She sucked in another deep breath. Her hands trembled, shaking stupidly. It was rare for her to blow up at someone. Normally she kept a tight rein on her emotions. Too many years of being accused of it beingthattime of the monthhad toughened her up. The tremors were probably from the sheer willpower it had taken not to shake Felipe. Nothing to do with the fact that he’d made it plain he wasn’t interested in her. No,he was being a dick when this was her big night and he’d ruined it. Reminding her that she wasn’t the sort of woman men fell in love with. Tears pricked at her eyes and threatened to spill over. She sniffed hard. No, she was not going to feel sorry for herself. As usual, she would just get on with it. She certainly wasn’t going to let Felipe ruin her make-up, not when his cousins had taken such care in making sure she looked amazing. Thanks to the sisterhood, she’d left her room feeling like a princess.
All the bright golden anticipation soured in her stomach and nausea rolled in its place.
She lifted her chin. No, she was not going to let Felipe ruin tonight. This was about her and going after what she wanted. Will had set the stage yesterday, making it clear he was ready to take things forward. This was what she’d always wanted.
With her spine as straight as a sergeant-major’s, she walked along the little path weaving through the lavender hedge, the night air fragrant and full of the sound of cicadas. Inhaling the scent, she counted to ten, letting the aroma calm her, and took steady, careful steps to the top of the stairs where Will had said he’d meet her.
As he wasn’t there, she took out her phone and immediately saw she’d had a text from him.
Sorry, running late. Long call with my editor. Easier to eat here tonight. Will make it up to you. See you as soon as I can. Xxx
Antonio greeted her with a bow. ‘Você é linda. You look very nice.’
‘Thank you,’ she said, immediately remembering the look in Felipe’s eyes when he’d said the same thing. It reminded her of the little leap of awareness between them.
‘Can I get you a table?’
‘Ah,’ she faltered, a little thrown. ‘I’m having dinner with Mr Evans. I think he may have booked a table.’ Surely he’d done that much?
‘Ah, yes.’ Antonio led her to a table for two in the corner.
‘Thank you.’
‘Can I get you a drink, while you’re waiting?’
Rebecca surreptitiously checked her watch.
‘I’ll wait, thank you. I’ll just have some water.’
While she sat and waited, Antonio brought her a bottle of water and she concentrated on taking in the lovely view. The blue of the sea had deepened to a dark indigo below the pale evening sky, the sun hovering low on the horizon. In the nearby field, bells clanged and from their loud bleats she knew that the goats, with the cute kids that bounced up and down all day, were being rounded up for the evening. Discreetly she studied the other diners, spotting a couple of guests, one of whom had done her Pilates class that morning. The woman gave her a quick smile of recognition.
Rebecca took her phone out of her pocket to check Will hadn’t texted or messaged again. She’d been having so much fun with Ana, Cristina and Katerina, that she’d missed his original message. She wouldn’t put it past the younger two to find some excuse to wander past or through the restaurant at some point of the evening, once they found out she and Will were eating at the hotel. A smile pulled at her lips as she thought of their teasing, mischief and support. The three sisters gave her a lovely warm feeling like she was being enveloped in a warm blanket.
For something to do, she scrolled through her recent photos and stopped at one of Felipe that she’d taken on the beach the other evening. She studied his oh-so-handsome idiotic face and her stupid pulse flickered as she remembered the way he’d kissed her.Stupid, stupid, stupid.At least he’d been honest with her. There would never be anything between them apartfrom off-the-charts-fun chemistry. Now she knew the burden he carried, she refused to add to it.
She loved Will. She’d loved him for so long. Okay, they might not have fireworks, but what they had was solid and steady, and she wanted to belong to someone in a way that she’d never felt with her own family. She’d not heard from her brothers or father since she’d been in Portugal, and only received a cursory few texts from her mother.
‘Hey,’ said a soft voice, making her start in surprise.
‘Hey,’ she said, looking up to see Will standing at the table in a rumpled white shirt and baggy cargo shorts, his hair mussed with bits standing on end. She smiled at him. He hadn’t changed in all the years she’d known him.
‘Busy day?’ she asked.
He wrinkled his nose. ‘Yeah, sorry. I’m useless. I completely forgot to book the other place and then I was on a roll with the writing. I thought of something I wanted to add, so I’ve managed to extend my deadline for a couple of days. Managed over three thousand words and had a really good chat with my editor. Time just ran away with me. Will you forgive me?’
‘That’s brilliant, well done,’ she said.
‘I’m ready for you to read my first draft.’ Bright enthusiasm radiated from his face.
‘Really?’
‘Yes, if you don’t mind.’ His earnest sincerity made her smile. ‘You know how much I value your feedback. I’m not sure I could write without you, you know.’
She smiled, a glow of satisfaction and pride burning inside her. It made her feel valued whereas Felipe had hidden how hard he worked and only accepted her help as an absolute last resort. Will entrusted her with his early drafts and enjoyed the time they spent together when they discussed his work at length, often in his kitchen over dinner she’d cooked.
It was a bond between them she’d always cherished and one that had kept her going in the hope that one day he would look up and see her.
‘You’re such a wonderful sounding board and you make me think more deeply about some of the points.’
