wondered as she sipped her water. Do we all think we’re unique but actually end up doing exactly the same things as everyone else?
Given that everyone around her was happily taking selfies, Grace took one too and sent it to her children. Aline responded straight away with a ‘looking good’ message, and a few minutes later, Regan sent a thumbs-up emoji. Grace didn’t expect to hear from Fionn, given that it was the middle of the night in Beijing.
Her attention was suddenly caught by the sight of the man who’d been playing with Alejandro and Susanna in the pool earlier. He was walking across the small square, his arm around a young woman wearing a pretty pink sundress. The children were nowhere to be seen, so clearly their grandfather was still looking after them. He’s probably on the trip to give the parents a break, thought Grace, as her eyes followed them. There was something quiet and intimate about the couple, and once again she was transported to the past, but this time to before her children were born, when she and Ken would walk together around cities. In those days, when she was still working as cabin crew, she’d been able to get him cheap travel with her. It had been before the advent of budget airlines, when flying anywhere had been prohibitively expensive and a rare occurrence for most people. But she and Ken had travelled to Amsterdam and Brussels and Paris and Rome together. Back then, he’d enjoyed the perks her job brought. It was only after Aline had been born and she’d given it up that he’d got sniffy about air travel with her.
Were we a good partnership? she wondered. Or did we simply put up with each other? She’d always thought that the fact they’d stayed together through good times and bad was a good thing. But what if it hadn’t been? What if she could have had a happier life with someone who respected her more?
The grass is always greener, she told herself.
Be glad that you endured.
It was a little after nine thirty by the time she got back to the hotel. She was feeling pleased with herself, because as well as having taken the picture of Cervantes to upload, she’d looked up the answers to the El Greco part of the clue. But it would have felt wrong to try and unlock it without Deira, who was nowhere to be seen.
The sun was beginning to set and the edges of the sky had turned a flaming orange behind a city that was a pincushion of light from the terrace of the hotel. Grace ordered another sparkling water from a passing waiter and found a comfortable chair from which to look at the view. She’d only been sitting there for a few minutes when she heard the distinctive accent of the man from the pool.
‘Is this chair taken?’ he asked, indicating the empty one close to her.
‘No.’ She shook her head and glanced around. The terrace had filled up in the last few minutes, and it was the only one available.
‘Thanks.’ He angled the chair away from her slightly and sat down. A waiter placed a glass of beer in front of him. He took a sip while Grace observed him casually. In a pale-blue shirt worn loose over jeans, he looked fit and attractive. That she even noticed this was a little disconcerting to Grace. But it was true.
The waiter returned with some peanuts, which he placed on the table between them. The man pushed the bowl closer to Grace and asked if she’d like one. She took a handful, which she put on a paper napkin.
‘You can have the rest,’ she said. ‘I shouldn’t have any at all; I stuffed myself with food earlier.’
‘Easily done here.’ He nodded. ‘The cooking is superb.’
‘Where do you live?’ she asked.
‘Near Cartagena,’ he replied. ‘A place called Playa Blanca. It’s in the south-east.’
‘You’re joking!’ Grace turned her chair to face him. ‘I have an apartment there.’
‘Really?’ He laughed. ‘Small world. Although not that small,’ he added. ‘So many people have bought second homes in Spain that it’s probably more likely than not that you’ll bump into someone. How long have you lived there?’
‘I don’t live there full-time,’ said Grace. ‘My husband and I bought our apartment about six years ago. The plan was to spend more time there, especially in the winter.’
He nodded. ‘Snowbirds,’ he said. ‘Home for the summer, back for the winter.’
‘Actually, we ended