Page 18 of Italy and Forever

Get up and go! She couldn’t think of a way to word a farewell that would discourage him from accompanying her back to the hotel. The faint frown on his features suggested he was probably trying to solve the same problem.

‘I suppose I’ll leave you to—’ Do what, you silly thing? He was dressed now. ‘I can’t believe you went skinny-dipping, in the freezing cold, at Sophie’s wedding.’ And that I saw you, she lamented silently, although she wasn’t as mad about that as she probably should have been.

‘It’s not freezing. The water is about ten degrees, same as the air.’

‘I wouldn’t walk around in this air naked, either.’ She punctuated her sentence by throwing a hand up.

‘It’s refreshing – kind of… wakes up the soul. You should try it.’

‘Nudism?’

‘I meant cold water swimming, but why not? It’s just a body, you said,’ he replied with a shrug.

‘You’re the one who has trouble with faces, but I can never tell when you’re joking,’ she complained.

‘I’m joking,’ he confirmed, but he wasn’t quite smiling.

‘Um, I’m going to the chapel and the reception venue the day after tomorrow to drop off some supplies. Do you want to come to plan for photos?’ Darn, that also wasn’t goodbye.

His hesitation was full of meaning. ‘That’s a good idea.’

‘I’ve got a hire car.’

‘Okay.’

She stood, brushing non-existent dirt off her trousers. ‘I’m sorry to interrupt your… I’ll… leave you to…’

She caught sight of the wet towel, dumped in a ball next to him. Perhaps she’d be leaving him to agonise over what had just happened. That was what she was going to do. But she couldn’t quite leave without getting through the apology she’d prepared.

‘I am sorry I—I mean, I didn’t know about… Now I understand, I just feel guilty for judging you. I thought you just didn’t like people.’

‘You thought I didn’t like you.’

‘Yes, I’m people,’ she said ruefully, turning to go. ‘I’ll see you back at the hotel.’ When she got to the path, she struggled to choose: left or right? To her shock, Rhys’s voice intruded on her moment of indecision.

‘It’s not true that I don’t like you, Ginny,’ he called after her.

For a second, her heart stopped as his words rippled over her skin. She could so easily imagine he meant he liked her… She frowned to clear her head.

‘You’re very… funny.’

She threw an awkward smile over her shoulder and hoped it was enough.

‘But it really shouldn’t matter to you, whether people like you or not.’

Staring at her shoes, she responded tightly, ‘Understanding that and believing it are two different things. I care what other people think.’

A small click suggested he’d swallowed. ‘Maybe you shouldn’t care so much what I think.’

‘Huh, all right,’ she responded grimly. ‘I suppose I’ll try.’

He was waving his red flag at her: Danger! Keep out! But this time it only succeeded in making Ginny even more curious.

8

Ginny had worked herself into a state by the time she found her way back to the hotel. She’d made the questionable decision to turn right and continue all the way around the lake, although whether that decision had been entirely conscious, when her thoughts had been a twisted knot, was a valid question.

She would never understand Rhys – especially since he would never let her. And now, on top of everything, she’d seen him naked.