‘Xavier and I are running one of the food stalls,’ Holly said.
‘And we are serving our classic white wine – Vernaccia Almagno,’ Mia added.
‘Maybe I can help somehow, too,’ I mused. ‘I could do face-painting for the kids if you like. Do they do that here?’
‘That’s a great idea,’ Holly said. ‘Have you got your kit with you?’
‘I’ve always got enough make-up with me to start a small shop – you know that. I’ve got glitter paint and glue and can put something together. Paint all the kids as grapes, or olives, or something.’
‘Innovator, right here…’ Holly said, pointing at me.
‘That would be wonderful, Abi. The children will love it,’ Mia said, delighted.
I shrugged. ‘What can I say? I’m a natural-born crowd-pleaser.’
‘Excuse me, do you have a light?’ A guy from the next table tapped me on the shoulder. He was tall and blond, with a scraggy ‘I’ve been travelling’ scarf and a shark tooth, or a crocodile tooth – or maybe one of his own teeth – hung loosely around his neck.
‘Oh, er, no sorry, I don’t smoke,’ I said, turning back to the girls.
‘Neither do I,’ he replied, handing his cigarette back to his friend and trying again. ‘Filthy habit.’ He smiled, crooked white teeth against his dark tan. He was cute and on any other day I’d have smiled back, but I didn’t really see the point today. My mind was still so full of Tony, there wasn’t space for anyone else.
‘I’m Cam,’ he said, holding out his hand to shake mine. ‘Can we join you guys?’
I laughed, thinking on my feet. ‘That’s very sweet, but I don’t think our husbands would be too pleased. They are meeting us here later for drinks.’
Still got it. Well, I had something, but I didn’t have a husband. I looked over at Holly and smiled. Mia’s wedding ring gleamed in the sunshine as I tapped my necklace. I tried to imagine how it would feel for Xavier, Paolo, and Tony to appear and sit down with us. The six of us as three happy couples. To be part of a twosome again – that feeling of being safe and secure and loved. I decided right there and then to speak to Tony the second he got back. Maybe I was ready to see how things might evolve with him after all. Slowly of course. Very slowly.
Sixteen
Tuesday 20thAugust
I woke with a thudding headache. My hangovers were getting worse. Or maybe the alcohol was getting stronger, and the measures were getting bigger. I needed coffee, tablets, and carbs all at once. Today was definitely a day for pancakes, but Paolo wouldn’t be back until later, so I’d have to make do with a large portion of breakfast cake. I’d had a restless night, thinking about Tony and couldn’t wait for him to get back. He’d only been gone a day, but I missed him being around the place, and weirdly felt a bit lost without him, having had him on tap for the past few weeks.
I threw on a strappy turquoise dress, with my sunglasses, and a baseball cap for good measure. The sun was not my friend today and I needed as much protection as possible from its glare. I popped two paracetamol and floated down to breakfast, trying to decide how best to backtrack on mynot really looking for anythingposition. Should I wait for another romantic moment to present itself – and let’s face it, Tuscany was constantly throwing them at us – or be more practical about it. The thought of having a deep-and-meaningful conversation scared me to death and I didn’t want to make an embarrassing reality-TV-show moment out of it – who knew how long we even had left out here together.
The selection of cakes on the buffet was excellent. Lemon cake,ciambellone, pistachio sponge. My stomach growled, the alcohol still swirling around from the night before, desperate for some stodge to attach itself to. I was tempted to get a slice of each, which was not like me at all. I was going completely off the rails out here. I decided on the lemon cake and a banana – two of my five-a-day right there – and poured myself an orange juice for a third. I could always go back for more. And probably would. All I needed was a bucket of caffe latte and I’d be sorted. The sun was up and beaming, adding light and heat to my headache as I made my way outside to find a shaded spot. Mia was nowhere to be seen, but Viola was frantically running around, carrying dirty plates through to the kitchen.
‘Ciao,’ I called after her, looking out at the patio, where everyone was already up and breakfasting. Dawn was tapping boiled eggs on the table and buttering toast; Ian and Cathy were huddled in conversation with a fruit platter and a pot of coffee on the go; and the puppies were rolling around on the floor, with Ellie crawling after them. Where was Mia?
‘Is everything OK?’ I asked, as Viola reappeared, huffing and puffing.
‘You’d like a coffee?’ she said, ignoring my question.
‘Yes please. Is Mia here?’
‘No Mia, only me,’ Viola said, rushing off to get my coffee as if her life depended on it. I appreciated her sense of urgency – it did feel like an emergency situation this morning.
The lemon cake was fresh and delicious, and I took a photo of the orange juice with the swimming pool in the background. Despite feeling slightly rough, I wanted to remember this place forever. The slow start of a delicious breakfast, followed by doing whatever the hell I fancied later, which wouldn’t be very much. I’d done a lot less this past week and felt so much calmer and happier for it.
Viola placed a large coffee in front of me, the rich smell perking me up immediately.
‘Grazie mille, Viola,’ I said, picking it up and taking a gulp. Italian coffee always seemed to be at perfect drinking temperature; there was no need to wait.
‘Prego,’ she said, with a nod, wiping the table next to me and taking the empty plates.
‘Has Mia gone into town?’ I asked, cramming a piece of lemon cake into my mouth.
‘To Florence,’ Viola said. ‘For an accident.’
