‘I’m really happy for you, Ethan. So does this mean you’ve forgiven me and you still want to be my friend?’
‘Of course it does, and the other great news for you is that she didn’t get it together with Mark. He’s all yours.’ He picked up his cake and buried his face in it. ‘I’m gonna pay for this tomorrow, but this is one hell of a cake.’
At that moment there was a flash of jet black and Carmen sped up the steps and across the terrace towards them. As she skidded to a halt beside Emma, she reared up on her hind legs and put her front paws on her lap.
‘Ciao, Carmen. Now, get off. Be a good girl.’
Emma persuaded the dog to return to the ground and then stroked her until she slid down onto her back, legs in the air, her tail wiping the floor tiles as she did so.
‘Sorry about that. She’s evidently just very pleased to see you.’ Mark jogged up the steps behind her and, once again, Emma’s heart leapt. ‘Claudio says she’s been sleeping all day, so she’s feeling very bouncy.’
Emma hadn’t been sleeping, but seeing him again, she found herself feeling unexpectedly bouncy as well. Maybe, she wondered to herself, even though she knew it was all going to end in four days’ time, she should give in to her physical desires, just as Laney and Ethan and Marina and Rich had done. Better to have loved and lost…
‘I’ve spoken to the chef and he’s going to make a birthday cake for Rich. He’s even got a box of candles.’ Mark sat down beside them and mouthed the word ‘espresso’ to the waitress. She smiled and ducked back into the villa. ‘And he’s doing a barbecue out here tonight as it’s such a fine evening.’
‘This is a great place you have here, Mark.’ Ethan swilled the last of the coffee around in his cup and got to his feet. ‘I’d better go off and check in with Sinc. He’s been making all the arrangements for tomorrow. But it’s been a really good weekend and I promise I’ll come back once the hotel’s open to the public.’
Mark smiled up at him. ‘Be sure to tell all your friends.’
‘You bet.’
As Ethan headed back into the villa, Mark transferred his attention to Emma. ‘He seems unexpectedly happy for somebody who’s just been turned down by the woman he described as the most desirable in Hollywood.’
Emma felt the colour rush to her cheeks and rushed to downplay it. ‘Hollywood hype. Doesn’t mean a thing. But there is a reason why he’s smiling.’
‘Not Laney by any chance?’
‘Full marks, Sherlock. Got it in one.’
‘So he got over you pretty damn fast?’
‘Precisely.’
‘There must be something in the air.’
Emma liked where this might be leading, but she was to be thwarted as Marina appeared alongside Rich and they sat down to discuss arrangements for the following day.
The barbecue was predictably excellent. Not only were there some massive Florentine steaks, the size of Emma’s grandmother’s old bible on there, the chef had also prepared delicate little pieces of chicken breast, rolled up in the local version of Parma ham, as well as kebabs made up of prawns and cherry tomatoes. Ethan chomped his way through half a cow, while Marylou made short work of the rest. Fortunately there were no horns or hooves or she would probably have eaten those as well. Emma opted for a more restrained meal and helped herself to some pieces of chicken and a prawn kebab.
Laney appeared wearing a stunning, if minimal, silk dress with no bra and Emma grinned to herself as she noticed Mark sitting opposite her, doing his best to avert his eyes. Marina, she noticed, was looking particularly good tonight and Rich, alongside her, was doing a lot of smiling. The dark rings under his eyes were now a distant memory and his whole demeanour had changed for the better. Emma had absolutely no doubt that this Italian interlude had been the best thing for him.
When they reached the end of the meal, the chef appeared with a massive iced birthday cake, loaded with twenty-eight candles and Rich looked genuinely surprised and very pleased. Champagne was distributed and everybody toasted him. Shyly, he rose to his feet.
‘This is great, guys. I’ll be completely honest, I’d forgotten it was my birthday. This means a lot and I know who to thank.’ He held out his glass towards Emma and gave her a brilliant smile. ‘Thanks, boss. You’re a star.’
To Emma’s embarrassment, the real stars around the table all joined in, even Laney, thanking her for organising such a wonderful weekend. Emma tried to tell them it was all down to Mark and his wonderful hotel, but she still had to drink a toast to herself.
Afterwards, as the party split up, she walked across the terrace to the balustrade and rested on her elbows, gazing across at the twinkling lights of Gubbio on the hillside opposite. Above her the sky was a velvety deep purple with a huge full moon so clear she could see the craters. As she leant there, she heard soft footsteps and felt a light touch on her bare shoulder. She turned to find it was Marina.
‘Hi, Marina. That was some meal, wasn’t it?’
Marina smiled. ‘It certainly was.’ She settled down alongside Emma for a few moments and Emma wondered if she had something to say. It very soon emerged that she had.
‘Emma, can I ask you for your advice, please?’ She sounded unusually hesitant.
‘Of course. Anything’
‘It’s about Rich.’ Emma saw her hesitate again. ‘Or at least, it’s about Rich and me. You see, you may have noticed that we’ve grown pretty close over the past week and I’m conscious that it won’t be long before we get to Venice and the trip will be over.’ There was a longer pause and Emma was just wondering if she should say something when Marina continued. ‘In fact, I’m counting off the days and I’m dreading Thursday.’
‘Because he’ll be going back to the States.’
‘Because he’ll be going back to the States.’ She looked up and Emma could see the tears in the corners of her eyes sparkling in the moonlight. ‘And my job means I’m supposed to be staying here. I don’t know what to do, Emma, I really don’t. What would you do?’
Emma paused in her turn. If Marina only knew; this whole subject was very fresh and very raw inside her own head. ‘Has Rich said anything?’
Marina nodded. ‘Yes, he’s asked me to go over there with him.’
‘What, permanently?’
‘We don’t know. Maybe just temporarily to see how it works out.’
‘And if it doesn’t work out, what happens then?’
‘I know. That’s what I’ve been asking myself. I love my job and I think I’m pretty good at it.’ Emma had to bite her tongue as she heard Marina using the exact same words she had used herself. ‘I’d hate to lose the job, but at the same time I’d hate to lose Rich.’ She dropped her head. ‘He’s had such a rough time over the past few years, but he’s doing so well now. I’ve seen a massive change in him just in a few days.’
‘He’s told you about his problems?’
‘He’s told me everything – from first experimenting with drugs to becoming totally hooked. He told me he came over to Europe to escape from his life in California and even spent some time in Italy, but it must have been very tough and very squalid. I can’t bear the thought of him falling back into that spiral of despair all over again.’