Page 1 of The Runaway Wives

PROLOGUE

Sender: [email protected]

Subject: Confirmation of Booking

Dear Mr Parkins,

Attached is confirmation of your booking for our luxury villa for the week 17-24 May.

The housekeeper, Aline, will meet you at the villa with the keys at 2p.m. on Saturday 17 May.

We trust that you will enjoy your stay at Vista Maravilha.

Best wishes,

Dinis Kaminski

1

DEE

Friday

‘Has Nige mentioned your surprise birthday holiday yet?’ Babs asked, taking a big bite out of her chocolate éclair. Cream oozed from the sides onto her fingers and she licked it off slowly.

Dee shook her head as she took the froth off her cappuccino with her spoon and put it in her mouth. ‘He hasn’t said a dicky bird. I wouldn’t have known anything about if I hadn’t seen the booking email come through on his phone.’

Nigel had been in the shower on Sunday, having just returned from a game of golf, leaving his phone on the kitchen table, when the email notification had pinged. As the screen lit up, Dee had automatically glanced at it, surprised to see the subject line ‘Confirmation of Booking’. She’d opened the email and quickly read it, amazed and delighted to see that Nigel had booked a villa for a week in the Algarve, Portugal, for this weekend. It was her sixtieth birthday on Saturday, so he must have booked it as a surprise present for her. Goodness knows, she’d dropped enough hints about wanting to go abroad for a holiday this year, and was delighted that he had taken notice. It was uncharacteristically thoughtful of him. Usually, he took her out for a nice dinner or bought her a bottle of perfume – courtesy of his PA, she was sure – but this year he’d really pushed out the boat. Well, sixty was a big birthday, wasn’t it? She’d heard Nigel coming down the stairs so quickly marked the email as unread and put the phone back on the table. She’d excitedly waited all week for him to mention it, but he hadn’t said a word. He must be planning on keeping it a surprise until tomorrow morning, her actual birthday, before whisking her away immediately.

‘Men, they’re hopeless, aren’t they? I mean it’s a lovely surprise but surely he must realise that you need to buy new clothes to take? It’s lucky you saw the email, so you could get some. And that you know his password.’ Babs finished the last bite of her éclair and picked up the serviette to wipe her mouth, leaving a smudge of red lipstick on the white paper. She always wore red lipstick, it was the first thing she put on when she got up. She said it gave her confidence to face the day. Confidence was something Dee didn’t think Babs was lacking in, she was always unapologetically herself, with a louder than life personality, chin-length blonde hair (although it was courtesy of the hairdresser now), bubbly and big-hearted. She always wore colourful clothes too. Today she was wearing coral cropped trousers with a brightly patterned top and white sandals. Dee preferred a more elegant, toned-down look and knew that, with her short, highlighted hair, crisp white cotton slacks and tailored blue and white shirt, she and Babs made an odd couple.

Nigel had told her so often enough. He disapproved of Barbara – he refused to call her Babs – because he thought she was too loud and brash, although he got on quite well with her husband, Geoff, when they occasionally went out as a foursome. It was the only subject on which Dee ignored him. She had been friends with Babs since high school and that bond remained to this day. And with Nigel working away so often, she didn’t know what she’d have done without Babs to share a coffee or phone chat with over the years. She had other friends of course, but not close friends. Babs was the only one she could confide in, and she knew Babs felt the same way.

Dee looked down at the pile of carrier bags under the table by her chair, containing a couple of tankinis, three summer dresses, new sandals and a matching handbag. She had plenty of clothes, her wardrobes were bursting actually, but this was a special occasion and Nigel would expect her to be suitably dressed up. ‘Nigel always uses the same password and adds a couple of letters on the end related to the subject, so in the case of his phone he adds an “N” and “P” – for Nigel’s phone.’

‘I bet he thinks you aren’t clever enough to remember that,’ Babs said.

‘More than likely. Anyway, I’ll put these in my suitcase ready. He’s probably planning on telling me in the morning and expecting me to pack in a few minutes.’

‘It’s really romantic, jetting off on your actual birthday.’ Babs sounded envious. ‘I didn’t think Nige had it in him.’

‘I was surprised too,’ Dee admitted. Nigel didn’t usually have a romantic bone in his body, he was a very practical, unsentimental man, but then he was a solicitor so it was part of the job criteria she guessed. ‘I don’t know what’s come over him.’

‘A whole week in a villa in the sun, I envy you,’ Babs said. ‘It’s been ages since we went away. When it was my sixtieth a couple of months ago, I didn’t even get a weekend away. Although we did have a lovely family party,’ she added. ‘Molly and Lennon both came home for that.’ Bab and Geoff’s daughter, Molly, was cabin crew with Emirates and travelled to lots of exotic locations, and their son, Lennon, worked in London combining acting, with part-time bar work at a trendy nightclub. Babs was very proud of them both.

Dee still couldn’t believe that Nigel had booked such a wonderful surprise for her. They had been married for thirty-five years now. However, since their children, Annabel and Hugh, had grown up and flown the nest, she and Nigel had both sort of trundled along doing their own thing. Annabel lived an hour’s drive away and was busy juggling her work as a designer with looking after two-year-old, Hallie, whilst Hugh was an events manager in Edinburgh. Nigel spent most of his weekends golfing with his mates, and had even gone on a couple of golfing holidays, leaving Dee home alone. Babs had told her she should book herself holidays away, too, but Dee didn’t fancy going away alone. Besides, she actually liked a few days to herself when she could do what she wanted without Nigel’s constant critical comments. He had high standards and liked everything to be ‘just so’. Dee liked a clean and tidy home herself, but she didn’t feel the need to have the furniture gleaming so much you could see your face in it, like her husband did. Nigel could be hard work, and they’d had a few rough patches when the children were younger, but they’d come through it. Maybe – now he was older – he was starting to appreciate her more?

Or was it guilt? Was he?—

She realised Babs was speaking and snapped out of her thoughts, focusing on her friend who was now spooning sugar into her coffee. She envied Babs’ ability to be herself, to eat cream cakes if she wanted to, have two spoons of sugar, to not be bothered if she carried an extra pound or two. Dee had pushed the boat out and had a cappuccino and cookie today, because being with Babs always tempted her to forget the diet she was constantly on. Nigel said that Babs was too loud, too fat, too out there. But, as Dee told him, Babs had a big personality and a big heart to match. Her and Geoff would help anyone out.

‘Sorry, I was miles away…’

‘I could see that,’ Bab said with a grin. ‘Imagining yourself sunbathing at the villa in Portugal, were you?’ She cocked her head to one side. ‘Knowing Nige, it’s very posh.’

‘Well, I only saw a quick glimpse of the picture before I heard Nigel coming down, but yes, it did look rather luxurious, and there’s an enormous pool.’

Babs sighed. ‘What more could you want?’

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