‘It’s up to you,’ he said as the dog’s barks intensified further.
Rose sighed. ‘Knock yourself out,’ she said, reaching into her handbag and handing him a tin. ‘Just be careful if you want tokeep those fingers. I expect Marco would prefer it if you had all ten. For the wedding photos,’ she added with a smirk.
‘So now the wedding’s going ahead?’ Ben teased and laughed when she huffed and turned away, before spinning back.
‘You didn’t answer my question,’ she said, looking annoyed, as if she suspected he’d deliberately changed the subject. He dropped treats into Coco’s carrier and the dog quieted down. ‘About the purpose of our detour,’ Rose prodded.
Ben stood, straightening his legs which were still stiff after being jammed into the tiny space on the aeroplane. ‘We’re going to pick up Marco’s Aunt Aurora. She’s a clairvoyant. Apparently, she predicted that our plane was going to be redirected and rang Marco last night to ask if we’d give her a lift.’ He kept his face deadpan.
The look Rose gave him would have soured tiramisu, but the corresponding thump in his chest proved he was already half gone on this woman.
‘You’re mocking me,’ she said sternly.
Ben shook his head, stifling a laugh. ‘Wait until you meet her. You’ll see.’
Ben watched Rose stare at the empty luggage carousel and shake her head for the twentieth time, looking around at the large, bright hall with high ceilings which had all but emptied of the rest of the passengers from their plane.
‘Neither of them are here. How’s that even possible?’ she asked, pacing to the other side, perhaps to check if she’d somehow missed the two suitcases while the other travellers were gathering theirs. Ben frowned at his own small leather bag which had skipped off the belt first, feeling guilty.
‘I think we might need to accept that your suitcases have somehow been misdirected,’ he suggested tentatively as sheturned and fixed him with her deep blue eyes. Somehow, despite queuing for an hour at passport control and waiting here, she didn’t look tired. But it was obvious from the way she kept stroking the brown patch on her trousers, that the stain was bothering her.
She shut her eyes momentarily. ‘What am I supposed to wear while I’m here? I’ve got nothing,’ she asked when she opened them again. ‘Most of my toiletries, clothes, even my phone charger is in my suitcase. Not to mention all my files.’
‘I’ve got a charger, some toiletries and a spare T-shirt you can borrow,’ Ben offered.
She winced. ‘I’m not sharing your toothbrush,’ she said stiffly, looking down her nose at him. ‘I’ve no idea whose mouth it’s been in.’
‘Just mine.’ He shrugged, trying not to be offended. ‘Alternatively, we can see if there are any shops open in Nice after we pick up the car?’
‘I’d rather get on with our journey,’ Rose said. ‘I’m sure my luggage will turn up by the time we get to Luna.’ She glanced at her outfit looking worried. ‘I suppose I should go and report the suitcases missing.’ She sighed wearily. ‘With any luck, they’ve somehow found their way to Pisa instead. Lucky them.’ With that, she took off.
The queue to report the missing luggage was long and it took almost an hour for Rose to fill in the relevant forms, including details on exactly which clothes and toiletries they contained. Ben was impressed by Rose’s recall because the list was both extensive and expensive – she even knew to the penny how much everything was worth. He was quite taken aback by how many suits she’d packed, though.
Then they’d had to queue for the hire car, while multiple passengers fought to secure themselves last-minute transport. Ben was grateful Marco had called ahead, otherwise they mighthave ended up with a scooter or something equally unsuitable. The garage was almost empty by the time they were led to their car.
‘It’s small for three people and a demon with an ego the size of Rome,’ Rose observed as she paced around the cherry red Citroën C1, frowning while Ben fiddled with the keys.
‘I expect the choices were limited today. I’m happy we have a car at all,’ Ben said as he opened the boot. ‘And I think we might have to thank our lucky stars that your luggage went missing.’ He put in his bag which – despite its size – took up most of the tiny space. Hopefully, Aurora would be travelling light, or one of her spirits would have to arrange some kind of astral luggage transportation.
‘We’d have managed somehow,’ Rose muttered, looking upset.
‘If your suitcases do turn up, I might have to share your wardrobe,’ Ben joked, pointing to his small leather bag, hoping he might elicit a smile from Rose who was looking glummer with every minute that passed. ‘I’m guessing it’s a lot more glamorous anyway.’
She gave him a tired frown. ‘I have a Chanel skirt that would suit your colouring, although…’ Her eyes skimmed down his length and he felt an immediate burst of heat. ‘It’ll depend on if you’ve got the legs to carry it off.’
‘Better not risk it,’ he said, a little off balance. ‘I think it’ll be best to put Coco in the back.’ He watched as Rose opened the door and secured the dog carrier with a seat belt, ignoring the warning growls.
Coco had been given a twenty-minute reprieve while he’d been queuing for the car and had enjoyed a joyful frolic on a small patch of airport grass. Rose had produced a collapsible dish out of her TARDIS-like handbag and had fed and watered the shih tzu, proving she wasn’t as immune to the dog’s charmsas she made out. Especially considering she’d produced a fluffy toy for her to play with. Perhaps the prickly ice princess did have a heart?
‘I’ll drive,’ Ben offered as he noticed Rose glance at the driver’s seat and her forehead crease.
‘I can do it. You gave the car hire company my licence too,’ she shot back, folding her arms.
‘I’m sure you can.’ He shrugged as he squeezed himself behind the steering wheel, shuffling back and forth, trying to adjust his legs in an effort to get comfortable. The space was small, and he grimaced as his whole body protested. ‘But I know the way to Aunt Aurora’s, so I might as well drive us there at least. If you want to take over after that…’
Rose looked a little nauseous, and Ben wondered if there was something she wasn’t telling him.
The journey started out well. It was beautifully sunny once they got out of the garage, and he put the air conditioning on full. The roads were busy, but nothing Ben couldn’t handle, and he relaxed into the drive, admiring the blue sky and pretty red rooftops on the vibrant white buildings as the road took them upwards, affording them a variety of breathtaking views.
