Ginny replied to both women, suggesting a solution that might help with their heartache.
When the first phone call of the day came through, she sat down at the dining table to answer it. “Hello, this is Ginny Splinter speaking.Sì, questo è Splendido, l’hotel per cuori infranti.” She hoped her attempt at Italian was correct. “Yes, this is Splendido, the hotel for broken hearts.”
She listened sympathetically to the caller’s story, about how the man had lost his aunt and grandmother in the same month. Ginny made caring noises until he’d finished talking.
“I think I need help,” the man said with a sigh.
“That’s what we’re here for. Thanks for reaching out to us.” Ginny picked up a pen. “At Splendido we understand there’s no set way to deal with heartbreak. We’re here to listen, to look after you and give you the space to feel better. You can spend time alone or be with others who are looking for support, too. There’s some beautiful walking trails and we offer access to luxury spa facilities and workshops at a local castle. If you prefer to get out and about, we can take you to Venice and Florence.”
She now knew that heartache could be loud or quiet. Sometimes it needed to make itself known to the world, and other varieties needed space and time to settle down on their own. Heartbreak took many shapes and Ginny would never be an expert, but she could try to listen and help out if she could.
Following her holiday with strangers in Vigornuovo, Ginny returned to the UK with the intention of working on her relationship with Adrian, starting with becoming friends again. The shift in their marriage had been seismic, like how a small earth tremor can damage the sturdiest structure. Any rebuilding would take much care and time.
Things between them were stilted and rocky at first, but they were both determined to devote time to each other. Adrian cut back on his hours at The Vehicle Emporium. He made dinner, sparked conversation and paid Ginny lots of compliments. He moved in to their spare bedroom to give her space and time to trust him again.
Ginny listened to Kizzi Matthews on Talk Heart FM and heard how the young woman brought a fresh perspective to problem-solving. She was blunt and funny, urging callers to think of their own solutions rather than doling out advice to them.
Ginny decided it was time to graciously move on and had handed in her notice. She took up a part-time job writing an advice column for a local magazine and even tried out some of Kizzi’s methods. She tried not to solve Adrian’s life any longer.
Sitting at home, around their dinner table in the evening, Ginny and Adrian pored over old photographs, reminiscing on shared memories. In one shot, there was a smudge of icing sugar on her nose as Adrian fed wedding cake to her, and in another, they grinned proudly as they held baby Phoebe.
Despite these warm moments captured in time, Ginny had to remind herself that no one ever took and kept photos of the bad times.
As the months progressed, Ginny found some of her old feelings for Adrian filtering back. Her hurt and anger subsided so things began to feel more normal again.
Exceptnormaldidn’t make Ginny’s heart sing or fill the hole in her life that she felt was still there.
The old Ginny would usually get on with things and put others first, perhaps buying a new dress or shoes for herself. But the different life she’d tasted for herself had left her wanting more. Old layers were still peeling away to reveal a fresh new woman underneath, one she was still getting to know. How could she tell that person to be quiet and shut her away, to become the former Ginny again? She’d spent half a century being a daughter, a wife and a mother. Entering into the second half of her life, Ginny wanted to explore beingherself.
She explained to Adrian how she felt and through many conversations together, about both of their worries and hopes, they grew closer to each other than they had in years, but not yet in a romantic sense.
Their love and respect for each other had been further enhanced by the arrival of Phoebe’s daughter, Erin.
As soon as Ginny saw her tiny fingers and pink face, her heart melted. Her granddaughter was utterly perfect, though as she held her in her arms, a doubt niggled in the back of her mind.
Should I rely on the arrival of this tiny new person to fulfil me?
It was a question that wouldn’t go away and she shared this thought with her husband. After his own episode of uncharacteristic behavior, Adrian claimed that he understood.
So, when Ginny received an email from Nico, inviting her back to Vigornuovo one day, she felt comfortable telling her husband about it. Apparently, the little Italian hotel was going through a transformative phase. Nico was enjoying welcoming guests again, though he was struggling with his workload, now that Loretta had returned to school. She was currently revising for her final exams and would head off to university, in Milan, in the late summer.
Upon receiving Nico’s email, Ginny revisited the hotel website. Nico had rewritten Romeo’s copy.
The Hotel Splendido offers you simple delights in a picturesque location not too far away from Venice and Florence. What makes it different are the special ingredients to help heal a broken heart—time, love, relaxation and the good food. You’re not alone. Welcome, friend.
The descriptions and photographs brought back memories for Ginny, like the scent of bougainvillea and freshly cooked tomatoes. She remembered dancing like no one else was watching, admiring art, sailing the canals of Venice, padding quietly into a tiny chapel on a hill, releasing her emotions to the sound of gongs, the ache of her calves as she climbed a hill and laughter around Nico’s dining table. She was reminded of how she’d rediscovered a part of herself that made her feel oh-so-alive.
A thought lodged in Ginny’s mind that she couldn’t shake. What if she returned to Vigornuovo to assist Nico at the hotel?
The idea sprouted and soon grew into a burning desire. Thinking about it excited her and, during the long nights she spent helping Phoebe to settle Erin to sleep, it grew, taking shape until she eventually felt compelled to share it with Adrian.
“I feel torn,” Ginny told him. “I know my place should be here with you and our family, but I feel the strongest pull back to Italy. I’m thinking about going back there, to work at Splendido for a while...”
Adrian’s mouth slackened. “So, you want to give up your new job and work as a receptionist or a housekeeper in Italy, at a hotel you stayed at for three weeks last summer, leaving your husband, daughter and baby granddaughter behind?”
Ginny paused and took only a moment to think. “Yes,” she said.
That one word had an impact like the crash of a cymbal. Adrian looked like he’d taken a surprise stumble and was trying to right himself. “I thought we were working on things between us,” he spluttered. “They’re going well.”
