Page 6 of Italy and Forever

‘I’ll see you at the wedding?’

She responded by raising her middle finger over her shoulder in a gesture that made him smile, while sending remorse through him at the same time. He wished he could reassure her that he did like her, but he’d spent a year denying it to himself.

3

‘What’s that smell?’ Trust Kira to get straight to the heart of the matter.

Ginny slumped over the table, burying her face in the crook of her arm. ‘It’s me. What smell do you mean? The burning or the aniseed?’

‘Uh, both.’

‘They’re both me.’

‘Dare I ask what happened to the beers?’ Laurie ventured.

‘I can’t face him again. You’ll have to get them yourself. They’re on the bar, next to a singed piece of my hair,’ Ginny lamented.

Toni tilted Ginny’s face up and inspected her locks. ‘It’s just a little bit. Are you okay?’

‘No.’ She pouted. ‘I was right. Rhys hates me. I was exactly the wrong person to ask him.’

‘What’s this?’ Andreas asked.

Ginny wasn’t sure how much of her mortification to share. Definitely not the fact that there was a sizzle of something in her stomach when she thought of Rhys’s crinkled forehead and solemn eyes – or that short flirtatious conversation before she’d realised it was him. If she were to develop a crush on him, then the hypnotherapist had definitely been right about the self-sabotage.

‘We rub each other the wrong way, that’s all. Oh, and he’s refused to be the wedding photographer, so I’ve failed.’

Andreas harrumphed and got to his feet. ‘I’ll talk to him.’ Laurie stumbled after him, fleeing Ginny’s undignified display of emotion.

She could feel Toni and Kira’s concerned looks. Peering over at the bar, she saw Andreas arguing with Rhys and her stomach sank even further. ‘I think I should just go. Maybe you could lend me your key and I’ll get a taxi if you want to stay longer. If I hadn’t had that burning shot, I might have been able to drive all the way home.’

Living in Glastonbury, around the corner from where she grew up, had been practical over the past year, working between her usual office in Bath and the Great Heart gym in Weymouth, but it was over an hour to get home from here and Kira had a spare room. Usually it was fun, like sleepovers from childhood – except Kira didn’t like makeovers and the boy talk was all from Ginny.

‘I’ll come with you,’ Kira offered.

After giving Toni a hug in farewell, Ginny sighed as they headed out to the car. ‘I think my dating ban is for the best’ was the thought that made its way out of her mouth.

‘What made you say that?’ Kira asked, clicking in her seat belt.

‘I was just thinking how much it means to me that this wedding goes well.’

‘It would be kind of embarrassing for a wedding-planning agency if you can’t knock it out of the park for one of your own.’

‘It’s not just that,’ Ginny insisted, peering at Kira. She knew her friend had softened significantly towards emotional vulnerability since the wedding last winter, where she’d met the person who was undoubtedly her soulmate, but Ginny wasn’t sure if she’d softened towards weddings in general.

‘Sophie’s been through so much,’ she continued. ‘And now the surprise pregnancy, which is wonderful, but must be overwhelming. I want to give her this moment to treasure and that she can keep forever, which is the power of a photo.’

She turned to Kira.

‘Do you think that’s what I should have said to Rhys? Do you think he would have agreed, if I’d appealed to his artistic, philosophical side?’

‘What makes you think he has an artistic, philosophical side?’

Ginny frowned. ‘I just assumed, since he took that amazing picture of Andreas – the one in the reception area at Great Heart.’

‘Yeah, that’s an old photo,’ Kira said quietly. ‘He’s… struggled in recent years.’ She grimaced. ‘Not to excuse him or anything. You know how he is.’

‘Not really,’ Ginny pointed out. ‘I only know he’s a loner who waves his own giant red flag to keep people away.’