Summer on the Italian Lakes

by Lucy Coleman

  ‘How long have you two been together?’ Arran asks, maybe feeling it’s time to draw Mel into the discussion. Now I’m fearful she’ll turn this around and make him feel uncomfortable.

  ‘A little over a month but we chatted online for a couple of weeks before we actually met up for the first time.’ The merest hint of a pink hue washes over Mel’s face as she talks. She’s making direct eye contact with Arran, which is a relief.

  ‘We met through an online dating agency. When they get it right, they really get it right,’ Ross chimes in, turning to gaze at Mel.

  The pink hue deepens a couple of shades as she gazes back at him. These two need to get a room and really get the party started!

  ‘Mel said you guys met in Italy?’ Ross looks directly across at Arran. I half consider jumping in to answer him but I’m a second too slow.

  ‘We did. What was supposed to be a working trip ended up turning our lives upside down. When you meet the right one you instantly know it and that came as a huge shock to me. I’m still getting over it.’ He starts laughing and looks in my direction. Before I have a chance to open my mouth, Mel has taken up the conversation.

  ‘I can imagine Lake Garda is a beautiful place and the perfect setting in which to fall in love. I bet it has inspired a lot of holiday romances. But how on earth are you going to cope, given the distance between the two of you?’

  Arran reaches across to grab my left hand, which is resting in my lap. He gives it a squeeze and turns to face Mel.

  ‘We’re hoping that friends and family will help us sort out how to make it work. It’s going to mean some adjustments all round and we don’t want anyone to feel left out. I’m not close with my family, unfortunately, so for me it will be a case of introducing Brie to my circle of friends and neighbours; people I’ve known for a long time as Italy has been a part of my life since I was a child. Over here, it’s mainly work colleagues, some of whom have become friends because we’ve known each other for a while. But my network isn’t as tight as Brie’s and I’m keen to get to know everyone who plays a significant part in her life.’

  Ah, my heart skips a beat.

  ‘How did it go when you met Brie’s mum and dad, last night?’ Mel’s question results in an awkward silence. I have no choice but to step in.

  ‘They’re both keen to get to know Arran but Dad isn’t up to long visits as he still tires so easily. I thought he looked vastly improved in the few days since I’d last seen him but he’s still very pale. Mum says his consultant has recommended they ease into a daily walking regime and I’m sure the fresh air will bring back some of the colour to his face.’

  Mel realises it wasn’t really an answer, but she lets it go. As we peruse the menu, ready to place our orders, the general chatter becomes a little more relaxed.

  It’s an enjoyable meal, both of the guys enjoying the hearty, pub grub portions but I only toy with my meal and Mel leaves quite a bit of hers.

  I spend a fair bit of time watching Ross and taking in every little word he says. That shy persona of his means he is really making an effort. Mel instinctively helps him out and many of his conversations end up with a back and forth going on between them.

  It’s a great relief to see this mutual reliance going on because Mel needs to be needed. They only have eyes for each other and several times their furtive glances cause me to smile. By comparison, my interaction with Arran is overtly obvious. He’s touchy-feely all the time and doesn’t even realise he’s doing it so I practise a few avoidance techniques.

  At the end of a very pleasant evening we bid our goodbyes and as I tell Ross how thrilled I am to see my best friend so happy, Arran and Mel are having their own little conversation. It doesn’t appear to be awkward in any way and that’s something, I suppose. When I hug her, I whisper into her ear, ‘You’re right, Ross is a great guy and I’m thrilled for you, Mel.’

  We pull away and she gives me her usual smile. Tonight has gone well – well, better than last night – and it’s a good start. But we haven’t totally won her over yet.

  *

  Arran kicks the engine into life to start the drive home.

  ‘I’m sorry I was late back, and it was such a rush to get here. They seem like a well matched couple. Do you think Mel approved of me?’

  I think she’s taking her time to form an opinion.

  ‘Well, she wasn’t her usual self but then we’ve never been out on a double date before. I suspect she was nervous about my reaction to Ross. It’s easy to forget that our line of work exposes us to situations where we’re often meeting new people. More so you, than me, because I do treasure my reclusive writing zone and when it’s time to switch into marketing mode I find it tough at first. It’s the same with getting out there and meeting new people.’

  ‘Ross did well. Did you notice that after the introductions he avoided talking directly to you all night? I think maybe you have a fan there.’

  I pause for a moment. Hmm.

  ‘Well, according to Mel, he’s one for very romantic gestures and that’s part of the attraction. Her ex, Justin, wasn’t like that at all. After living, unknowingly, with a cheater, she needs a guy who can give her that sort of reassurance. His shyness isn’t a problem, because Mel is so protective of him. I thought that was rather touching. But I doubt he’d be one of my readers. More likely one of yours; something a little more macho.’

  ‘Is that a sexist dig? Macho men can’t be romantic? I’m sure I can rise to that challenge, but it might need a bit of forethought. Anyway, did Carrie tell you the not quite so good news?’

  I turn my head in Arran’s direction. He doesn’t look too disappointed, so it can’t be that bad.

  ‘One of the publishers has dropped out. It’s a two horse race, now.’

  ‘Did they say why?’

  He grimaces. ‘She said, reading between the lines, they’d heard about yesterday’s little fiasco and felt that not all publicity is good. Which is fair enough. She said the interest of the other two remains strong and it’s a numbers game now. The fact that your name is now a part of the deal has proved to be a bit of an incentive and she hopes to be able to go through the two respective best offers in the next day or so.’

  Well, I will be relieved when the negotiations are over.

  ‘Harriet is being particularly unpleasant and bending my parents’ ears. I had an email from my father requesting that I have no further contact with him after my appalling behaviour. He informed me that I was an embarrassment to both him and my mother, who would be supporting Harriet through this difficult time.’

  ‘No! Really? I know the divorce was messy, but it wasn’t your fault. Will Harriet cause a lot of trouble for you back in Lake Garda?’

  Arran shrugs his shoulders as he weighs up the implications.

  ‘There might be one or two who might fall for her “poor me” story. But they are the sort who would find a revelation like this shocking and distasteful, so would distance themselves anyway. Most, I feel, will wonder why she’s making a fuss now we’re divorced. She doesn’t seem willing to bow out of my life gracefully, even though we haven’t lived together for several years.

  ‘There will probably be some sterling support on my behalf but even her closest friends won’t be too surprised by her behaviour. She seems to live her life veering between emotional highs and lows. I’m not the sort of guy people would associate with this sort of scandal, to be honest. In a way we are victims and that fact will annoy some people, who will be incensed by the intrusion and want to show solidarity.’

  ‘I’ll feel better once you’ve been back and it would be great if I could accompany you, just for a short visit. What do you think?’

  Arran’s eyes are firmly on the road ahead, but I can see the smile as the contours of his profile change.

  ‘I’m glad you said that. I know this might sound like I’m rushing you but what if we see if it’s possible to tie the knot before this trip comes to an end? We can both fly back and maybe take
a week as a sort of honeymoon.’

  ‘But where would we stay? You aren’t in a position to kick Harriet out of the villa.’

  Even sideways on, I can see a big smile creeping over his face.

  ‘I have just the perfect little place in mind. A friend of mine has a holiday apartment in Salò, overlooking the lake. We can have a little house party and see which friends turn up and which don’t. At least we’ll know for sure and it will get everything out in the open. It would be wonderful to be able to introduce you as my wife.’

  ‘That doesn’t give us a lot of time but then there’s not really a lot to plan, is there? Okay. I’m up for it!’

  ‘Oh…’ He hesitates for a moment. ‘I didn’t mean to spring it on you like that. I was sort of thinking out loud. Look, I know you’re busy bringing your new personal assistant up to speed regarding the cottage and everything, so what if I make the arrangements? I’ll check with you before I book anything, I promise, but it will make me feel useful. I’m sure there’s going to be a fair bit of form filling to be done, so I can suss that out. I might have to extend my stay a little, but it will be worthwhile.’

  I relax back in my seat. It’s kind of nice that Arran wants to do this, and I love the idea of flying back to Italy as his wife. Keeping this a secret over here will be difficult but I think it will take time to smooth things out and there’s little point in pretending otherwise. At some point in the future we can have a big party to celebrate our new status with the people closest to us. But by then Arran will be an accepted part of my life and hopefully everyone will be happy on our behalf.

  I’ll gloss over the fact that this is beginning to read more like a storyline from a work of fiction. Being in love, I’ve found, changes the way you look at everything. Arran and I will make this happen because failure is not an option!

  31

  A New Reality

  Well, Italy this isn’t. The rain continues to pour for the next six days and the sun seems to have totally given up. But I hardly notice as I spend long hours sitting in front of the screen, knowing that I have no choice other than to be as productive as possible when Arran isn’t here. Then, when he is – well, we are otherwise occupied.

  The interview with Heidi went as well as it could, I suppose, but it made us both uncomfortable to see our names, and details of our relationship, splashed all over a website. After which, to my abject horror, his father sent me an email via my website – something I haven’t shared with Arran yet. He said that because of me he would never speak to his son again and that the family wanted nothing to do with Arran, or us. What really hurt was that he said that my sudden appearance in Arran’s life had prevented a reconciliation between him and Harriet. The way it was penned made it very clear that he felt his son deserved better and that I would live to regret ensnaring Arran. At some point, he warned, Arran would wake up and realise the mistake he was making but by then it would be too late.

  I’d read the email, recoiling at the bitterness and the tone that the words on the screen in front of me exuded. For a moment I began to doubt myself. Was I robbing Arran of the chance to start over and find happiness with Harriet? Had he been angry post break-up and getting everything out of perspective? But suddenly this new inner strength welled up inside me and I responded, knowing it was the wrong thing to do but I couldn’t help myself.

  Dear Mr Jamieson

  As we’ve never met and, after reading your email it’s unlikely we ever will, I felt the need to respond. Arran is your son and you deserve to know what’s really happening as opposed to what you might read in the press.

  If things were going to work out between Arran and Harriet, then it would have already happened. I think you know that only too well and that’s why you sent the email in the hope that it would put doubts in my mind.

  The truth is that I love your son with all my heart and there is nothing I wouldn’t do for him. If I genuinely believed there was any feeling left in his heart for Harriet then I would have walked away, believe me, no matter how painful that would have been. Because I, too, want him to have no regrets.

  Loving someone isn’t conditional. It’s selfless. It means you put them first in everything you do because you want to make them happy. I want to make Arran happy and I’ll do whatever it takes to achieve that.

  If I’m ever lucky enough to have children, then I hope I will have the good grace and the unconditional love to let them live their own lives – and make their own decisions. I will love and support them no matter where life’s path takes them. And I’ll be there to pick up the pieces if they get hurt and things go wrong, because I’ve lived safe in the knowledge that my parents are there for me no matter what. Always and forever.

  As each day passes and my family and friends can see how happy Arran and I are together, their love for him grows. But you can’t learn to accept someone if you don’t give them a chance. It saddens me that you aren’t prepared to extend me that courtesy. All I do know is that Arran is an amazing man and together we are going to build a wonderful future. Our door will always be open to both you and your wife, if you ever want to reach out.

  Best regards,

  Brie Middleton

  Somehow, I felt better after I’d pressed send and, at some point, I will show Arran the content of our email exchange. But for now, he’s happy, and after a hard day’s work he arrives back here, content to relax and feeling completely at home. He’s online a lot every evening planning our wedding and I keep telling him I want no fuss. The last thing we need is to have another photo disaster if we are going to succeed in keeping this a secret for a while afterwards. Arran asked me last night why I was so intent on doing it this way and it took me a few minutes to find the right words.

  ‘If this was happening to Mel, then I’d be very concerned. The speed at which things have happened and the problems we need to overcome… well, I’d be trying to talk her out of it. I’d warn her that when a relationship is new nothing is guaranteed, and the wisest course of action is to wait and see how things develop.’

  Arran’s face reflected the fact that it was sound advice.

  ‘But that isn’t us, is it?’ He’d beamed at me, unable to hide his enthusiasm.

  ‘No. Once the deed is done then no one can talk either of us out of it.’

  His head tipped back a little then and his expression changed.

  ‘You feel that could happen?’ I felt his frown was tinged with disappointment.

  ‘No, of course not, silly! But I don’t want guilt spoiling my joy; which it would do because I would feel awful ignoring good advice from people who are only trying to protect me, well, us. You know you have wormed your way into my mum’s affections and Dad is looking very proud when he sees us together. But it’s still a little soon for all of them. Let them get used to the idea of us living together first, because there’s still so much to sort out. Sometimes you have to go with your heart and I’ve waited all my life to say that in such a meaningful way.’

  He’d picked me up in his arms then and span me around, his eyes lit up with love and happiness.

  ‘You had me worried there for a moment. I just don’t want you to feel robbed of anything. But when things have settled down, and we can finally tell everyone we’re officially man and wife, we will have the biggest celebration, I promise you! Well, the biggest we can afford, that is.’

  I half wondered if it was an opportunity to talk to him about his father’s email but I didn’t want to put a damper on the rest of our evening. Besides, I had good news to share. My new assistant, Vivian, had phoned mid-morning to say there were two viewings booked for Saturday afternoon. Arran and I chinked wine glasses and peered at each other over the top of them, like two excited kids.

  Admittedly, I initially thought the valuation was rather high, but I went with the estate agent’s suggestion and I guess he was right, because it’s only being advertised online at the moment. The brochures haven’t even been printed yet! It seems when it comes to i
nvesting in property I chose a winner, but Arran isn’t aware we might have more money in the pot than expected. I don’t want to jinx it, so that’s another little secret I’m keeping to myself. Well, until an offer comes in – and I have everything crossed that will be a lot sooner than we’d both expected!

  *

  With the last part of my love story still to be written, this morning I’m locked away in my study. Vivian is here overseeing the cleaners, who are going to make the cottage sparkle, ready for tomorrow’s viewings. Arran and I will make ourselves absent between the hours of two and four in the afternoon. His reaction was that it wouldn’t be a problem because he had a little trip in mind.

  I’ve decided that it’s silly of me to feel finishing off this story could jinx what’s going on in real life. The readers, and the characters, deserve an ending worthy of the silver screen. The sort of ending that leaves you feeling elated and punching the air because life when it’s good can be amazing!

  Ethan Turner is a worthy hero, but he has lost his way. Izzie Martin is the woman who turns him around and rescues his heart and his soul. I have poured all the emotional highs and lows running through me since I met Arran into the telling of this story. And now it’s time for Ethan to show Izzie she chose the right man. He is about to step up to prove he can be that strong, dependable partner who will be her rock, no matter what life throws at them in the future.

  I chuckle to myself as I begin to write about the plans for their lavish wedding. It’s so totally opposite to what’s happening now in real life for Arran and me. My phone rings and I’m still smiling to myself as I answer it.

  ‘Hi, Mel.’

  ‘Am I disturbing anything? You sound happy.’

  ‘Laughing to myself, actually. You know how I enjoy it when I’m at the point in a story where it’s the beginning of the end. All that power over my characters and what happens. It’s heady stuff and it satisfies my soul to have a hefty dose of unbridled romance.’

  She sighs. ‘Shouldn’t that be unbridled passion?’