A muscle ticked in Tad’s jaw, his frown deepening. Before he could say anything, Amy settled a hand on his. ‘No, I know – it sounds bad. I knew she meant it though, and more than that, she could make it happen. I also thought I could stop her, if I gave her what she wanted.’
‘It doesn’t soundbad, Amy – it’s horrendous. That’s a complete abuse of her position as your employer. Why didn’t you tell me?’
‘I should have – I realise that now, but I knew how much you wanted this week to go well, how important it was for Casa del Cibo to get a positive write-up. I didn’t want to mess with that. And once I told you what we had amounted to nothing more than a one-night stand, well, I thought it was too late. I was convinced I’d ruined it. And I wasn’t sure you liked methatmuch anyway, you know?’
Tad paused, turning his hand over to take hold of hers. ‘Really?’
‘Well, I hoped you did, but there was no way I wanted to mess with the success of your career – I couldn’t live with myself if it was me who ruined it for you. You must see that?’
‘Aye, of course I do. And then I went and called her a selfish crabbit this morning and brought the world crashing down around my ears anyway.’
Amy allowed herself a grin. ‘She did deserve it, to be fair. Although I genuinely believe she’s going to do whatever Kelly wants to try to win him back. Sometimes I think she’s the one who is being manipulated more than any of us.’
Tad grimaced. ‘I think that’s a bit of a stretch, but it explains why she doesn’t want to do without you. Despite whatshemight believe about the appeal of working for her, not many people would still feel that way about a person who’d treated them like she’s treated you.’
Amy shrugged. ‘I don’t know about that. But I do know I need to stick up for what I want. Stop being pushed around by other people. By Billie.’ She smiled as the last of her indecision ebbed away. ‘Tad – I can’t begin to imagine why you would want anything to do with me after everything that’s happened, but I want to tell you that I didn’t mean what I said. And regardless of what you must think of me after all the mixed messaging, you mean far more to me than I let on.’
‘Clare told me to fight for you, if that’s what I really wanted – but it seems I haven’t been the one doing the fighting. That’s been you all along.’ Tad squeezed her fingers, then threaded his through hers, locking them together. ‘You mean far more to me, too, than I’ve let on. I don’t care what Billie Forsythe-Rogers writes about me, if needs be I can move on, remove my stain of a career from Casa del Cibo. But more importantly, will you give me a chance to be a part of your life, moving forwards?’
‘I think you’ve got that the wrong way around. After this week, and everything that’s happened, I thinkIneed to askyouthat question.’
‘No. You don’t. Although I should ask how you feel about being with someone who might end up working in McDonald’s?’
‘I might be there with you once Billie finds out about us.’
Tad grinned, and Amy was transported back to the afternoon they’d spent wandering around Riva, looking at tourist trinkets and eating ice cream. Suddenly it didn’t matter what either of them ended up doing; right now she didn’t much care about that. The rush of emotion was a surprise, no less powerful than it had been that afternoon and focused on the same objective. She stilled, and he did the same, their gazes locked. She reached forward, hooking a finger into the front of his shirt, pulling him closer.
‘Anyway,’ she said, ‘I love a Maccy D.’
Tad hooted with laughter, then pressed a finger to his lips. ‘Me too. Don’t tell anyone.’
The levity brought them closer, their smiles fading as Amy travelled her fingers from the neckline of his T-shirt up across the warmth of his neck until they rested against the side of his head.
‘Can I kiss you?’ she asked.
‘Would you stop asking for permission?’ he said, his fingers mimicking hers as they inched closer. ‘That way I don’t have to either, and then we can kiss all the time. Like now.’
He closed the remainder of the gap between them, his lips brushing hers. ‘And now.’ He kissed her again with the lightness of a feather and Amy’s stomach did a cartwheel as he pushed himself against her, the strength of his hips against hers sending messages his lips had yet to match. ‘And now.’ He whispered the words again and again as the kiss caught up with the way their bodies were now pressing against one another, close but nowhere near close enough.
Amy felt herself sinking away, their surroundings fading as her total concentration focused on the way Tad was making her feel. She could have inhabited the moment forever, her frustration bubbling when Tad’s phone rang, and he pulled away far enough to see caller ID.
He pulled further away, his expression becoming serious as he took the call.
‘It’s Kathleen,’ he mouthed, then more loudly, ‘Hello, Kathleen. How is he?’
* * *
By the time he came off the phone, Tad didn’t need Amy to say anything, her expression said it all. She was clearly desperate to know what Kathleen had said.
Tad smiled, tucking his mobile away before he reached for her hand.
‘He’s going to be fine.’
Amy’s expression worked its way through a myriad of emotions. ‘Thank God. But – how? I thought he…’
Tad bit his lip trying to supress a laugh. It wasn’t funny – it had looked to everyone gathered as though Hugh was experiencing a heart attack. Luckily, though, it hadn’t been.
‘He has really bad indigestion.’
