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And then an older woman appeared behind Quin, middle-aged, with a kind face and a shrewd gaze that went from Sol to Sadie.
Quin said, ‘This is Madalena. Sol’s nanny and my saviour.’
Sadie smiled weakly at the woman as Sol piped up with, ‘But we call her Lena, ’cos it’s shorter.’
Madalena came and shook Sadie’s hand, smiling warmly. ‘Welcome to Sao Paulo. Excuse us, but it’s time for this young man to get to school.’
She took his hand and they walked away, Sol jumping beside the woman, unable to control his energy. When they’d got into a small car and driven down the driveway Sadie almost sagged back against the bigger car, adrenalin draining down through her body. Quin was standing to the side, watching her carefully, hands in his pockets.
She shook her head. ‘I don’t know...what to say. He’s beautiful...more beautiful than I could have imagined.’
‘Yes, he is. He’s turned out to be a happy, secure little boy...in spite of everything.’
Sadie absorbed the dig. She suddenly felt exhausted, the culmination of the last few days catching up with her.
‘You look washed out.’
‘Thanks,’ Sadie said dryly.
‘Come on, we’ll get something to eat and then I’ll show you where you can stay.’
‘I am staying here?’
He looked at her. ‘If you’re sticking to your story of not having any money then I’m assuming you’ll need a place to stay?’
There was no point trying to defend herself, so Sadie just said simply, ‘I would appreciate that, yes.’
She followed Quin into the vast modern structure, eyes widening as she took in the open, airy spaces. Wood finishes softened the concrete walls and floors. Abstract art added splashes of colour, as did huge rugs with local designs. She caught glimpses of lush foliage all around them through the windows and a pristine green lawn in the distance.
Quin pointed out the dining room beside a massive open-plan kitchen where a man was working at the cooker. He greeted Quin with a smile and they exchanged a few words.
Quin turned to Sadie. ‘This is Roberto, Madalena’s husband. He’s our chef. They both live just next door, through an adjoining garden.’
Sadie smiled shyly. ‘Nice to meet you, Roberto.’
She’d spent so much time in the intervening years avoiding making much contact with people that it felt strange to be able to do this. The man was like his wife, his gaze friendly, but also shrewd. Sadie had the feeling it wouldn’t take much for them to put two and two together.
Quin was striding onwards. Sadie had to hurry to keep up. Clearly he wasn’t giving her this tour out of a sense of solicitousness. There was a sitting room off that area, and another one that could be closed off with sliding doors. There was a gym, and a vast home office.
Sadie asked, ‘You work from home?’
‘Sometimes, but I have an office in Sao Paulo. I employ close to a hundred people now and we’re growing all the time.’
‘That’s really...cool,’ she finished a little lamely, borrowing the word that Sol seemed to like using.
Quin was opening a massive sliding door that led off the open-plan space of the living area out to the garden. Sadie followed him. It was so tranquil. The only sounds were birds calling and the muted hiss of water sprinklers. There were portable goal posts set up—presumably for Sol to play football.
As she followed him down the lawn on strategically placed flagstones Quin said, ‘The entire property is completely self-sustaining. We use solar panels and we have a well. We grow as much of our own produce as we can, and our housekeeper supplies a local homeless charity with the excess.’
Sadie’s heart squeezed. They’d once talked for hours about how they would live sustainably, careful to consider the life of their unborn child. ‘That’s impressive.’
Quin glanced back at her. ‘Sol is obsessed with the planet and environment. His school is big into teaching them about sustainability.’
‘Isn’t four a little young for school?’
‘It’s a preschool class at the International School, until he’s six. Then he’ll be entering into the main curriculum.’
‘Oh.’ Sadie knew that Quin would not appreciate her opinion on how to school their child. Not after abandoning him.