Ginny enjoyed chilling out and chatting with the others, eating small plates of food and watching as the setting sun made the clouds look like they were on fire. The music grew louder until she could feel the bass thumping in her chest.
Curtis stood and performed an elaborate bow in front of Edna. He proffered his hand and she took it, standing up with a curtsy.
“The sunshine has loosened my joints and I bet I can dance like Margot Fonteyn,” Edna told him. “Please don’t feel intimidated by that.”
“Who?” Curtis asked, striking aSaturday Night Feverpose.
The two of them headed to the middle of the dance floor.
At first, other people in the bar stopped and stared at the man dressed twenty years too young who was boogying with an elderly lady dressed in a patchwork waistcoat. But soon they became impressed by Curtis’s and Edna’s stamina and exuberance. A small crowd gathered around them, joining in with their dance moves.
Loretta peeped over the top of her mocktail and blew out her cheeks. “Curtis is making a fool of himself,” she said to Ginny. “Please stop him.”
Ginny laughed. “Somehow, I don’t think he cares, and Edna looks the happiest I’ve ever seen her.”
Curtis noticed Loretta was looking at him and made even more exaggerated movements, until she burst out laughing. “Ridiculous,” she mouthed and shook her head.
Eric hunched over in a corner seat, trying to make himself look as small as possible. Two girls eyed him from across the dance floor and whispered to each other. They made their way over and persuaded him to join them.
Heather sat with her drink untouched in front of her. Even though she’d changed into a T-shirt and linen skirt, she looked like she wanted to be somewhere else. “Please go and enjoy yourself,” she urged Ginny. “I’m fine here on my own.”
“Are you sure?”
Heather nodded. “I just need a little time out.” She made a T shape with her hands.
Ginny got up to dance, posturing to songs from the eighties and nineties she hadn’t heard for a while and a few tunes she didn’t know. She only got to dance at weddings, or shimmied in her chair while playing tracks on her radio show, so she took the opportunity to bop and spin until she felt giddy and her feet hurt. Whenever thoughts of Adrian appeared in her head, she danced even more furiously to shake them out. A mirror ball flecked her face with light and she felt like a teenager again. The music reverberated through her body and all the happy people around her made her feel invigorated and free.
When her mouth grew dry, she headed to the bar to get another drink. She saw Loretta talking to a boy and girl of a similar age to her, on the other side. The boy pointed toward Curtis and Edna, and Loretta shook her head, as if to say,No, those people definitely aren’t with me.
Ginny bought a cola and waited until Loretta sat down next to her. “Would your friends like to join us?” she asked.
Loretta smoothed down her dress with her hand. “No, it’s fine. They are just some people I know from work.”
Ginny sipped her drink and tried not to react. “I didn’t know you had a job, other than working with your dad.”
The teenager quickly averted her eyes. “It is only a little thing,” she said with a wave of her hand. She chewed on the end of her straw for a while, thinking. “Actually, Papà doesn’t know about my job and I’m worried he will find out soon. Perhaps you can help me out?”
Ginny shrugged a shoulder. “How?”
“I have been working at Castello Bella Vista in secret, helping out with weddings, parties and other events, to make some money for college,” she said.
Ginny tried not to gape at her. “Oh. Does Gianfranco know about this?”
Loretta nodded. “Of course, it’s his hotel. I’ve decided I want to study event management, not fashion, so I want experience of working in a proper hotel. I begged Gianfranco to give me a job and not to tell Papà. He understands what he is like...”
“Splendido is a prop—” Ginny started to say.
“It is small and traditional,” Loretta interrupted with a curl of her lips. “Nothing ever changes there and I know Papà doesn’t have any money to pay me a real wage. At Castello, I have already learned and experienced many new things and saved some money.” She lowered her gaze. “I know Papà will be angry with me.”
“So, when I saw you creeping around in the early morning, you’d been working?”
Loretta nodded. “A friend gave me a lift home, the boy we saw in the village. I’d been working at a party that went on for a long time. There was a lot to tidy up afterward.” She picked up a napkin and folded it several times. “You are friendly with Papà, and you like to solve problems. Will you speak to him for me?”
The back of Ginny’s neck prickled at the thought of Loretta and Gianfranco in cahoots behind Nico’s back. Nico might be more upset than angry when he found out, and Ginny had also hoped for a fun evening without any problems to solve. “Your dad is a good man and does his best for you,” she said. “You need to be grown up and sort this out for yourself. Not telling him will only make things worse, forbothof you.”
Loretta twirled her straw between her thumb and forefinger while she thought. “I want him to understand that I am not like Mamma. I do not want to leave forever, I only want to spread my wings. I am learning things that will help him.”
Ginny smiled and leaned in a little closer. “I think you’ve put it perfectly yourself,” she said. “Now all you have to do is tell your father.”
