‘Can you believe it? They asked for a selfie. Hello, you!’ She gave Didi a big hug. ‘God, all this being nice to strangers is exhausting.’
‘I was just telling Shay, he needs to take time to unwind.’
‘You’re absolutely right.’ Caz slid her arm around Shay’s waist. ‘I said the same. He has to get away for a proper break. One of my mates has a place in St Lucia and she said we can stay there for as long as we like, but Shay’s not sure he wants to.’ She gave Didi an encouraging nudge. ‘Come on, back me up here. Tell him he needs to go.’
Here it was, one of those situations you didn’t want to find yourself in. Not wanting him to go at all, but unable to say so, Didi nodded at Shay. ‘It’d do you good.’
‘Thank you! See? Didi agrees with me. You’ve been through a shit time and now you have to take a few weeks off. As soon as I’ve finished in Cape Town we could spend a fortnight in St Lucia, then fly on to New Zealand before I start my next job . . . if it goes ahead.’
‘I don’t know . . .’ Shay was raking his fingers through his hair, clearly still unconvinced.
‘Babe, take it from me, it’s what you need. And I’ll be there to look after you, won’t I?’ Reaching up, Caz kissed him tenderly on the mouth. ‘All I want to do is make you feel better, then—’
‘Didi, found you!’ Sylvia had finished her shift and belatedly come to pay her respects. Waving and hurrying towards them in her cerise dress, she exclaimed, ‘Why haven’t you been answering your phone?’
‘I turned it off in the church.’ It was a fairly basic requirement when you were attending a funeral, although Red would probably have found it amusing if a comedy ringtone had suddenly blasted out during the eulogy. ‘I didn’t get round to turning it on again. Why, what’s happened?’
‘You’ve got a surprise.’ Sylvia’s eyes danced. ‘Waiting for you back at the hotel. Oh . . .’ She turned apologetically to Shay. ‘So sorry about your dad. Was it a lovely service? Looks like you’re giving him a wonderful send-off.’
Shay nodded. ‘Thanks.’
After an awkward moment, Didi said, ‘What kind of surprise?’ Well, she had to ask. Maybe a Michelin inspector had just paid a visit to the restaurant and been so bowled over by his lunch that he’d cast off his anonymity in order to shower praise on—
‘It’s Aaron!’ Clearly over the moon, Sylvia clapped her hands with delight. ‘I told him you were here, but obviously it wouldn’t be right to have a wonderful romantic reunion at a wake. So he’s waiting for you at the hotel! Isn’t that just the most fantastic surprise? He’s flown all the way back from New York because he missed you so much! And let me tell you, he is handsomer than ever!’
What the hell?
‘Look at her, she can’t believe it,’ Caz exclaimed. ‘She’s stunned!’
That was certainly true.
‘Your face is a picture,’ whooped Sylvia. ‘Oh, we should have videoed this!’
‘Love’s young dream.’ Caz did a comedy swoon and turned to Shay. ‘I hope you’re always going to be this romantic with me.’
‘Shall I call the hotel, let him know you’re on your way back?’ Sylvia already had her phone out.
‘I can’t leave yet.’ Didi recovered the power of speech. ‘This is Red’s wake.’
‘Of course you can,’ said Caz. ‘Red wouldn’t want you staying here – he’d be the first one to tell you to get yourself back to the hotel. Wouldn’t he?’ She turned to Shay for confirmation.
He nodded, clearly distracted by more urgent concerns. ‘Caz is right. It’s fine. You should go.’
Chapter 42
In the past when she’d been busy at work and Aaron had arrived at the hotel by taxi, he’d always greeted her exuberantly in front of a crowd, for maximum impact. This time he was waiting for her in the otherwise empty hallway, and as soon as he caught sight of her, hope flared in his eyes.
‘Didi.’ He hurried towards her and gave her a quick hug. ‘Can we go up to your flat?’
She nodded; he wasn’t the only one who didn’t want an audience.
Up the polished wooden staircase they went. As soon as her door closed behind them, Aaron blurted out, ‘I’ve missed you so much. Oh God, you have no idea.’
‘Is that why you’re here?’ Didi shook her head. ‘I’m confused.’
‘You’re not the only one.’ He took a step closer. ‘Sylvia seems to think you and I are still getting married in December and that I’ve flown back from New York to see you.’
‘Ah.’ She’d invented his secondment to the New York branch of the company to explain his absence.
‘Show me your hands.’
‘What?’
‘Please.’
Didi held out her hands and Aaron’s gaze flickered over them. ‘OK, the reason I’m here is because I was at a business meeting in Leeds yesterday and one of my colleagues showed me a photo he’d seen in the paper.’
Still none the wiser, Didi said, ‘A photo of what?’
‘Of you. I don’t make a habit of reading the tabloids, obviously, but this was pointed out to me.’ He opened his phone and held it up to show her the screenshot. It was a recent photograph of Caz returning to the hotel. Spotting her climbing out of a taxi, Didi had gone outside to welcome her, whereupon someone on the other side of the road had captured the moment on camera. As they’d greeted each other with enthusiasm, Didi’s left hand had been outstretched.
And there, clearly visible on her third finger, was the diamond, glittering away in the bright sunlight.
‘So you’re still wearing my ring. And you don’t appear to have told anyone here that we broke up.’ Aaron tilted his head. ‘Which leads me to think you’ve been regretting what you said to me and trying to pluck up the courage to admit you made a massive mistake. Am I right?’
Didi’s heart was sinking ever lower. She’d landed herself in this mess and now, somehow or other, she had to get out of it.
It took a while. Aaron had never been one for admitting that he might have got hold of the wrong end of the stick. Didi was forced to invent an over-eager suitor with a bit of a crush on her who’d made it necessary for her to pretend she was still engaged. Aaron wanted to know who the suitor was, but she refused to tell him. He then asked if anything had happened between her and Shay and she was able to assure him truthfully that it hadn’t.
‘But I told you you could go for it. I gave you my permission.’ He seemed frustrated that she hadn’t taken advantage of his generous offer.
‘Shay’s seeing Caz. Plus, I didn’t want to sleep with him.’
Aaron gestured with frustration. ‘But how are you going to get him out of your system if you don’t?’
Twenty minutes later, a text from Sylvia arrived on Didi’s phone:
So so sorry to interrupt, but the Walker-Dunns are here – they want to book the hotel for an eightieth birthday party and are insisting they speak to you about it.
‘I have to go,’ she told Aaron. ‘Something needs sorting downstairs.’