“Come on, she’s on holiday,” Kim laughed lightly, topping up all their glasses, though Colette could hear the strain in her voice as she tried to keep the conversation going. “Actually, I think a toast is in order...” But the rest of the sentence trailed off with the ping of an alert on her phone. And by the look on Kim’s face when she saw the display, Colette knew it was important.

“Sorry, I need to make a quick call...”

Silence fell over the table as Kim moved away, and Charlie continued to savor his pizza as if it was his last meal.

Annie was smiling tipsily at the waiter, and indeed any other handsome male in the restaurant who happened to catch her eye. Some things never changed.

Did she ever want to settle down, Colette wondered, or was she still content to play the field all the time? It didn’t make sense in her mind. Surely it was better to have someone you were sure about, than a trail of random guys you could never commit to—especially with a young child in tow.

But then again, she and Annie were so different. She always marched to her own tune.

Colette only hoped that along the way her friend would find the happiness she deserved and that Charlie would eventually have a more stable family unit than his mother did growing up.

“I need to stretch my legs,” she said, getting to her feet. “I think I’ll take a little walk along the pier before ordering dessert.”

“Suit yourself,” Annie replied. “I think I’ll stay here and have another glass of vino—if that’s OK with you,” she asked pointedly, and Colette noticed that while her mouth was smiling her eyes weren’t.

Why was she so cool with her? Was it still because of what she’d said earlier at the pool? Colette didn’t think her remark was that out of order, but clearly it was for Annie. She’d better mind her own business in future.

“Can I get dessert, Mum?” Charlie asked through a mouthful of pizza.

“‘Course you can, pet. We’re on holiday.”

“OK, well, I’ll be back in a bit. Kim’s still preoccupied with her call. Whatever it is must be important. Tell her I’ll be back shortly.”

“Grand.”

There was something so wonderfully eternal about this place, Colette mused as she strolled along the promenade on her way down to the steps.

As much as it had changed, it had remained the same. Large gray stone bricks marked the walk from the edge of the promenade all the way up to the coastline. The restaurant’s facade was of similar stone and understated compared to the other more colorful buildings that lined the street, but it didn’t detract from its character.