Giselle chuckled. ‘You don’t need my permission.’
‘I’ll need some paper and glue,’ Izzy pointed out. ‘And I did say I wanted to see what you’re working on.’
‘You said you wanted to go to the gift shop. Not the same thing.’
‘It had some lovely stuff last time I was here,’ Izzy argued. ‘Anyway, I need to say hi to Jinny.’
‘You’d better. If you don’t and she finds out you’ve been to Duncoorie, I’ll be toast,’ Giselle said. Izzy had met Jinny not long after Giselle had taken up residence in the studio, and the two women had hit it off immediately. Jinny was another live wire, like Izzy.
When Giselle realised how busy the craft centre was today, she felt a little guilty for not being in the studio, but the feeling soon disappeared when she reached the beach and saw the pleasure on Izzy’s face.
‘I forget how beautiful it is,’ her sister said as she gazed around. ‘No wonder you don’t want to leave. My offer still stands, though: come live with me in Milan.’
‘And be a third wheel? No thanks! Anyway, what would Edoardo say? I doubt he’ll be happy sharing you with your sister.’
‘He’ll be fine. Family is a big thing in Italy, and Edoardo’s got a very big family indeed!’
‘All the more reason for me not to add to it. Besides, I wouldn’t feel comfortable knowing I was cramping your newly engaged style.’
‘I’m sure we could work something out. Seriously, if you need to get away for a while, let me know.’
‘I will,’ Giselle promised, having no intention of doing any such thing. If she had to give up her bothy for whatever reason, she’d move back in with Mum and Dad. They didn’t have any style for her to cramp.
While Giselle looked half-heartedly for sea glass (she wasn’t really in the mood), Izzy poked around in the rock pools exposed by the retreating tide.
‘I’ve found a crab!’ she announced excitedly, beckoning Giselle over to take a look. Then she laughed at herself. ‘I bet you see these all the time, don’t you?’
‘Now and again,’ Giselle admitted with an indulgent smile.
‘Remember how we used to go rock pooling when we were kids? We could do with a net and a bucket right now,’ Izzy declared, crouching down to peer into the pool.
Giselle stared at her sceptically. ‘Can’t you just be content with looking?’
‘I suppose I’ll have to, but half the fun is trying to net the wee fishes and shrimp things, then seeing how many you get in your bucket. I used to hate it if you got more than me.’
‘You always were competitive.’
‘So were you! Remember when you fell in when you saw a starfish? You had to have it because then you’d be the one who had the best wee critter.’ Izzy was laughing.
‘I’d forgotten that. I bawled my eyes out because I got my favourite shorts wet.’
‘You loved those shorts. And how about me with that purple dress with the embroidered heart on the front? It was all I’d wear at one point.’
Giselle perched her bottom gingerly on a rock. ‘Fast forward twenty years and I’m still mucking about on the seashore, and you’re still obsessing about clothes.’
They smiled at each other; they were both doing what they loved. Except…
‘Will you ever give it up, do you think?’ Giselle asked. ‘Now that you have Edoardo?’
‘I don’t want to be away from him. Ever.’
‘Yet you’re here,’ Giselle pointed out.
‘I had to come see you. You’re hurting. I could feel it here.’ Izzy put a hand on her chest above her heart. ‘I know I can’t take that away, but I wanted to give you a hug.’
Giselle’s eyes filled with tears. She’d missed her sister so much.
‘I’ll be OK,’ she said, not wanting Izzy to worry about her.
