‘I’m just going to eat something first,’ Ben said, watching as Rose bent to pet the dog, who immediately yapped and tried to bite her hand. She looked hurt, but the emotion was wiped from her face so fast he wasn’t sure if he’d imagined it.
She pointed to the dog carrier and bowl. ‘Good luck,’ she said lightly before following Aurora.
When they were halfway to the reception desk, the waiter appeared with a bottle of red wine and three glasses. Aurora grabbed them. ‘I’ll leave your drink in your room,bello,’ she promised as the receptionist gave her a key.
Rose was about to follow but suddenly stopped. ‘I need to speak to Luna.’
‘I’ll see you in the room,’ Aurora sang as she disappeared through a door leading to the bedrooms.
‘You want to talk to her now?’ Ben asked.
Rose nodded. ‘I was trying not to speak with her until we arrived. But we need to tell her that we’re not going to make it to the engagement party tonight.’ She checked her watch and winced. ‘We’re already late, I can’t believe I forgot until now.’
‘I already told Marco we weren’t going to get there. After I called the car hire company.’ His friend had been worried at first, but when he found out what had happened, he was more relieved that they were all okay. He’d been a little concerned when Ben mentioned Rose’s intention to convince Luna to postpone the wedding. But Ben had told him not to worry. Even though he had no idea how they could stop her from carrying out her plan.
Rose frowned. ‘What did he say?’
‘That they were going to postpone the engagement party until tomorrow, so we can all be there.’
Ben saw Rose’s eyes flicker and wondered if she was pleased. Tension tightened his shoulders – this whole situation was playing into her hands. Delaying the party meant she’d have time to speak with Luna and encourage her to postpone the wedding before it got too far.
He’d had a chance to see her in action now. She was demanding, persuasive and tenacious too. They were qualities he admired. But if Rose set her sights on Luna, would she be able to convince her friend to delay the wedding? Should he be taking the threat to Marco’s happiness more seriously? He frowned. It would be easier to see Rose as the enemy if he wasn’t attracted to her. He shook his head – he was an idiot, and he needed to pull himself together.
‘I could call her now,’ she said thoughtfully.
‘Marco said they were going to have an early night,’ Ben lied. It was an impulse; one he wasn’t particularly proud of. He felt bad, but Marco had sounded so happy on the phone. If Rose spoke to Luna, the bride might start to have doubts. But surely once Rose saw the happy couple together, she’d rethink? Which meant he was going to have to try to stop her from talking to her friend this evening. Whatever it took.
‘But it’s not that late…’ Rose said, checking her watch again.
‘Italy is very romantic and they are engaged…’ Ben trailed off, hoping Rose would fill in the details for herself. When she did, her blush was swift and he rocked on his heels, shocked by the intensity of his reaction to it.
Rose gulped as heat travelled down her neck. ‘Fine,’ she croaked. ‘I’ll call tomorrow.’ She tugged her mobile out of her bag. ‘If I can find a phone charger, that is – I’m almost out of battery after the journey and speaking with my dad. My charger is in my suitcase.’
Ben thought about the charger in the bag currently hitched over his shoulder. ‘I left mine in the car, and as you know, Aurora doesn’t carry a phone,’ he said.
Was all really fair in love and war? He hoped so, but that didn’t stop him from feeling guilty. ‘If you switch yours off, you can save your battery and charge it tomorrow.’ That way there would be no chance of her calling Luna before the morning and no chance of her friend getting in touch with her either.
Rose stared at him for a beat, and he felt a flush begin to form at the back of his neck. Could she see he was lying?
She finally nodded. ‘I suppose.’ She sighed, then fiddled with the side buttons on her mobile until the screen went blank. Then she turned and headed after Aurora, leaving Ben wondering why he felt so bad.
6
BEN
Ben lay in one of the double beds staring up at the ceiling of his hotel room. He’d drunk the glass of red wine Aurora had left, taken Coco for a quick walk and switched off the light ready to sleep. But his mind was whirring, thinking about all the things that had happened today. About how he’d lied to Rose about the charger, already warned Marco about what she was planning to do. He knew he’d done the right thing – protected his friend from the humiliation and pain of a wedding being cancelled. But he didn’t feel good about it.
Coco shuffled on the bed beside his feet. He’d tried to move her onto the floor multiple times, but the dog kept hopping back onto the mattress and snuggling in. In the end he’d given up – the shih tzu was stubborn and he had to get some sleep. The car hire company had told him they planned to send someone out early to fix the tyre. Which meant he’d have to wake, dress and walk back to where they’d left the car to make sure someone was there.
He heard a soft knock on the door leading to the bathroom and waited for beat in case he’d imagined it. The knock cameagain, and Ben got up and pulled on the jeans he’d dropped on the ground before unlocking it.
‘Sorry.’ Rose looked embarrassed when he swung it open. The bathroom was large and the stark light from the overhead bulbs lit up the white T-shirt he’d loaned her. It swamped her and made him wonder what was underneath. Ben swallowed and met Rose’s eyes just as he heard an odd noise. It could have been someone moaning, but surely a human couldn’t sound like that?
‘What’s that?’ He looked around the bathroom. Did the hotel have rats? It might explain why the receptionist hadn’t wanted to rent them these rooms at first. Maybe she’d made up the story about the previous booking but had taken pity on them?
Rose glanced at the door which connected to her bedroom. ‘Aurora,’ she whispered, blanching. ‘She’s been at it since we went to bed. She’s either snoring, talking or shouting and she hasn’t stopped.’ She let out a long breath as the clairvoyant yelled something in Italian. ‘I thought I’d be able to sleep through it, but?—’
‘Aldo, you need to stop doing that,dolcezza,’ Aurora bellowed, her words audible this time. ‘I know we’re married,caro…’
