“No. It is Nico. I have brought you some water.”
She felt a hand grip her elbow, and another one on the flat of her back. They eased her into a sitting position. “What happened?” she rasped.
“You fainted,” Gianfranco said. “This has never happened in my hotel before. Perhaps you didn’t drink enough water before—”
Nico patted his friend’s arm. “Will you bring Ginny some fruit or bread? She should eat something.”
Gianfranco nodded. “Prego. My chefs make fresh pastries each day,” he muttered as he left.
Nico helped Ginny into a chair. “Please take your time,” he said. “The others can take a taxi back to Splendido, if they like. I’m sorry, they overheard Gianfranco telling me about your fall. They are all worried about you.”
Ginny sipped her water. She’d usually feel self-conscious about everyone knowing her business, especially when she was supposed to be the strong one in the group. She reminded herself that they’d all seen each other at their worst, and wearing only hotel robes. And they now knew each other’s problems, too.
Gianfranco returned with a plate of food. He beckoned Nico to the corner of the room and the two men spoke for a few moments.
“Gianfranco says you can use one of his bedrooms,” Nico said when he rejoined Ginny. “You can stay here until you feel well.”
“My rooms are luxurious with the finest cotton sheets from Rome—” Gianfranco started.
Nico held up his hand to stop him. “We know about your rooms, thank you,” he said. “This is about Ginny.”
There was part of her that wanted to pad along the corridor, open a bedroom door and slip into a sumptuous king-size bed. She could experience the luxurious accommodation that she and Adrian should be enjoying. A hot bath and sampling cute toiletries might help her feel better. Yet a bigger part of her wanted to return to Splendido, to be with Nico and the others. They’d been going through so much together, she could now call them friends.
Ginny didn’t know if the gong vibrations had actually cleansed her body, or if her fall had knocked some sense into her, but her thoughts now appeared much clearer.
She was almost halfway through her holiday and had to stop yearning for her husband. Adrian wanted a divorce and was confiding in Jenny. What more evidence did she need that her marriage was ending? Perhaps the passion she was searching for was something she could find for herself.
Glancing around the room, she spotted a couple of fallen petals on the carpet and specks of bird poo on the corner of the window. Ginny suddenly knew she had to go cold turkey, breaking all contact with her husband until she got back to England. Taking her phone out of her robe pocket, she deleted their conversation from ChainReaxions. “I’d like to go home, back to your hotel,” she told Nico. “I’m feeling better already.”
Her words made him glow with pride.
Gianfranco jingled keys in his hand. “I will drive you to Splendido. My minibus has both air-conditioning and a sunroof.”
“Thank you, but I have my own vehicle.” Nico topped up Ginny’s glass of water and sat down beside her. “Are you really feeling okay?” he asked.
Ginny could feel warmth radiating from his body and his heart. “Yes. And I need to start looking after myself better from now on.”
He gave her a small smile. “I think that is easier for you to say, rather than to do.”
“I’m determined to give it a go,” she said.
When Ginny woke up the next day, she felt somehow different, as if her skin had been scrubbed clean. Birds chirped outside and through a gap in the curtain, she could see the sun was already high. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and she chuckled to herself when she checked her phone and saw it was almost noon. She’d slept through the night and most of the next morning, too.
She was actually looking forward to seeing Edna, Eric, Heather and Curtis today. All their problems were edging out in the open, no longer hidden away.
Well, all except for Curtis.
Ginny still didn’t know what he was doing here. Maybe his heartache needed more time to emerge from the shadows. Perhaps his way of dealing with things was to record stuff on his phone. Why did he need to prowl around Splendido and Grand Hotel Castello Bella Vista to do it? Maybe there was nothing actually wrong with him.
Ginny didn’t have her usual urge to check for messages from Adrian. She wasn’t sure she needed the advice fromThe Power of Twoany longer either, but she picked up the book anyway.
Stage Five. Welcome to your upward turn.
You’re stepping out of a cold dark room into the sunshine. It may take a while until it heats your skin, so take it easy and enjoy feeling part of the world again. You’re on the right path, so keep on walking.
“Hallelujah,” Ginny said out loud.
She saw heartache sheets had been pushed under her door while she slept and she gathered them all together. All the scores had fallen, finally proving to herself that she’d made the right decision to invite strangers on holiday.
