“It will be fun to go there with her,” Ginny said. “I’m not sure if she’ll open up to me though.”
“You are very good with people. I see why your friends like you very much.”
Ginny supposed that he meant Eric, Heather, Edna and Curtis and his compliment gave her a welcome lift. “I haven’t known them for long,” she said. “We were all strangers before coming here.”
“You did not meet them before?” Nico frowned at her. “You are paying for their holiday?”
“Yes.” Ginny couldn’t think of an abbreviated version of her story, so she told him the full thing, starting with how Adrian had left her. She explained how she’d discovered his dating profile on a website, and that she’d invited strangers to join her in Italy, via her radio show. She wondered if the mysterious Miss Peach had any idea she’d been such a catalyst for change in the Splinter household. “I was supposed to visit Italy with my husband instead.” She sighed.
“You have done a very kind thing.”
She gave an impromptu laugh. “It is the silliest thing.”
“No.” Nico looked at Ginny as if she was an unexpected, lovely birthday present. “You are a very special lady.”
And for the next few minutes in his presence, Ginny felt like she was.
18
Tomatoes
For the next couple of days, Ginny felt as if someone had removed her brain and replaced it with mashed potatoes. She spent most of her time sitting and reading in the courtyard. Whenever she thought about her contact with Adrian on ChainReaxions, her emotions slid around. One minute she was angry and upset, and the next she felt more connected to him than she had in a long time. Hopefully, their situation was a blip in their marriage rather than a roadblock. She reminded herself that no one was perfect and that good people made mistakes.
She just wished Adrian wasn’t continuing to make them by confiding in a stranger. What if he hadn’t selected Ginny to chat with and had connected with someone else instead? What if he was chatting to other women in addition to Jenny?
Ginny didn’t know how to, or if she should, reveal her identity to him, and if he’d find it deceptive or funny. Hopefully, he’d take it as proof they were made for each other and should get back together.
She hummed a song she remembered from her childhood, about a bored couple who each turn to the personal column in a newspaper for some excitement. They talk about loving piña coladas, getting caught in the rain and making love at midnight without realizing they’re liaising with each other. There was a happy ending to the song, and she hoped there’d be one for her and Adrian, too.
She tried to focus on Nico’s kind words to her, about her being special. He was a thoughtful person and Ginny had started to see Splendido through his eyes. The tired parts of the hotel made it seem more charming, a nice escape from the modernity of her home and radio studio in England.
As she waited to meet Loretta in the courtyard, a message came through on her phone.
I’ve been thinking about you, Adrian said to Jenny.
Ginny’s skin tingled all over. It was ironic that being far apart made the two of them feel closer than ever. Me, too, she replied.
She lowered her phone when she saw Loretta striding toward her. The teenager had a hand stuck to one hip.
“Papà says I have to go shopping with you,” Loretta said with a pout. She wasn’t wearing a scrap of makeup and her hair was pulled into a messy ponytail. She wore a loose beige dress and a tiny eye pendant shone around her neck. “He has even given me a list.”
Ginny felt a little sorry for her. Loretta’s frown was too old for a girl of seventeen to wear. She remembered Phoebe’s own teenage years well, when anything she or Adrian said was met with a shrug and an eye roll. Things must be difficult for Loretta without her mother around. “I’d love to see more of the village and I bet you have insider knowledge,” she said. “Your dad always seems very busy.”
Loretta flicked her ponytail. “Yes, he is,” she said. “I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks this. Come with me.” She led the way around the side of the hotel where a shiny blue moped sat in the shade. She handed a helmet to Ginny and flung her leg over the vehicle.
Ginny stood there motionless. She hadn’t been on a bike since Phoebe was a toddler, never mind one with an engine. She told herself that if Kizzi Matthews could ride a motorcycle, so could she.
“Come on,” Loretta said. “Hold on to my waist.”
Ginny climbed on board and found it thrilling to feel every lump and bump on the road. She laughed out loud and clung on with the wind ruffling her hair. Loretta shouted out “Ciao,” and waved to people as they passed by.
“Thank you for not telling Papà about me coming home late,” Loretta shouted over her shoulder. She deftly swerved to avoid a cat.
“There’s nothing to tell. I don’t know where you’d been.”
“Papà wouldn’t like it if he knew.”
They parked on a side street close to the town hall where Ginny could already hear chatter and smell delicious food aromas. She glimpsed rows of market stalls lining the square.
