Tad thanked him, signed for the suitcase and wheeled it behind the welcome desk.
‘Phone her. Tell her it’s arrived,’ Clare said. ‘Talk to her, Tad.’
‘I will.’
‘We’d better go,’ James said to Clare as he checked his watch. ‘We said we’d meet Luke and Maggie ten minutes ago, and you know what Maggie’s like with tardiness.’
Clare grinned, hugged Tad and in a swirl of happiness and Clare’s trademark floral perfume, they were gone. Clare had a new life, was in the process of creating a new life – and she deserved every tiny bit of happiness it would bring her.
Tad held up a hand and the corners of his lips until they’d gone, then pulled out his phone. He’d text Amy about her suitcase. Cowardly, maybe, but he wasn’t sure he had the words he needed to be able to talk to her. Wasn’t sure she’d listen even if he had.
29
Amy bustled back into Casa del Cibo, in search of Billie. The phone call that had cut short her coffee time with Hugh and Kathleen had been terse. It seemed increasingly one of Billie’s unintentional trademarks, to ruin every moment in which Amy found solace or support. Hugh never got to tell her what he’d wanted to, and the information held in the brief conversation with Billie had narrowed Amy’s options even further. Billie wanted to get packed and ready to leave. She’d booked a driver and a seat on a flight and was leaving within the hour.
No mention had been made of what Billie expected Amy to do, or Malcolm for that matter – their flight was, as far as Amy knew, still planned for the following afternoon. But would Billie expect them to head back with her? Had she booked seats for them, too?
There had also been the message from Tad, telling her about the arrival of her suitcase. Bland and factual, the lack of any emotion in his text had bitten at Amy, even though that was exactly what she’d pushed him for.
A door banged on the first floor and Amy recognised the footfalls on the staircase before their owner came into view. Billie rounded the turn in the stairs and raised her eyebrows.
‘There you are. Where the hell have you been? I need you to help me pack. I haven’t got much time before the driver arrives, so if you could hurry it up?’
‘I was fetching my suitcase,’ Amy said, ‘It’s finally here.’
Tad chose that moment to emerge from the kitchen.
‘If you have a second,’ Tad said – his focus on Billie, ‘I would like to apologise for my outburst earlier today.’
Billie’s expression remaining glacial.
‘It was utterly unprofessional of me, and I can only say how sorry I am if I caused you any offence.’
‘If? I would have thought it was rather obvious that you have.’ Billie sounded incredulous, as though Tad was an utter idiot. ‘The last thing I needed today was some provincial chef throwing his weight around.’
‘I never meant to make any of your party feel uncomfortable. I just hope you can find a way to see past our differences and do the right thing by Casa del Cibo. That’s all.’
‘Honey, right now this place isn’t even on my list, never mind being top of it in terms of my priorities. You will have to wait it out, like everyone else wanting a review from me. Right now, I have far more important things to sort out.’ Her attention shifted back to Amy. ‘Like packing my stuff, Amelia.’
Amy paused as Billie started back up the stairs. There was so much she needed to say to Tad, alongside all the things she needed to say – no, scream – at Billie, and yet still she hung back. Aware once she started down the path she knew she needed to take, everything in her life was going to change.
‘Amelia. Now, please. It was difficult enough to get a single seat on this flight – I can’t believe I had to book it myself, what with you disappearing into the ether earlier, and so the last thing I need on top of all that is to arrive late at the airport. Especially if I’m travelling alone. If only there had been another seat for you, I wouldn’t feel so stressed.’
Billie stomped up the stairs, and Tad took a step in Amy’s direction.
‘Can I say something, Amy?’
She nodded, eyebrows furrowing as she waited to see what he was going to say, hoping he would be braver than she was being.
‘I wanted to say I’m so glad your suitcase – or more specifically your gran’s book – has arrived safely. Some things are irreplaceable, aren’t they?’
‘Yes, they are.’ She smiled at him, and his face lit up, then he folded the expression away again as he began to frown.
‘I also wanted to say how sorry I am, again, about… well, about what happened between us. If it wasn’t what you wanted, I am truly sorry. I thought we were… I thought it was…’ He tailed off with a frustrated exhalation. ‘Anyway. I wanted you to know.’
Amy shook her head. She couldn’t allow him to apologise for something as wonderful as the time they’d spent together. ‘You didn’t do anything wrong, Tad – you have absolutely nothing to apologise for.’ Amy took a step closer to him, lowering her voice. ‘It’sher. I don’t want this spoiled for you or have Casa’s reputation ruined. I didn’t know what to do and I thought…’
Billie’s piercing shout for Amy to hurry jolted them both.
