’s only thought was for Charlie, who must have been devastated by Vittoria’s deliberately insensitive comments. Ignoring his mother, who continued trying to defend herself, he raced up the stairs and ran along the landing. He tried the door of the first bathroom he came to. It was locked. He hammered on it, calling out, ‘Charlie, are you in there?’

There was no reply, but as he listened he was sure he could hear someone crying. ‘Charlie,’ he repeated, ‘please let me in. My mother was completely out of line speaking to you like that.’

There was still no reply. ‘If you don’t open the door, I swear I’m going to break it down.’

And then he heard the sound of someone walking over and turning the key. He opened the door and Charlie stood before him. Her face was streaked with tears.
He
went to take her in his arms, but she held up her hands as if to push him away. ‘Please don’t. You’ll only make it harder.’

‘What are you talking about?’ He couldn’t bear to see her looking so anguished.

‘Your mother was right. You should be with someone who can talk to you about what you do.’

‘What are you saying? You’re going to get help, and you’re going to overcome this fear. Not for me, but for you.’ He took a step closer. ‘Charlie, it would destroy me if you left me.’

‘Paloma would be so much better for you,’ she said quietly.

‘She would not.’ He moved closer. ‘It’s you that I want. Only you.’ And now he put his arms round her and pulled her close to him, so close that he could feel her heart racing.

They left the party after that. Charlie slipped away and waited in the car while Felipe said goodbye to his parents. She wasn’t up to seeing anyone. She felt drained and exhausted as she always did after a panic attack, and couldn’t stop thinking about what Vittoria had said. She had no idea that Felipe had been off form in his training – they had never spoken about it. Was Vittoria right? Was she being unfair on him?

Charlie pulled down the sun visor to check her appearance in the mirror, wincing as she took in her smudged mascara and swollen eyes. And she had bitten her lip and caused it to bleed. It was a far cry from the sophisticated, glamorous look she had started out the afternoon with. She was about to repair the damage
when
there was a rap on the window. She glanced round and saw to her dismay that it was Paloma, looking as polished and chic as ever. Perfect timing. Not. Reluctantly she lowered the window.

‘I just wanted to check that you were okay,’ Paloma said smoothly.

Charlie felt like a complete wreck next to her.

‘I’m fine,’ she mumbled.

‘I suppose these big parties can be a little intimidating when you’re not used to them.’ Now she sounded condescending and Charlie felt a return of her old fighting spirit as she replied, ‘Oh, I’m used to big parties – less used to someone setting out to undermine me deliberately.’

‘Who would do that?’ Paloma asked, the picture of innocence.

Charlie ignored the question and continued, ‘I have a problem with riding because of something that happened to me, but I am determined to get over it and support Felipe. I know he would do the same for me.’

‘Absolutely true.’ Felipe had reached the car. He opened the driver’s door as he said, ‘Goodbye, Paloma, enjoy the rest of the party.’ Charlie was secretly pleased he didn’t kiss his ex goodbye, especially when he leant across and kissed her instead. ‘Let’s get out of here.’

She couldn’t have agreed more.

Chapter 15

THE FOLLOWING DAY
Charlie and Felipe met up with Ricky and Eduardo on their yacht which was moored at the luxurious Puerto Banus marina, playground of the super-rich and famous. It should have been a wonderful day – the sun was shining, the sky couldn’t have been bluer, she had the whole day with Felipe before she had to fly back – but Charlie was still feeling subdued after the party. However much Felipe reassured her, she found it impossible to stop thinking about her encounter with Vittoria. Once again she found herself wishing that he was merely a businessman.

‘Felipe told us what happened with darling Mama. I’m so sorry, Charlie,’ Eduardo told her as she stepped aboard. ‘You mustn’t worry about what she said. She can be the most tactless woman in the world.’

‘It’s true,’ Ricky told her. ‘She has never once congratulated us on our marriage. It really is best to ignore her.’

‘Sure,’ Charlie replied, and managed a smile. She
was
grateful for their comments but wasn’t sure she would be able to act on their advice. And being on this gleaming white motor-yacht, surrounded by the evidence of wealth, wasn’t helping either. It was a constant reminder that this was not her world … whatever Felipe said.

Her spirits lifted slightly once Eduardo started the engine. He steered them slowly out of the marina then turned up the power and shot out to the open sea. She loved the feeling of the sun on her skin and the wind whipping through her hair, the smell of the salt water. She had always adored being outdoors, loved the sense of freedom it gave her, and that had been one of the extra pleasures of riding. Now she felt that she didn’t spend nearly enough time outside.

Eduardo and Ricky were brilliant company, great at making conversation flow, joking together and teasing Felipe, creating a relaxed and happy atmosphere. As they moored the boat off a small cove and Charlie helped Ricky arrange a picnic on the table out on the deck she felt some of the earlier insecurity leave her. Maybe she could belong here …

‘This food is delicious!’ she exclaimed, as she tasted the spicy prawns, patatas bravas, bite-sized tortilla and calamari, suddenly realising how hungry she was. After the party she hadn’t felt like eating anything at all.

‘Ricky’s a brilliant cook,’ Eduardo told her.

‘Not like Felipe then,’ she commented, grinning at him.

‘I have other skills!’ he protested. He had taken off his tee-shirt and was lounging back on a chair in a pair
of
cut-off jeans. His skin was deeply tanned and he had never looked in better shape.

Charlie couldn’t resist leaning over and kissing him.

‘Get a room, you two!’ Ricky joked.

‘Sorry,’ she replied, not feeling sorry at all as she reluctantly prised herself away from Felipe.

Eduardo grinned. ‘It’s nice to see my brother looking so happy.’

They lazed on the boat for the next couple of hours, drinking ice cold rosé, sunbathing and chatting. Charlie was feeling completely relaxed until Felipe murmured, ‘Imagine if you lived out here, Charlie. We could do this all the time.’

‘Yes, but what would I do? I can’t speak Spanish, and even if I did it’s very unlikely I’d get a job in TV here. It was hard enough getting one in the UK!’ She was aware of how uptight she sounded, but couldn’t stop herself. Did Felipe’s comment mean that he didn’t take her work seriously? He probably thought that she could give it up and spend her days shopping. She would go insane.

‘I am not suggesting that you give up work and become a kept woman. I am just saying I would like it if you lived here,’ he replied. ‘I like the fact that you are passionate about what you do.’

Charlie sighed. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you.’ She bit her lip. ‘It’s just that sometimes I feel that there are so many things conspiring against us.’

‘They are only problems if you make them into problems,’ Felipe told her.

Charlie thought they had probably said enough in
front
of Eduardo and Ricky, who had been politely pretending that they couldn’t hear the exchange. So, instead she stood up and declared, ‘I’m going for a swim, anyone else fancy it?’

The three men looked at her as if she was bonkers.

‘It will be freezing!’ Felipe told her. ‘And you haven’t got a wetsuit.’

‘Wimps! Losers! Weeds!’ she taunted them. ‘I’m used to swimming in the Channel, the water’s always freezing there.’

In fact she hadn’t realised the sea would be that cold, but now she had declared her intention to go in, she felt that she couldn’t backtrack. And without giving herself the chance to change her mind, she stripped down to her bikini and climbed down the ladder at the side of the boat. Surely it wouldn’t be that cold? But as she took the plunge and dived in, she felt as if her body was going into shock. The water was icy. The men looked over the side. ‘It’s not that cold,’ Charlie called back, trying to tough it out.

‘Then why are you are turning blue and your teeth chattering, my darling?’ Felipe responded.

She stuck her tongue out and managed to last five minutes before she swam back to the boat. Her body felt completely numb. Luckily Felipe was on hand to wrap her up in a huge beach towel. ‘You are too stubborn!’ he told her, rubbing her back. ‘You’ll catch a cold.’

‘I’m fine,’ she replied, and promptly sneezed.

At that moment she noticed another yacht approaching them.

‘Isn’t that Paloma’s boat?’ Eduardo commented.

‘Yes, it is,’ Felipe replied, not sounding very happy about it.

How bloody typical that the gorgeous Paloma should turn up now when Charlie was purple with cold, her hair bedraggled and all her make-up had washed off.

Paloma’s sleek yacht drew parallel with theirs and she waved cheerily at them.

‘I’m going to get dressed,’ Charlie said, grabbing her clothes.

‘You can have a shower if you like, there’ll be plenty of hot water,’ Ricky told her. ‘I’ll show you where everything is.’

She followed him inside the yacht. The lounge area was furnished with white leather sofas studded with crystals, and glossy black panelling. One entire wall was devoted to the photograph of a naked woman cavorting in the sea while drinking straight from a champagne bottle. Someone had drawn a bikini top and bottoms on her to preserve her modesty.

‘Sorry about the décor,’ Ricky commented. ‘We think the boat was owned by a drug dealer and we haven’t got round to having it refurbished yet.’

‘It is a bit pimp up my yacht,’ Charlie agreed.

He opened a door to a spacious master bedroom, which to Charlie’s amusement had a mirrored ceiling. ‘Now that is class!’ she teased. ‘Surely you want to keep that?’

‘How do you know we didn’t have it put in?’ Ricky bantered back. He paused for a beat. ‘We didn’t. It’s coming out. Now prepare yourself for the shower room.’
He
opened the door to the en suite bathroom – which was covered floor-to-ceiling in tiny gold mosaic tiles.

‘Wowser, that is blinging!’

‘And that’s coming out too.’

Ricky handed her a towel. ‘By the way, you mustn’t worry about Paloma. Felipe doesn’t have any feelings for her any more.’

‘She does for him though, doesn’t she?’

Ricky shrugged. ‘Perhaps. But as Felipe said, it’s only a problem if you make it a problem.’

‘So you wouldn’t mind it if Eduardo’s ex kept turning up then?’

‘Are you kidding! I’d go fucking ape!’ Ricky grinned. ‘I totally know where you’re coming from. But don’t worry, Felipe adores you and we do too. Paloma is history. So have that shower, slap on some make-up, girlfriend, and join us back on deck.’

It was good to know that Ricky was an ally.

By the time Charlie emerged from the bedroom, Paloma was on board. Her own yacht was moored nearby and she was sipping a glass of rosé and looking as glamorous as ever – today doing boating chic in white jeans and a white halter-neck top worn with huge white sunglasses and a silk scarf by Hermès wrapped round her hair. Mind you, Charlie thought, she had probably spent all morning getting ready.

‘I can’t believe you went swimming, Charlie. I won’t go in until July!’ Paloma exclaimed.

‘She is very tough,’ Felipe said, and put his arm round Charlie as she sat next to him.

Paloma managed a tight little smile; it must have hurt seeing Felipe’s gesture. But she was clearly a fighter as she carried on, ‘This is my favourite bay too. We used to spend so many afternoons here, didn’t we, Felipe? Do you remember the time we entertained your team-mates and Joaquin got so drunk he dived into the water fully clothed? You had to dive in after him to make sure he was okay.’

Charlie felt a twinge of insecurity. There were so many parts of Felipe’s life that she knew nothing about. She wondered if Vittoria had told Paloma about her panic attack.

Felipe shrugged. ‘I must have been pretty drunk too, because I can’t really remember it.’ He looked at his watch. ‘I think we had better head off soon.’

‘Of course, don’t let me detain you, I just wanted to say hello.’

‘Did you skipper the boat yourself?’ Charlie asked; she felt she should say something out of politeness.

Paloma gave a tinkling laugh. ‘Oh, no!’ She called out something in Spanish and a young man in jeans and tee-shirt emerged from the cabin of her yacht and waved at her. ‘I have Mario, he skippers my boat for me. I was desperate for some sea air this afternoon; I’d been sending out invitations for Felipe’s mother’s charity ball all morning and had a terrible headache.’

How hard could it be to send out invitations? Charlie wondered as Paloma got ready to leave, saying effusive goodbyes to the men and blowing Charlie a kiss.

The rest of the afternoon seemed to go by too quickly after that. Just time to race back to the apartment, to
tumble
into bed and make love one last time. Charlie had come to dread saying goodbye to Felipe at the airport. It always felt like such a wrench, and especially today, after the events at the party.

‘Promise me you will call as soon as you get back home?’ Felipe asked. He had his hands on Charlie’s shoulders and was gazing at her as if trying to capture every single detail of her face.

‘You know I will.’ She wanted to tell him that she loved him, but something held her back. Maybe it was too soon …

She started walking away towards departures, then stopped and spun around and called out, ‘You were right, I’d love it if we lived in the same place.’

Felipe smiled and called out, ‘But I’m always right, Charlie.’

Back at his apartment, Felipe couldn’t relax. The unmade bed was a reminder of Charlie; the pillow still carried the scent of her perfume. He hated being apart from her. And even as he thought that he had to smile as there had been so many times in the past when he had felt stifled in a relationship. His ex-girlfriends had always wanted to know what he was thinking, all the time. It was ironic that Charlie gave him so much space … space he was more than happy to give up for her.