The Spanish Garden by Cherry Radford

Author:Cherry Radford [Radford, Cherry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781801103909
Publisher: Head of Zeus

17

Sunday 19th August

Andie pulled out another iced coffee from the ice box, leant back into her semi-shaded deck chair and, from one volcanic promontory to the other, took in the long curve of golden sand going into a shallow turquoise sea. Then she turned and looked behind her at the wide, orange-earth valley of palmitos and agaves backed by mountains that made it look like a film set – which, of course, it had often been. Further along the valley there was the stunning Mónsul beach that she had visited with Shefali, but also at least two others she needed to explore. In the other direction, pine trees shaded the path that took you up the hill to the old, conical windmill and then down back into the village. ‘Oh my God, this is paradise,’ she said, burying her feet in the soft warm sand.

‘It is. Don’t tell anybody!’ Kim said, from her deck chair the other side of the umbrella pole.

‘How come it’s not packed? It must be the most beautiful beach in the world, let alone Spain.’

‘Because once the car park for this beach and Mónsul are full, they close the entrance to the valley. Then you can only reach them with the little village beach bus, or on foot.’

‘And being in the natural park, it’s protected from any development?’

‘Yes. For now, anyway.’

‘And I can walk to it! I didn’t realise.’

‘As long as you bring enough water, yes! Up for another swim? Or maybe just a lilo float, after all that lunch!’

‘Okay! Ah, here come the boys.’

Ben and Kim’s boyfriend Carlito were walking back along the beach, having scaled the rocky hill for an apparently stunning view. They were quite a contrast – Ben with his mop of fair hair and shortest of shorts showing off his fine legs, next to the short-haired, modestly dressed Spanish accountant – but they seemed to get on well.

Ben smiled at Andie. He’d been doing a lot of that today, Andie realised, and had been very good – as had Kim – about not teasing her about her zoo date with Vicente. She’d told them he was buying the house, but hadn’t mentioned the angry call from property developer brother-in-law Antonio. There was no way Vicente was going to sell it to him – he loved the place – but she did wonder how lunch with Antonio and Sebastián was going the other side of the hill.

‘I took the most amazing panoramic from the top. I’ll show you later,’ Ben said, putting his phone away in one of the bags. ‘I don’t know why you didn’t pick me for the Níjar pottery cameraman.’

‘Perhaps because you don’t have a camera?’ Carlito suggested, with a grin.

‘I’ve got tomorrow off. I could come along anyway.’

‘No, Ben, there’ll already be three of us,’ Kim said. ‘Maybe you’ll get your chance next time.’

‘Next time?’ Ben asked. His eyes were hidden behind Ray-Bans, but his eyebrows went up with interest.

‘Well, if it takes off as my boss thinks it will,’ Andie said, ‘I might be back again before long to arrange a bigger import.

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