Sloane came farther into the room. “It’s not like you’ll have to let go of anyone either way, Lilly. If you go to Steve’s, Charlotte—and me and Julian—will still be part of your life. We’ll make sure we talk to you and see you often. And if you stay with Charlotte and her folks, Steve will do the same.”
“Steve can’t leave the farm. He has animals to take care of,” she pointed out.
“That doesn’t mean you can’t go there and visit for a week every now and then.”
The idea that she might be able to have both eased the cramping in her stomach. “Okay,” she said and, thankfully, managed to stave off the fresh tears that were burning the backs of her eyes.
Everything was going to be okay. She hoped. But when she’d been afraid her half sister wouldn’t want her, Luca had promised he’d stay in touch—check in on her, make sure everything was going okay, at least while they were in Italy—and she hadn’t heard from him even once.
Julian sat on a crumbling watchtower below Praiano, letting his legs dangle while the sea breathed in and out below. Charlotte’s text glowed on his screen.
Last night was incredible—did that really happen???
Unfortunately, it had. And now he’d have to answer for it.
“Damn.” He’d known better than to let things go that far. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt someone else, especially Charlotte.
He watched several seagulls strutting along the coastline and raised his camera to capture them. The setting—with Positano, Capri and the white surf in the background—was pretty spectacular. But then he lowered it again. He’d taken thousands of pictures. He had more than enough. He’d left the villa early this morning because he needed to escape, not because he needed to work. He didn’t like birds, anyway.
At the moment, he didn’t much like himself, either.
He had to make a decision. Did he tell Charlotte the truth right away? Or did he simply allow himself to enjoy the short time they had left?
Sloane had a case of the jitters as they set off for Atrani. All night she’d been considering something she believed could make a world of difference—to her and to Ben. A solution to their stalemate. A way to save their marriage. She hadn’t said a word about it to anyone, but the more she considered the possibilities, the more hopeful and excited she became. She just hoped Ben would be open-minded enough to accept what she planned to offer.
The drive wound between lemon terraces and sea cliffs. Sunlight flashed on the tiled domes; laundry snapped over narrow lanes. It was beautiful scenery, but even after they arrived at Torre dello Ziro, she was only half there. She wandered around, feigning more interest than she actually felt and trying not to miss what the others were saying so they wouldn’t realize just how far away her mind really was. She didn’t think Charlotte or Julian noticed her preoccupation, but at one point, sweet, serious Lilly edged closer to her and asked if something was wrong.
Sloane was touched that Lilly would be concerned about her. The girl was so in tune with those around her and what they were feeling. Sloane was coming to love Charlotte’s little sister like her own.
“I’m fine.” She reached out to squeeze Lilly’s hand, something she wouldn’t have done even a week earlier, and was gratified when Lilly squeezed back before running over to join Jules, who was trying to teach her how to take better photos.
Waiting until they got back to the villa and the others went to bed was agonizing. Sloane wanted to talk to her husband as soon as possible, but the fact that it was midday on a Friday in Seattle, and Ben had to be at the pharmacy, was working against her. She didn’t want to confront him at work. She preferred him to be at home, relaxed and ready for a heart-to-heart.
It was after midnight in Italy when he finally responded to the text she’d sent earlier asking if he could set aside a half hour to talk to her tonight.
Got off work a little early. It was slow this afternoon. Is this a good time?
She climbed out of bed, opened her door and peered down the hallway to make sure the house was quiet and she wouldn’t be interrupted. The light was off under Lilly’s door. She didn’t know where Julian and Charlotte were. She’d left them sitting on the deck an hour ago, hoping that if she broke up the party they’d go to bed. She could no longer see them from her window, but she hadn’t heard them come in.
After closing her door again, she went into the bathroom so her voice wouldn’t carry beyond her room and sat on the closed lid of the toilet as she dialed Ben’s number.
“Hey, what’s up?” he said as soon as he answered.
“I’d like to talk to you about something,” she replied.
“I gathered that from your text. I don’t think you’ve ever sent me such an ominous message. Now I’m nervous. Have you made a decision about what you want for your future?”
She drew a deep breath. “Yes.”
He remained silent for a moment. Then he said, “Does the future you see include me? Because your last text suggested it did.”
No longer able to sit still, she jumped up and began to pace in the small room, the tile cool under her bare feet. “It definitely includes you. It also includes children—or a child.”
“What?”
She hurried to curtail his expectations. “Before you get too excited, let me explain.”
“I’m listening,” he said cautiously.
