‘The sooner, the better for me,’ Tony said. ‘It’ll be good to get the estate finalised and everything agreed.’
I took a long drink of my water – which tasted glorious – then lay back down and put my headphones on. It felt awkward listening in on their family business and I didn’t want to be nosy. They carried on chatting as Lewis Capaldi lulled me into a half-snooze and I was warm and sleepy and content… until a slosh of ice-cold water jolted me awake. I sprang up and nearly headbutted Tony, who was shaking his wet hair all over me.
‘What the…? Get off!’ I screamed, jumping up and running away. He chased after me, until I had no choice but to jump in the pool.
‘You’re welcome. You looked far too hot,’ Tony said, laughing.
‘Well, I wasn’t!’ I replied, disgruntled, straddling a pink noodle and riding it like a seahorse. The water was freezing cold, smugly contradicting me.
‘You kind of were,’ he said, bashfully, taking the end of the noodle and slowly spinning me in the water. ‘But you always look hot – you can’t help it.’ I shuddered as my body got used to the temperature and splashed him in the face.
‘I was going to invite you to something tonight, but I’m not sure I want to now,’ I huffed.
‘To what?’ he asked.
‘It’s nothing really. There’s this outdoor cinema thing in Siena,’ I said, deliberately vague. I didn’t want him thinking I’d gone to any trouble. ‘Holly managed to get some free tickets and she’s working so I said I’d see if I could use them.’
‘You don’t mean The Siena Open Air?’
‘Mmm… yeah, something like that.’
‘That’s not nothing – that event gets booked up months in advance.’ He stopped spinning and stared at me in disbelief. ‘It’s like the local version of Glastonbury – there are no free tickets.’
‘Really? Well, it’s no big deal if you’re busy…’
‘Abi, it is a big deal. What film is it?’
‘It’s an old one. I think it’s called…Houseboat?’
‘With Sophia Loren?’
I nodded. ‘That’s it. You’ve probably already seen it.’
He gave me a strange look, then nodded. ‘Of course I have. I told you, I’ve seen all her films, hundreds of times, but that one’s my favourite. I’d love to see it in Siena. Thank you for thinking of me.’
‘As I said, it was a freebie, so…’
Tony rolled his eyes. ‘You know it’s a drive-in, right? We need a car. Or did you get free tickets for a limousine that’s picking us up, as well?’
I went pink. He had me there. ‘No, I was hoping we could borrow the Uno.’
‘That car has seen more of Italy in the past week, than in its entire previous lifetime, but I’m sure Paolo won’t mind. I’ll go and check with him now.’ Tony pulled himself out of the pool, his back glistening as the sun shone through the water.
*
I wasn’t sure if I’d gone too Sandra Dee in my yellow dress, so I wore a pair of teetering red heels and some sparkly earrings to pimp the look. Sophia Loren was now painted and pouty, zipped neatly away in my handbag. It would take us an hour to drive to Siena, so we’d have plenty of time to chat and I could choose my moment to give her to him. No big deal. Tony was waiting outside; this time wearing a cream linen suit and a navy shirt. He looked like an Italian movie star, as he leant against the car, arms folded. Man-sandals peeped out from under his trousers and his mirrored Aviators completed the look. He gave a low whistle and opened the passenger door.
‘Look at yooouuu,’ he said, in approval.
‘Oh! Really? This?’ I frowned at my dress, as if it hadn’t taken me an hour to get ready. ‘You look pretty good yourself,’ I said, looking over at him, as I put my seatbelt on.
‘To Siena m’lady?’ he asked, doffing an imaginary cap.
‘To Siena and beyond,’ I replied, laughing.
The journey flew by, and we made it to the venue with half an hour to spare. I was glad to be with a local – or at least someone who used to be a local. Tony knew exactly where he was going, navigating the twists and turns of the never-ending roads, and driving us straight there, easy breezy. The cinema was set up in a beautifully manicured field and we positioned ourselves in the middle of the middle for a clear view of the screen.
I looked around the car, feeling claustrophobic. ‘Are we allowed to get out?’ I asked, worried we’d be stuck in the Uno for two hours, our knees jammed against the dashboard, surrounded by breath.
