“Do whatever makes you both happy. Your dad and I will support you. Are you feeling well?”
“It sucks being sick each morning, and moving the wedding forward sounds stressful.”
Ginny found it easy to slip back intoAdvice Angelmode. “Have you tried nibbling on raw ginger? And bland food like rice and toast is easier to digest. Make sure you keep well hydrated, especially if you’re sick. Choose a wedding that suits you both, and there’s no rush to go on a honeymoon straight after you get married.”
“I knew you’d give me some good advice.” Phoebe laughed then hesitated. “Will things be okay with you and Dad?”
Ginny wanted to cough and she held her fist to her mouth. She glanced at Nico who was still strolling around the garden. “Yes, of course,” she said. “There’s nothing to worry about. You just think about yourself, Pete and the baby. If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know.”
“Thanks, Mum. Love you.”
“Love you, too, Phoebes.”
After her daughter hung up, Ginny clasped her phone to her chest and allowed the news to sink in. All her senses came alive as she walked toward Nico. She could suddenly smell lavender and hear the faint hiss of a water sprinkler. She could taste a hint of tomato from the pizza she’d eaten earlier and her skin felt tingly from the sun.
“Is everything okay?” he asked her.
Ginny wrapped her arms around herself and felt like bursting into song. “I’m going to be a grandmother,” she said. “My daughter’s having a baby. She called to tell me.”
Nico broke into a smile. “This is great news,” he said. “Congratulations.”
They stood facing each other, and he held out his arms.
It felt natural for Ginny to sink into them for an embrace.
She wasn’t exactly sure what happened next because one moment she was hugging Nico, and the next their lips seemed to find each other and press together. It was a congratulatory kiss that lingered for a second or two too long and made her toes tingle.
Ginny hadn’t kissed another man for thirty-one years and it felt clumsy and unexpected, and yet it was also tender and full of promise. She was Ginny Splinter and at the same time she wasn’t, like a character performing behind a mask on stage.
She pulled away abruptly when she thought about Adrian. She also couldn’t help picturing her mum in the embrace with a stranger. Ginny couldn’t believe she’d done a similar thing. “I’m s-sorry,” she stuttered with her cheeks heating. As her surroundings shot back into sharp focus, she pressed her fingers to her mouth. “I didn’t mean to...”
“It is my fault,” Nico said.
“I was excited about the baby.”
“I was happy to see you happy.”
“It was a silly moment and I got carried away,” Ginny said, trying not to think about how soft and welcoming his lips had been.
“Yes,” he said. “Me, also.”
They stood awkwardly together until Nico looked at his watch. “We should return to Piazza San Marco.”
Ginny nodded. “The others will wonder where we are.”
Ginny and Nico walked together toward the door that led back into the street, keeping a few feet apart. They forgot about their masks and left them lying on the bench.
The bell jingled as they closed the door behind them, shutting out the flowers and the beautiful view.
23
Bingo
The weather turned again as Ginny and Nico jogged through Venice toward the vaporetto stop. Splats of water hit the pavement and a drop dribbled down Ginny’s back, making her shiver.
Edna, Heather, Eric and Curtis stood huddled together, waiting for them on the pavement. Loretta’s hair was damp and plastered to her forehead and she tapped her watch when she saw her papà. The seven of them hurried on board the boat.
Ginny felt her stomach rolling as she took a seat next to Edna, who seemed in an upbeat mood.
