“Of course. We’re happy to wait for you.” Ginny smiled.
Gianfranco stood polishing the wing mirrors of his minibus. It looked pristine and shiny next to Nico’s battered old vehicle. He’d agreed to drive everyone to Rimini, partly because he’d forgotten it was Loretta’s birthday the next day and he hadn’t bought her a present yet. He swept a cleaning cloth over his bonnet with a flourish and stood back to admire his handiwork. “Remember, this is not a party vehicle,” he announced. “If you feel ill please say so immediately, so you can get out.”
Curtis waved both hands as if directing air traffic. “Gather around,” he shouted. “The master plan is to arrive at the bar around eight p.m. for drink and food. We’ll catch the sunset as the beats kick in and then dance until we drop.”
Loretta performed an excited twirl.
Nico’s movements were twitchy when he joined them all. He twisted a napkin in his hands.
“Nico? Are you coming with us?” Curtis asked.
“I have important things to do, so I will stay here.” His eyes settled on his daughter. “What time will you be back?” he asked her.
Loretta folded her arms and lifted an eyebrow.
“Before midnight?”
“Papà!”
“Twelve thirty?”
“I am nearly, officially, not a child any longer,” Loretta said with a teasing smile. “I will turn eighteen at midnight and can do whatever I like.”
“Maybe noteverything,” Nico said. “And you will want to feel good for your birthday tomorrow. Do you still want to go to Castello Bella Vista with your friends? I will arrange this with Gianfranco.”
Loretta stared at him in surprise. “Yes. Do you really mean it?”
Nico nodded. “So, perhaps be back by two a.m.”
“Grazie, Papà. I will message my friends on the way to Rimini.”
Curtis bent his head to speak into Nico’s ear. “Not sureI’lllast until two in the morning,” he said. “We’ll probably be back sooner.”
“That is a good idea,” Nico said. “I am trusting you all to look after my daughter.”
Gianfranco pulled up outside the beach bar and Curtis jumped out of the minibus first. He strode inside to locate the manager and the two men talked for a while. Curtis gestured toward the group and the manager nodded, escorting them to an area with low cream sofas cordoned off with a red rope overlooking the white sandy beach. Big straw umbrellas above them were strung with fairy lights. The sun was sinking quickly in the sky, making it bloom violet with streaks of lemon.
“I told him it’s Loretta’s eighteenth tomorrow, so he’s given us the best seats in the house,” Curtis said. “It’s also thanks to my considerable charm.”
“Ha-ha,” Loretta said.
The bar was full of gorgeous young people wearing flimsy outfits that showed off their bronzed skin. Ginny sensed that she and the others weren’t the usual type of clientele. She felt a bit antiquated even in her glamorous dress and she nervously spun her wedding ring around on her finger. Tomorrow was her wedding anniversary and she was questioning if she’d been wise to reject Adrian’s efforts on the phone.
Her melancholy musing was interrupted by the appearance of cocktail glasses filled with red liquid and adorned with straws, umbrellas and sparklers.
“Sopretty,” Loretta said, snapping a photo on her phone.
“Nonalcoholic,” Curtis said, almost poking himself in the eye with a paper umbrella when he took a drink.
“What?Is that Papà’s rule?”
“My rule,” Curtis said. “You’re not quite eighteen yet and I’m not drinking either. It gives me a headache.”
Edna eyed everyone. “My capacity for alcohol is surprisingly large and I could probably drink you all under the table,” she said. “Tonight, I shall also abstain.”
Ginny thought it was a good idea not to end up drunk and crying on a sun lounger.
Loretta gingerly sampled her drink and nodded. “Hmm,buono,” she said.
