"Heavy night?"
Katy glared at Glenda as she plopped down onto the stood at the breakfast bar beside her, putting her mug down much more heavily than was necessary. The older blonde smirked as she regarded her granddaughter who had her head propped up on one hand and was staring broodingly into her half empty coffee mug.
"Not really, just didn't get the answers I was hoping for."
Glenda arched an eyebrow. "What's going on?"
"Nothing." Katy shook her head and smiled weakly. "I was just hoping that Carlos could tell me something about Mum or Rox that I didn't know, but he couldn't."
"I knew coming here would upset you." Her grandmother sighed. "I told you we should go somewhere else."
"No, no. I'm fine, honestly, Gran."
"What's the plan for today, then?"
Katy shrugged. "I think the kids want to go to the beach again."
"Sounds good. I'm meeting Mateo for lunch, so I'll come to the beach, pop off and do that and then come back and join you afterwards."
"Oh, nice." Her granddaughter teased, shaking her head. "You're just gonna drop your family for a hot Spanish bartender?"
"Yes, I think I am, darling."
"Does he actually think you're my sister? That is so many levels of warped."
Glenda laughed, reaching out and pushing her shoulder. "Of course he doesn't, although he does think I'm your mother."
"Hmmm… easy mistake to make, I suppose and it's better for you than him knowing you're my grandmother."
Scoffing at her cheek, Glenda gently pushed past her and went to get ready for their day. When she reappeared in the kitchen, Katy laughed until she grumbled irritably and went to change into something a little less formal. She complained all the way to the beach that she wasn't dressed properly for her date, causing her granddaughter and eldest great-granddaughter to tease her almost mercilessly.
Things continued at a relaxed pace, with Glenda disappearing off for her date and not returning to the villa until late that night. The little family thoroughly enjoyed exploring the island and seeing all the places that Katy could tell them about. Ruby insisted on buying Amy a postcard and Matthew wanted to get one for Ricky, which made Katy smile fondly.
On Friday morning, the young woman left the children in Glenda's care and headed off to meet Carlos for lunch. He had chosen a restaurant that Katy had visited often with her mother and aunt, so the nostalgia was strong as she walked through the tables to join him.
"The Ibiza air has clearly done you good." Carlos told her, nodding approvingly as she settled herself opposite him. "You're a much more healthy colour."
Katy laughed softly but didn't disagree. "I'd forgotten how much I love this place."
"It gets under your skin alright."
"So, are you ready to answer my questions?"
Carlos played for time by summoning a waiter and ordered for them. Katy watched him, thoroughly unimpressed by his attempt to stall. As soon as the young man had wandered away, she leant forward and arched an eyebrow.
"Come on, Carlos. I just want to know about my mum and Roxy."
"I don't know what I can tell you, cariño. You saw them after I did. I hadn't seen them in months before they died."
"Yeah, but you were their business partner." She reasoned. "Look, Carlos, you want the truth? Someone has been putting money in my bar's account and we cant work out where it's coming from. My accountant and Ritchie are getting jumpy and, to be totally honest with you, I could do with getting my hands on it, which is obviously a no-go until we work out where it's from."
"I see the issue."
Katy laughed softly at his serious expression. "Yeah, exactly. So, if you do know anything about it, I'd really appreciate a head's up."
Carlos watched her thoughtfully for a moment, before pulling out his mobile. "Let me make a few calls. I'll see if Ronnie and Roxy's old accountant knows anything about it."
He moved away from the table and there was a long pause before he started talking. Carlos kept throwing glances of his shoulder at her. After a while, Katy felt a little uncomfortable and decided to look round at the other diners. She felt her gaze being drawn to a table in the far corner where two blondes were sitting. One of them was talking into a mobile, while the other seemed to be chipping in every now and then, much to the first woman's annoyance. She couldn't see their faces, but something about them seemed oddly familiar.
Shaking her head, Katy exhaled and ripped her gaze away. Maybe Glenda was right and coming back to the island had been a bad idea after all. She was seeing ghosts, imagining that she was seeing her mother and her aunt in every blonde woman that caught her eyes.
"I think I can solve the mystery." Carlos announced, drawing her back to the present as he took his seat opposite her once more. Somehow their meal had been delivered while she'd been distracted. "If anything happened to them, Luis had orders to get the contents of Ronnie and Roxy's accounts to you, to later be split equally between yourself, Amy and Matthew. Apparently it took him a while to work out how to do that."
"Right… so why the secrecy? Why was the money just put in the account with no explanation? If it's legit, why was it all cloak and dagger?"
Carlos shrugged. "Don't ask me to explain the way Luis' mind works. The man's a lunatic."
"OK, so… the money is legit? Nothing's going to come back on me if I touch it?"
"No. It's definitely clean. They would never have got your business tied up in anything dodgy."
"Yeah, I know…" Katy leant back in her chair, toying with her pasta. "That's a massive weight off my mind, Carlos. I really needed that money to be accessible."
"You in some kind of trouble, mi querida?"
"Not exactly." She sighed. "Just a bit of a family cash flow issue, that's all. A series of unfortunate events, you know?"
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, this money will really help."
"Anything I can do?"
She shook her head, taking a bite of her lunch and taking her time to chew. "No, it's fine, honestly."
Their conversation turned to other things as they finished their meals. Katy laughed as she listened to Carlos' stories of her mother and aunt; both from before Katy had known them and after. He seemed to enjoy having an appreciative audience and she was enjoying hearing his tales. In turn, she told him about the children and their lives since she'd last seen him. As the waiter came to ask about desserts, Katy shook her head, but Carlos persuaded her to have one anyway.
"Let me drive you home." Carlos offered once the bill was settled. He had outright refused to even entertain the idea that she paid for anything. "I would like to see that Ruby of yours again."
Katy hesitated, unsure whether it was a good idea or not. The last thing she wanted was for Carlos to realise that the twins were Daniel's daughters. Reluctantly she agreed, knowing that it would look strange if she didn't.
As they climbed out of his car outside the villa, Katy held her breath and led the way inside. If Carlos noticed anything off about her behaviour, he didn't mention it, chatting happily about the owners of the house they had rented for the week. Calling out to her family, Katy smiled as Sophie threw herself into her arms, swinging the four-year-old onto her hip.
"Carlos, this is Sophie… Matthew… Jessica… and you know Ruby, of course." She introduced the children, before glancing around. "Where's Granny?"
"She's on the terrace with her friend." Ruby announced, rolling her eyes.
"Ahh…" Turning back to their guest, Katy shrugged. "Gran's enjoying a holiday fling with a barman young enough to be her grandson."
Carlos laughed. "When in Ibiza."
"Are you Mummy's friend?" Jessica asked, peering up at him curiously.
"Not like Mateo is Granny's friend, babe." Katy told her quickly, stifling a laugh. "I knew Carlos when I came here with Grandma and Aunty Roxy. D'you remember, Rubes?"
"I think so." The eight-year-old frowned a little, as though trying to retrieve a distant memory.
"I'm very pleased to make your acquaintances." He bowed theatrically, before taking each of the girl's hands and pressing a kiss to it and shaking Matthew's firmly. The children giggled delightedly at his silliness. "I am Carlos Belan, your servant."
Katy laughed fondly. "Carlos was friends with Grandma and Aunty Roxy. He ran a bar with them here."
"Mummy runs a bar at home." Ruby told him proudly. "It's called R&R and it's a gay bar and it's the best bar in the world."
"Did I mention that Ruby's in charge of my advertising?" The young woman joked.
She put Sophie down, suggesting that they went and made the most of their last afternoon in the pool. Not needing any encouragement the four children rushed away to do as she had said, causing Katy to shake her head fondly and turn to offer the man a drink.
"Your children are very beautiful." He complimented her, accepting the beer she offered. "You're obviously doing a wonderful job raising them."
"Thank you. I think they're pretty great, but obviously I'm biased."
"And their father…?"
Katy flinched slightly. "Tyler runs an antique business with his father and brother, so he's crazy busy most of the time. He's a great dad, though and he took on Ruby and Matthew as his own."
"So he's not here with you?"
"No, just me and Gran and the kids."
Keen to change the subject, Katy led the way outside onto the terrace. She huffed a little as she saw Glenda and Mateo sharing one of the loungers, but said nothing. Instead, she led Carlos over and introduced him to her grandmother. It seemed that the men knew each other quite well, which Katy realised wasn't all that surprising.
"So, how do you know Carlos?" Mateo asked interestedly, looking between them.
"He was my Mum and Aunt's business partner." Katy explained simply, keeping one eye on the children splashing around in the pool. "They ran a bar together here."
"No way?" The younger man looked between them in surprise. "You're not Ronnie Mitchell's daughter?"
"I am, yeah? Why? Did you know Mum?"
"Yeah, I know Ronnie and Roxy. Who doesn't? They're–"
"Mateo used to work for us when Ronnie and Roxy ran the bar." Carlos cut across him quickly. "That was before you all went back to England, of course. Everyone was devastated to hear that they had died; they were so well liked around here."
Mateo looked a little confused, but didn't question what the older man had said. "Yeah, they were so much fun, especially Roxy."
"It's nice to hear that my girls were so popular." Glenda said, a hint of sadness creeping into her eyes. Katy smiled softly at her. "And that we're not the only ones who miss them."
"You're Ronnie and Roxy's mother?"
Glenda winced. "I am."
"It's obvious where they got their good looks from." Mateo told her charmingly, leaning in and pressing a kiss to the underside of her jaw.
Katy pulled a face at Carlos, who laughed and changed the subject, much to her immense relief.