Summer on the Italian Lakes

by Lucy Coleman

  Now it’s my turn to sigh. ‘What’s up?’

  ‘Well, you know how romantic Ross is, which is totally great, but…’

  There’s an awkward pause.

  ‘Oh, so, you’re beginning to get a little bit impatient for some action?’

  She groans out loud.

  ‘Brie! Not impatient, exactly, more anxious. I mean, what if it happens and it’s a disaster?’

  The same thing has been running through my head because I know Mel, and this isn’t a conversation she could have with Ross. Reading between the lines, which is something I’m an expert at, they’ve been about to tumble into bed for the first time for several weeks now. But it sounds like they’ve been thwarted at every turn by circumstances and it’s time to engineer a night away together. It’s the last unknown between them.

  ‘I know it’s been a while for you, but how about Ross? Maybe he’s nervous and that’s why something always seems to get in the way of you two—’

  ‘Nervous? Do guys get nervous about sex?’

  You see, that’s precisely why I worry. People’s expectations can be unreal if they believe everything they hear or read. Of course guys get nervous! Admittedly, not all of them, but the longer you wait, the more the pressure builds.

  ‘If it’s been a while for him too, then maybe he needs a little encouragement. Create an environment where there will be no interruptions, so he feels relaxed and see what happens. Maybe consider a night away together. There’s no point in worrying about something that will come quite naturally when the circumstances are right. You’re overthinking this and that’s a bad thing – without realising it you may be a part of the problem. Stressing about it is going to make you appear nervous, too. He won’t want to disappoint you, Mel, you know that. The guy is clearly very much in love with you.’

  ‘So get away, or ask him over, wine and dine him and put on the soft music?’

  ‘Precisely. I’m sure I’ve written this scene before, in great detail, many times. Maybe I’ll look it up and send over the best example I can find.’ I start laughing and Mel joins in.

  ‘All tips gratefully received. Just pick one that wasn’t too wild as I like my underwear to be more than a teeny bit of lace which doesn’t cover anything. I never thought I’d be the one pushing for sex because I love the fact he isn’t pressurising me in any way, but now I need to know it’s not going to be a… problem.’

  I think I’m right and her unspoken concerns are probably being communicated to Ross loud and clear without Mel knowing that.

  ‘It’s like we’ve swapped places, Brie. I mean, you’ve spent a long time looking for your romantic hero and holding back because you wanted it to be perfect. I know that you’ve been disappointed before, so that’s why I’m surprised at how abandoned you’ve been. Suddenly, along comes Arran, and all of that goes out of the window because you two are like proverbial rabbits. Where did I go wrong? I mean, every woman needs to think they inspire passion in their partner.’

  I shake my head in dismay.

  ‘Stop looking for problems that aren’t there. If you relax about it, then so will he.’

  When I put down the phone I realise that the conversation has steered my thought processes in a slightly different direction for finishing this story. Instantly my head had gone into ‘sex sells’ mode and I realise, after chatting with Mel, that sometimes less is more. When Ethan and Izzie discover each other’s bodies, they don’t need anything other than to surrender to each other. Completely. Irrevocably. And forever.

  And Mel is very astute. I have no idea why I felt everything was so right with Arran from virtually the very beginning. Despite my real reservations about him, my gut instincts were pushing all of that aside for good reason. He isn’t a flowery, poetic sort of person but he’s very honest, practical and easy to please. Maybe I’ve spent a large part of my life being a dreamer and my career sort of depends on that quality, I suppose. Arran has taught me what’s important in life and that’s the love of a good man who doesn’t dress it up because that’s not in his nature. And do I care? No. Because I’m ecstatically happy.

  The glow that Arran inspires within me begins to work its way into the words on the screen in front of me. I’m so caught up in what’s happening that it’s a surprise when Vivian pops her head around the door to say goodbye.

  ‘The cleaning is all done. It looks gorgeous. I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon to greet the agent.’

  ‘Do you have your key?’

  She nods. ‘Yep. Enjoy your afternoon out. Are you going anywhere nice?’

  I shrug my shoulders. ‘I have no idea. Arran says it’s a surprise.’

  ‘Well, fingers crossed the couple from the first viewing stay a long time and the second couple arrive before they leave. Nothing sharpens the mind more than a little competition and who wouldn’t love to live in this beautiful place?’

  Vivian is so young and vibrant, she reminds me of me when I was in my early twenties, too.

  As soon as she leaves I begin typing again and before I know it Arran’s voice carries up the stairs.

  ‘I have takeaway,’ he calls out, no doubt heading into the kitchen.

  Rather reluctantly, I finish the sentence and back up the file before heading downstairs. I say reluctantly, because that first bedroom scene is behind closed doors and the following chapter skips to the next morning. Now I’m going to be in suspense all night until early tomorrow. I’ll steal away to my computer before Arran wakes up. I can think about it all I want but it isn’t until my fingers are flying over the keys that all will be revealed. Until it is there’s an anxious void within me – it’s always the same when I get to this point in the story. I worry I won’t do it justice and this one is so important to me. This is for the true romantics out there.

  ‘Relax, Brie,’ I say to myself out loud. ‘It will be fine.’

  ‘What will be fine?’ Arran appears, no doubt wondering what’s taking me so long. ‘Oh, I found out the source of our leaked photograph. It seems Rick Preston, week one attendee at the course, has managed to get some free publicity for his first book. I knew eventually it would get back to me. Nothing we can do about it now, and we survived.’

  ‘We did.’ I gaze across at Arran, a slight frown on my face. ‘Rick had to get pretty close to get that shot and I find that thought very disturbing. I wonder how long he’d been watching us?’

  Arran shakes his head sadly. ‘Well, he was in the next room to mine so it was easy enough to hop over the divide between the two balconies. Most of the time we spent in your room though, so let’s hope it was a one-off. He must have realised I’d have thrown him out if either of us had spotted him.’

  He saunters over as I stand, and leans in to kiss me. His hands cup my face as he takes in every little feature.

  ‘I missed you today. I mean, really missed you. Thank goodness it’s Saturday tomorrow and we have our little outing.’ He sounds pleased with himself

  ‘Hmm… is this something I’m going to enjoy?’

  He stands back a little, frowning.

  ‘Well, I’m going to show you the proposed venue for our little ceremony. Then we’re going shopping. You get to choose my outfit and I get to choose yours.’

  I burst out laughing, raising my hand to slap it against my forehead.

  ‘What have I done?’

  I said no fuss, but I had hoped it would at least have a little romance to it. But do you know what, if Arran takes us to a costume place and we end up as Beauty and the Beast, I really don’t care.

  ‘Trust me, it won’t be that bad. Oh, and I’ve been listening to the audio version of your book, The Man Who Can, on my journeys to and from work. A few surprises there, actually.’

  The sparkle in his eye is full of suppressed laughter. I’m glad he threw that in because it suddenly occurs to me why he’s so keen to get the wedding over and done with. I bet his marriage to Harriet was an elegant, extravagant affair. No doubt costing thousands of pounds and in
which his voice might not have been heard over and above the demanding bride and her entourage. But perfect as it might have been, it still failed.

  From humble beginnings… and in that respect, we are both on the same page.

  32

  The Big Day is Here

  What a whirlwind this last month has been. Accepting a cash offer on the cottage was exhilarating, but the reality of moving out so quickly soon pushed everything else to the back of our minds. Arran, Vivian, Mel and I have worked non-stop every spare moment to get it all organised.

  With everything packed up and in storage, as I turn the key in the lock for the last time it’s a curious moment. I thought I’d feel sad but instead I’m excited about what’s to come. I’m also ecstatic that in the next hour or so I’ll have enough money sitting in my account to transfer the funds to Arran, so he can pay off Harriet once and for all. The big surprise, though, is that there’s enough left over for us to go house hunting. Okay, it will be a much more modest abode, but at least we’ll have a base in the UK. And that is going to make Mum, Dad and Mel a lot happier, I think, once they find out what’s really going on.

  The phone vibrates in my pocket and I pull it out, smiling when I see it’s Mum calling.

  ‘How’s it going, Brie? Are you nearly finished at the cottage?’

  ‘I’ve literally just locked the door.’

  There’s a momentary pause.

  ‘The start of a new life together, my darling. How marvellous and well deserved. Dad and I were wondering if we could take you both out to lunch, you know, to mark the start of this new phase in your lives.’

  My stomach does a dive as Mum has no idea how true that is. Today is the day Arran and I are tying the knot but it’s a secret still. Ironically, it needn’t have been because in the few weeks he’s been over here he has grown close to everyone around me. All of their concerns have melted away because we are the perfect fit and it’s obvious to them all.

  But accepting that Arran and I wanted to be together and that it would take a lot of juggling financially to make that happen, is a big deal; to throw in a quick wedding on top of the upheaval is quite another. We’re both exhausted at the moment and doing it this way makes life easier. I do hope they will appreciate that when we eventually break the news. But that will be after everything has settled down and the concerns about having homes in two different countries have melted away. Together we will make this work and keep everyone happy. Well, that’s the general idea.

  Arran is putting the final bits in the car and we’re heading off to a Holiday Inn to get ready. I glance down at my watch and see that time is running away from us and we can’t be late.

  ‘It’s a wonderful idea, thank you both so much, but maybe we can do that tomorrow. Today’s a bit… chaotic. Love you and we’ll speak later.’

  Arran saunters towards me, a hesitant look on his face.

  ‘Everything alright?’

  ‘Yep. Just Mum, checking in. I’m all set.’

  Arran reaches out to grab my hand and we turn to take one last look at the cottage.

  ‘I feel absolutely gutted that you’re giving this up for me – for us. It shouldn’t be necessary because it isn’t fair on you. If you’d fallen in love with anyone else—’

  ‘I wouldn’t be marrying the man of my dreams then, would I? Don’t be an idiot. You’re everything to me and this is simply bricks and mortar. It was only ever an investment. Besides, I have a little surprise. Do you fancy house hunting? We might just be able to find a cosy little place tucked away in a quiet village location with what’s left over.’

  ‘After you write that cheque to settle my debts, you mean.’ The look on his face reflects his mixed feelings. He really isn’t comfortable about this and I know I’ve forced his hand.

  ‘If it wasn’t for the fact that she played to my ego, I wouldn’t have fallen for Harriet’s manipulative behaviour. My stupidity allowed that to happen and I feel so badly about what I’m putting you through. You’re paying for my mistake and that’s an awful thing to inflict on anyone.’

  I shush him, throwing my arms around his shoulders and hugging him tightly.

  ‘Do I look like I’m concerned about it?’

  He tips my chin back, staring into my eyes.

  ‘No. And that’s why you’re such a special lady. You ask for nothing. But, in precisely two hours and thirty-seven minutes’ time you will be the joint owner of Villa Monteverdi.’

  I gasp. When I’d hurriedly signed the papers Arran’s solicitor had drawn up I assumed it was a pre-nuptial agreement to safeguard his ownership of the villa. After what Harriet has put him through, I thought it was understandable and there’s no way I would want him to feel vulnerable like that again.

  ‘But I wouldn’t have signed if I’d known that. I never meant there to be a trade off, Arran. I sold the cottage because I love you and between us we’ll always have somewhere to live. But I wanted you to feel that at last your grandfather’s inheritance was safely back in your hands. That means a lot to me, because I hate to see you feeling powerless over something so meaningful in your life. And that was my gift to you.’

  I can’t deny the feeling of disappointment that wells up within me.

  ‘Love is a two way thing, Brie. This is my gift to you too, and I knew if I spelt it out you’d tear up those papers. What I want to say is that I know my grandfather would have understood if I had walked away from the villa, so that I could have you in my life. But I also know it’s meant to be our home and he would rejoice in that thought.’

  We hug in silence, interrupted only when my phone kicks into life.

  ‘You’d better get that. I suspect it’s the solicitor to confirm completion. Besides, we have a wedding to attend. And it just happens to be ours!’

  *

  As registry offices go, this one is at least in an old building and carries with it a sense of history. Births, deaths and marriages… life in a nutshell.

  Arran is nervously pacing back and forth. I reach out and grasp his arm so he’ll stop, and he turns to face me.

  ‘Is my tie straight?’ he enquires, that quirky, left eyebrow lift of his making me smile.

  I put up my hand to adjust it a little, but he looks amazing in his navy suit, with a crisp, white shirt and that blue tie with a perfect Windsor knot. We decided to replicate the outfits Rose and Arthur wore in the photograph Arran has of them – well, as close as we could get. My knee length dress is in silver grey lace, with a shimmery silk layer beneath it. Simple but elegant.

  Arran asked the woman on the reception desk to take a quick photo of us after we’d snapped a few selfies. When we stared back at the one she’d taken, we were both overwhelmed. In the original photograph what stood out was the way both Arthur and Rose’s eyes sparkled. And staring down at the screen of Arran’s phone we knew we’d nailed it, because we saw the exact same thing captured in our own special moment.

  ‘You look so beautiful, Brie, you take my breath away,’ Arran whispers into my ear.

  I feel my cheeks heating up as the seconds tick by. People come and go, but we’re the only ones who are standing on our own together. A large group are congregating quite noisily on the other side of the waiting room and I should imagine they’re for the appointment after ours. Every time the door opens yet another person joins the party. I can see Arran looking their way, pensively. As he watches the bride, head back and laughing, it raises a smile on his own face.

  He turns towards me, leaning in as if he’s going to say something really important, but instead we end up spinning around when we hear his name spoken, out loud. Two women hurry over to us and I half wonder if Arran arranged for witnesses. I’d assumed the registrar would invite two of their admin staff to do the honours.

  ‘Harriet? What on earth—’

  The colour drains from Arran’s face. He spins back around to look at me wearing a horrified expression that makes my stomach begin to churn. My feet suddenly feel like lead and I�
��m frozen to the spot.

  ‘Thank God we’re not too late.’ The other woman directs her glare at me, then turns her head away as if to dismiss me as merely something bothersome. ‘If Harriet hadn’t had you followed, Arran, we wouldn’t have been able to prevent you from making the biggest mistake of your life. Have you totally lost your mind?’

  So, this elegant, impossibly slim and rather haughty woman is the former Mrs Arran Jamieson. She’s utterly stunning and doesn’t have a single hair out of place. I’m guessing the older woman is—

  ‘Mother, this is none of your business. As for you, Harriet, you had me followed?’ Arran sounds appalled. His voice is raised a little and eyes begin to turn in our direction.

  ‘Well, after your girlfriend decided to ignore the pleas from your father, it left us with no other option. You can’t go ahead with this, Arran, it’s insanity. The two of you have nothing in common, at all. Have you read any of her novels? The woman peddles sex; it’s almost bordering on pornography. Think of your reputation.’

  I’m speechless, standing here watching a scene that doesn’t feel real.

  Arran’s mother is quick to jump in. ‘How convenient that photograph of the two of you was leaked to the press. Don’t you see how clever she’s been in trapping you? And as for this fiasco, here, today… well, clearly, she’s in a hurry to tie this up before you have a chance to change your mind. It’s indecent on all fronts, Arran. Your father was too embarrassed and appalled by your behaviour to escort us here for fear of the scene he would cause. What on earth would your grandfather think? Have you no sense of propriety?’

  I take a step backwards, unwittingly relinquishing Arran’s hand in the process but he doesn’t seem to notice. In fact, he takes a step forward and I find myself holding my breath. Now everyone is looking in our direction and the silence hangs heavily in the room.

  ‘Have you both no sense of decency turning up like this, uninvited, as if you have a right to meddle in my life? I’m done with toeing the line and being forced down a road of misery.’