Too Many Words to Say

Chapter 34

"So no luck with the flat hunting then?" asked Howard as he sat down on the lounger at the side of the pool. "Thought that this was just a temporary thing, staying here with us."

He frowned over at Clare, making sure that she was in no doubt over the seriousness of his remark. The sooner she left the better. He didn't want her further complicating his problem with Allie. All he needed was a photograph taken at the wrong time to find its way into the papers or onto the net.

"Nice to see you and thanks for making me feel so welcome here," retorted Clare as she leaned over the table to take a sip of the iced cold drink sitting there. "It's Sunday, its only been two days, give me a chance Howard!"

"Two days too many if you ask me," he replied, rubbing the sun cream on his arms. "You sure you've been looking properly? I can ask at the club if you like for you. Maybe Tim would know of something."

"No thanks, I'm sure something will turn up in a day or two. Anyone would think that you didn't like me being here."

"Anyone thinking that would be right," he said shortly. "It won't help me if Allie got to know that you're here."

"I thought that was all over now," Clare replied looking over the top of her sunglasses at him. "You know, what happens on the tour, stays on the tour."

Howard shook his head at her, frowning as he did so.

"That shows how much you know," he replied. "Look Clare, I'll be blunt. I want you out of here the first chance you get. Don't hang about, there's nothing here for you, not even if Allie wasn't on the scene. I don't want you here, so just find somewhere else to stay as soon as you can."

"I don't like it any more than you do," Clare said quietly. "When my friend asked me to fill in for her when she broke her ankle, she told me that accommodation went with the job. And it was all such a last minute arrangement that I didn't have the chance to check it all out before setting off. I'm sorry it's such a threat to your love life! It didn't seem to bother you on the last night of the tour."

"I was drunk then, otherwise it would never have happened," he replied somewhat cruelly. "And you know it."

Clare glared at him, her face red with anger.

"Don't you worry, nothing did happen. I'm not that desperate," she spat at him. "You'd talked of nothing else but her all night. I just made it look like something had happened. I knew you wouldn't remember anything. Just a little bit of fun on my part."

"You bitch," Howard began then stopped as he saw his brother come out of the villa.

"Want to come with us down to the village?" called Liam from the veranda of the villa. "We're running out of one or two things and I thought we'd have something to eat later. Neil's volunteered to cook for us"

"Yeah, hold on for me a minute," Clare called back to him. "Just give me a chance to throw something on." Gathering her towel and lotions together, she quickly went up the steps to the veranda. "Won't be long," she told Liam. "Don't go without me."

"I won't, just get a move on," Liam grinned back at her as she went inside to her room. "Hope she doesn't cover up too much," he winked at Howard.

"Nice one," Howard nodded as he settled back down on the lounger. He sighed to himself as he heard Liam and Clare leave in the jeep.

"You're not keen on her being here are you?" asked Neil who had come to join him. "I thought you used to like her? Seem to recall the two of you having something going on."

"That was a couple of years ago now," Howard told him. "That's well and truly over. I'm not interested in her at all. She's got a nasty streak has Clare. Allie found out about that."